After an exhilarating opening round of Premier League football, Gameweek 1 has come to a close and FPL managers have plenty to ponder in the days ahead. We round up the key developments from the weekend’s action.
DE BRUYNE HAMSTRING KO
Rarely does a season go by where a big-name player and fantasy asset doesn’t go down injury in Gameweek 1. This year, Kevin De Bruyne (£10.4m) was the unlucky individual much to his ownership’s chagrin. The opening game of the new campaign saw Man City travel to Burnley and it was during the first half when De Bruyne indicated that he could no longer continue and was substituted off for debutant Mateo Kovacic (£5.0m). City boss Pep Guardiola has since revealed that De Bruyne will be “out for a few weeks”, having suffered a reoccurrence of the hamstring injury that saw him taken off in last season’s Champions League final.
JOAO PEDRO ON PENALTIES
Plenty of talk in the build-up to Gameweek 1 was regarding the minutes of Brighton forward Joao Pedro (£5.5m) and whether he would be taking penalties for his new club after doing so in pre-season. The latter question was answered this past Saturday, which saw Brighton resoundingly overcome newly promoted Luton by four goals to one. The Seagulls’ record signing started and won a penalty in the second half, promptly converting it himself and thus enhancing his FPL appeal. Brighton as a whole looked an extremely exciting prospect for any fantasy managers who own players in Roberto De Zerbi’s side. Kaoru Mitoma (£6.5m), Solly March (£6.5m) and Pervis Estupinan (£5.0m) all gaining attacking returns.
ISAK & WILSON TO SHARE NEWCASTLE MINUTES
Eddie Howe’s Newcastle looked every inch a Champions League side in Gameweek 1, dismantling Aston Villa 5-1 at St. James’ Park. But with Howe opting for a 4-3-3 formation which he favoured across much of last season, this could see significant starting rotation between main forwards Alexander Isak (£7.6m) and Callum Wilson (£8.0m). Isak got the nod against Villa and rewarded FPL owners with a brace and 13 fantasy points, whilst Wilson came off the bench in place of the Swede to score himself, bagging five points and could easily have added another to his tally before full time. Both should be afforded plenty of minutes over the course of the season and Wilson owners need not panic just yet.
SPURS LEAKY UNDER POSTECOGLOU
Ange Postecoglou will more likely get the best out of this Spurs side in time. However, his teams tend to start slowly when he first takes over as they grow accustomed to the rigours that his style of football demands. This was evident in Gameweek 1 as Spurs drew 2-2 away at Brentford, posing a significant attacking threat with James Maddison (£7.5m) playing a key role with two assists. Defensively though, Spurs looked extremely vulnerable and this may well prove a recurring theme over the next few weeks as the players continue to adapt.