We continue our analysis of the Gameweek 34 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) action in our Scout Notes series.
Here, we focus on the Sunday showdowns of Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth v Leeds United.
Any numbers you see in this article are taken from our Premium Members Area, where you can access Opta player and team data from every single Premier League fixture.
- READ MORE: Why Shaw at centre-back may not be all bad
- READ MORE: Brighton rotation, Mac Allister, Palace pens
- READ MORE: Guardiola on De Bruyne + Alvarez, Wilson’s impact, Pereira’s injury
- READ MORE: Saturday’s goals, assists, bonus points + statistics
- READ MORE: Sunday’s goals, assists, bonus points + statistics
SALAH STILL ON PENALTIES
To the relief of his new owners and especially to those who risked putting the captain’s armband on him, Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) ended his run of missed penalties to put Liverpool 3-0 up after just 15 minutes.
The Egyptian was unable to convert in either Gameweek 27 or Gameweek 30 but put this spot-kick high and central. He’s now on nine goals from his last nine starts, with this return to form putting him as the league’s best for expected goal involvement (xGI) since Gameweek 23.
Above: Expected goal involvement (xGI) since Gameweek 23
It was Salah’s sole return from Liverpool’s four goals – avoiding all bonus points – meaning he’s still one point behind Erling Haaland‘s (£12.4m) Sunday success but captainers will remain confident that the midweek meeting with Fulham can justify their decision to go slightly rogue.
FPL managers have clamoured to buy Salah for these final weeks, as the Cottagers are the first of some attractive final fixtures for in-form Liverpool and their pursuit of a top-four finish.
He currently has the most penalty area touches of this current Gameweek and, in the opening weekend’s reverse meeting with Fulham, bagged a goal and assist.
ANOTHER TRENT ASSIST
It’s hard to determine whether Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.6m) is as essential. Ownership has dramatically increased since he moved to an inverted full-back role five games ago. He has set up goals in all of them, making him the first player in Premier League history to have two runs of assisting in five consecutive matches.
Yet there’ll be some disappointment at a four-point return, as his cross for Curtis Jones‘ (£4.9m) third-minute goal had managers dreaming of a double-digit haul. Instead, no more attacking returns and no clean sheet, even losing a point because Liverpool’s leaky defence allowed Spurs to bring overcome the three-goal deficit.
That’s what could hold Alexander-Arnold back. The backline has one clean sheet from nine matches and has conceded the third-most big chances throughout the whole campaign.
However, at a time when Kieran Trippier (£6.1m) has stopped providing FPL points, a steady supply of assists shouldn’t be sneered at. Furthermore, although Alexander-Arnold has only once exceeded six points during his last eight outings, he’s also blanked just twice in his last dozen.
AN EVENTFUL JOTA CAMEO
Either through Free Hits or regular transfers, Diogo Jota‘s (£8.9m) ownership has shot up from 46,000 in Gameweek 31 to over 660,000 this time.
He received a knock last week that kept him out of this starting line-up but, in a 27-minute appearance, found time to almost get sent off before then scoring a dramatic stoppage-time winner.
His high boot to Oliver Skipp (£4.3m) only brought a booking – a decision that could have big FPL ramifications. Instead of finishing this double on negative points, Jota has four and will probably now start at home to Fulham.
That’s not to belittle the attacking returns of Cody Gakpo (£7.7m) and Luis Diaz (£7.8m). It’s more about the latter just returning from a big injury and Jurgen Klopp not having time to think about game time being distributed evenly. Liverpool need to win all remaining matches and Jota simply keeps scoring.
WAS IT WRONG TO DITCH KANE?
A lot of managers have recently sold Harry Kane (£11.4m) in order to afford Salah. Whilst the latter half of this transfer still looks justified, some will wish there’d been a different way to raise funds as Kane netted his 25th league goal of the season.
His current total of 225 FPL points is already the second-highest of his career, while he’ll only need to score at a rate of 4.5 points per match in his remaining four fixtures to set a new personal best.
He’s a reliable, elite FPL asset with returns in seven of his last eight outings. For all Spurs’ problems, Kane ain’t one of them.
Above: Since Gameweek 27, no player has more FPL points than Harry Kane
This fantastic match found a way to combine their previous two. Going 3-0 down after 15 minutes was a haunting echo of events at Newcastle United, yet bringing the game back to 3-3 repeated the comeback against Manchester United – until Jota pounced on Lucas Moura‘s (£5.8m) mistake.
What’s also interesting is the quiet renaissance of Son Heung-min (£11.5m), now with four goals in his last five league games. And he was one of two Spurs players to hit the Anfield woodwork.
Competition in the FPL midfield is tight but Son could be a superb differential for those chasing rank, ahead of upcoming matches against Crystal Palace (h), Brentford (h) and Leeds United (a).
SOLANKE BAGS A GOAL
It’s the same Leeds that just lost heavily at Bournemouth – they’ve now conceded at least four times in three of their last five matches.
The result almost confirms the Cherries’ survival after an epic run of six wins from nine. Dominic Solanke (£5.6m) may only be on six league goals but he’s played a big role in this magnificent form.
His budget-friendly FPL price helps managers switch to a 3-5-2 formation, with the versatility of knowing he can come in from the bench and be a solid starting option.
