The stalemate at Selhurst Park and Newcastle United’s first defeat of the season are the main target of our subsequent Scout Notes.
CAPTAIN HAALAND V NEWCASTLE?
The Gameweek 6 captaincy ballot might be an attention-grabbing watch, with Arsenal internet hosting Leicester Metropolis and Liverpool going through Wolverhampton Wanderers.
On paper, and membership status, Erling Haaland (£15.3m) and Manchester Metropolis have a more durable check, away at Newcastle United.
However this isn’t the impenetrable Magpies backline of 2022/23 any extra. The cracks that opened up final season haven’t been repaired.
Saturday’s consequence at Craven Cottage had been coming. Newcastle – who would have gone prime with a win – have been arguably fortunate to get the outcomes that they had in all 4 previous Gameweeks. The nice fortune ran out in west London, the place Fulham have been deserved winners.
The Cottagers had extra pictures (22) than everybody bar Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. Raul Jimenez (£5.4m) and Emile Smith Rowe (£5.7m) notched early however different targets may/ought to have been scored, too, with Jimenez firing over, Smith Rowe hitting the bar and Alex Iwobi (£5.5m) in some way failing to hit the online from six yards.
Eddie Howe doesn’t appear to know his greatest mixture of defenders. Seven of them have began at the very least one match this season, the most recent being Kieran Trippier (£5.8m).
Newcastle have been second on the fixture ticker within the first 5 Gameweeks – however they sit fifteenth for anticipated targets conceded (xGC) after that run:
On the proof of the primary month, there’s little for Haaland to fret about subsequent week.
BARNES SHINES – BUT AT THE EXPENSE OF GORDON?
Alexander Isak (£8.4m) turned out to be match, then, however might need wished he hadn’t bothered to recuperate, with little service to feed off.
Harvey Barnes (£6.3m) is carrying the goalscoring can at current. He actually is a superb finisher, right here stroking in his third purpose in as many matches to briefly give Newcastle hope.
The issue Howe has is that Barnes and Anthony Gordon (£7.4m) each appear to be extra completed on the left. Gordon’s physique language wasn’t nice when he was requested to play on the alternative flank, whereas the second half noticed him function as a form of 8/10 as Newcastle chased the sport. Gordon did have one clear opening within the seventieth minute however that was about it.
Above: Harvey Barnes has been hogging the pictures this season, main the way in which for minutes per likelihood (M/C)
All credit score to Fulham, who obtained the three factors they need to have bagged final weekend.
Adama Traore‘s (£5.0m) surprising renaissance continues, with the winger again to his Wolves greatest within the opening month and eventually delivering an finish product. His third attacking return in 5 matches was made within the West Midlands, with Jimenez ending it off.
The ‘Jimenez v Rodrigo Muniz‘ (£6.0m) debate seems emphatically settled proper now, with Raul scoring in successive weeks and searching much more assured than the younger Brazilian. Muniz at the very least bagged an help right here, deflecting an errant Newcastle go off his bottom into the trail of fellow substitute Reiss Nelson (£5.0m).
Cameron Archer (£5.0m) is the one ahead cheaper than Jimenez who has began a Premier League sport this season, so the Mexican striker is a short-term punt to contemplate within the third ahead slot.
Smith Rowe in the meantime now sits in eighth amongst midfielders for factors, simply two off Newcastle’s Barnes.
EZE CHANCES
The factors dodging continued from Eberechi Eze (£6.9m) and Bruno Fernandes (£8.3m) on Saturday night time.
This pair are actually the underside two gamers for non-penalty anticipated purpose involvement (NPxGI) underachievement this season:
Eze missed two superb possibilities on Saturday, each of them from cut-backs to him close to the penalty spot.
The Palace talisman has overachieved on the xG entrance in every of his earlier 4 seasons, so historical past would recommend it is a mere blip.
Fernandes had his personal hard-luck story at Selhurst Park, with each him and Alejandro Garnacho (£6.4m) hitting the woodwork inside seconds of each other.
An outdoor-of-the-boot effort additionally went narrowly huge from Fernandes.
Dean Henderson (£4.5m) and co celebrated their first clear sheet of 2024/25 however make no mistake about it, this wasn’t Palace tightening up. Goalkeeping heroics and poor ending have been to thank, with Garnacho twice testing Henderson and Matthijs de Ligt (£5.0m) posing a large menace at set performs with three efforts.
“Within the first half, we ate them alive. I might say the second half was extra of a stability. However within the first half, we should always have scored one or two targets.” – Erik ten Hag
“He saved us within the sport, he saved us alive, as a result of the primary half was 100 per cent how we don’t need to play, and we would have liked clear phrases at half-time.” – Oliver Glasner on Dean Henderson
There’s undoubtedly one thing lacking with the Eagles at current. Open on the again, they’re additionally missing the attacking swagger they exhibited late final season. Such was the scarcity of menace posed that Glasner took the drastic measure of taking Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.4m) off at half-time and changing him with Ismaila Sarr (£5.9m).
“Ismaïla Sarr was [brought on] as a result of we would have liked extra runs in behind, extra directness to the purpose, and he did nice.” – Oliver Glasner
Eze’s two possibilities and Andre Onana‘s (£5.0m) improbable Sixty fourth-minute double save have been wonderful openings for the Eagles. Aside from that, there wasn’t a lot of an attacking menace mustered.
WHY RASHFORD WAS BENCHED
Pretty much as good as Garnacho and Amad Diallo (£5.0m) have been of late, it was a shock to see Marcus Rashford (£6.9m) benched at Selhurst Park after his three targets within the final week.
The winger needed to make do with a 61st-minute introduction.
Ten Hag insisted it was simply rotation.
“It’s not a troublesome choice, now we have to rotate. We’ve got so many video games. We even have to provide [Alejandro] Garnacho video games. He has so many targets and assists off the bench, however solely has one begin this season.
“Already there’s hypothesis [about the reason for Rashford’s omission from the starting XI]. Pundits. As an individual you aren’t OK when you carry such hypothesis while you don’t know [the situation].
“This had nothing to do with [what ten Hag said about having a disciplined off-the-field life in the pre-match press conference]. I’m very proud of Marcus. His defending and his offensive duties. He’s scoring in the intervening time.
“It was nearly rotation.” – Erik ten Hag
