Gameweek 22 started with a thumping 4-1 win for Bournemouth at Newcastle United.
Here are some of the key Fantasy takeaways.
- READ MORE: FPL notes: Saliba injury, Watkins v Duran + why Maatsen started
- READ MORE: FPL Gameweek 22 round-up: Saturday’s goals, assists, bonus points + stats
- EXPLORE: All the Opta player and team stats from Newcastle 1-4 Bournemouth
HOWE WON’T OVERREACT
Newcastle’s nine-match winning run was brutally ended by the Cherries, who thoroughly deserved the three points. A three-goal margin didn’t really flatter Andoni Iraola’s side.
Above: BCS = Big chances scored. BCT = Big chances total. SP = Set piece-goals.
The Magpies were, from front to back, awful.
Alexander Isak (£9.4m) barely got a sniff, his one and only shot being a poor 88th-minute free-kick. The defence, to a man, were poor, run ragged by the energetic visitors. There was sloppiness from those in between, too: Bruno Guimaraes (£6.1m) getting dispossessed – which rarely happens – and Anthony Gordon (£7.7m) errant with his passing for two of the goals.
Basically, anything that could go wrong for the hosts did. Fatigue was mentioned as a convenient excuse by Howe and, in fairness, this game did come 63 hours after the last one ended. The Newcastle boss had also pretty much flogged the same starting XI for the last few weeks. If there is one team you don’t want to face when feeling pooped, it’s press monsters Bournemouth.
Howe at least had the common sense to put this loss into context after a brilliant run; the last defeat came in early December at Brentford.
“I don’t think we’ll go too hard initially on the players because I think it just looked like physically we’re out on our feet so I think it’s more a physical issue than anything else and we look to recover quickly.” – Eddie Howe
Don’t expect Howe to throw the baby out with the bathwater in Gameweek 23, then. A full week’s rest, and a trip to a dire Southampton team, should give Newcastle the perfect platform to bounce back.
SUBS EXPLAINED
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