Brighton FPL Gameweek 4: Can you afford to ignore Leandro Trossard?

It’s time to move on, leave the past behind and stop agonising about a game involving more woodwork-based pain than a trip to the Hell branch of IKEA as we look forward to FPL Fantasy Premier League gameweek four and (hopefully) another Leandro Trossard Show.

That does read Hell, not Hull, by the way, although they’re cut from similar cloth. Anyway, Saturday’s unbelievably cruel 3-2 loss to Manchester United came with plenty of positives.

The Seagulls are turning into a serious attacking force, for starters. Only Liverpool (61) have had more attempts than Brighton’s 44, and among those teams who’ve played three times this season, the Reds are the only side to top the 6.5 minutes per chance average Graham Potter’s men are currently rocking.

So brush yourself down, pick yourself up and start plotting your Fantasy Premier League moves for the trip to Everton.

Trossbar Challenge
We’ve said it more than once, but for those who still haven’t listened, you need to consider bringing Leandro Trossard (£6.0 million) into your FPL team.

Don’t take that not listening thing personally – Leandro Trossard is in just 1.5% of all FPL squads despite a goal and an assist from his first two outings and a starring role against United which included four attempts, two big chances and roughly a thousand shots that hit the post or crossbar.

But if you’re skint, Solly March (£5.0 million) ticks many a bargain basement box. He scored Saturday’s last-gasp equaliser that earned the Seagulls a deserved point before, well, you know…

That was one of five attempts inside the area March has had this season – only Neil Maupay (£6.5 million and tipped up before his goal scoring exploits in gameweek three), with six, has more among Brighton assets. The striker is also the only player to have had more penalty area touches (17) than March (nine). For reference, Trossard has had just the six.

But if you’re really skint, Steven Alzate (£4.5 million) has something to offer. A classic ‘budget enabler’ – a dirt cheap player who frees up funds to be spent on bigger Fantasy fish – Alzate has still managed to create six chances, which is only one fewer than Trossard’s team-leading seven.

Alzate has also created one big chance and his 43 minutes per chance average is, again, second only to Trossard among Potter starters. Although do remember that Yves Bissouma (£4.5 million) is back from suspension for the Everton game.

The Toffees have started the season like a train, but their defensive record is no better than Brighton’s, at least in terms of shots conceded (23 apiece) and attempts on target allowed (10 to the Seagulls’ eight).

So if Brighton can get anywhere close to their first road trip of the season – the delicious 3-0 win at Newcastle – then a Merseyside upset is not beyond the realms of possibility. Especially if Leandro Trossard can find the net rather than the woodwork, in which case a decent haul of FPL points will be on offer.

Elsewhere…
Everyone else seems to think Everton will do a job on Saturday, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.4 million) the most bought player of gameweek four.

Fantasy Football rarely rewards loyalty, so you won’t be judged for backing Everton stars this weekend against the Albion – but it doesn’t have to be that way.

The master versus the apprentice subplot of Leeds United v Man City, with Marcelo ‘El Loco’ Bielsa locking horns with Pep ‘El Can’t Stop Rotating His Squad’ Guardiola, will capture the collective imagination early on Saturday evening.

It will also offer up some juicy Fantasy possibilities, mostly involving City stars. Leeds might have shut out Sheffield United last Sunday, but the Blades are currently very blunt indeed – the 27 attempts they’ve mustered to date is three shy of City’s total, but from a game more.

And Bielsa’s defence has otherwise been very generous – only West Bromwich Albion (52) and Newcastle (51) have allowed more attempts than Leeds’ total of 50.

With Gabriel Jesus (£9.5 million) out for a month with a muscle issue, Raheem Sterling (£11.5 million) could well play as a striker in his place, with Fantasy hero Kevin De Bruyne (£11.6 million) another who could profit as he’s been employed in a very advanced role so far this season.

The Belgian is already in the top 10 for goal attempts from midfield, with six, despite having played a game fewer than most of the other names in that table.

After a disappointing blank in City’s 2-5 defeat by Leicester, a De Bruyne bounce back looks likely at Leeds.

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