Hey there folks,
Another busy week of preseason play, so allow me to keep the introduction short.
Once again, I would like to promote our Rotoworld FPL mini-league. Come join us for all the banter and competition.
The league code is: nkbjfr
Otherwise, let us waste no time and look back at the week that was in the preseason.
[[ad:athena]]
Arsenal - The Gunners dipped their toes in the transfer market, with Dani Ceballos joining on loan and Nicolas Pepe hours away apparently from signing. Questions still remain with a CB partner for Sokratis though, as Shkodran Mustafi and Laurent Koscielny are out of the picture for different reasons. Last week, in their two matches, it is looking more and more like Callum Chambers may get the nod, having played the most minutes at the position. In attack, the tandem of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were front and center. The former had a goal and assist against Real Madrid while the latter scored in that same game and again in a loss to Lyon.
Aston Villa - The Villans combined for nine goals over two matches, both against lower-division domestic sides. It may not be a fair test of their attacking potential, but should at least give them some confidence. Mainstay Jack Grealish was integral again, with a goal against Walsall and and assist against Charlton. Wesley had a brace and an assist against Walsall, and looks to be on pens, though he did miss the second game with a knock. Jota (the other one) continues to impress with a brace in the first game while John McGinn scored a pair in the second, though McGinn has been rumored to be on the outs. Frédéric Guilbert once again got involved in the attack with frequency, assisting in each game and now has three in preseason. He may be the best attacking fullback option under 5m in the FPL game this season. Clean sheets are another story.
Bournemouth - The Cherries played twice in consecutive days, with a 0-0 against West Brom and a 1-3 win over Brentford. The draw with the Baggies was a snooze-fest, with neither side creating a single chance until the 80th minute. A bit concerning, considering this was the game both Ryan Fraser and Callum Wilson started. We saw goals from players who have yet to make a mark in fantasy against Brentford, with Jordon Ibe, Dominic Solanke and Sam Surridge finding the net. Ibe also chipped in an assist. David Brooks picked up a “slight twist” in his ankle but has some time to recover. Ibe would likely benefit if Brooks were not available. Mark Travers nearly kept a clean sheet in the Brentford game. The #1 shirt is still up in the air but Travers has the most upside.
Brighton - The Seagulls beat up Birmingham, 0-4, in their only game last week. Jurgen Locadia, who was looking sharp the previous week, continues to blossom. He scored a goal and an assist in this one and could emerge as a budget forward option in FPL with a nice opening run of fixtures for Brighton. Glenn Murray added his customary goal to the occasion while Leandro Trossard linked up with Shane Duffy not once, but twice for goals. Trossard looks to eat into set pieces but at only .5m less than the more established Pascal Groß, he will garner little attention for fantasy, at least heading into the opening weekend. He is worth monitoring though.
Burnley - Sean Dyche still has us wondering who the first choice keeper is. They have three options that could all be starting somewhere. Tom Heaton seems the logical one to go. His market value dwindles with each passing day, now at 33 years of age. That said, he has begun to pick up minutes in preseason while Nick Pope is getting treatment with a groin injury. Joe Hart leads the trio in total minutes. Chris Wood was on the mark again against Fleetwood Town while Jay Rodríguez continues to settle in nicely with a goal against Wigan. After a superb rookie season, Dwight McNeil continues to develop, scoring from range against the Latics, but 6m seems about .5m too much for the young man on a club whose attack has not shown to be very consistent.
Chelsea - We are no closer to knowing who will be the central forward for the Blues after another week of preseason, though it appears to come down between Michy Batshuayi and Olivier Giroud with Tammy Abraham the darkhorse. Abraham did get the start against Barcelona however, and scored in his half of action. Ross Barkley added a goal in that one, then added another against Reading, as he tries to stake a claim in a crowded midfield. Mason Mount scored a second half brace against Reading and could have a breakout season if he can crack the XI. Jorginho gave potential suitors a confidence boost, chipping in an assist last week.
Crystal Palace - After an attacking drought the previous week and change, the Eagles erupted for five goals in their only game last week in a win over Bristol City. Always-on-the-fringe-of-fantasy-relevance Andros Townsend opened the scoring here and later added an assist. Christian Benteke grabbed his second goal of the preseason and obviously needs to step it up if Wilfried Zaha departs. Max Meyer, who I pegged to monitor this summer in my opening round of preseason coverage, scored as well. Luka Milivojevic went against the usual script, supplying an assist instead of his customary penalty kick contribution.
Everton - Speaking of Zaha, the Toffees may be the ones to land him, and based on recent performances, they need him. It was another lackluster attacking display last week, with only Darron Gibson finding the net in the three matches played. Everton are a pretty streaky side, at least in recent seasons, and though they have a nice run of fixtures to start the season, the likes of Richarlison have proven before to disappoint when everything looked good on paper. Still, they finished strong defensively last season, and one of Seamus Coleman or Lucas Digne can be looked at for coverage.
Leicester - The Foxes played a split squad on Saturday, with half the players involved in a win over Stoke and the other half drawing with Rotherham. Harry Maguire is still with the club though was absent for either contest. Kelechi Iheanacho shined against Rotherham, scoring a brace, with Harvey Barnes assisting one of those. Youri Tielemans continues to look very comfortable in the PL, scoring against Stoke. Fullbacks Ben Chilwell and Ricardo Pereira each grabbed an assist in that one. There should be a spike in goals for this Leicester side if they remain fit. Questions still remain about their defending though, no matter what becomes of Maguire.
Liverpool - The Reds drew 2-2 with Sporting, as Divock Origi added another goal to his preseason tally. He looks certain to start Week 1, but it will take an injury to a key player in the front three for him to have any mid-to-long-term fantasy appeal. The back four in this one and in the 0-3 loss to Napoli later in the week, started nailed on regulars Virgil Van Dijk, Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, so it is interesting that Joel Matip was give the start in both, as the battle for VvD’s partner rages on.
Manchester City - The title-winners wrapped up their tour of Asia with a pair of games that featured a combined nine goals. Raheem Sterling had a pair of goals and a pair of assists last week, and is looking more and more essential by the day. Kevin De Bruyne has been on record saying he is feeling good this summer and he contributed an assist in each match. Leroy Sané scored a brace early in the week but rumors have been building since then that he could be on the way out of the Etihad. All eyes will be on Liverpool and City when they face off in the Community Shield this weekend.
Manchester United/Tottenham - Since both clubs played only once and it was against each other, they may as well be grouped together here. Anthony Martial got the start as the central striker in United’s only game last week, a 1-2 win over Spurs. He made the most of it by opening the scoring. Mason Greenwood started as well with Marcus Rashford coming off the bench. Given they each played only once and it was against a competitive side, one would think the Starting XI’s may indicate what we will see Week 1 from both sides, but there were several squad and projected reserve players for each, so no such luck. Kyle Walker-Peters looks to have the right back spot for now with Spurs while Lucas Moura scored once again and will push for an opening day nod, though with the weapons available, he will have to keep his form strong to be a regular starter.
Newcastle United - Jonjo Shelvey scored the only goal in the only game for the Magpies last week, a loss to Preston North End. A gaping hole in the attack was filled with the signing of Joelinton last week for a club-record fee. It feels like a boom or bust situation for the Brazilian as the pressure will be on to produce from the jump. If he does not adapt to the PL quickly, Newcastle are in big trouble this season. They have put most of their eggs in this basket. The Magpies still have a pair of preseason games left, so we should see what he can offer starting this week.
Norwich City - The Canaries played twice against some domestic sides, losing to Brentford and then beating up on Luton Town. Emiliano Buendia opened his account in the 3-1 loss. He will be expected to aid in the Norwich attack this season but you will be hard pressed to find a fantasy manager investing in the Canaries from the jump. Teemu Pukki was kept out of the Luton Town match and Josip Drmic made the most of his absence as the new signing pulled off a hat trick. Norwich are expected to deploy a lone striker and it is certainly Pukki when fit, but Drmic may force Daniel Farke to think about playing two up top if the Canaries are struggling to score when the season is underway.
Sheffield United - Last week, I alerted a 4m defender option in John Lundstrom and he continues to look like a potential starter, playing the second-most minutes so far this preseason among all players and grabbing not one, but two assists in Sheffield’s most recent game. The Blades played twice last week and were goal-happy, putting up five against Chesterfield and four more against Barnsley. Billy Sharp was the standout performer in the first game, netting a hat trick. Luke Freeman, meanwhile, shined in both games, with a goal and an assist in each.
Southampton - The Saints played twice last week and Che Adams continued to settle in with his new club, scoring a goal in each of them, wins over Guangzhou and Feyenoord. Adams started with Danny Ings in the loss, with Ings the central striker and Adams playing behind on the right, opposite Nathan Redmond. Jan Valery reminded us of his attacking ability with a goal early in the week, but we no longer have the luxury of buying him for 4m anymore. Sofiane Boufal is trying to insert himself into relevance this season, and scored a last minute goal against Feyenoord.
Watford - The Hornets played just once and rested several of their key players but still managed to eke out a 0-1 win over QPR. The lone goal of the game came from Étienne Capoue. It seems every season a defensive midfielder from Watford starts off hot, becoming an unexpected source of goals. Capoue has done it before but I wouldn’t consider this a trend. Javi García has built a reputation for getting his side well-prepared in the summer and starting the season off well. Mid-priced options like Gerard Deulofeu, Troy Deeney and possibly Will Hughes could be early season bandwagon candidates.
West Ham United - The Hammers played just once and have only one goal to come from it, but the strike by Manuel Lanzini was enough to beat Fulham. West Ham have their new striker signing we were anticipating in the form of Sébastien Haller. This team is a true wild card. Several attacking weapons, some old (Lanzini, F. Anderson, Antonio), some new (Haller, Fornals), could make a huge splash if they play well together, or it could be another disappointment, as West Ham have, at best, about a 50% success rate in signing productive players in recent years.
Wolves - Wolves began their Europa League play with a 2-0 win in the first leg against Crusaders. Adama Traoré has been getting time at right wingback in place of injured Matt Doherty and assisted the opening goal, supplying a cross that Diogo Jota got on the end of, the latter continuing his hot form carried over from last season. Ruben Vinagre, who came in as a substitute, scored the only goal and again has me thinking he is on the verge of a breakout. The big news is the pending signing of Patrick Cutrone from Milan, in what would be an absolute steal of a signing if they pull it off.
