Southampton swept aside Brentford in the only Double Gameweek 22 match of the day, after Everton v Leicester City was postponed on Sunday.
Our Scout Notes article reflects on the key Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points from the fixture.
FORTRESS ST MARY’S
Following tonight’s convincing 4-1 win over Brentford, Southampton have now lost just one of their 10 Premier League home fixtures in 2021/22.
Across the season, only Liverpool have lost fewer on home turf, with their only defeat arriving against Wolverhampton Wanderers back in September.
SOUTHAMPTON AT HOME 2021/22:
| Gameweek | Opponent | Score |
| 21 | Brentford | 4-1 |
| 20 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1-1 |
| 15 | Brighton and Hove Albion | 1-1 |
| 14 | Leicester City | 2-2 |
| 11 | Aston Villa | 1-0 |
| 9 | Burnley | 2-2 |
| 8 | Leeds United | 1-0 |
| 6 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0-1 |
| 4 | West Ham United | 0-0 |
| 2 | Manchester United | 1-1 |
From Gameweek 26, the Saints embark on a kind run of home fixtures, taking on Everton, Norwich City and Watford, which suggests their budget options could offer FPL managers plenty of value during that run.
BARGAIN BROJA
At the start of the season, Armando Broja (£5.3m) wasn’t one of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s first-choice strikers.
However, the Chelsea loanee is developing into a player who will surely start most weeks, after producing his fifth goal of the season in Double Gameweek 21.
As a result, Broja has now racked up seven attacking returns across 16 Premier League appearances, though it’s worth noting only eight have been starts, with all of his goals arriving in those fixtures.
BROJA’S PREMIER LEAGUE STARTS 2021/22:
| Gameweek | Opponent | Score | Goals | Assists | Bonus | FPL points |
| 21 | Brentford | 4-1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| 19 | West Ham United | 2-3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 17 | Crystal Palace | 2-2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 12 |
| 16 | Arsenal | 0-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 15 | Brighton and Hove Albion | 1-1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| 13 | Liverpool | 0-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | Burnley | 2-2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| 8 | Leeds United | 1-0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
Given the schedule detailed above, plus the fact they have a home tie against Newcastle United that still needs to be rearranged, Broja surely won’t remain a differential too much longer.
“This is not a surprise, he is quick and has a fantastic finish. He has some weapons that are definitely helping us. Young players can take a while to adapt to the Premier League and we knew it would be a tough start, but we are not getting worse we are getting better every day.” -Ralph Hasenhuttl on Armando Broja’s form
DEFENSIVE ISSUES AT BRENFORD
While a relegation battle looks unlikely, Brentford’s defensive form on the road is a real concern, having shipped 16 goals across their last six away games.
Given the opposition faced, which hasn’t exactly included the divisions most potent attacks (Southampton, Brighton and Hove Albion, Leeds United, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Burnley), owners of Diogo Jota (£8.3m) and other Liverpool assets will be relishing this weekend’s matchup.
Notably, most of their chances during that six-game run have been conceded from their right, a theme which continued against Southampton, which is captured on their expected goals conceded (xG) shot map:
Brentford’s xGC shot map v Southampton in Double Gameweek 21
“Fair play to Southampton but my job is to look at my team’s performance. If we are not playing every second of every Premier League match 100% then we are not getting anything out of it. We needed to do better at 2-1. We can’t give three of the goals away, especially the last two. We tried to change it offensively (when Wissa came on). We were slightly better but it didn’t help. That is why it hits so hard. The big thing we want to be good at is defending well and we have done it well this season but didn’t today.” – Thomas Frank
Southampton XI: Forster, Bednarek, Lyanco, Salisu, Tella (S Armstrong 70), Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Diallo, Perraud, Redmond (Adams 65), Broja (A Armstrong 78)
Brentford XI: Fernandez, Ajer, Jansson, Pinnock (Jensen 68), Roerslev, Janelt, Norgaard, Baptiste (Wissa 56), Canos (Stevens 76), Mbeumo, Toney
2 years, 3 months agoWill Chris Wood still be on penalties?
Asking for a friend.