We continue our analysis of the Gameweek 28 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) action in our Scout Notes.
Here, the focus is on Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United v Burnley.
- READ MORE: FPL Gameweek 28: Sunday’s goals, assists, bonus points + stats
- READ MORE: FPL notes: Why Reguilon missed out, Martinelli + Neto injury latest
MADDISON IMPRESSES
Son Heung-min (£9.8m) secured his place in Blank Gameweek 29 teams on Sunday, playing a part in three of Tottenham’s four goals in the demolition of Aston Villa.
The South Korean has now delivered five attacking returns in four matches since returning from the Asian Cup, moving up to third in the midfielder’s points standings.
For managers considering a Spurs attacking double-up, whether on a Free Hit or otherwise, James Maddison’s (£7.9m) second-half display caught the eye.
The playmaker grew in influence as the game wore on and opened the scoring, racing into the box to tap in Pape Sarr’s (£4.4m) superb cross.
Admittedly, he had a lot more space after the break, especially after John McGinn’s (£5.4m) red card, but this was a timely reminder of Maddison’s qualities ahead of next week’s trip to Fulham, who he scored against when the two sides met back in Gameweek 9.
“I’ve been in the box a lot lately but it hasn’t been falling to me. The manager is always saying just keep making the runs. It was an unbelievable delivery from Pape Sarr, it was just about getting a foot to it. I love the way this manager wants us to play, I love the way the team plays, the personnel in this side. It suits me. I feel like I’m getting somewhere close to my best again.” – James Maddison
“He’s missed a lot of football and he’s only just [come back]. We’ve got a few like that who are just getting their rhythm back. Yeah, but good for him. It was a really good goal for him because it was as much about his endeavour as his quality in just getting into those areas. These are the kind of things we talk about constantly. We’re going to get more reward for our good play and our hard work if those players show that endeavour to get in the right areas and score goals.
“Madders is one who has to be more advanced. We know he has the quality to score from just about anywhere. It was a really good goal. He attacked that area where we need players to attack. It was a great ball from Pape too. I’m really pleased with our goals. It’s stuff we work on and it’s great for those individuals today that they all contributed something.” – Ange Postecoglou on James Maddison
Elsewhere, Brennan Johnson (£5.8m) made it eight attacking returns from his last 10 appearances when he netted Tottenham’s second with a dink over the ‘keeper.
Substitute Timo Werner (£6.3m) got on the scoresheet, too.
PORRO RETURNS/VAN DE VEN’S INJURY
Pedro Porro (£5.7m) made his return from injury on Sunday, claiming a clean sheet with another bonus point added to his collection.
The Spaniard wasn’t as effective stepping into midfield and didn’t take any of Tottenham’s four corners, but still managed two key passes. He also impressed defensively.
Spurs’ clean sheet prospects still look iffy from week to week – this was just their second shut-out in their past 18 Premier League matches – but Porro remains an appealing pick, especially when he rediscovers his attacking swagger.
Meanwhile, Micky van de Ven (£4.4m) was forced off in the second half at Villa Park, although Ange Postecoglou appeared to play down the injury in his post-match presser.
“No news yet, but it doesn’t look significant. He obviously felt something, but speaking to him, he doesn’t feel that it’s anything too serious. Hopefully, he’s not out for too long.” – Ange Postecoglou on Micky van de Ven
OFF-DAY FOR VILLA
Things became much harder for Villa when McGinn was shown a straight red card in the second-half, but they didn’t offer much before that either.
Operating in a 3-5-2 system, they struggled to play out from the back, with Ezri Konsa (£4.5m) and Pau Torres (£4.6m) particularly wasteful.
The setup also failed to get the best out of Leon Bailey (£5.7m), who was forced into more central areas and saw much less of the ball as a result: the Jamaican ended Gameweek 28 with just one shot and two penalty box touches.
Unai Emery made three changes to the side that started the 0-0 draw against Ajax on Thursday but tiredness did seem to become a factor, with Villa put to the sword after the break.
With Europe stretching an already thin squad, the loss of captain McGinn for three matches is a huge blow.
“I think we made it tough for Aston Villa, they worked hard just to contain us. Last 10 minutes of the second half you could already see them starting to tire a little bit. We just had to continue to do that and we got our rewards in the second half.” – Ange Postecoglou
CONCERN FOR WEST HAM?
West Ham were nowhere near their best in the opening 45 minutes on Sunday, falling two goals behind to Burnley.
They improved after the break, racking up 18 shots on goal, but like Aston Villa, the passive nature of their first-half display after playing in Europe is a concern, especially given the magnitude of Thursday’s second-leg clash with SC Freiburg.
“We probably looked a bit hungover from the game on Thursday night but we certainly came back into it. We missed a load of chances at the end. In football you need small things to go for you. We’ve won a couple of games late on recently. Today we just weren’t quite at it right from the start, but certainly we grew into the game.” – David Moyes
In response to that poor first-half showing, David Moyes sent on Michail Antonio (£5.7m) and switched to a 4-2-4 formation, with Jarrod Bowen (£7.9m) deployed on the right and Lucas Paqueta (£6.0m) moving infield.
The changes made an immediate impact, with Paqueta finding the net after some terrible Burnley defending and Antonio’s hold-up play making a significant difference.
Substitute Danny Ings (£5.6m) then levelled it up late on and hit the bar with another shot.
As for Mohammed Kudus (£6.8m), he was so often the attacking outlet for West Ham, receiving more passes in the final-third than any other player on the pitch (32).
Admittedly he should have done much better with one of his chances which he skied, but he’s certainly on the radar ahead of Blank Gameweek 29.
FOFANA “OUTSTANDING”
In an impressive display at the London Stadium, David Datro Fofana (£5.0m) scored his third Burnley goal since joining from Chelsea on loan in January.
The 21-year-old led the line well and dispatched his goal brilliantly, earning the praise of manager Vincent Kompany.
“It seems like he’s growing into the season and into the team as well. We will need performances like the performance he gave against West Ham. He was outstanding. The entire performance from Fofana was outstanding and we’ve needed it. Hopefully he can continue like that from now until the end of the season. These are the players who will help us.” – Vincent Kompany on David Datro Fofana
In their past couple of matches, Burnley have looked much better and they did a decent enough job here, although they still conceded 22 shots and 2.11 expected goals (xG).
So, it’s no surprise Ivan Toney (£8.1m) is currently the most transferred-in forward ahead of Blank Gameweek 29, earning over 40,000 new owners.
