Brighton FPL Gameweek 32: Moder shooting a weapon at the Bridge
It is fair to say that Brighton 0-0 Everton was not the most exciting of Premier League matches, but there was plenty for FPL managers to learn – especially when it came to Jakub Moder.
The midfielder arrived at the Amex in January and reached the attention of the wider English footballing public when he scored for Poland at Wembley in the March internationals.
He has had to be patient for an opportunity to break into Graham Potter’s first team, but now he is in the starting XI, he should be there to stay if his shots on goal stats are anything to go by.
Since making his full Premier League debut in FPL gameweek 29, Moder (£5.0 million) has registered eight shots on goal, which is more than any other Brighton player.
His price represents the fact that he is still something of an unknown in Fantasy Premier League, which surely will not be the case for much longer if he starts finding the back of the net.
Moder had four attempts in Brighton 0-0 Everton, level with WeAreBrighton.com March Player of the Month Adam Lallana (£6.2 million) and Leandro Trossard (£5.7 million) – whilst Lallana and Trossard will both be on the radar of many FPL managers, Moder will not, making him a good differential pick as well as a value for money option.
Brighton registered 23 shots during the match, continuing a season-long trend of healthy chance creation. These statistics make the Seagulls’ attacking options look like tempting investments in FPL, although the fact that Albion’s goal conversion rate of 8.2 percent is the third-worst in the division also tells a story.
One Brighton player who has been scoring in recent weeks is Danny Welbeck. Dat Guy has two big chances, four shots on target and two goals since gameweek 29 and he could be a nice differential forward at a time when FPL managers are reconsidering other popular options such as The Leeds United’s Patrick Bamford (£6.6 million) and 1982 European Champions Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins (£6.5 million).
It would also be remiss of FPL managers to overlook Pascal Gross (£5.8 million) in midfield. In the last 10 gameweeks, Gross has taken 62 of the Albion’s 66 corners and registered 13 goal attempts, six shots in the box and two big chances.
And what of Brighton’s opponents in gameweek 32? They face a Chelsea side who were remarkably consistent defensively between gameweeks 20 and 28, conceding just twice in that time.
In their past two matches however, the Blues have shipped six including a humbling defeat at home to West Bromwich Albion. If Brighton can be more clinical with their chances, then there is no reason why they cannot breach the Chelsea defence.
At the other end, Chelsea have not been scoring too freely under Thomas Tuchel, failing to find the target in two of their last six. With the Albion’s recent defensive record very decent and the likes of Lewis Dunk (£5.0 million) and Joel Veltman (£4.4 million) offering a bit of goal threat, there is scope for the Brighton defence to return FPL points this week.
Monday’s draw was the seventh Premier League clean sheet that Brighton have kept in 2021 and they have the third-best expected goals conceded (xGC) tally in the Premier League this season. Both Ben White (£4.5 million) and Dunk collected maximum bonus points in Brighton 0-0 Everton to supplement their shut-out points.
Captain Fantastic
There are some hugely attractive captain options this weekend. Mohamad Salah (£12.4 million) and Liverpool face The Leeds United. In-form Jesse Lingard (£6.5 million) is up against Newcastle United and Bruno Fernandes (£11.6 million) takes on a Burnley side potentially still missing their first-choice goalkeeper Nick Pope (£5.5 million).
Despite all of those, FPL managers will no doubt be drawn to Spurs’ double gameweek to bring as many captain point returns as possible. Harry Kane (£11.7m) will be the go-to option for many, seeing as he is the highest-scoring FPL forward and the second highest-scoring player across the whole game in what is turning out to be the season of his career.
However, FPL managers should not overlook Son Heung-min (£9.4 million). The South Korea international returned four goals against Southampton when the two sides met earlier this season and with the Saints still struggling defensively having conceded three goals against West Brom in gameweek 31, Son could be a strong differential captain this weekend.
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