FPL Gameweek 29 First Look – five things we learned at the weekend
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1. THE STREAK IS OVER
They may be the Premier League champions in waiting, but unlike Arsenal back in 2003-04, Liverpool will not complete a full Premier League season undefeated. On paper, Gameweek 28 looked like a comprehensive victory for the Reds as they travelled to a Watford side in the bottom three. However, the Hornets put in arguably the best performance of a single Premier League side this season to come out with a fully deserved 3-0 win. Two goals and an assist for Ismaila Sarr (£6.3m) on his return from injury saw him re establish himself as an FPL asset going forward, alongside forward Troy Deeney (£6.2m) who bagged both a goal and an assist. The big FPL news for Liverpool (bar all their players blanking), was central defender Joe Gomez (£5.3m) not featuring in the side due to injury. It is yet to be known whether the England international will miss any future Premier League games.
2. BOWEN HITS THE BULLSEYE FOR WEST HAM
For a number of weeks now, West Ham fans have been demanding the inclusion of January signing Jarrod Bowen (£6.5m) in the starting line-up as opposed to the bench. Gameweek 28 saw their wish granted as David Moyes gave the winger his first Premier League start for the Hammers. He was not to be let down, as Bowen opened the scoring to set West Ham on their way to a first win in seven Premier League games. Looking a significant threat going forward and topped off with his goal, a beautifully chipped finish from an acute angle, Bowen provides FPL managers with another enticing mid-priced midfield option.
3. INJURY CANCELS VARDY PARTY
The final hour before the Gameweek 28 deadline became somewhat of a scrum, when the social media "ITKs" amongst the FPL community broke the news that Leicester forward Jamie Vardy (£9.8m) would not feature for the Foxes in their Friday night clash against Norwich due to a calf injury. Many were banking on Vardy to grab at least one goal against the Premier League's bottom-placed side, with over 700,000 FPL managers handing him the captain's armband. However, with Vardy ruled out there was the inevitable struggle for Leicester as the Canaries pulled off a 1-0 win at Carrow Road. It was a disastrous result from an FPL perspective with highly-owned defenders such as Caglar Soyuncu (£5.0m) and Ricardo Pereira (£6.3m) all blanking, alongside midfielders Ayoze Perez (£6.2m) and James Maddison (£7.5m).
4. COULD BRIGHTON BE PUSHED OFF THE PREMIER LEAGUE PIER?
Slowly but surely, Brighton have been drifting down the Premier League, having failed to win in their last eight league matches. Their latest result, a 0-1 defeat at home to rivals Crystal Palace, leaves them just one point off the drop zone and right in the mix for relegation. It's been a worrying slide for Graham Potter's side, who looked so impressive in the first half of the season. However, no clean sheet for Albion since their last league win has seen them fail to pick up results with the likes of goalkeeper Mathew Ryan (£4.8m) and defender Lewis Dunk (£4.8m) both out of form. From an FPL perspective, no player from the Seagulls appears even worth considering for your side, with top scorer Neil Maupay (£5.8m) having scored just once in his last ten Premier League appearances.
5. THE BRUNO BANDWAGON ROLLS ON
Another gameweek brought another star performance from Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes (£8.3m). Man Utd's marquee January signing has lit up the Premier League since debuting back in Gameweek 25 and his latest impressive showing came at Goodison Park in Gameweek 28. Everything Man Utd produced offensively seemed to come through Fernandes and he got on the scoresheet for the second successive gameweek with a powerful strike from distance. He could have won the game for the Red Devils late on, but was denied by an excellent save from Everton keeper Jordan Pickford (£5.3m). Whilst the match ended 1-1, the Bruno bandwagon shows no signs of abating. The midfielder has accrued 32 FPL points from his first four league games, with two goals and two assists, whilst FPL managers continue to buy him in their droves ahead of the Manchester derby in Gameweek 29.
