Brighton FPL Gameweek 7: Spurs away is set up for a set piece party
Six games into the season, just the one win so far, a goals against total that’s the fourth worst in the league…you could be excused for feeling a pang or two of worry if you are a Brighton fan right now.
But although twin brothers Lies and Damned Lies always try and crash any party held by Statistics, a look at the Seagulls’ numbers should provide some reassurance.
Which team has allowed both the fewest shots (44) and attempts on target (18) this season? Brighton. Which side is fourth for total attempts, with 80? Brighton again.
Which club’s possession figure in the final third (61.5%) is bettered only by the two Manchester clubs and Liverpool? You know the answer, you really do.
The underlying stats are, in short, more encouraging than the league table.
Day Of The Dead Ball
Which is just as well as there is a tricky six-match schedule awaiting Graham Potter’s side. Home games with Burnley, Liverpool and Southampton and trips to Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Leicester City will take us through to mid-December.
The trip to Spurs kicks off that devilish run and the good news for the Albion is that despite being managed by stationary bus-fancier Jose Mourinho, Tottenham have kept only one clean sheet all season. And it didn’t come at home.
In fact, it came last time out at Burnley, with Mourinho sacrificing a certain amount of attacking intent to try and stave off the set piece threat of Sean Dyche’s side.
Mourinho had good reason to be worried – Spurs have hardly been convincing when defending corners and free kicks whilst the Clarets have managed 19 attempts from set plays this season.
Which team can match that? It’s that Brighton again, who it may surprise you to know are actually a good bet when it comes to set piece returns in FPL.
Should Mourinho loosen up his side at home, the Seagulls can expect swoop from corners. Their total of 13 shots direct from corners is the joint-third highest in the Premier League so far.
At some point, Brighton are going to make one of those chances count and when they do, those FPL managers who have banked on an Albion set piece party will be laughing.
In the continued absence of Lewis Dunk (£4.9 million) through suspension, it could be time for stand-in captain Adam Webster (£4.5 million) to open his goal scoring tally for the season, having found the net three times in the last campaign – including in Brighton’s 2-1 Boxing Day defeat at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Middle Ground
If you are looking for a Brighton player to offer FPL returns over a longer period rather than a goal on Sunday from a set piece, it is probably best to stick to what you know.
And what we know is that Leandro Trossard (£6.0 million) and Solly March (£5.0 million) are among the league’s more consistent performers this season, with March one of the few players to have been nominated for both our WAB September and October Player of the Month awards.
In terms of cold, hard statistics, Trossard’s 10 chances created puts him comfortably in the top 10 among midfielders, with March just one chance back on nine. Trossard’s two big chances created is a top five figure, with March – there’s a theme developing here – just one chance back from that.
As for attempts, only two midfielders – Liverpool pair Sadio Mane (£12.0 million) and Mohamed Salah (£12.4 million) – can better the Belgian’s total of 15, with March way off that particular pace on six.
Both are offering decent value, with March finally getting one over on Trossard in the points per million (PPM) stakes. He’s providing 4.8 PPM – a top 10 figure among midfielders – to his team-mate’s 4.2 PPM.
Oh Captain, My Captain
Much of the Fantasy Premier League world will be captaining a Spurs player this weekend. And by ‘Spurs player’ we mean either Harry Kane (£10.9 million) or Heung-Min Son (£9.5 million) because the pair are way ahead of anyone else in terms of points scored this season, with 65 and 69 respectively.
But if you haven’t got either of them, or you just can’t bet against Brighton, then the aforementioned Liverpool pair, Salah and Mane, are worth considering.
The Reds entertain West Ham United on Saturday evening and although David Moyes’ men are in a good place right now, they’re not exactly watertight away from home.
Just three teams have allowed more big chances on the road than the Hammers’ total of six and although they nullified Leicester in gameweek 4, they’ve conceded five times across their other two away matches.
As mentioned, only Salah and Mane have had more attempts from midfield than Trossard’s 15 this campaign. But it’s a lot more – 29 for the Egyptian and 20 for his team-mate. A goal from one, or both, looks likely.
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