We continue our Scout Notes from Gameweek 24, with Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace’s 1-1 draw at the City Ground.
PINO UP TOP AS FORWARD SWITCH LOOMS
With Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.5m) absent, as confirmed in advance on Friday, Oliver Glasner pushed Yeremy Pino (£5.8m) into a central role against Forest.
While he showed some intent – creating three chances that led to shots – the Spaniard struggled to capitalise on his advanced positioning and ultimately failed to deliver.
He was a mere placeholder anyway. Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Jorgen Strand Larsen (£6.1m) has reportedly completed a medical at Palace, so there’ll likely be an orthodox striker leading the line come Gameweek 25, even if Mateta leaves.
SARR ON PENS
Another byproduct of Mateta’s absence was Ismaïla Sarr (£6.3m) stepping up to take a Palace penalty.
On the cusp of half-time, Nottingham Forest full-back Neco Williams (£4.7m) received a straight red card after handling the ball to deny a certain Crystal Palace goal. The dismissal rules Williams out until Gameweek 26 as he serves his suspension.
Sarr made no mistake, calmly slotting the ball down the middle to restore parity at 1-1. Whether Sarr continues taking penalties with the potential signing of Strand Larsen is up for debate.
SELS INJURY
As well as being deprived of Williams for Gameweek 25, might Forest have lost Matz Sels (£4.6m)? The ‘keeper was substituted at half-time on Sunday, with manager Sean Dyche saying this on the Belgian:
“He’s got what we think is a groin injury. He’ll have a scan as soon as possible.” – Sean Dyche on Matz Sels
It doesn’t come at a great time for FPL owners either. There were already concerns that new signing Stefan Ortega (£4.7m) could chew into his gametime, and due to injury, Dyche’s decision over who starts between the sticks may have been made easier.
ANDERSON 7-POINTER
Whilst Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson (£5.3m) failed to make a major impact from an attacking perspective – his meagre expected goal involvement (xGI) of 0.18 was his highest since Gameweek 12! – he still returned a tidy score.
Experienced FPL managers will know by now that Anderson doesn’t need attacking returns to pick up points. The Forest man bagged seven of them thanks to defensive contributions (DefCon) and three bonus, which helped him break into the top 10 scoring midfielders in FPL.
This was the eighth consecutive Gameweek in which he has picked up DefCon points!
At just £5.3m, Anderson continues to provide good value for those who need a cheap option in midfield.
GAME RECAP
Nottingham Forest struck early in the game, needing just five minutes to break the deadlock. After Jefferson Lerma (£4.9m) forced Sels into a save moments earlier, Forest talisman Morgan Gibbs-White (£7.3m) stepped up, firing a precise right-footed effort into the bottom-left corner beyond Dean Henderson (£5.0m).
The goal marked a fourth attacking return in five matches for Gibbs-White, underlining a strong spell of form for the Nottingham Forest midfielder.
It also meant another goal conceded from a set-play for Palace, after a throw-in. The Eagles have now kept just one clean sheet across their last 10 matches in all competitions. As a result, Chris Richards (£4.4m), Maxence Lacroix (£5.1m) and Daniel Muñoz (£5.8m) all blanked, with none managing to collect DefCon points.
Crystal Palace responded well after falling behind and began to apply sustained pressure. Lacroix went close with a headed effort that drifted wide, while Munoz saw a low effort blocked from the right side of the box.
Muñoz remained heavily involved in the final third moments later. His cushioned header picked out who Sarr, found space inside the area but failed to convert. The Senegalese made amends from the spot before the break.
Not a great deal happened after half-time, with Palace unable to make numerical supremacy count. Forest even outshot them (6-4) after the break, with neither side carving out much clear-cut.
Oliver Glasner’s men now come up against the likes of Burnley, Wolves and Leeds United in the next six Gameweeks, along with clashes against the inconsistent Brighton Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur.
Can fixtures breed a bit of form and make Sarr (and the incoming Strand Larsen) legitimate FPL targets again?
