{"id":303703,"date":"2025-11-23T15:10:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-23T15:10:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/303703\/"},"modified":"2025-11-23T15:10:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-23T15:10:14","slug":"richards-injury-mateta-early-sub-munoz-ban-threat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/303703\/","title":{"rendered":"Richards injury, Mateta early sub + Munoz ban threat"},"content":{"rendered":"

Crystal Palace defenders were the big winners as the Eagles spoiled Rob Edwards\u2019 first game in charge of Wolverhampton Wanderers.<\/p>\n

There was a scare or two along the way for some of the Palace backline, however, as we\u2019ll discuss in these Scout Notes.<\/p>\n

MUNOZ ON THE SUSPENSION TIGHTROPE<\/p>\n

Marc Guehi (\u00a35.1m) provided the biggest alarm by getting booked early and then flirting with a dismissal for a second caution.<\/p>\n

In the end, though, FPL\u2019s most-owned defender survived. He\u2019s now returned something \u2013 an attacking return, clean sheet and\/or defensive contribution (DefCon) points \u2013 in 10 of his 11 starts this season.<\/p>\n

Daniel Munoz (\u00a35.8m) was also cautioned \u2013 and now there\u2019s a different kind of suspension concern surrounding him. This was his fourth booking of 2025\/26, so, like Marcos Senesi (\u00a35.0m),<\/a> he\u2019s now one caution away from a ban.<\/p>\n

And, like Senesi, he has to get past Gameweek 19 without another yellow card to avoid a one-match suspension:<\/p>\n

\"Richards<\/p>\n

Yellow card aside, this was another great advert for his offensive attributes. Only Yeremy Pino (\u00a35.8m) had more touches in the box than Munoz (four), while no one had as many shots in the area (two). Finishing smartly (even if it was into an empty net) from a set-piece situation, he had another close-range effort blocked later on.<\/p>\n

\"Richards<\/p>\n

In this season of DefCon machines, Munoz now stands second in the FPL defenders\u2019 points table, chiefly through the old-fashioned route to points.<\/p>\n

It should be said that he has also banked DefCon points on three occasions in 2025\/26, going close to a fourth set on Saturday:<\/p>\n

\"RichardsRICHARDS INJURY UPDATE<\/p>\n

Continuing the theme of Palace defender scares, Chris Richards (\u00a34.6m) owners had one of their own.<\/p>\n

The USA international hit the deck late on in Saturday\u2019s game at Molineux, coming off shortly afterwards.<\/p>\n

However, what looked like a hamstring injury seems to be just cramp.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said he was cramping. Maybe we gave him too long off because he wasn\u2019t called up for the United States and had the first week of the international break off! Hopefully it\u2019s nothing serious.\u201d \u2013 Oliver Glasner, via News Shopper<\/a><\/p>\n

So, injury fears possibly allayed, a clean sheet banked and an overnight price rise thrown into the bargain.<\/p>\n

MATETA INTO THE \u201959 MINUTES CLUB\u2019<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t such an enjoyable afternoon for owners of Palace\u2019s two most-owned attackers. Ismaila Sarr (\u00a36.7m) blanked for the fifth straight match, while Jean-Philippe Mateta (\u00a38.1m) had one of his semi-frequent profligate afternoons.<\/p>\n

He only had one chance but it was a huge one \u2013 a one-on-one opportunity that he screwed wide:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Mateta has now missed 11 of the 14 non-penalty (Opta-defined) big chances he\u2019s had this season:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A forgettable afternoon was made all the more ignominious by a substitution seconds before the hour mark.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve not seen or heard any quotes from Glasner on why the Frenchman was taken off so early but it\u2019s worth mentioning that he\u2019d returned from international duty with a \u201cminor knee issue\u201d<\/a>, so that could be part of the rationale. Mateta was having a bit of a stinker in general, too, and Eddie Nketiah (\u00a35.4m) was available again after injury. The hope will be that Nketiah gets Thursday\u2019s UEFA Conference League game against Strasbourg, allowing Mateta to rest up before Gameweek 13.<\/p>\n

The much lesser-owned Pino scored Palace\u2019s second goal. It\u2019s been a long time coming: this superb curling strike was his very first attacking return of 2025\/26.<\/p>\n

HOW WOLVES LOOKED UNDER EDWARDS<\/p>\n

The magnitude of Edwards\u2019 task was laid bare on Saturday, as Wolves fell even further behind the teams ahead of them. They are now nine points adrift of safety.<\/p>\n

Edwards set his side up in a Luton-esque system, with the wing-backs high and wide.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The xG (1.79-1.27 in Wolves\u2019 favour, according to Opta) made it sound like an even match that the hosts shaded.<\/p>\n

In reality, though, two close-range, instinctive chances (the large red circles below) accounted for a big portion of Wolves\u2019 xG. Ladislav Krejci (\u00a34.5m) and Jhon Arias (\u00a35.1m) both couldn\u2019t adjust their feet when the ball fell their way.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Otherwise, Wolves didn\u2019t carve out much of quality with the ball.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not going to be done in a week. We knew it was never just going to be a click of your fingers and that\u2019s it. There\u2019s probably quite a lot there that has been the story of our season so far, fairly tight, maybe a little bit of a lack of confidence and belief, but not much in the game, and then you get punished.\u201d \u2013 Rob Edwards<\/p>\n

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