Here’s our FPL preseason 2019 article with key matches from the end of last week plus the weekend. We’ve got lineups, article and video links and some comments on key players of interest. Included are Man City, Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea, Spurs and Leicester.
Fantasy Premier League summer friendlies 2019 – Wednesday 31 July matches
You can see more in our pre-season hub article which will be updated regularly.
Get additional content in the form of Podcasts, an interactive transfer and points prediction tool, 4 £50 prize leagues for the first 160 joiners and a Slack channel for discussion with members and contributors in our Patreon site. There’s also a FFGeek contributors tracker FPL team and Joe’s transfer planner team. The first $3 monthly payment gets you in the prize leagues for the season and Slack channel for the season.
Community Shield
Man City 1 Liverpool 1
Goals: Sterling Matip
Lineups
Lineups
The main thing we were look for in the Liverpool lineup was the cheap defensive option as a CB next to Van Dijk. £5.5m Gomez got the nod and his speed was very helpful to the Liverpool defence. That for me gives him the edge over Matip to start GW1. The complication is that Matip was also excellent when he came on.
For Man City £5.5m Zinchenko started at LB over Angelino but didn’t really do his case any good. To be fair though he was playing against the best right sided forward in the league in Salah so maybe it wasn’t critical in his selection for GW1. With Laporte nursing a knock we weren’t given the chance to identify the person who would start with him assuming he’s fit. With Otamendi a primarily left sided CB (despite being right footed) you would think £5.5m Stones should start?
Otherwise It was a fairly predictable Pep 4-1-2-3 although with the 2 CFs rested the Sane position isn’t resolved. As it happens he went off injured and Jesus came on and it reverted to what you’d expect. Aguero was an unused sub so it’s hard to think he will be starting next week.
Ederson was also absent so that could put some doubt on him for GW1 only especially as Bravo played well.
Form
For City De Bruyne was excellent and it was noticeable how him and David Silva got forward. Silva got into the box especially well although his substitution at just under 60 mins has to be a warning for the future.
Sterling was a constant threat although missed 2 great chances.
For Liverpool Salah’s fitness was excellent although he really should have come away with a goal and his finishing was the only sign of rustiness. I certainly didn’t go away worried about captaining him GW1.
I thought Trent was disappointing and really didn’t get forward at all. He did have a decent set piece involvement.
The game was one of 2 halves. Man City first half and then Liverpool strongly 2nd half.
Here’s a telegraph match report a guardian one and a Squawka 5 things we learned
Chelsea 2 Monchengladbach 2
Scorers Abraham 59 pen, Barkley 86 pen
Chelsea: Kepa; Azpilicueta (c), Zouma, Christensen, Emerson (Alonso 67), Jorginho, Kovacic (Kenedy 67); Pedro (Kante 72), Mount, Pulisic (Barkley 67), Abraham (Giroud 67).
Unused subs: Caballero, Ziger, Zappacosta, David Luiz, Tomori.
Booked Emerson 8, Kovacic 24, Giroud 71
Well Frank Lampard continues to be as unhelpful as ever to FPL managers. On the positive side £7.0m forward Abraham started again and he has to be a decent shout for a start GW1 and maybe pens if Willian isn’t on the field. Also £5.5m LB Emerson looks to have that spot nailed which gives an option with some attacking potential for less than £6.0m.
On the negative side there was no help in identifying a £5.0m CB in Zouma and Christensen with Luiz likely to start and on the bench. The worst issue is £6.0m Mount starting over £6.0m Barkley at CAM and the difficulty in predicting that.
Here’s the Chelsea FC match report, A squawka report with Lampard praising Mount, a fanzine review of the match and a youtube highlights
Man Utd 2 AC Milan 2
Goals; Rashford and Lingard
Starting XI: De Gea (6); Wan-Bissaka (7), Lindelof (5), Marcos Rojo (6), Shaw (6); Matic (5), McTominay (8*), Mata (6); Andreas (6), Rashford (7), Martial (7).
Substitutes: Fred (6), James (7), Lingard (7), Young (6), Tuanzebe (6), Greenwood (N/A), Gomes (N/A)
A team that is probably Pogba and Maguire short of a starting 11 for GW1.
£7.5m mid Martial is very attractive as a CF as is £8.5m Fwd Rashford. However which will will start there is questionable. It maybe a moot point due to the interchanging of positions. The United defence will be strengthen by the introduction of Maguire and Wan Bissaka but Maguire will feel the shock of the incompetence of Matic.
Purely stats wise Ndidi for Leicester made 3.8 tackles per game and 2.2 interceptions and only Gueye had better output as a CDM in the league last season. Matic in contrast made 1.8 tackles per game and 1.1 interceptions. Under half ! AWB as a recoverer of the highest order will be needed.
Here’s match report, a fanzine report, and a youtube video
Spurs 1 Inter 1
Goal; Moura
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris (C) (Gazzaniga 64); Walker-Peters (Marsh 79), Sanchez (Tanganga 79), Vertonghen (Alderweireld 46), Rose (Georgiou 79); Winks (Skipp 64); Sissoko (Eriksen 46), Ndombele (White 80); Lamela (Parrott 78); Lucas (Nkoudou 80), Kane (Son 64).
I think the lineup was more of a diamond with Lamela at the tip. With Alli now injured and Son suspended £6.0m mid Lamela and £7.5m Moura look likley to start. In the very short term they could be great options.
£5.0m Walker Peters should hold the RB spot with Aurier injured and Foyth suspended for 2 games even though he had shaky moments in this.
£5.5m Alderweireld should stats ahead of Sanchez and I expect £9.0m Eriksen to start over Sissoko.
Here’s a match report plus fanzine report 1 and fanzine report 2
Leicester 2 Atalanta 1
Goals Perez Vardy
This was the Sky interpretation of the formation. I know there has been some though it was 4-3-3.
This looks like the starting side if there’s some doubt about formation
£4.5m CB as a replacement for Maguire presents a bargain if Ake, Tarkowski or Dunk don’t join. Anyone can succeed behind the tackle monster that is Ndidi even if Ndidi is still post AFCON rest and doesn’t start immediately.
Perez and Vardy showed good form in this match.
See the player raters, and Sky report
You can see more in our pre-season hub article which will be updated regularly.
Get additional content in the form of Podcasts, an interactive transfer and points prediction tool, 4 £50 prize leagues for the first 160 joiners and a Slack channel for discussion with members and contributors in our Patreon site. There’s also a FFGeek contributors tracker FPL team and Joe’s transfer planner team. The first $3 monthly payment gets you in the prize leagues for the season and Slack channel for the season.
