Eye-Test Based Player Watchlist For FPL Gameweek 3

Hi, this is Ishaan (Twitter: @hobbes3103, FPL 21-22 OR : 3754). This is the next in a series of weekly articles I’ll be writing for All About FPL where I’ll pick some players from the previous gameweek(s) who I feel are poised to make an immediate impact in the upcoming gameweek, basis a dive into their statistical data as well as their standout performances from an eye-test perspective.

These players could be differentials, could be template picks or could be somewhere in between but the idea of this weekly series is to basically try & identify the next bandwagon before the community at large identifies them.

Link to all our FPL GW3 blogs including Fixtures to target, Scout Picks, Differentials, Captaincy metrics, Transfer Trends, Buy/Hold/Sell Analysis and more. Completely free to access as well!

ANALYSIS OF GAMEWEEK 2 PICKS :

• Darwin Nunez: ✖
• Aleksandr Mitrovic: ✖ ( Missed Penalty )
• Dejan Kulusevski: ✖
• Gabriel Martinelli: ✅
• Double City Defense: ✅
• Bruno Guimaraes: ✖
• Joachim Andersen: ✖ ( Blanked FPL-wise but otherwise put in a great defensive shift )
• Target Man United: ✅

GW2 Blog: Players in Focus Based on Stats & Eye Test Ahead of FPL GW2

FPL Gameweek 3 Player Watchlist Based on Eye-Test

REECE JAMES

Probably the player of the weekend, Reece James started off as an RCB in Chelsea’s back 5 to counter the pace of Heung-Min Son but on the evidence of this performance, I wouldn’t worry at all about his potential to return FPL points if at RCB, simply because his underlying data was outstanding: 

• 93 touches    
• 92% pass accuracy       
• 66 complete passes [most]     
• 5 crosses
• 4/5 accurate long balls                        
• 3/3 tackles won      
• 2/2 aerial duels won
• 1/1 successful dribbles                      
• 1 key pass              
• 1 big chance created
• 1 goal

His Expected Goal Involvment xGI ( 0.75 ) was only 2^nd to Trent Alexander-Arnold this past weekend and amongst all Chelsea players, he’s 1^st for xGI and big chance involvements after 2 Gameweeks.

This outstanding underlying data follows on from the start of last season since when he has been directly involved in 15 goals for Chelsea ( 6G, 9A ) – the most of any defender across the Premier League. With Chelsea’s fixtures easing up, he comes close to the must-own territory.

In case anyone is slightly wary of the maximisation of his points potential when he plays in the RCB ( and not the RWB ) role, I delve into his performance vs Spurs in depth below to allay those fears :

What Tuchel’s latest game innovation shows is that even when Reece James will start at RCB versus pacier opponents ( like he has with Son v Spurs, Vardy v Leicester, Zaha v Palace, Vinicus Jr v Madrid,  ) he can be expected to move high up the pitch and be closer to goal thereby positively impacting his Goal Involvement & routes to FPL points.

The two screengrabs below show how high James is playing , even at RCB , against such a lethal counterattacking team as Spurs. In each case, he is the player with the ball at his feet.

Of course, it goes without saying that James at RWB is a totally different beast altogether.

Once Spurs shifted to their aggressive 4-2-4 to hunt for the equaliser, Tuchel brought on Azpilicueta at RCB and shifted James to RWB. Within seconds, he created this Big Chance for Havertz which ideally should have been a Chelsea goal :

On the evidence of Loftus-Cheek’s heatmap above, imagine Reece James with the quality of his delivery, taking up those positions throughout the match!

Chelsea have also soldified as a defensive unit, with them being in the top 5 teams in the league for xG conceded (1.68) hence 6 points seems like the floor for Reece James and when he’s on song, his points potential is through the roof.

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İlkay Gündoğan

The only reason Ilkay Gundogan did not find a mention in this article last week was because there was still some uncertainty in my mind about whether Bernardo Silva is staying at Man City or leaving for Barcelona.

However on the evidence of the match vs Bournemouth, Gundogan warrants an inclusion simply because for large parts of the match and irrespective of the various game-states ( i.e. 0-0-, 1-0, 2-0,  etc ) it seemed that they were playing in a forward line front 2 of Haaland & Gundogan. At times, Gundogan was even more advanced than Haaland evidenced from the screengrabs below.

Ultimately it meant that Gundogan had 5 penalty area touches in 62 minuts, which was the highest among all Man City players.

A 7.5m auxiliary striker playing for City seems a shoo-in pretty much but a word of caution.
It seems now though, that Bernardo has decided to stay at Man City and eventually will take some minutes off Gundogan going ahead once midweek matches begin. But for now, atleast for the next match with the obvious caveat being Pep roulette, I think Gundogan’s spot is safe to carry on his exploits from GW1 & GW2.

WILFRIED ZAHA

Zaha had a good game vs Liverpool encapsulated by his wonderful run and finish.

Despite the paucity of the number of touches he had on the ball, he still managed to finish with the following stats :

• Shots: 4 (3rd best)  
• Shots inside the box: 3 (3rd best)          
• Shots on target: 3 (1st)      
• Big chances: 3 (1st)        
• xG: 1.33 (2nd best)

He should have finished atleast one of his other big chances, the screengrab below shows Alisson nowhere near the ball and Zaha having an empty net at his disposal.

Things are not looking good for the Villa defence with new signing Diego Carlos out with a long term injury having just had surgery on a ruptured Achilles and Matty Cash a slight doubt after going off in the previous match with soreness and cramp.

Zaha is primed to exploit this perceived weakness between the RB & right-sided CB. He was a constant menace, making those late runs in the very same inside left channel between Alexander-Arnold (RB) and Nat Phillips (right-sided CB), eventually scoring his goal through this route.

He is nailed and is Palace’s talisman – scored 14G last season (most for Palace), created 46 chances (most for Palace). He is on pens, is fixture-proof and Vieira has done wonders with this team who will be up for Villa’s visit to Selhurst Park, full of confidence after their draw vs Liverpool. You can expect that if Palace score, then Zaha will be involved.

Further Read: FPL GW3 Differential Picks to Consider Ahead of GW3 Deadline

IVAN PERISIC

Perisic’s Serie A record has been retold many times but for the sake of emphasis, let me elucidate it once more :

• 49G, 41A
• Most goals and assists combined & goal involvements by FullBacks / WingBacks
• Created 26 chances following a carry, the most by any full back or wing back within the big five European leagues, and fewer than only three players overall
• More touches in the opposition box than any other wing-back
  

True to reputation Perisic in his 11 minute sub appearance created 2 big chances, was on ALL set pieces and came away with the assist on Harry Kane’s equaliser.

What was the coolest thing for me though, was that in recent memory I don’t recall the same player taking right-sided corners with his Right foot and left-sided corners with his Left foot ! Then again, this is Perisic we are talking about – the 1st Serie A player to score a right-footed penalty and a left-footed penalty since 2004.

Perisic has not been played in the first two matches due to his recuperation from a long term injury and if we get any indication from Conte’s presser that he is scheduled to start this week then he could be a valuable transfer in allowing managers to shift some money from defence into midfield to upgrade the likes of Bailey & Neto.

Further Read: FPL GW3 Preview: Breaking Down FPL Dilemmas for Gameweek 3

NOTABLE MENTIONS :

PASCAL GROSS

Gross looked like Brighton’s best player on the field with 1 Shot in the Box and 4 Chances Created. with an xGi of 1.1. With Maupay moving to NFO, it is possible that Gross is also on full time penalty duties. Brighton have also been looking like a solid attacking unit without the finishing – they racked up xG of 1.9+ so when they do find their finishing boots, it can be assumed that Gross will be heavily involved.

GABRIEL JESUS

Nothing is left to say about Jesus which hasn’t been said and justifiably he is owned by close to 6.5 million managers already ! He was involved in almost everything that Arsenal did versus Crystal Palace in GW1 and last weekend versus Leicester.

He had 1 touch more in the opposition box than the whole Leicester team, 7 SiB with 3 big chances and ended the game with 2G 2A and 19 FPL points. He is a legitimate captaincy shout this weekend for those willing to look past Salah.

CONCLUSION

To conclude, all the players in this week’s article are in my opinion great assets to own depending on your team structure and with many managers in the FPL community having 2FTs to spend I wouldn’t be surprised to see these players being widely transferred in.

If you liked the article, do like share and retweet. As always all feedback is welcome – I can be found @hobbes3103.

All data from Fantasy Football Scout, Fantasy Football Hub, BBC Match of the Day, Sofascore, Fotmob & Opta.

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Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW3

FPL Gameweek 3 Transfer Tips: Two Players to Buy, Hold and Sell
Top FPL Gameweek 3 Captain Picks Based on Analysis & Metrics
FPL GW3 Scout Picks | FPLDaggaFC & AllAboutFPL
FPL GW3 Differential Picks to Consider Ahead of GW3 Deadline
FPL GW3 Transfer Trends, Best Transfer Combinations & Tips
FPL GW3 Preview: Breaking Down FPL Dilemmas for Gameweek 3
Best £4.5-5.5 Midfielders- Bailey Replacements Ahead Of FPL GW3
SPITCH Matchday 3 Preview | Top Picks, Tips & Team Reveal
FPL GW3 Fixtures & Players To Target | Best Matchups | FPL Paz
Predicted GW3 Lineups of All 20 Premier League Teams
FPL Stats Of Shithousery | GW2 Team Of The Weak
FPL GW2 Review Based on Eye Test & Stats | FPL Trybe
FPL GW3 Wildcard Team & Drafts To Consider | Wildcard Guide
How Premier League Footballers fared as FPL Managers in GW2?
FPL GW3 Ultimate Guide: Tips, Differentials, Captaincy & More

Link to all our FPL GW3 blogs including fixtures to target, predicted 11, differentials, captaincy metrics, transfer trends, and more. Completely free to access as well!

FPL GW3 Preview Stream on our YouTube Channel

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What’s next from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL Gameweek 3 of the 2022/23 FPL Season?

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