We continue our Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Gameweek 9 Scout Notes with analysis of Leeds United v Wolverhampton Wanderers.
For a summary in brief of Saturday’s Premier League action, click here.
Leeds United 1-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Goals: Rodrigo (£6.3m) | Hwang Hee-chan (£5.7m)
- Assists: Joe Gelhardt (£4.5m) | Raul Jimenez (£7.6m)
- Bonus: Rodrigo x3, Hwang x2, Stuart Dallas (£5.3m) x1
RAPHINHA AND MARCAL INJURY UPDATES
Raphinha (£6.7m) is an early injury concern for Leeds United’s plum-looking Gameweek 10 clash against Norwich City, having limped out of the Whites’ draw with Wolves.
The Brazilian was seen on crutches and wearing a protective boot in the aftermath of that game, with Marcelo Bielsa unable to offer us much after full-time.
“He received a knock, we don’t know the extent or gravity of the injury.” – Marcelo Bielsa on Raphinha
There was at least a more positive update from the player himself, who said he was “fine” in comments posted on social media. We should have a bonus press conference from Bielsa on Monday ahead of their EFL Cup clash with Arsenal, so we may hear more news on the Brazilian way in advance of next Saturday’s FPL deadline.
Kalvin Phillips (£4.8m) was back on the bench at Elland Road, meanwhile, but the 7.0%-owned Marcal (£4.6m) missed the game for the visitors, even if his calf injury doesn’t sound serious and he could be back for Gameweek 10.
AIT-NOURI ADVANCES
Coming in for Marcal was Rayan Ait-Nouri (£4.3m), one of the early pre-season bandwagons that had long been forgotten about by the time Gameweek 1 kicked off.
Marcal had started all of Wolves’ first eight league matches at left wing-back but has flattered to deceive for some time, particularly in possession.
Bruno Lage’s change in that position at Elland Road was enforced by the Brazilian’s injury so it’ll be interesting to see who the Wolves boss plumps for against Everton next Monday, with the cut-price Ait-Nouri impressing at times yesterday.
The average position map below shows just how more advanced the young defender was compared to Nelson Semedo (£4.9m, number 22), with Ait-Nouri’s total of 21 final-third touches unbeaten by any of his teammates and three times more than Semedo racked up.
£4.5m GELHARDT MAKES HIS MARK
Leeds fans will know all about Joe Gelhardt (£4.5m) from his exceptional displays for the under-23s and he has finally got his chance in the Premier League in the last two Gameweeks, with his latest second-half cameo on Saturday showcasing his talents.
Racking up an eye-catching 11 penalty box touches in under half an hour (as many as any forward in Gameweek 9), he twice went close with rising efforts from inside the Wolves box before a weaving run brought about the stoppage-time penalty that Rodrigo (£6.3m) despatched in the absence of the injured Patrick Bamford (£7.8m) and the substituted Mateusz Klich (£5.5m).
The length of Bamford’s absence will likely determine how much game-time he gets but the Whites looked better with Rodrigo dropping deeper behind Gelhardt in the closing stages.
“In the initial minutes of the 30 that he played, he had very few contacts with the ball. But in the final 15 minutes, he got the penalty and he had options to score one or perhaps two goals. And I have the impression that him alongside Rodrigo in the second half created enough chances to win the game.” – Marcelo Bielsa on Joe Gelhardt
Armando Broja (£5.0m) looks head and shoulders above any £5.0m-and-under FPL forward at present but the teenage Gelhardt is one for the watchlist for FPL managers eyeing up a 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 in the longer term.
HWANG/JIMENEZ LINK-UP DELIVERS AGAIN
Raul Jimenez (£7.6m) set up a Hwang Hee-chan (£5.7m) goal for the third time in as many Gameweeks, even if this latest ‘assist’ was of the Fantasy variety after the Mexican had an effort blocked.
Lage’s troops have scored seven goals over the last four Gameweeks, having found the net only twice before that.
And yet, Wolves’ attacking stats are otherwise on a downward trajectory. Their rate of shots in the last four matches is down over 9.0 per game, with shots in the box also markedly reduced despite encountering some favourable opposition – although big chances, perhaps significantly, haven’t been too badly affected:
Above: Wolves’ goal threat stats from Gameweeks 1-5 (left) and Gameweeks 6-9 (right). Most figures given are ‘per match’.
With four goals from just seven shots, Hwang’s goal conversion rate of 57.1% is unsustainable in the long term – so Wolves’ less gung-ho approach is something to monitor going forward.
Leeds XI: Meslier, Shackleton, Llorente, Cooper, Dallas, Klich (Gelhardt, 62), Struijk, James, Raphinha (Summerville, 54), Harrison (Roberts, 45), Rodrigo.
Wolves XI: Sa, Kilman, Coady, Saiss, Semedo, Moutinho (Neves, 89), Dendoncker, Ait-Nouri (Hoever, 83), Hwang, Traore (Podence, 75), Jimenez.
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