Our next Gameweek 11 Scout Notes come from the second 2-2 draw of the day – and another game in which we saw a last-gasp equaliser.
SUNDERLAND THE REAL DEAL
Adjust your tickers (as we did last month but maybe not enough…)! Sunderland are the real deal, on recent evidence.
The Black Cats were flying high after eight Gameweeks but they’d had a favourable, ticker-topping run of matches:
So, how would they do in sterner tests against Chelsea and Arsenal?
Now we know: very well. They were deserved winners at Stamford Bridge and now they’ve held their own against the Premier League leaders, and perhaps the best team in Europe at present.
Saturday was more about their off-the-ball qualities, and defending is undoubtedly their strong suit. So is ‘housery’; the Mackems moved the advertising boards in on Saturday to mess with Arsenal’s long throws…
Excellent summer signings like Nordi Mukiele (£4.2m) have complemented Championship winners Trai Hume (£4.5m) and Dan Ballard (£4.6m), who have more than made the step up. The graft and nous of Noah Sadiki (£5.0m) and Granit Xhaka (£5.1m) in midfield add a further layer of protection.
“Here in Sunderland, we have many players who will give their life to keep a clean sheet or to stop a shot. And it’s a question of mentality, it’s a question of technique, as well. And, for example, Trai [Hume], [Dan] Ballard, Luke [O’Nien], are really good for that.” – Regis Le Bris
Arsenal had the greater share of shots (17-6) and Regis Le Bris’ side had to ride their luck; the Gunners cracked the bar in the second half.
But until the 96th-minute, xG-boosting double chance for Riccardo Calafiori (£5.8m) and Mikel Merino (£5.9m) (the two big blue circles in the six-yard box below), the hosts did their best to restrict gilt-edged, close-range openings.
As for Arsenal’s two goals, they came from an Enzo Le Fee (£4.9m) howler and individual brilliance from Leandro Trossard (£6.9m).
After 11 Gameweeks, Sunderland are joint-fourth for fewest goals conceded (10), joint-fourth for clean sheets (four) and joint-fourth for lowest xGC (below).
As things stand, they’re also fourth in the Premier League table.
WELL-‘ARD BALLARD BOMBARDS REARGUARD
In the five fixtures that Ballard has started and finished this season, he’s averaged 8.6 points per match. Not even Gabriel Magalhaes (£6.6m) can better that.
Ballard didn’t get his customary defensive contribution (DefCon) points on Saturday, but he demonstrated again that he’s such a threat at the other end. Finishing brilliantly from a Mukiele knock-down to put Sunderland 1-0 up, it was his penalty-box presence and touch that allowed substitute Bryan Brobbey (£5.5m) to score a late leveller.
Above: Ballard has had more headed chances than any other defender this season
The question now: how does Omar Alderete (£4.1m), widely seen as Sunderland’s most complete defender, get back into the side?
Not many FPL managers will be looking at Ballard et al for the following run…
…but they’ll certainly have to rethink the pre-season assumption that a fixture against Sunderland is a gimme.
CLEAN SHEET RECORD BUSTED
No new clean sheet record for Arsenal, then, after their eight-match winning-to-nil run came to an end.
“A pain in my tummy because I don’t want to concede any goals. And it was a goal, obviously, that was putting the game in a difficult position.” – Mikel Arteta
Even though there were goal concessions for the first time since September, it’s worth mentioning that Sunderland mustered only 0.44 xG all game. The late saves that David Raya (£5.9m) made, too, were scrubbed from the records because of offside flags/fouls.
While the freakish Ballard rattled them on Saturday, you wouldn’t put it past the Gunners to kickstart another clean sheet run against a powderpuff Spurs attack in Gameweek 12.
SAKA HAULS
Bukayo Saka (£10.1m) had been threatening to haul in recent weeks. Two big chances were spurned against Burnley in Gameweek 10, while his six chances created against Fulham in Gameweek 8 had gone unconverted.
He finally got his reward on Saturday, finishing well at the near post to draw Arsenal level, collecting maximum bonus points and, for the second time in four matches, banking DefCon points!
Above: The players gaining DefCon points on Wearside on Sunday. Xhaka and Sadiki also picked up their fourth bookings of the season, however.
This was, surprisingly, Saka’s first double-digit haul in a year.
Other/further returns were left on the table. He created two great opportunities that William Saliba (£6.0m) and Calafiori spurned, while he had shot narrowly wide just minutes before his goal.
Another very promising display from the winger, who is looking close to his best.
Merino, playing up front, assisted Saka’s goal, while Trossard made it four returns for the season in what was his seventh successive league start. The problem for both players is that the injured cavalry (Messrs Gyokeres, Martinelli, Odegaard, Madueke, Havertz and Jesus) are set to return after the break, so rotation may not ratchet up a notch.
No return for Declan Rice (£6.8m) but then he isn’t going to deliver every single week. He got close to DefCon points (one away), took indirect set plays and tested Robin Roefs (£4.7m) with a direct free-kick. DefCons and set pieces will be his usual route to points, with open-play threat minimal.
