Gameweek 4 was a frustrating one in Fantasy Premier League, with so many popular players blanking.
All of Liverpool’s assets blanked as they succumbed to a shock 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest. Meanwhile, Eberechi Eze (£6.9m), Cole Palmer (£10.6m) and Alexander Isak (£8.4m) also got no returns. Any managers without Erling Haaland (£15.2m) would have likely had a really low score.
So here are the main talking points from this weekend…
Joao Pedro’s injury burns a few fingers
The main talking point of the weekend was the absence of the most transferred-in player ahead of Gameweek 4: Brighton’s Joao Pedro (£5.7m).
Following Brighton & Hove Albion’s goalless draw with Ipswich Town, manager Fabian Hurzeler revealed that the Brazilian had suffered a minor knock on international duty and that he did not want to risk playing the 22-year-old. However, with nothing mentioned of his injury in Hurzeler’s pre-match press conference before the deadline, the forward’s absence took a lot of managers by surprise.
Joao Pedro is definitely one to monitor for now and all eyes will be on Brighton’s Carabao Cup fixture on Wednesday, where they take on Wolves. We should hopefully get another update then, so don’t be hasty in transferring him out as he has a decent home game against Nottingham Forest up next.
Eze and Palace continue to frustrate
Eze blanked for the third time in four games as Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace struggled against Leicester City. Eze again played well, creating three chances and managing three shots, with an expected goals (xG) rating of 0.46 and an expected assists (xA) total of 0.34.
Although the main bit of information from this match was that Eze isn’t his side’s first-choice penalty-taker as we all thought. Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.4m) took Palace’s spot kick to score his second of the match and, after the game, Glasner said that he has two main takers at his disposal.
“We always talk about it before: it’s between Mateta and Eze,” the Palace manager said. “We say: ‘You decide on the pitch. Talk together’. Whoever feels better takes the penalty and scores the goal.’’
This does dent Eze’s appeal and is something we should take into consideration. However, I don’t think Eze not being a guaranteed penalty-taker makes him a sell as his underlying numbers are great. He’s just not as ‘essential’ now.
I would still keep the patience with him for at least two more games as Palace play Manchester United (H) and Everton (A) next.
It’s time to move on from Rodrigo Muniz
Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz (£6.1m) is one of the most popular budget forwards in the game but, after three blanks, he was benched for team-mate Raul Jimenez (£5.4m). The Mexican also scored in their 1-1 draw with West Ham, so it isn’t looking optimistic for Muniz’s prospects.
For me, the Brazilian is an easy sell as it’s pretty likely Jimenez will at least get a run in the team, and there are a few solid forward options in that price range.
If Joao Pedro is fit, then he is still an option given his price, as are the likes of Chris Wood (£6.1m) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.9m), who both have fine fixtures on the horizon.
‘Pep Roulette’ is back… with a vengeance
It was only a matter of time before ‘Pep Roulette’ struck — and Gameweek 4 was another stark reminder of why it’s always risky to own Manchester City players.
Josko Gvardiol (£6.0m) and Ruben Dias (£5.5m) were both benched while Kyle Walker (£5.3m) and John Stones (£5.4m) started.
Rico Lewis (£4.7m) was also subbed off at half-time. He has been a popular FPL option this season with his attacking displays and high praise from his manager.
If you own Lewis, I wouldn’t rush to transfer him out just yet. City have Arsenal (H) and Newcastle United (A) next, which aren’t easy fixtures, but if you can bench him, then it’s worth monitoring the situation. Gvardiol is a bit more expensive, so is harder to justify holding on to him. I would lean more towards selling him for an Arsenal or Liverpool defender in the next week or two — but wouldn’t say that the Croatian is a must-sell.
Going forward, I wouldn’t be looking to invest in any Manchester City assets not named Haaland, especially with the Champions League starting this week too.
Watkins and Calvert-Lewin are on the radar
Ollie Watkins (£8.9m) scored his first and second goals of the season as Aston Villa came back from two goals down to beat Everton 3-2.
The England forward played 83 minutes and looks to be nearing match fitness again, which makes him a top transfer target now. Villa have fantastic fixtures coming up, playing Wolves (H), Ipswich (A), Manchester United (H), Fulham (A) and Bournemouth (H) in the next four.
Morgan Rogers (£5.1m) hasn’t picked up any attacking returns yet but he is getting plenty of chances in the final third for Villa. He had four shots against Everton with an xG of 0.23. He is an easy hold for me since he is so cheap; if you own him, you are likely to have bigger problems or more pressing transfers.
Elsewhere, Calvert-Lewin (£5.9m) now has two goals and one assist in his first four games, and he’s been playing plenty of minutes too. He has been plagued with injuries over the past few seasons but he is a respectable FPL option when he is fit.
Everton may sit bottom of the league but Calvert-Lewin is the focal point of the attack, their talisman, and the first-choice penalty-taker. Plus, Sean Dyche’s team have some great fixtures coming up and, if he stays fit, Calvert-Lewin should do well over this run. They play Leicester (A), Palace (H), Newcastle (H), Ipswich (A), Fulham (H) and Southampton (A) next.
Injury worries to monitor
Newcastle’s Isak was taken off at half-time of his team’s win over Wolves with a facial injury. After the game, Eddie Howe said: “I think it was more his eye, so I’m not 100 per cent sure what the issue was but I knew he had to come off. I absolutely hope it isn’t serious as he’s such an important player for us.”
Brentford’s Yoane Wissa (£6.1m) was also taken off injured just before half-time after a tackle from Manchester City’s Mateo Kovacic (£5.5m). The Brentford forward was in a rich vein of form with three goals and an assist, and he scored after only 22 seconds against the league champions.
However, manager Thomas Frank was unsure of the timescale, telling Brentford’s website: “It could be a shorter one or it could be a longer one. I actually have no clue. We need to assess him tomorrow (on Sunday).”
I would be wary of early transfers in general this week since there is so much football being played midweek with both the Carabao Cup and the Champions League. We should get updates on some players an, of course, there is always a chance of players falling victim to injury.
(Top photo: Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)
