Palace’s solid defensive form and Zaha’s threat: FPL notes

We round up the key Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points from Monday’s one and only Premier League match – not that there were many.

A goalless draw between Crystal Palace and Leeds United benefitted precious few Fantasy managers, with only the Brighton v Southampton fixture in Gameweek 34 having less riding on it among the top 10k.

PALACE: SOLID AT HOME

Crystal Palace made it three clean sheets in a row on home soil and were given precious little to worry about by their visitors on Monday.

It’s not just the relegation-threatened sides who have struggled to pose much goal threat in south London this season, as Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have all been shut out.

The Eagles’ total of seven clean sheets on their own turf is beaten by just Liverpool and City, while it’s only Jurgen Klopp’s troops who have allowed fewer ‘big chances’ (BC, below) in home games:

Only two of the Eagles’ remaining five fixtures are at Selhurst but difficulty-wise, the overall schedule is very decent indeed (even on the final day against a dismal Manchester United), and they of course have a Double Gameweek 37 to come, too.

“Tyrick [Mitchell] wasn’t 100% to play the game. And we needed as well to freshen up a little bit the team. He’s injured.” – Patrick Vieira on Tyrick Mitchell, who missed out on Monday

GAME-TIME FOR GREENWOOD AND GELHARDT

Leeds players aren’t likely to be top of many FPL managers’ shopping lists, despite the upcoming Double Gameweek. They next face three of the top four clubs, while in-form Brentford await on the final day.

If there is something to cling onto for Raphinha (£6.4m) owners for the Whites’ ‘double’, it’s that Arsenal have looked fragile at the back over the last month and that Chelsea have the FA Cup final just three days after they head to Elland Road.

Aside from Raphinha, their only players of note from an FPL ownership perspective are Sam Greenwood (£4.6m) and Joe Gelhardt (£4.7m), budget forwards who are proving semi-popular among Fantasy managers who want nothing but emergency fodder on their benches. Both rookies again made it onto the pitch at Selhurst Park, although Marsch continues to resist starting the pair despite Patrick Bamford‘s (£7.7m) absence. Bamford, incidentally, could be on course for a return in the last few matches.

“I believe in young players and the only way to develop them is to put them in real situations. Sam and Joffy coming on the pitch tonight in a big game will only help them in their development.

“The more that they can come on the pitch, be brave, go after the game, play with courage – that’s what we try to encourage them to do.” – Jesse Marsch

This was Leeds’ second successive clean sheet. Has Marsch significantly improved the Whites defensively, then, ahead of the visit of Manchester City? On the plus side, the new Leeds boss has nearly halved the rate of big chances (2.7 to 1.4) and expected goals conceded (2.10 v 1.30) per game since his appointment. Playing with a double pivot, rather than a single defensive midfielder, has also helped at the back.

But crucially, Marsch has yet to encounter any team in the top seven since replacing Marcelo Bielsa. The last time he met City, when he was in charge of RB Leipzig earlier this season, he lost 6-3.

WASTEFUL – BUT LIVELY – ZAHA

Wilfried Zaha (£6.8m) has six goals in 11 matches since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Gameweek 24, a tally beaten by just three Premier League players – all of them over £10.0m – in that time.

He has the upcoming fixtures to add to that total and he was Palace’s likeliest source of goals on Monday, having seven shots – that’s more than any other FPL asset in Gameweek 34 so far.

In fact, only two players have recorded more goal attempts in the box than Zaha since AFCON ended:

Above: FPL assets sorted by goal attempts in the box from Gameweek 24 onwards

Zaha has been the safest route into the Palace attack for some time now. While concern still exists for Jean-Phillipe Mateta‘s (£5.3m) game-time amid the rotation up top, Zaha’s only benching this season, in Gameweek 9, came about because illness prevented him from starting the match.

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