Arsenal defeated Manchester City on penalties to win the Community Shield on Sunday, but how did the key Fantasy targets get on?
Our latest Scout Notes article rounds up the key Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points plus the goals, assists and line-up information.
We’ve included snippets below, but Premium Members can get all the Opta player and team data from the Community Shield via this link.
ARSENAL 1-1 MAN CITY
(Arsenal win 4-1 on penalties)
- Goals: Trossard | Palmer
- Assists: Saka | De Bruyne
HAALAND QUIET
Erling Haaland (£14.0m) was kept quiet by Arsenal at Wembley, touching the ball just 13 times before he was withdrawn on 64 minutes.
In that time, he failed to register a single shot or penalty box touch, as he struggled to effectively link play with his teammates.
It isn’t anything to be overly concerned by – he averaged just 27 touches per 90 minutes in a record-breaking 2022/23 campaign – but Haaland terrorised the Gunners back in April, so Mikel Arteta’s troops deserve credit for the way in which they handled him here.
It means Haaland has failed to score in each of his last three pre-season matches.
Above: Erling Haaland’s touch heatmap v Arsenal
FODEN + DE BRUYNE’S IMPACT
Phil Foden (£7.5m) and Kevin De Bruyne (£10.5m) only made the bench at Wembley, but their introductions in the second half opened the game up and added some much-needed life to Man City’s attack.
Up until that point, the champions had controlled possession but failed to create clear-cut openings, with Jack Grealish (£7.5m) subdued.
However, Foden replaced Grealish on the left and was involved in the goal and almost scored a second, while De Bruyne came on for debutant Mateo Kovacic (£5.0m).
These were the first minutes of the Belgian playmaker’s pre-season but he was the best player on the pitch by far, doing more in 30 minutes than anyone else in 90. Yes, he missed the opening spot-kick in the shootout, but this was a superb all-round display.
“We played a really good second half. Our energy from the new players especially players in one-on-one situations, players like Phil [Foden], Kevin [De Bruyne] and Cole [Palmer].” – Pep Guardiola
Another substitute, Cole Palmer (£5.0m), had put his side ahead with a brilliant left-footed curler. The assist went to De Bruyne but Foden deserves praise for his run and pass during the build-up.
As for Julian Alvarez (£6.5m), he had a few nice moments, but the impact of Foden and De Bruyne off the bench could potentially damage his chances of a Gameweek 1 start.
Above: Man City players sorted by shots (Tot) v Arsenal (data taken from our Premium Members Area)
HAVERTZ’S FINISHING/TROSSARD STAKES CLAIM
Man City were heading for victory but a deflected Leandro Trossard (£7.0m) effort deep in added time took the game to penalties.
With Gabriel Jesus (£8.0m) out injured, Kai Havertz (£7.5m) was tasked with leading the line but missed the two best chances of the first half, forcing saves from Stefan Ortega (£4.0m).
Profligacy was a theme throughout Havertz’s time at Chelsea (he underperformed his expected goals (xG) by 4.6 last season), yet his overall performance here was good, which Arteta discussed after the match.
“He was superb, the way he pressed and how intelligent he is to try and understand certain spaces and the timing of it, he was great and got in great positions to score. He was unlucky not to score but he was very physical when he needed to be, so I was very pleased with him.” – Mikel Arteta on Kai Havertz
Meanwhile, Trossard was brought on by Arteta in the 75th minute and despite sometimes looking isolated out on the left flank, showed some good movement prior to pulling the trigger to equalise.
On 80 minutes, Arteta brought on Eddie Nketiah (£5.5m) for Declan Rice (£5.5m), with Havertz moving into midfield.
“We had three big chances, and when you don’t [take your chances], they come to the other end, you make a little mistake, and they punish you big time. After that, psychologically, it was really difficult because they are so used to playing the clock down, and managing those moments. We discussed that we had six subs today, and they were going to have a big impact and they did – Leo [Trossard] scoring the goals and Fabio [Vieira] scoring the last penalty.” – Mikel Arteta
GUARDIOLA ON INJURY-TIME RULE
Premier League games will have more injury time this season in an attempt to accurately reflect stoppages in play, with eight minutes added on at Wembley.
In another rule change, yellow cards will be issued to players who kick the ball away after the whistle is blown, with Thomas Partey (£5.0m) and Alvarez both cautioned for this exact offence at Wembley.
Discussing the new injury-time rules after the game, which will have implications for FPL managers, Guardiola said:
“It was annoying but we have to get used to it. I had the feeling, not because we were winning 1-0, but that not much happened to extend it for eight minutes. It’s a good question for the international board and people because they don’t consult with managers and players and we have to accept it with this amount of games. Now the games will be 100 minutes. Nothing happened today and there was eight minutes. They extend for goals. If you score 4-3 you put 45 seconds for seven goals, tomorrow morning at 9am I am [still] here playing.” – Pep Guardiola
LINE-UPS
Above: The average positions of players playing for Arsenal (left) and Man City (right) on Sunday
The tactics deployed in this game probably won’t mean that much when Man City and Arsenal take to the pitch next weekend, but there were a few takeaways worth noting.
At Man City, John Stones (£5.5m) was back in a more traditional centre-back role, with full-backs Kyle Walker (£5.0m) and Manuel Akanji (£5.0m) pushing forward up the wings.
The latter was used at left-back with Nathan Ake (£5.0m) not fully fit following an injury he sustained in pre-season and Joao Cancelo (£6.0m) also absent from the matchday squad.
Elsewhere, Kovacic started alongside Rodri (£5.5m) in the engine room and didn’t look out of place, although the midfield pairing did perhaps feel a little ‘cautious’.
As for Arsenal, they started all three of their summer signings, with Jurrien Timber (£5.0m) at left-back and Declan Rice (£5.5m) in the ‘Xhaka role’. Timber was neat and tidy but it was fellow full-back Ben White (£5.5m) who got forward the most.
Further forward, Havertz led the line, flanked by Bukayo Saka (£8.5m) and Gabriel Martinelli (£8.0m), who was Arsenal’s most advanced attacker.
Arsenal XI: Ramsdale, White, Saliba, Gabriel (Smith Rowe 87), Timber (Tierney 76), Partey, Odegaard, Rice (Nketiah 81), Saka, Martinelli (Trossard 75), Havertz (Vieira 87)
Manchester City XI: Ortega, Walker, Dias, Stones, Akanji, Rodri, Kovacic (De Bruyne 64), Bernardo, Alvarez, Grealish (Foden 58), Haaland (Palmer 64)
