Manchester City, Newcastle United and Chelsea were all in Champions League action on Wednesday.
Here we take a look at how they got on, the main talking points and what implications there may be for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers ahead of Gameweek 11 and beyond.
- READ NEXT: Tuesday’s Scout Notes pt1: Kudus injury, Gakpo at risk + Szoboszlai on FPL radar
- READ NEXT: Tuesday’s Scout Notes pt2: Saka pen, another Rice assist + a clean sheet record
RESULTS
| Team | Opponent | Result | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chelsea | Qarabag (a) | 2-2 draw | Estevão, Garnacho | Andrey Santos |
| Manchester City | Borussia Dortmund (h) | 4-1 win | Foden x2, Haaland, Cherki | Reijnders x2, Doku |
| Newcastle United | Athletic Club (h) | 2-0 win | Burn, Joelinton | Trippier, Barnes |
SELECTION/ROTATION
| Team | Changes from GW10’s starting XI | Players who kept their places (mins played) | Mins for other notable players |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chelsea | 7 | Sánchez (90), James (90), Cucurella (90), João Pedro (71) | Adarabioyo (90), Hato (90), Lavia (8), Andrey Santos (45), Estevão (90), Gittens (45), George (45); Caicedo (82), Enzo Fernández (45), Buonanotte (18), Delap (45) |
| Manchester City | 2 | Donnarumma (90), Matheus Nunes (90), Gvardiol (90), O’Reilly (88), Nico González (90), Savinho (79), Foden (90), Doku (79), Haaland (88) | Stones (90), Reijnders (79), Rúben Dias (11), Cherki (11), Bernardo Silva (11), Aït Nouri (2), Marmoush (2) |
| Newcastle United | 2 | Pope (90), Botman (90), Thiaw (90), Burn (65), Bruno Guimarães (65), Joelinton (90), Tonali (90), Gordon (41), Woltemade (83) | Trippier (90), Barnes (65), Murphy (49), Miley (25), Hall (25), Elanga (25), Ramsey (7) |
FODEN FLYING AGAIN
Phil Foden (£8.0m) was the star of the show as he scored two goals in Man City’s 4-1 dismantlement of Borussia Dortmund. Both goals were vintage Foden – picking the ball up on the half-turn 25 yards out, advancing a couple of yards and then curling a measured shot into the corner from 20 yards out.
Whether Foden can recapture the form that made him the second-highest scorer in FPL in 2023/24 with 230 points remains to be seen, but he is gradually getting somewhere close in Pep Guardiola’s 4-1-4-1 system. On Wednesday night, he demanded the ball, dictated play and had four shots on target.
He fell away dramatically last season when he appeared to be struggling with off-field issues but as far as his manager is concerned, the old Phil Foden is back. He also revealed he is nailed-on to start against Liverpool on Sunday.
“I would say he is already there [back to his best form]. He does not need to get closer. He is already there. It is true we have missed goals and he got two incredible goals.
“When Phil is in that level playing between the lines, in the pockets and his first touch, his turn and then after his generosity to run and fight [is exceptional].
“When Phil is happy with love and joy, you don’t have to say much. He’s a special player but we need his goals and hopefully today was the first step to do it.
“It’s important to have him for the big, big match on Sunday [against Liverpool]. He’s important. It’s not like today he just came and scored two goals.
“Two seasons ago, he was the best player in the Premier League and when you do that in the Premier League, it’s because you are really, really good.
“Assists, goals, work ethic and recovery. He’s a top-class player and we missed him a lot, especially his happiness. We feel he is back and he can do whatever he wants.
“How many times have we seen Phil score these goals? The generosity with the effort but also with the quality in the final third. We missed it a lot. I’m happy three more players scored goals and not just Erling Haaland – Pep Guardiola on the resurgent Phil Foden
Guardiola has backed up his words with his selections, playing Foden from the start in the last seven Premier League matches. The 25-year-old produced an assist in Gameweek 10, so the signs are there that more end product is on its way. And if it is, his FPL price tag will not appear too prohibitive.
REIJNDERS FOR THE CHOP?
Foden’s opening goal came from the first of two Tijjani Reijnders (£5.5m) assists – a contribution that will encourage and frustrate FPL managers in equal measure. Reijnders has blanked in eight of his 10 league appearances and after being benched for the first time in Gameweek 10, his head is on a lot of FPL managers’ chopping blocks. But this performance may have managers wondering whether or not to keep faith in the Dutchman.
Against Dortmund, Reijnders played well, flitting between the lines, as Savinho (£6.9m) and Jérémy Doku (£6.4m) also impressed on the flanks. Reijnders had two shots and six shot-creating actions, the Brazilian had three and four respectively and Doku produced a wonderful assist for Erling Haaland’s (£14.8m) goal.
We have to remember, though, that Premier League teams tend not to give their opponents quite as much space as Dortmund did on Wednesday night.
CHERKI DIFFERENTIAL?
Elsewhere, Rayan Cherki (£6.3m) came off the bench to score a lovely goal after capitalising on poor defending. The Frenchman’s end-product is eye-opening. He has returned two goals and three assists in his last three appearances in all competitions, so should be monitored, especially as he has the ability to score or assist even in brief substitute appearances, as he demonstrated in his 11-minute cameo here and on his 17-minute Premier League debut.
Gianluigi Donnarumma (£5.7m) excelled in goal once again, although he was clearly annoyed that his defence switched off for the quickly taken free-kick from which Dortmund denied him a clean sheet.
In defence Rúben Dias (£5.5m), who has started all but one Premier League match this season, was replaced by John Stones (£5.5m) presumably to rest him ahead of the meeting with Liverpool in Gameweek 11, while Matheus Nunes (£5.3m), Joško Gvardiol (£5.9m), Nico O’Reilly (£4.9m) retained their places.
NEWCASTLE EDGE ATHLETIC
Newcastle edged closer to qualification for the knockout stage of the Champions League with their third successive victory. It was not an impressive win, but it was certainly an improvement from the meek capitulation at West Ham on Gameweek 11 and the clean sheet will have encouraged FPL managers that their Newcastle defenders are not a busted flush.
Eddie Howe changed only two players for the visit of Athletic Club, bringing in Kieran Tripper (£5.0m) and Harvey Barnes (£6.3m) for Emil Krafth (£4.4m) and Jacob Murphy (£6.1m). It proved a stroke of genius as both players produced assists for goals by Dan Burn (£5.2m) and Joelinton (£5.9m).
Nick Woltemade (£7.5m) was one of three players hooked at half-time in the defeat at West Ham, but the forward looked better against Bilbao, although he glanced a gilt-edged headed chance wide from Murphy’s inviting cross.
GORDON INJURY BLOW
One suspects Murphy, who has scored in back-to-back Gameweeks, was being spared for the Gameweek 11 trip to Brentford, but as it was, he had to be brought on towards the end of the first half after Anthony Gordon (£7.5m) was forced off with a niggling hip injury. The recurrent problem makes Gordon a doubt for the trip to Brentford and sums up what a frustrating own he has been for FPL managers this season.
“I have not had a full rundown from the medical team. But it seems like a recurrence of the hip injury that has been plaguing him in recent weeks. So we will assess that and see what happens.” – Eddie Howe on Anthony Gordon injury
RED HOT BURN – BUT HALL IS BACK
Newcastle had to ride their luck as Bilbao twice hit the woodwork and Nick Pope (£5.3m) was called upon to make five saves.
Burn, however, did his cause for continued inclusion no harm at all with a belting long-range header. The remarkable finish had power and swerve but credit should also go to Trippier for picking him out with a delightful free-kick.
Howe said it was something his side had been working on, which could mean an uptick in set-piece goals over the coming Gameweeks – something worth noting from a side that already boasts one of the best backlines in the Premier League.
“It was an incredible header from Dan. I would like to see how far out it was. It was a well-worked routine and it was a strong header from distance.
“It would be difficult for him to do something as magical and memorable as the header in the cup final but the one tonight was probably technically better.’
“A header from distance, a training ground move, so well done to all the coaches involved with that.”
– Eddie Howe
Burn stood out for his goal, but it’s worth noting that he came off midway through the second half for Lewis Hall (£5.2m). Lest we forget, the left-back was a must-have defender last season, returning seven assists and eight clean sheets in 24 starts before succumbing to a season-ending injury. Will Burn be able to see off the challenge of a fully fit and mobile Hall?
NO REST FOR PEDRO + JAMES
Enzo Maresca went down the middle with his team selection, handing rests to a number of regulars but also, perhaps surprisingly, starting Joao Pedro (£7.4m) and Reece James (£5.5m) again. Marc Cucurella (£6.1m) kept his place, too.
Does 90 minutes for James means he’s going to drop to the bench this weekend? Maresca has said recently that he thinks the right-back is ready to play three times a week but with Malo Gusto (£4.9m) rested on Wednesday, you do wonder what Maresca has in store for Saturday.
“The intention tonight was to rest Enzo [Fernandez], to rest Moises [Caicedo], to rest Malo [Gusto], to rest more players, because they are not able to play every three days. They need recovery from last season, as you said, the Club World Cup affects a lot.” – Enzo Maresca
Pedro, meanwhile, lined up as a ’10’ behind Tyrique George (£4.9m):
The Brazilian at least came off after 71 minutes, so there’s some hope that he was being spared for Gameweek 11. Liam Delap (£6.2m) also didn’t start, so it’s possible that Maresca is going to start both of them this weekend.
The intended breather for Moises Caicedo (£6.0m) didn’t materialise: he had to come on as an eighth-minute substitute for Romeo Lavia (£4.9m), who suffered a quad injury.
ESTEVAO EXCELLENT AGAIN
Not many of the second string took their chances on Wednesday, with Jorrel Hato (£4.7m) and Jamie Gittens (£6.1m) in particular having stinkers.
The one shining light from the starting XI was, not for the first time, Estevao (£6.5m). No one had more shots or created more chances, with his early goal well taken.
While Alejandro Garnacho (£6.4m) came off the bench to salvage a draw, fellow substitute Enzo Fernandez (£6.7m) was also in the thick of the action with three second-half shots. Those underlying numbers remain strong at home and abroad, even if the tangible FPL returns don’t.
