With the deadline for Gameweek 19 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) less than three days away, injuries picked up in Saturday’s matches are likely to cause headaches for Fantasy managers.
Not only is there minimal recovery times for any player affected but there won’t be the usual array of standalone pre-match press conferences to get updates from, what with Christmas rudely interrupting proceedings.
Kostas Tsimikas (£4.9m), Jamaal Lascelles (£4.2m), Cristian Romero (£5.0m) and Richarlison (£6.7m) were among the players seemingly struggling with issues in the latest round of Gameweek 18 matches.
The latest on their fitness, plus the other talking points from Luton Town v Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur v Everton and Liverpool v Arsenal, are covered in this Scout Notes article.
TSIMIKAS OUT, DIAZ A MINOR DOUBT
There’s no beating about the bush when it comes to Tsimikas’s injury status in FPL: he’s already been red-flagged for Gameweek 19 and some time beyond that.
The left-back was shoved off the pitch by Bukayo Saka (£9.0m) and sent on a collision course with manager Jurgen Klopp in Liverpool’s one-all draw with Arsenal.
But it was the Anfield turf, not Klopp’s ankles, that caused the damage to the Greek left-back’s collarbone.
“He [Tsimikas] broke his collarbone at least. That’s really bad for us.” – Jurgen Klopp on Kostas Tsimikas
“It was massively overshadowed by Kostas Tsimikas’s collarbone issue, definitely broken, so he is out for a long time.” – Jurgen Klopp
Joe Gomez (£4.5m) now faces at least two Premier League run-outs at left-back, with Andrew Robertson (£6.4m) not 100% guaranteed to be back in January as originally hoped.
Gomez was shaky at first but did his best to emulate Tsimikas’s forward bursts, firing off two shots – one of them narrowly curling wide.
Luis Diaz (£7.4m) also limped out of the contest with a knock that Klopp thinks is much less serious.
“I hope not. He has pain, it was knee on knee and in that moment we wanted to change twice and then Lucho was down.
“And actually we first wanted to wait if maybe Lucho has to come off but then we decided [to] change all three because now we don’t have to wait how Lucho is and that’s what we did then.
“Lucho told me ‘little pain’, physios were not too concerned, but you never know and we play in three days and you never know how quick the turnaround is, so we have to see. I don’t know.” – Jurgen Klopp on if Luis Diaz was injured
A CHRISTMAS CRACKER AT ANFIELD
The top-of-the-table clash at Anfield lived up to its billing.
There were star turns across the park, particularly at centre-half for Arsenal where Gabriel Magalhaes (£4.9m) and William Saliba (£5.5m) excelled. The best centre-back pairing in the division right now? Almost certainly, although Ibrahima Konate (£4.9m) was impressive for the hosts alongside Virgil van Dijk (£6.2m).
Gabriel nodded in a Martin Odegaard (£8.4m) free-kick to put Arsenal in front. That was the 17th goal that the Gunners have scored from a set play or a penalty in 2023/24, which accounts for 47.2% of their Premier League total.
“It was a great action and we sense an opportunity against every opponent, and we do that and we score from there. We should have done better from many situations we had in the final third in open play because we generated a lot and that is a little bit of regret.” – Mikel Arteta
The Gunners’ next opponents, West Ham United, are ranked joint-18th for set-piece chances conceded.
Watching this match, the similarities between the two attacks were noticeable. The two left-wingers, Diaz and Gabriel Martinelli (£7.7m), are out of sorts at present. Neither club has a prolific goal-getter leading the line, either, with Cody Gakpo (£7.2m) and Gabriel Jesus (£8.0m) there for their other attributes.
So, much of the open-play threat comes/came from Mohamed Salah (£13.3m) and Saka. The pair had over twice as many final-third touches as Diaz and Martinelli combined here. Salah was able to capitalise, producing some fine individual work to draw Liverpool level, but Saka wasn’t rewarded despite seeing more of the ball in the opposition half than any other player.
Some much easier tests await in the coming weeks and months, with even the visit of poor travellers Newcastle United not the formidable clash it once was.
Above: The Gameweek 19-27 fixture runs of Arsenal and Liverpool
Liverpool really need Diogo Jota (£7.7m) back, on recent evidence, and he should be ready to feature just as Salah is packing his bags for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
As for Darwin Nunez (£7.5m), who was benched for this one, he surely now starts in Gameweek 19 given the tight turnaround. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the same frontline at Turf Moor that ended Saturday’s clash: Harvey Elliott (£4.8m) on the right, Salah through the middle and Darwin on the left.
While rotation may strike elsewhere at Burnley, Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s (£8.3m) chances of a benching are surely diminished with Gomez needed at left-back. A fifth attacking return in six Gameweeks arrived with the assist for Salah’s goal, while another monster score was just inches away as he rattled the crossbar with Liverpool’s only ‘big chance’ of the game. Had that gone in, we’d have been looking at a 14-point haul.
HOWE UNSURE ON LASCELLES
Another day, another injury for Newcastle, who lost Jamaal Lascelles (£4.2m) in the first half of their disappointing defeat at Kenilworth Road.
Unlike Klopp with Tsimikas, however, Eddie Howe wasn’t able to offer much insight into the Magpies’ club captain.
“I’m not sure, I haven’t spoken to him.” – Eddie Howe on Jamaal Lascelles’ injury
The stopper seemed to be feeling discomfort in his hip but we’re unlikely to get a further update on Lascelles, with no separate pre-match press conference before the Boxing Day clash with Nottingham Forest.
With Sven Botman (£4.5m) now available, Fabian Schar (£5.3m) making a swift recovery from last week’s glute injury and even Dan Burn (£4.4m) an option at centre-half, Lascelles’ race might be run in FPL anyway.
Botman was on the bench for this one, replacing Lascelles when he came off.
Tino Livramento (£4.4m) also dropped down to substitute duty, although there is a chance he comes back into the thinking in Gameweek 19 with less than 72 hours separating Newcastle’s festive fixtures.
Alexander Isak (£7.6m) and Anthony Gordon (£6.2m) recovered from their respective issues to feature against Luton, the former emerging as a first-half substitute as part of a tactical change. But the move to a 4-2-3-1, with Isak in the ‘hole’ behind Callum Wilson (£7.9m), failed to pay dividends.
NEWCASTLE’S AWAY-DAY BLUES
Newcastle are now 17th in the Premier League ‘away’ table (see above), with their only success on the road being the 8-0 tonking of Sheffield United.
“It’s a difficult one for me to answer because we’ve obviously tried to answer it previously.
“We’ve spoke about it internally, we know how important our away form is. To be the team that we need to be or want to be, we have to be consistent in both home and away for sort of epitomised our waveform.
“There was some really good bits, but not enough and we didn’t compete well enough. In the first half, I thought we were off on our duels, we were reactive rather than proactive. And ultimately, it’s cost us too much.” – Eddie Howe about Newcastle’s away form
Their next two away fixtures? At Liverpool and Aston Villa…
Wilson ruined a Gordon assist by wasting a big chance for the visitors but openings like that were few and far between, and Luton were deserved winners.
This match reaffirmed the notion that the Hatters at home are a tough prospect: Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City had previously been run close in the last couple of months. Cole Palmer (£5.6m) and co will not find it a cakewalk when Chelsea go there in Gameweek 20.
Meetings with Sheffield United and Burnley are also to come for Luton in the next three Gameweeks.
Andros Townsend (£5.0m) was the match-winner with a rare headed goal from a set piece. That was his third consecutive attacking return.
The budget frontline of Townsend, Elijah Adebayo (£4.8m) and Jacob Brown (£4.9m) has remained unchanged for the last four Gameweeks, including in the abandoned game at Bournemouth. Had striker Adebayo converted the big chance that was presented to him on Saturday, he would have found the net in each of those games.
Central to Luton’s form has been Ross Barkley (£4.9m), who has been rolling back the years in midfield. His assist for Townsend’s goal made it three attacking returns in four matches.
Barkley is seventh among all FPL midfielders for shots since he broke back into the starting XI in Gameweek 10, albeit many of them coming from range.
RICHARLISON + ROMERO INJURY UPDATES
Spurs’ injury situation isn’t much better than Newcastle’s.
They lost Cristian Romero (£5.0m) in their win over Everton, while Richarlison (£6.7m) was feeling discomfort in his back before his withdrawal.
“He felt tightness in his hamstring just before half-time so we had to take him off.” – Ange Postecoglou on Cristian Romero
“Yeah he’s okay. He’s kind of had a sore back yesterday in training. He wasn’t 100 per cent, but he was keen to start today. He got through the game. Pleasing for him that he took his goal well and worked hard for us, but I kind of knew that at some point we’d have to take him off, but I don’t think it’s anything serious.” – Ange Postecoglou on Richarlison
Richarlison had made it four goals in three Gameweeks with his close-range finish for Spurs’ opener.
“He’s playing mate. He was out injured. He was struggling with his fitness. He just wasn’t 100 per cent. He was soldiering on, as you do, but he just feels a bit freer now, both mentally and physically, and that helps him out. His performances since he’s got back, apart from the goals, have been really good.” – Ange Postecoglou on why Richarlison has found some form
EVERTON A THREAT YET AGAIN
That was Richarlison’s only shot of the game.
Spurs did continue to threaten sporadically, with Son Heung-min (£9.8m) adding a second and Brennan Johnson (£5.8m) blazing over from six yards, but they were put under serious pressure by Everton.
The Toffees again impressed from an attacking perspective, despite this first defeat in five.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.8m) was thwarted with a header and then had a goal chalked off by the VAR, while Arnaut Danjuma (£5.2m) forced a fine save out of Guglielmo Vicario (£5.3m) and then struck the woodwork in stoppage time – the ball millimetres from crossing the line as it bounced down and onto Vicario’s leg.
The eye-catching substitute Andre Gomes (£4.4m), back from a lengthy lay-off, reduced the arrears with a well-hit consolation.
Everton top the expected goals (xG) count in Gameweek 18 so far, just as a gauge of how threatening they were.
“I am scratching my head going, ‘How on earth are we 2-0 down here?’ But they took their chances, and from then on, I thought we were outstanding, and I’m pushing 11 months here now, and out of all of our performances, that is arguably one of the ones I am most proud of. I thought the players were absolutely superb.” – Sean Dyche
Manchester City are up next for Everton, who will give the reigning champions much more of a test than the fixture ticker would have you believe.
