The Promoted

Assessing Matheus Pereira and West Brom’s attacking assets ahead of FPL return

Our series of articles on the promoted sides continues with a look at West Bromwich Albion’s midfielders and forwards.

We have already assessed the Baggies’ manager and defence, with focus now switching to the exciting Matheus Pereira and the supporting cast.

WHAT IS WEST BROMWICH ALBION’S GOAL-SCORING POTENTIAL?

West Brom were promoted from the Championship with the joint-second-best attacking record, having scored 77 goals – the same as champions Leeds United – in their 46 league fixtures.

That was three short of Brentford’s total and 16 fewer than Norwich City had managed in 2018/19.

No side from the English second tier plundered more goals than the Baggies on their own turf (44) but four clubs scored on more occasions than Slaven Bilic’s troops on the road (33).

Albion were second behind Leeds for attempts on goal (676) and shots in the box (418) in 2019/20.

That they sealed automatic promotion with a limited strike force (not one of their players was in the top 30 for Championship goals scored) was some achievement but their overreliance on Pereira and lack of a top-class striker is something that needs addressing this summer, as Albion fan and ex-sports journalist Matt Wilson told us:

At the moment, a lot is reliant on how Pereira plays.

Albion need to sign a first-choice striker this summer because Hal Robson-Kanu and Kenneth Zohore are probably not Premier League quality, even though Robson-Kanu’s just had the best season of his career, and while Charlie Austin knows where the net is, he’s got a lot of miles in his legs now.

Grady Diangana provided a real threat on loan from West Ham last season, and would have scored more if he hadn’t been injured, but whether we can re-sign him either on loan or permanently remains to be seen.

In my opinion, Albion need to sign a striker and a winger this summer or they could struggle to score.

PLAYER-BY-PLAYER

MATHEUS PEREIRA

Attacking Midfielder

Starts: 38 | Substitute appearances: 4 | Goals: 8 | Assists: 16

The stand-out Fantasy option from the West Brom attack, and perhaps the only convincing one at present, is Mateus Pereira.

The Brazilian was signed on a season-long loan deal from Sporting CP last summer, with the move set to become permanent imminently.

After a handful of substitute appearances, his full Albion debut came in the Championship equivalent of Gameweek 6 and he went on to start 38 of the Baggies’ remaining 41 games, missing two of them through suspension.

Featuring chiefly in ‘the hole’ in Bilic’s 4-2-3-1, Pereira was moved to a right-wing role upon the switch to a 4-3-3 earlier this calendar year, with the absence of a number ten in that system still allowing the Brazilian to drift infield into dangerous possessions on his favoured left foot.

Wherever he plays, he is key to Albion’s attack.

A total of 16 assists (and that’s discounting ‘Fantasy assists’) and 116 chances created were not only highs in the West Brom squad but the best in the entire division.

No Albion player could match Pereira’s shot count (111), either, with only eight Championship players – many of them bona fide strikers – beating that tally.

His total of 20 big chances created was another figure that was unsurpassed in the English second tier in 2019/20.

On a share of corner-taking duties and first in line for direct free-kicks, Pereira may offer multiple routes to Fantasy points next season.

The problem with that, of course, is that FPL Towers are likely to have already taken notice.

We can cite the cases of Mario Vrancic and Ryan Sessegnon in previous seasons, with both players coming up from the Championship off the back of excellent campaigns and slapped with prohibitive £6.5m price tags.

He is unlikely to be anything less than £6.0m based on past evidence but he was the first name that former Express and Star reporter Matt Wilson picked out when we spoke last week:

The obvious attacking candidate [for FPL managers] is Matheus Pereira, who was Albion’s creative spark last season. Not only did he contribute 16 assists, the most by any player in a single Championship season for five years, he also scored eight goals. He takes free-kicks and corners, and Slaven Bilic is expected to build his attack around him.

HAL ROBSON-KANU

Forward

Starts: 24 | Substitute appearances: 15 | Goals: 10 | Assists: 1

Whether West Brom adopt a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3, there is only room for one striker in Bilic’s set-up.

Hal Robson-Kanu was the go-to striker from November onwards, with 22 of his 24 starts coming from the Championship equivalent of Gameweeks 16-39.

The Wales international was the Baggies’ joint-top scorer on 10 goals, his best-ever tally in 11 seasons of professional football.

That perhaps tells FPL managers all they need to know and, as we discussed earlier, there are obvious reservations about whether the 31-year-old forward can belatedly make the step up to the Premier League.

Full of endeavour and decent at holding the ball up, Robson-Kanu is nevertheless not a natural goal-getter and Bilic will surely look to bolster his striking options over the summer.

‘Impact substitute’ or willing runner in the trickier away games may well be the Welshman’s remit in 2020/21, then.

CHARLIE AUSTIN

Forward

Starts: 18 | Substitute appearances: 16 | Goals: 10 | Assists: 2

While Robson-Kanu isn’t an instinctive goalscorer, Charlie Austin very much is.

The former Southampton man recorded almost twice as many big chances (22) as any other Albion player despite starting just 18 games, with all but seven of his 54 shots coming from inside the opposition area.

Only the sparingly used Kenneth Zohore had better accuracy than Austin among West Brom’s attacking options, with 44.4% of the latter’s shots landing on target.

Austin took four of West Brom’s seven penalties in 2019/20, with Zohore (two) and Robson-Kanu (one) responsible for the others.

While he may be adept at finding the opposition net, his lack of mobility and that poacher’s mindset arguably means that he is not a natural fit for Bilic’s system, where the lone frontman is required to put in the graft.

Indeed, Austin was benched in 26 of the 44 Championship matches he was available for last season.

Given the step up in class in the Premier League, the 31-year-old striker may see pitch-time even more restricted next season.

MATT PHILLIPS

Winger

Starts: 30 | Substitute appearances: 9 | Goals: 7 | Assists: 6

FPL managers may remember Matt Phillips‘ previous contributions as a budget midfielder for Albion, QPR and Blackpool and he will return for a fifth season as a Premier League player in 2019/20.

How prominent a role he will play is another question.

Phillips made more Championship starts (30) than all of the Baggies’ attacking midfielders bar Pereira last season but only three of them arrived in the final 16 matches, with indifferent form, a change of shape and the arrival of some January window signings shunting him down the pecking order.

Although an inconsistent performer, seven goals in his first 18 starts of the season did underscore what he is capable of on his day.

Operating almost exclusively on the right flank in a 4-2-3-1, he was the sacrificial lamb when Bilic moved Pereira out wide from a number ten role upon the change to a 4-3-3.

Up until that point, Phillips had been responsible for a large chunk of the Baggies’ set plays and indeed none of his teammates took more corners than the winger (120) over the whole of 2019/20.

Pereira (20) was the only Albion player who created more big chances (14) than Phillips last season.

FILIP KROVINOVIC, GRADY DIANGANA AND CALLUM ROBINSON

Attacking Midfielder/Wingers

Krovinovic

Starts: 24 | Substitute appearances: 16 | Goals: 3 | Assists: 2

Diangana

Starts: 23 | Substitute appearances: 7 | Goals: 8 | Assists: 6

Robinson

Starts: 10 | Substitute appearances: 6 | Goals: 3 | Assists: 2

These three players all made key contributions to the promotion push but all were loanees and it’s by no means certain that they will be back at The Hawthorns in 2020/21.

Krovinovic perhaps looks the likeliest to return, with West Brom reportedly in discussions over a second loan from Benfica.

He appeared in 40 of Albion’s 46 league matches last season but 16 of those came as a substitute and there would have to be concerns about security of starts should he rejoin the Baggies this summer.

Having ceded control of the number ten slot to Pereira early in the season, the Croat started just four games between Gameweeks 6 and 23 of the Championship campaign.

A change of system after Christmas saw Krovinovic return to the fold and it may be that his chances of starts in the top flight hinge on Albion’s formation.

With Bilic using a 4-3-3 more and more in the second half of the campaign, Krovinovic was deployed in a three-man central midfield with Romaine Sawyers and Jake Livermore.

Three goals and two assists doesn’t scream huge Fantasy potential, however.

Grady Diangana and Callum Robinson would be slightly more attractive picks, should they return to the West Midlands.

Both players we know about from their stints in the Premier League and Robinson was briefly an ‘out of position’ FPL midfielder to consider in 2019/20, before temporarily departing from Sheffield United in January.

Both loanees spent most of their time on the left flank under Bilic.

Robinson was thrust straight into the starting XI upon his move but, after nine successive starts, was dropped to the bench in the next seven games and only returned on the final day – surprisingly as a central striker – against QPR.

Two of his five attacking returns indeed came in that 2-2 draw with the Rs.

Muscle problems in December and January disrupted Diangana’s season but he was a regular in the first half of the campaign, starting 12 straight games from Gameweeks 9-20.

Returning from injury after lockdown, he was mostly the preferred option down the left flank in the run-in – but ‘mostly’ is the operative word there and, unlike Pereira, was still prone to rotation amid the fixture pile-up.

Diangana and Robinson both bested Pereira for ‘big chances’ last season despite playing far fewer minutes (nine each v five for Pereira), with Robinson in particular posting some eye-catching numbers.


PlayerMins per shotMins per shot in boxMins per shot on targetMins per chance created
Pereira30.460.396.429.1
Krovinovic41.0109.2134.951.0
Phillips39.281.0142.944.2
Diangana39.764.493.445.5
Robinson21.429.456.947.4

ROMAINE SAWYERS

Central Midfielder

Starts: 42 | Goals: 1 | Assists: 1

Unless Bilic reinforces his options in the middle of the park this summer, Romaine Sawyers is destined to be one of the £4.5m FPL midfielders we can count on for starts and little else next season.

The Saints Kitts and Nevis international joined from Brentford last summer and started 42 of Albion’s 46 league fixtures, with three of his no-shows enforced by suspension.

A Bilic signing, he is clearly a big favourite of his manager’s and has been hailed as “instrumental” by the Albion head coach.

The midfield metronome played in the double-pivot of a 4-2-3-1 with Jake Livermore for much of the campaign and, when Bilic switched to a 4-3-3, was the deepest-lying player in that central midfield trio.

Six shots in the box and one goal in 42 appearances highlights his lack of Fantasy appeal and, while one assist undersells his overall contribution the team, a minutes-per-chance-created average of 97.9 cements his status as FPL bench fodder.

JAKE LIVERMORE

Central Midfielder

Starts: 43 | Substitute appearances: 2 | Goals: 3 | Assists: 4

Sawyers’ partner in crime for much of 2019/20, Jake Livermore at least chipped in with a few more attacking returns than his aforementioned teammate.

A workhorse, aggressive presser and perhaps more renowned for his defensive contributions (he made more successful tackles than any of his teammates last season), Livermore has nevertheless had more license to get forward than Sawyers, registering almost three times as many shots as his midfield colleague (55 v 19).

The ex-Spurs and Hull player was particularly ‘box to box’ when Bilic switched to a 4-3-3 after Christmas, with the Albion manager discussing his tactical tweak :

To be fair Jake has been up there the whole season, no matter which position. Whether he’s playing deeper, or like recently further up the pitch.

It gives Jake, not a free license, but a license to press them higher and to join them up in the box, to be more free, which is good.

Livermore created even fewer chances than Sawyers last season (36 v 38) and seems pretty much guaranteed to be in the £4.5m-£5.0m bracket when FPL relaunches.

THE REST

Signed from Cardiff City for a reported £8m last summer, Kenneth Zohore started only five Championship matches for Albion and racked up fewer minutes of pitch-time than 19 of his teammates in 2019/20.

The striker scored on just three occasions – twice from the penalty spot – and only made Bilic’s starting XI once after August, failing to even make the matchday squad in over half of his side’s fixtures.

Reports suggest the Baggies will be prepared to listen to offers for the Dane this summer.

Such is the state of flux that Albion find themselves in at present that wingers Kamil Grosicki and Kyle Edwards could be either surplus to requirements or in line for a start in Gameweek 1.

Attacking midfielders Pereira, Krovinovic, Diangana and Robinson played prominent roles for Bilic in the promotion-winning campaign but all will need replacing if their moves aren’t made permanent or another loan deal is not agreed upon.

Grosicki was signed from Hull City in January but had to wait until July for his full Albion debut, having only seen action off the bench before that.

The Poland international then started four games in a row on the left flank but was back among the substitutes by the season’s end, having contributed one goal and three assists in his 492 minutes of game-time.

Inclined to cut inside and shoot on his favoured right foot, Grosicki averaged a goal attempt every 30.8 minutes for Albion in 2019/20.

He also scored four direct free-kick goals for Hull in league and cup last season but faces a tough task in ousting Pereira from dead-ball duties with the Baggies.

Edwards, who progressed through Albion’s academy system before making his club debut in 2018/19, started the season out as first choice down the left flank but the arrivals of Diangana, Robinson and Grosicki ate into his pitch-time and he didn’t make a single Championship start from February onwards.

Almost two-thirds (17 of 26) of his appearances came as a substitute, with the 22-year-old scoring twice but failing to register a single assist.

Squad player status looks likely at best, along with a cheap FPL price tag.

That may well also be the case for Rekeem Harper although, following the rise to prominence of John Lundstram (who barely featured in Sheffield United’s promotion-winning campaign), never say never.

Harper started only four Championship matches last season, barely featuring in the first half of 2019/20 before twice deputising for the unavailable Sawyers in February.

A central midfielder by trade, he isn’t likely to appeal even if he is given game-time: he managed only one shot in the box and two key passes in his ten run-outs in the season just gone.

Chris Brunt departed last month after 13 years with the Baggies, while 39-year-old Gareth Barry also becomes a free agent this summer.

Oliver Burke is at the opposite end of his career but has spent the last 18 months out on loan at Celtic and Alaves and is thought to be on his way out of The Hawthorns.

Best players by position:

1,125 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Fpl_Juggernaut
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    penandes scores again.. He's a machine

  2. FPL Blow-In
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Martial is ghosting past players

    1. Brosstan
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      One of the ghosts impeded him

  3. goriuanx
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Bruno Fernandes is Mark Noble with a stutter.

    1. Fpl_Juggernaut
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Please don't insult mark noble. He's a club legend

    2. Drexl Spivey
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      And Ribéry's sex appeal.

  4. Rainer
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Just jump on the ground Martial?!?!

  5. pingissimus
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    How do you do fall flat on my face in surprise emoji?

  6. Rainer
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    This keeper has been brilliant.

    1. FPL Blow-In
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Absolutely top class performance

      1. FPL Blow-In
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Put his name on the radar

  7. @persecuted_by_mods
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Bruno is just sterling/Salah but as a CAM. Gonna look crap most of the match taking shots from anywhere that do nothing, and doing bad passes and dribbles into nowhere. BUT still the most likely to assist or score at any time

      Add in utds penalties which clearly aren't going to stop next year and he's nailed in my team

      1. FPL Blow-In
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        He has made terrible decisions tonight in terms of passing.

      2. Goonsquad245
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        He’s a completely different player to Salah and Sterling.

        Pens are a massive part of his appeal - without them he’s a far inferior asset to those two (I think he is anyway to a degree, but expect his price to reflect that)

        1. Botman and Robben
          • 7 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          Those pens do help.

        2. @persecuted_by_mods
            3 years, 7 months ago

            Well I clarified in what way he is like them in that they're quite wasteful but still get goals and assists

            I think you should check how many penalties he actually scored in the premier League too. The penalties won't stop regardless

            1. Goonsquad245
              • 7 Years
              3 years, 7 months ago

              Half of his goals in the PL were pens? Not sure what point you’re trying to make.

              I said pens were a massive part of his appeal. I didn’t say being so reliant on them made him a bad asset or even likely to regress...just that he’s not comparable to Salah and Sterling without them.

              1. Tinkermania
                • 4 Years
                3 years, 7 months ago

                He is a 7mil without pens!

              2. @persecuted_by_mods
                  3 years, 7 months ago

                  My point is very simple, he's a great asset even without penalties and the penalties aren't going to stop anyway

                  If you're making a prediction for what's to come fine you're entitled to that opinion, if you're reviewing the season gone and saying he's not comparable without penalties that's just wrong

                  1. @persecuted_by_mods
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      You responded to my post which was a simple comparison that all 3 are quite wasteful but in fpl terms still the most likely to return

                    • Goonsquad245
                      • 7 Years
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      Ok, let’s take ‘penalties aren’t going to stop’ out of it. I never said that.

                      Both backwards and forwards looking, he’s not comparable to those two as an FPL asset without penalties. Sorry, but he just isn’t. 3 of the 4 non pen goals he scored were unsustainable screamers, he doesn’t get anywhere near the same level of chances as Salah or Sterling in open play, there’s just no way he’d be able to keep up.

                      Anyway, it’s a moot point because he does have pens and united get a lot of them, but Salah (with very few pens) and Sterling (not the usual pen taker) are 12m+ assets for a reason. Bruno wouldn’t be close to that price without, and nobody in their right mind would buy him if he was.

                      1. @persecuted_by_mods
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          But my point was that they're similar in that they are wasteful but get points I wasn't even really comparing the level of points

                          That said Bruno without penalties exceeded them not just matched so saying it's backwards looking is just flat out wrong

                          Saying it's unsustainable and his returns were lucky is a different point

                          If I score 100 lucky goals and someone scores 99 goals without luck I've still outscored them, your future prediction can be that I won't get as lucky but your reviewing of that season can't be that I was not as good

                          1. Goonsquad245
                            • 7 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Think you’ll probably find that Sterling outscored Bruno in a fraction of the minutes played since Bruno joined if you take off the 30 points or so that Bruno got purely because of pens (he got 2 or 3 bonus in each of those games that he wouldn’t have got otherwise), so yeah actually Sterling would have been a better asset without pens (price notwithstanding obv).

                            I responded to your original post which said ‘Bruno is just Sterling/Salah but as a CAM’ by saying that Bruno is not a comparable FPL asset to Sterling and Salah without pens, honestly didn’t think that would be such a contentious point :/

                            1. @persecuted_by_mods
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Do you remove sterlings penalties too? And have you done the calculations as to whether he would have still got bonus? And price is withstanding, because the price thing is something you've brought up

                                Because my main part of my response was "Well I clarified in what way he is like them in that they're quite wasteful but still get goals and assists"

                                So you've got 0 reply to what I actually was simply saying, it wasn't about rates of goals or assists or values or what they're worth

                                1. Goonsquad245
                                  • 7 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  Sterling scored 3 points net from a pen in that period (missed it and scored the rebound). Bruno would have had either no attacking returns or a single assist in the games he scored pens. 20 points from the pens plus a loss of 8 or so bonus (generously to Bruno - I reckon he’d actually have lost them all). Let’s call it 28 points.

                                  If you look at post lockdown only (where Sterling wasn’t injured and was a viable option) the difference is huge.

                                  Honestly don’t know what you’re talking about with regard to price. Obviously Bruno at 8m would have still been value without pens, but you can’t compare 8m and 12m assets which is what I’m trying to say lol. If they were both 12m, it wouldn’t even be a question without pens, hopefully we can agree on that?

                                  To your actual point, you’re right in that I don’t actually have much to say on it because it doesn’t really make much sense to me. I think Martial looks way more dangerous from open play than Bruno. Bruno is more of an inferior KDB in my book in terms of open play potential.

                            2. Goonsquad245
                              • 7 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              And to your 100 to 99 point, I can review the season just gone and make the assessment that the 100 goals were lucky and the 99 weren’t, so the two aren’t comparable in terms of future potential.

                              1. @persecuted_by_mods
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  Yes that's literally what I'm saying

                                  But you can't say the 99 was better than the 100

                                  Take away Bruno's penalties and sterlings penalties and I'm pretty certain Bruno since he joined outscores, yes sterling got less minutes but again my point is simply that he's similar to them (Salah sterling) as an fpl asset, can return without playing particularly well. I never even meant to say he's as good as them, however this season he certainly was.

                                  1. Goonsquad245
                                    • 7 Years
                                    3 years, 7 months ago

                                    I don’t think he does, or at least it’s very close, and I can’t be bothered to do the exact calculations. It’s close over the entire 14 game period, but largely because sterling was injured for a couple of games pre-lockdown.

                                    We’ve come full circle, because Bruno’s returns when he doesn’t play particularly well seem to come from penalties... 😀

                • FPL Pillars
                  • 7 Years
                  3 years, 7 months ago

                  Fernandes price prediction for 20/21?

                  1. FPL Pillars
                    • 7 Years
                    3 years, 7 months ago

                    I’ll go for 11.5mil

                    1. FPL Blow-In
                      • 11 Years
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      Hopefully not. 10.5 and I will certainly have him. More than that it might be tough

                    2. Tinkermania
                      • 4 Years
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      10 million

                  2. SADIO SANÉ
                    • 8 Years
                    3 years, 7 months ago

                    10.5

                  3. Goonsquad245
                    • 7 Years
                    3 years, 7 months ago

                    11m would be fair.

                  4. FOO FIGHTER
                    • 4 Years
                    3 years, 7 months ago

                    No less than 11.0

                  5. El Presidente
                    • 4 Years
                    3 years, 7 months ago

                    9.5

                • Brosstan
                  • 9 Years
                  3 years, 7 months ago

                  United should bring this GK back from Germany

                  1. Andy_Social
                    • 11 Years
                    3 years, 7 months ago

                    I was thinking he'd be great for Sheff United

                • Zimo
                  • 5 Years
                  3 years, 7 months ago

                  Wow i checked the amount of penalties awarded in serie a last season and its 185 😮

                  1. @persecuted_by_mods
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      How many in the prem? I read somewhere that the prem might be adopting the handball rule that other leagues have which should increase the amount of penalties even more

                      1. Zimo
                        • 5 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        92

                      2. Zimo
                        • 5 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Then penalty takers would be amazing to have in the team!

                        1. Zimo
                          • 5 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          KDB could break the 300 point barrier if he remains on them ._.

                    • Brosstan
                      • 9 Years
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      Less than Bruno has scored on his own since he arrive at United...

                      1. Zimo
                        • 5 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        U really don't like bruno 😛

                        1. Brosstan
                          • 9 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          I love Bruno. I hate the spineless and frankly terrible refs though

                  2. KGFC
                    • 7 Years
                    3 years, 7 months ago

                    Irrespective of the offside, Rashford's finishing is so raw. I prefer GW in a 1-1 situation than this overhyped player!

                  3. Camzy
                    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                    • 13 Years
                    3 years, 7 months ago

                    Chelsea should sign this keeper from Copenhagen. Can't concede.

                    1. goriuanx
                      • 13 Years
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      He's conceded mate.

                  4. FOO FIGHTER
                    • 4 Years
                    3 years, 7 months ago

                    Who is picking Bruno GW1 then 😀

                    1. Rainer
                      • 7 Years
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      He probably won’t have a GW1.

                      1. FOO FIGHTER
                        • 4 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        That was my point 😉

                        1. Rainer
                          • 7 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          🙁

                      2. @persecuted_by_mods
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Will still get a penalty anyway

                          1. Rainer
                            • 7 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Banker of the season!

                      3. Brosstan
                        • 9 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Maximus Bonuspoints

                        1. FOO FIGHTER
                          • 4 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          He he

                      4. pingissimus
                        • 5 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Might pop him and Martial on the bench for BB in week 2 - I’ve a killer set of cheap differentials 🙂

                    2. FPL Pillars
                      • 7 Years
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      Inter Milan... Eriksen and Sanchez on the bench tonight. Money well spent...

                      1. diesel001
                        • 7 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Saving them for the final vs Man Utd or Wolves.

                    3. diesel001
                      • 7 Years
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      Man Utd probably taking the p*** here.

                      How many opportunities do they need? Very poor display of finishing.

                      1. Andy_Social
                        • 11 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Mata missing them all. Mason would've had a 10-min hattie!

                      2. UnitedFan
                        • 8 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Indeed. This is one of our biggest problems.

                        1. KGFC
                          • 7 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          We need someone who can unlock deep defences akin to KDB for City.

                          1. UnitedFan
                            • 8 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            That's what Bruno is for, although his form really dipped in the latter stages of the PL run-in. Been ok tonight. Poor in the first half but improved in the second.

                            1. @persecuted_by_mods
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                If I was a utd fan I'd be more worried about the opposition teams pressing rather than ability to unlock deep defenses

                                1. UnitedFan
                                  • 8 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  True.

                                2. KGFC
                                  • 7 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  I wouldn't given the speed and counter attacking unit we have with Martial, Rash, GW and Bruno.

                              • KGFC
                                • 7 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Don't think Bruno plays or at least is playing that part... Generally far too forward to dictate the midfield. Just my opinion.

                      3. goriuanx
                        • 13 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Maximus licking his lips as his Bruno and KDB double miss GW1.

                        1. FOO FIGHTER
                          • 4 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Ha ha

                      4. Forgetmeknot
                        • 5 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Premiums vs differentials?

                        Watching Utd thinking I will really be tempted by martial for the new season, but ofc price dependant.

                        So what makes a bigger difference to a successful season, getting your premium choices right or getting your differentials right?

                        1. UnitedFan
                          • 8 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          From my own experience, differentials.

                      5. Rainer
                        • 7 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Streetwise Pogba.

                      6. Rainer
                        • 7 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        What a save!!!

                        1. UnitedFan
                          • 8 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Incredible performance.

                      7. FPL Blow-In
                        • 11 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        This keeper is on speed 😆

                      8. KGFC
                        • 7 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Wow!! Is that Superman in goal for Copenhagen??

                        1. Fpl_Juggernaut
                          • 4 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Wait till penandes gets another dive and penalty

                          1. KGFC
                            • 7 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Now you are brining in Kryptonite into the picture and that changes the equation :-p

                            1. Fpl_Juggernaut
                              • 4 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Pls don't insult kryptonite.. Atlst it is effective

                              1. KGFC
                                • 7 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                And so is a penalty against this GK... Maybe you didn't get it 🙂

                      9. Bun Rab
                        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                        • 11 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Manchester United were awarded 14 penalties the most penalties awarded in Premier League Season 2019-20 and Premier League all-time history. The most total penalties “scored” in a season were 85 in 2009-10. The most total penalties awarded in a season were 106 penalties in 2009-10 and 2016-17. See also Premier League Penalties by Club.

                        https://www.myfootballfacts.com/premier-league/all-time-premier-league/premier-league-penalty-statistics/

                        1. Bun Rab
                          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                          • 11 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          1 every 2.71 games.

                      10. FPL Blow-In
                        • 11 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Watch united get nervy now

                        1. Rainer
                          • 7 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          They’ll just order another pen, no need to worry.

                      11. Rainer
                        • 7 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Robbie Savage might be more biased than Neville & Carragher.

                      12. FOO FIGHTER
                        • 4 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        No City, No UTD and possibly no Wolves start of next season.

                        Either loads of hits will be taken GW2/3 or loads of WC's are going to fly.

                        Like it and going to be one of the most interesting starts and squad selection wise to any FPL season yet 🙂

                        1. UshFPL
                          • 7 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Think it's going to lead to a big template team with so many options gone

                        2. Tinkermania
                          • 4 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Do they only miss week 1 or will it be more if they reach the final?

                          1. Andy_Social
                            • 11 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            2 if they reach the finals.

                            Been discussed to death, mind. FF knows it.

                            1. Tinkermania
                              • 4 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Sorry. I do take days off here.

                              1. SADIO SANÉ
                                • 8 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                ban.

                              2. Andy_Social
                                • 11 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Not you - Foo Fighter has already given his views a thousand times.

                          2. Zimo
                            • 5 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Could be 2

                        3. Tinkermania
                          • 4 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          QUESTION???? If City were drawn against say Liverpool in week1 and UTD against say, Leeds. Does it mean Leeds will play Liverpool that week(Their tie brought forward) or does it mean Liverpool and Leeds will blank too?

                          1. Zimo
                            • 5 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Blank i would think

                      13. Fpl_Juggernaut
                        • 4 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Lindelof handball not given. Nothing new there varchester

                      14. Bank$y
                        • 5 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Why do the Man Utd players have Thank You on their strips above the crest? Who are they thanking, the ref??!

                        1. Fpl_Juggernaut
                          • 4 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Thank you ref and var

                          1. Bank$y
                            • 5 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Roger that Jag-Z. Does seem a bit more than ironic though...

                        2. Grumbledook
                          • 10 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Key workers who have worked through this Pandemic.

                        3. Drexl Spivey
                          • 5 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Alexis.

                      15. Fpl_Juggernaut
                        • 4 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Lukaku and Alexis will rip this united defense a new one

                      16. SADIO SANÉ
                        • 8 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        got to get the keeper up for these corners

                      17. Rainer
                        • 7 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Lingard looks in the mood.

                        1. Zimo
                          • 5 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Wants a good club to buy him