Bukayo Saka (£10.0m) picked up an injury as Tottenham Hotspur claimed a 1-0 pre-season friendly victory over Arsenal on Thursday.
The key Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points from this clash are covered here.
ARSENAL 0-1 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
- Goal: Sarr
- Assist: none
SAKA + TROSSARD SUBBED OFF
Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard (£7.0m) were both forced off with injuries on Thursday.
Saka fell to the ground following a collision in the second half, appearing to clutch his thigh. He received treatment shortly after, before Mikel Arteta hauled him off as part of a series of changes.
There were further injury concerns when substitute Trossard had to exit the pitch.
Post-match interviews failed to yield any update on Saka, perhaps indicating it’s a minor problem, but Arteta did discuss Trossard’s injury:
“He felt a little tweak, I think he tried to turn and he was pushed and he felt something muscular so we’ll have to assess him.” – Mikel Arteta on Leandro Trossard
GABRIEL, CALAFIORI + TIMBER LATEST
There was better news regarding Gabriel Magalhaes (£6.0m), Riccardo Calafiori (£5.5m) and Jurrien Timber (£5.5m), with the defensive trio expected to be fit for Gameweek 1.
Asked if there were any doubts about their availability, Arteta said:
“I don’t think so, they’ve been involved in the last few days so Gabriel, Calafiori, Timber, the three of them will be available.” – Mikel Arteta
Kepa Arrizabalaga (£4.5m), meanwhile, felt something in the previous friendly against Newcastle United and wasn’t risked.
GYOKERES DEBUT
As for the on-pitch action, Arsenal weren’t quite at it, as they failed to register a shot on target in the first half.
They improved after the break but failed to find a breakthrough, as they lacked creativity in and around the Tottenham box.
Given Kai Havertz’s (£7.5m) lack of influence up top, it was a surprise Arteta waited until the 77th minute to throw on debutant Viktor Gyokeres (£9.0m).
The Swedish striker failed to have a shot and only had two touches, but did show a willingness to run in behind.
New signing Cristhian Mosquera (£5.5m) also appeared off the bench.
“Really happy obviously to have them here, I think they’re going to have a lot of value. You see this right away, as well as the energy and the quality that they’re going to bring. It was a short one but at least that one is off now and when they play against Villarreal now, I’m sure it will be a bit different.” – Mikel Arteta on Viktor Gyokeres and Cristhian Mosquera
Elsewhere, Arsenal trialled a new set-piece routine, with five players lined up on the edge of the box. They often looked to go long via David Raya (£5.5m), too, so there was a slight change in approach.
Meanwhile, Martin Odegaard (£8.0m) bossed the underlying stats, with four shots and three key passes.
ANOTHER SARR GOAL/KUDUS IMPRESSES
This was easily Tottenham’s best display under Thomas Frank so far.
They got the win thanks to Pape Matar Sarr’s (£5.0m) superb strike, as he lobbed a stranded Raya from the centre circle.
It’s now three goals in three pre-season matches for Sarr, who moved into a No 10 role here after Lucas Bergvall (£5.5m) was withdrawn. He also racked up 13 defensive contributions.
Mohammed Kudus (£6.5m) was heavily involved down the right, causing Myles Lewis-Skelly (£5.5m) plenty of problems.
“I think he was really good today Kudus. His hold-up play, the way he takes hold of the ball in tricky situations. His one-vs-one skills, his creating opportunities for the team was top class. On top of that I think he’s working extremely hard and there was a recovery run from a set piece when he was straining all the way back and he won the ball. That’s how he can help the team so much. He will make a lot of the fans excited with his offensive actions and he will also help the team defensively.” – Thomas Frank on Mohammed Kudus
Spurs also showed a resilient side in the second half, with Pedro Porro (£5.5m), who almost scored direct from a corner, and Micky van de Ven (£4.5m) solid at the back.
Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario (£5.0m) didn’t have much to do as a result, making one straightforward save late on.
SOLANKE LATEST
With Dominic Solanke (£7.5m) absent, Richarlison (£6.5m) led the line for Spurs in Hong Kong, with Mathys Tel (£6.5m) taking over for the final half hour.
However, Solanke, who is currently in just over 15% of FPL squads, should be back soon.
Asked about his ankle injury, Frank said:
“He’s close, if not for Sunday then he should be fit to play against Bayern.” – Thomas Frank on Dominic Solanke
Arsenal XI: Raya; White, Saliba, Kiwior (Mosquera 77), Lewis-Skelly (Zinchenko 77); Norgaard (Zubimendi 77), Odegaard, Rice (Merino 77); Saka (Dowman 77), Martinelli (Trossard 68, Nelson 85), Havertz (Gyokeres 77)
Tottenham Hotspur XI: Vicario; Porro, Romero (Danso 63), van de Ven (Davies 77), Spence; Sarr (Maddison 85), Bentancur (Gray 85); Kudus (Johnson 63), Bergvall (Bissouma 77), Odobert (Son 77), Richarlison (Tel 64)
