A lively match at Molineux is the last of Saturday’s fixtures to get the Scout Notes treatment.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Brighton and Hove Albion is the focus here.
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PEDRO MISSES OUT
Joao Pedro (£5.6m) was one of three Brighton players to make way from the starting XI for the trip to Wolves, despite scoring from the spot last week.
Roberto De Zerbi’s decision to drop the Brazilian was one of the main Fantasy talking points of the weekend’s action, which he discussed ahead of kick-off.
“This year I am really lucky to have a very important squad. Every player is inside the project, the mentality. There are many players of the same level and I have a choice depending on the week of work, depending on their physical and mental condition.” – Roberto De Zerbi
In Friday’s pre-match presser, De Zerbi added:
“Joao Pedro is a great player… I want him to think in his head to [represent] the Brazilian national team. He is a great player, already a great player, but I would like him to improve his mentality. If he can score three goals in a game, he has to score three goals in a game. When he loses the ball, he has to work harder but he is not a complete player yet… but I would like him to progress and reach his potential, like [I do with] Evan Ferguson.” – Roberto De Zerbi
Pedro’s replacement, Julio Enciso (£5.4m), set up two second-half goals at Molineux and was described as “the best player on the pitch” by De Zerbi, further complicating matters.
The Paraguayan seemed to be in discomfort as he left the pitch on 67 minutes after a strong tackle but it went unmentioned post-match.
A couple of outlets suggested it was cramp rather than an injury, however.
Elsewhere, the fit-again Adam Webster (£4.4m) replaced Jan Paul van Hecke (£4.0m), who had started against Luton Town in Gameweek 1.
MARCH: “THE MANAGER HAS SET ME A TARGET OF 15”
Solly March (£6.5m) has three Premier League goals after two matches, with Saturday’s second-half brace at Wolves taking him to 24 FPL points.
He’s registered eight shots and three big chances across Brighton’s successive 4-1 victories and is clearly thriving under De Zerbi’s attacking approach.
“I was talking to the coaches before the game about busting a gut to get into the box and it worked perfectly. We can do that a lot more. Tap-ins will help me get a lot more goals. The manager has set me a target of 15, so there is still a long way to go, but it is a good start.” – Solly March
“I spoke with him [March] last season and the beginning of this season. I want him to score more goals. For him and for us. If the winger can score a lot of goals, if you check the teams at the top of the table anywhere, the big teams, they have wingers able to score 10 or 15 goals.” – Roberto De Zerbi
In contrast, Kaoru Mitoma (£6.5m) has managed just two shots so far, yet the Japan international put the Seagulls in front in spectacular fashion at Molineux, before Albion doubled their advantage when Pervis Estupinan (£5.2m) converted his cross.
WOLVES EXPOSED
Wolves had been unlucky to lose at Manchester United in Gameweek 1, but they were ripped apart by Brighton in Gary O’Neil’s first home match in charge.
They did at least get a goal back through Hwang Hee-chan’s (£5.5m) header, the least they deserved, but they failed to put away their other chances, with Fabio Silva (£5.5m) and Rayan Ait-Nouri (£4.5m) both guilty of missing decent opportunities.
“I didn’t think it was worlds apart. The scoreline will obviously make most people believe it was, but it wasn’t miles apart. Look at the numbers, shots, chances created. But yeah, you can’t miss that many chances. It was an aggressive gameplan. We tried to go after Brighton when we could, pressed high and managed to regain the ball a few times. There’s risk attached to that, so when we win the ball back and have our chances, we need to score because when it goes to the other end, Brighton were extremely clinical with theirs.” – Gary O’Neil
Still, Wolves have racked up 38 shots in their first two matches, more than any other side bar Brighton, which is something for O’Neil to build on.
Meanwhile, Matheus Nunes (5.0m) was sent off for a second yellow card in stoppage time and will miss Saturday’s trip to Goodison Park.
“38 shots in two games. I feel the emotion in the stadium like everybody does, when you’re four down it feels incredibly one-sided, but when you’re in the office and start to go through things, our XG was exactly the same, two on the XG like it was at United, and we have to find a way.” – Gary O’Neil
