Just 3 gameweeks to go! Lots to digest from the weekend's action and in this article we'll talk about everything we've learned, along with my team and transfer plans for GW36.
Let's go back to Friday first.
⚽ Man City 1 - 0 Wolves 🐺
- Foden and Savinho benched, Haaland surprisingly back on the bench as well though he didn't come on for them despite City only leading by the 1 goal.
- Well in De Bruyne owners, just as we'd hoped back in the starting 11 after a rest in the FA Cup and crucially scored their only goal, Doku taking his man on and cutting a ball back for KDB to bury.
- I know lots of you picked him up when we got the early team news on the deadline stream that he was going to start, some even captained for 22 points which was massive in a lower scoring gameweek like this one.
- Marmoush a really popular captain and it didn't go well, he had a couple of half chances at best, 2 shots, 0.15 xGI. He took a couple of knocks during the game, came off at 81 minutes. No injury, was just getting lumped around and wasn't having an impact on the game.
- Ederson back in goal for City, Gvardiol with a nice 8 pointer for owners. The real winners were those of you doubled up with Gvardiol and Ruben. Akanji came on for O'Reilly who was also struggling out there, which saw Gvardiol pushed back to his favoured LB spot and that allowed him to get forward where we want him.
- Strand Larsen missed out with injury, Pereira said it was a late call, they tried until the last session bu after a conversation with him and the medical team they took the decision to leave him out. Not a serious one by the sounds of it.
🦁 Aston Villa 1 - 0 Fulham ⚪⚫
- Heroic 9 pointer for Martinez, but definitely a reminder of the amount of luck in this game.
- Villa and Arsenal dead even on clean sheet odds, some started Raya over Martinez, some started Saliba over Konsa etc. Villa only conceded 0.12 xG fewer as well.
- Rogers had a good game, owners unlucky to get a 3 pointer. 0.79 xGI was the highest of the gameweek as of the end of Saturday's games, he created 2 big chances. One in particular was absolutely class, taking his man on down the right wing with great strength 💪 then he curled a perfect ball to the feet of Watkins who got his shot off but Leno met it with a good save.
- Fine margins, especially given how many picked up Watkins for that game, and how many started Rogers myself included.
- After an 11 point haul the gameweek before Sessegnon followed it up with a 0 pointer 😢, despite playing out of position again this match with Robinson returning to left back. He did score but was disallowed.
- Despite the Rashford injury Watkins still came off earlier than owners would've hoped, 71 minutes and Malen replaced him.
🔵⚪ Everton 2 - 2 Ipswich 🔵⚪
- This wasn't part of the script. Everton's defence heavily targeted with transfers before the gameweek given that Ipswich home fixture plus Southampton home to come.
- Beto and McNeil in the first half, Enciso and Hirst responding to bring it level.
- I was looking at the fixture ticker for the final 3 gameweeks on the app, and Ipswich are actually top however there's just no-one there of interest is there.
- Forest are right up there with Leicester home next, Wood is very tempting with that considered.
- Brentford and Bournemouth are the other two teams that leap out to me. Brentford with Ipswich next so Mbeumo and Wissa, Bournemouth's next 2 are trickier but Leicester home in GW38 is primed for buying a Bournemouth attacker or two.
