FPL review: Pogba’s assists, van Dijk’s return and a start for £4.0m Tsimikas

MANCHESTER UNITED 5-1 LEEDS UNITED

• Goals: Bruno Fernandes (£11.5m) x3, Mason Greenwood (£7.5m), Fred (£5.0m)| Luke Ayling (£4.5m)
• Assists: Paul Pogba (£7.5m) x4, Victor Lindelof (£5.0m) | Stuart Dallas (£5.5m)
• Bonus: Fernandes x3, Pogba x2, Greenwood x1

No penalties? No problem.

Bruno Fernandes (£12.5m) recorded his biggest ever Fantasy Premier League haul with a 20-point return against Leeds on Saturday, hitting a hat-trick in a 5-1 demolition of Marcelo Bielsa’s troops.

That his goals all came from open play was even more encouraging; there was no reliance on spot-kicks here, with the Portugal international thrice breaking beyond the last man to score. Given the mild pre-season concern about the much-touted move to a 4-3-3 and a possible deeper role, his frequent runs behind the Leeds backline were encouraging.

While Fernandes won’t encounter many more opponents as obliging as Robin Koch (£4.5m), the German centre-half who was covering for the not fully match-fit Kalvin Phillips in front of the back four, the next three fixtures are almost as good as it gets:

Excluding relegated clubs, Newcastle and Southampton had the two worst Premier League defences for goals conceded in 2021, heading into Gameweek 1.

Wolves, meanwhile, are in a transitional phase and keen to show more attacking ambition under their new head coach.

With Fernandes and Luke Shaw (£5.5m) both already owned by more than 50% of FPL managers, Paul Pogba (£7.5m) and Mason Greenwood (£7.5m) threw their hat into the ring for more Fantasy investment.

Pogba hit a remarkable four assists from five key passes, while Greenwood, again playing centrally for United, restored the hosts’ advantage with a breakaway goal and could have had an assist to his name, had Pogba not spurned the big chance he created.

“The way he burst away for that second goal. That’s a man compared to a boy that was in the first team two years ago. I’m delighted with what he has done in pre-season to get his fitness up.” – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Mason Greenwood

The pair are £7.5m for a reason.

In the inconsistent Pogba’s case, experience has taught us that he could just as easily turn in a rotten performance in Gameweek 2 – or be shunted back to a deeper role.

With Greenwood, it’s the return to match fitness of Edinson Cavani (£8.5m), whenever that might be, and the similar wealth of competition if he’s moved back to right-wing duties. Cavani and Anthony Martial‘s (£8.0m) lack of match-sharpness, Marcus Rashford‘s (£9.5m) injury and Jadon Sancho‘s (£9.5m) likely ousting of another player, Daniel James (£6.0m), at least ensures that the short-term prospects remain positive.

“Today was just about ‘go out there and enjoy yourself’ because he had 45 minutes against Everton, which wasn’t his best. We gave him the freedom of roaming wherever you want to go and get on the ball. I can’t remember the last time that happened [getting four assists in a single game] but Paul’s got that quality and, when you’ve got runners willing to make runs and create space for others, it opens up.” – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Paul Pogba

Pogba, it must be said, ended 2020/21 in fine form, so Saturday’s display hasn’t entirely come out of the blue. After an excellent performance against AC Milan on the left flank in March, the France international went on to bank four FPL assists from Gameweek 30 onwards, mostly being used in the same role.

Above: Paul Pogba’s rate of chances created from Gameweeks 1-29 (left) and Gameweek 30 onwards (right).

Shaw might have ended up with a one-pointer but there was enough from an attacking sense (a shot that went narrowly wide and two chances created) to encourage owners, while the capture of Raphael Varane will surely help stiffen up a backline that conceded to every team ranked fifth or below in 2020/21.

As for Leeds, they (perhaps naively) attempted to give as good as they got at Old Trafford and came unstuck again. But easier tests await from Gameweek 5 and the likes of Phillips and Junior Firpo (£5.0m) are still to come into the starting XI following disrupted pre-seasons, while general fitness levels – such a key part of Bielsa’s approach – will continue to build.

There were certainly positives to take from an offensive sense, while Luke Ayling (£4.5m) finally delivered on that untapped underlying attacking potential with a thunderbolt of a goal.

Manchester United XI: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire (C), Shaw, Fred, McTominay (Matic 68), James (Sancho 76), Fernandes, Pogba (Martial 74), Greenwood.

Leeds United XI: Meslier, Ayling, Koch, Cooper (C), Bamford (Roberts 76), Raphina, Dallas, Rodrigo (Firpo 45), Struijk, Harrison (Helder Costa 69), Klich.

NORWICH CITY 0-3 LIVERPOOL

• Goals: Diogo Jota (£7.5m), Roberto Firmino (£9.0m), Mohamed Salah (£12.5m)
• Assists: Salah x2
• Bonus: Salah x3, Firmino x2, Virgil van Dijk (£6.5m) x1

Order was restored upon the return of Virgil van Dijk (£6.5m) to the Liverpool defence for the first time since October, with the Reds shutting out Norwich at Carrow Road.

It wasn’t a completely watertight display, with the high backline caught out on a couple of occasions, Teemu Pukki (£6.0m) spurning a big chance and Alisson (£6.0m) performing heroics in a late penalty box scramble, but the sense of calm that van Dijk brings was something that the Brazilian goalkeeper alluded to in his post-match interview:

“It is really good to have Virgil and Joel in front of me. They give a lot of sense of safety. … [My save] was needed to keep a clean sheet. I don’t think the save affects the result but it feels good.” – Alisson on Virgil van Dijk

While van Dijk’s return will surely boost Liverpool’s clean sheet count, it could also help with the assist tallies of dead-ball specialists Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.5m) and – when fit – Andrew Robertson (£7.0m).

Liverpool have had more attempts from set plays (nine) than any other side in Gameweek 1 so far, with Jurgen Klopp highlighting the Dutchman’s influence in both penalty areas:

“It was really good to see him again being back on the pitch, especially on defensive set-pieces, he looked really, really good. Offensive set-pieces with the two monsters, Joel and Virgil, we were really good. We scored from a second ball, I think Mo’s goal was a brilliant routine, really – getting a second ball in that area and finishing off. So, yes, it’s nice to have him back.” – Jurgen Klopp on Virgil van Dijk

Bargain FPL defender Kostas Tsimikas (£4.0m) deputised for Robertson and looked a threat in an attacking sense, matching Diogo Jota‘s (£7.0m) shot and penalty box touch counts and also inheriting corners on the left-hand side.

Above: Liverpool players sorted by penalty box touches in Gameweek 1

“Very good, very good. I would say for at least 80 minutes very good, played good, was involved in all the offensive stuff, defended well. Then obviously someone pulled the plug a little bit! That’s normal after that long period, so it was a really good debut. From the start in an away game, he played a really good game.” – Jurgen Klopp on Kostas Tsimikas

A sharp-looking Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) banked three attacking returns in a now trademark opening-day points bonanza, lashing home Liverpool’s third after earlier setting up Jota (unwittingly) and Roberto Firmino (£9.0m).

Firmino’s goalscoring presence is an unnerving one for Jota owners and the week-to-week uncertainty might be too much for some to bear, although the Portuguese midfielder at least looks to have a strong chance of starting in Gameweek 4.

There were positives to take for Norwich, especially in an attacking sense, but their disrupted pre-season and flagging fitness levels will be of keen interest to owners of Manchester City assets ahead of Gameweek 2.

“When I think about our starting XI today, we were still missing some key players. We had to throw some key players into the cold water because we needed them. When I think about Grant  Hanley, for example, he had to play this game without one single second of pre-season.

“Teemu Pukki missed many training days with us throughout pre-season, Milot Rashica missed two out of the last three weeks due to Covid-19.

“It was tricky, for that I have to say many compliments for the performance. As long as the energy was there, we were competitive.” – Daniel Farke

Norwich City XI: Krul; Giannoulis, Gibson, Hanley, Aarons; Gilmour, Lees-Melou; Rashica (Sargent 77), Rupp, Cantwell (Dowell 86); Pukki (Idah 77).

Liverpool XI: Alisson; Tsimikas, Van Dijk, Matip, Alexander-Arnold; Keita (Elliott 83), Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain (Fabinho 60); Mane, Jota (Firmino 60), Salah.