FPL GW4 Sunday Stats Review | Leeds vs Liverpool

FPL GW4 proved to be a mixed bag for FPL managers & here in this blog, we review the stats and key numbers from FPL GW4 that caught our eye.

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Leeds United (0.89) 0 – 3 (4.12) Liverpool

Leeds have made a relatively slow start to the season by the lofty standards they set for themselves last season and were on the receiving end of a massive 30 shots totaling an xG of 4.12 from Liverpool on Sunday. Both teams came out without any surprises, Liverpool set up in their usual 4-3-3 with Diogo Jota leading in the line in the absense of the injured Roberto Firmino (Back in training, should return to first team fitness in a few weeks) while Leeds played their 4-1-4-1 with new signing Daniel James on the bench.

Leeds had the first good chance of the game with Raphinha laying off Rodrigo in space around the edge of the box, his powerful strike going straight at the keeper. From that point on, it was vintage Liverpool with quick transitions and overlapping fullbacks, the shotmap attached below shows how many shots they had from ‘high quality’ shot zones in this game.

The first goal of the game came from a driving run into the final third, surprisingly from Joel Matip and the ball found its way to Alexander-Arnold who drilled it across the box for a Mo Salah tap in. Fabinho got their next goal from his second stab at a loose ball from Leeds’ failure to clear a corner before Pascal Struijk saw red for a challenge seemingly without malice that left Harvey Elliott with a possible ankle fracture, on the 60th minute. Wishing the talented youngster a speedy recovery, he had adapted into first team football seamlessly well.

Sadio Mane, the ‘culprit’ for the evening wasting a whole host of good chances and attacking situations denying his 2 more popular fellow Liverpool attackers points, finally found the back of the net in added time from a Thiago assist. Patrick Bamford looked to be taking up threatening positions all game, Harrison was full of industry before being replaced by Daniel James who couldn’t impact the game as he’d have liked given the circumstances and it was noteworthy how both Trent and Robertson were taking up positions higher up the pitch.

Key player stats:

As far as the underlying stats go, Sadio Mane (11.9, MID) was the ‘star’ of the show. The Midfielder looked desperate for a goal, shooting at every opportunity and while it could be suggested that ‘selfish’ players are the better FPL assets, Mane’s eagerness to bag a goal, especially late on, looked detrimental to the entire attacking unit. Mane managed a staggering 10 shots, 8 in the box, 3 big chances and 1 key pass on his way to a game high xGI of 1.88 and 1 goal. He missed 2 of his big chances and failed to pick out a better placed teammate on a couple of occasions.

However, a look at his heat map below shows the dangerous areas he occupied and unsurprisingly was the furthest forward Liverpool player by average position, in the productive central zone in what seems to have been a tactical ploy from Jurgen Klopp. Mane constantly drifting centrally from the left allowed him underlying numbers which, on another day, could have been a monumental haul. This tweak seems likely to have been for this particular fixture (or possibly due to Firmino’s absense) leaving owners with a lingering feeling of what-if.

Mo Salah (12.5, MID) had 3 shots, all in the box, 2 big chances and created 4 chances to notch an impressive xGI of 1.73 with an xG of 1.24. He was a terrific Struijk block away from scoring a second goal and continues to remain a Rolls-Royce FPL asset in a time when squads are being shaken up by the arrival of 2 terrific elite-tier FWDs – I’d personally find it difficult to go without the reliable Egyptian even if meant being unable to fit 2 premium FWDs.

Diogo Jota (7.7, MID) was brought in by a big number of FPL managers following the unclear news on Firmino’s injury and owners can consider themselves extremely unlucky to come away without a return here as he racked up 3 shots, 2 in the box, 6 chances created and 2 big chances created for an xGI of 0.78. He got 82 minutes in Firmino’s absense and owners can expect returns to be imminent if he continues in the same vein for the next 2-3 games (around when Firmino is expected back and his expected minutes will be muddy again).

Trent Alexander-Arnold (7.5, DEF) might well be one of my favourite FPL assets ever, the right back continues to deliver week in week out making it 9 gameweeks on the bounce with 4 or more points. He put up incredible stats for a defender in this game with 3 shots, 1 in the box, 5 chances created and 1 big chance created notching an xGI of 0.82 (higher than Jota, third highest in the game behind Mane and Salah). A defense that is likely stronger for the return of Van Dijk, a propensity for Bonus Points (Picked up 3 this game and has 8 in 4 games this season so far) and league-leading chance creation numbers make Trent a truly premium FPL asset.

Andy Robertson (7.0, DEF) was visibly further forward in this game than what we’ve seen off late, creating 4 chances.

For Leeds, both Raphinha (6.5, MID) and Harrison (5.8, MID) created 3 chances each but it was noteworthy that Harrison made way for Daniel James.

Patrick Bamford (7.9, FWD) took up good positions in and around the box when Leeds entered the final third and he managed 4 shots, 3 of which were in the box for a healthy xG tally of 0.48.

Big things were expected of Leeds this season after their impressive return to the top flight last season and they’ve under performed thus far. However, they now embark on a kind run of fixtures and if they click into gear, remain a team capable of scoring big. They had a strong home defensive record last season and a return to that sort of form could also bring Ayling (4.5, DEF), Meslier (5.0, GK) and maybe even Firpo (4.8, DEF), who’s had a difficult introduction to the Premier League, back on the radar for this kind run.

Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of FPL Gameweek 5:

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