Almost inevitably, an injury-hit, travel-sick Sunderland spoiled the party for Fantasy managers who pounced on the choices of in-form Bournemouth.
On Saturday, both teams played a 1-1 draw in the early kick-off.
Here’s what we saw and learned.
IRAOLA ON WHY KROUPI STARTED AT THE FRONT – AND WHY HIS SIDE WAS BETTER WITH EVANILSON
There was a push for it That is, Junior Kroupi (£4.7m) owners when the team sheets came out on Saturday morning. Not only did the budget forward start, but he also led the way, having effectively played as a ’10’ in recent months.
However, that was about as good as it got. Kroupi played a fairly quiet game and his usual point shooting was missing as two decent chances were sent off target.
At halftime Andoni Iraola had seen enough. On came Evanilson (£6.9m), it mattered David Brooks (£5.0m), and Kroupi was back in the ’10’.
The Brazilian went on to score and his manager said afterwards that the Cherries were “much better” with him up top, something that does not bode well for Kroupi’s chances of playing as a bona fide striker in the future.
“I think we needed three players in the middle because they are a very good team there. Especially with the recovering Xhaka, Sadiki and Enzo, Le Fee sometimes comes in. They could overload us there in the middle and play with only one number nine.”
“Also, I wanted to try Junior as a number nine, because he’s actually been playing as a number 10 or as a nine-and-a-half for a long time. Let’s see how it went. But especially with our slow start and conceding first, I think we really needed Eva to get behind them, get better positions and keep us a little bit higher, and I think we played a lot better when Eva was there.” – Andoni Iraola on why Evanilson was benched and Eli Junior Kroupi started up front
EVANILSON INJURY UPDATE
However, could there be a short-term reprieve for Kroupi? Just when it looked like a benching in Gameweek 29 was inevitable – a start and 80 minutes here – Evanilson limped off. It’s not a serious problem, but the quick turnaround to Tuesday creates a bit more doubt.
“It’s a dead leg, I think it’s clear. I think he’s become very strong, Ballard. He was in pain and we had to decide quickly because he was limping, he was limping and we can’t wait forever. I hope he recovers, it’s going to be a very short period – it’s two, three days – but I hope he can play against Brentford.” – Andoni Iraola on Evanilson
Of course, Iraola could come along Enes Unal (£5.4m) up front against Brentford. However, he has not done that in the competition since December 2024.
TAVERNIER MAKES AN IMPRESSION
Ryan (£5.6m) couldn’t add to his return, but he almost did thanks to a late effort that went narrowly wide. His performance was just like last week’s: long periods of silence, but with flashes of inspiration that he is clearly capable of.
The fact that he was given another 90 minutes underlined Iraola’s confidence in him, and he actually came more into the game as the match went on, rather than tiring.
While Ryan Christie‘s (£4.9m) launch was influential, so was the star of the show Marcus Tavernier (£5.3 million).
Coming into his first match in six weeks, he initially lined up in the ’10’ before moving to the left at the break. It was his sublime cross that Evanilson nodded in as he tested Robin Roefs (£4.9 million) with three medium to long range attempts, including a direct free-kick. One of his saved shots almost resulted in an assist, but Roefs smothered the ball Alex Scott‘s (£5.1m) rebound effort from close range.
Above: Bournemouth players sorted by shots made in Gameweek 28
There will be a question mark over whether he will be able to start two games in quick succession following a recent return from injury, but after matchweek 29 he will certainly be a reliable starter for the run-in, with no midweek rounds and no cup involvement for the Cherries. Don’t forget he should get penalties too Justin Kluivert (£7.0 million).
At the back, Marcos Senesi (£4.9m) turned the tables and collected DefCon points as James Hill (£4.1 million) did not meet the threshold. Hill was pretty solid overall, though.
XHAKA’S INFLUENCE
Sunderland may have been injured, but they did have one important player back in the starting line-up: Granit Xhaka (£5.1 million).
| Sunderland | with Xhaka in the starting eleven | without Xhaka in the starting eleven |
|---|---|---|
| Played | 23 | 5 |
| Won | 8 | 1 |
| Drawn | 10 | 0 |
| Lost | 5 | 4 |
His leadership and organizational skills aren’t really quantifiable, nor will they win you FPL points, but Sunderland look much more like a solid unit, with him driving the midfield.
“He is important because in this league, I think, every team has two or three main players. Here, in Sunderland, we know that Granit is one of these players. When he is with us, you will feel the difference. First of all, his quality, but the way he can lead and give confidence to his teammates is also very important.” – Regis Le Bris on Granit Xhaka
The club captain would most likely have collected DefCon points had he lasted the full match, but understandably his afternoon ended after 75 minutes following a recent spell.
MORE DEFCON POINTS FOR BALLARD
This was in many ways a typical Sunderland performance. More defensively sturdy than threatening, Eliezer Mayenda‘s (£5.2m) tap-in from Habib Diarra‘s (£5.3m) shot saved accounted for over 60% of their total xG. Yet they started the attack energetically, while Diarra should have made it 2-0 with an escape chance. The Mackems also had quite a shout for a penalty disallowed.
Xhaka aside, Then Ballard (£4.6 million) was the best choice. In the opener he ‘assisted the assistant’, while he was a rock at the back.
Ballard, Omar Alderete (£4.1 million) and Nordi Mukiele (£4.6m) stand-in Lotharel Geertruida (£4.5m) all DefCon points collected. In the 18 games in which Ballard has played 90 minutes (which is what you would normally expect from a centre-back), he has delivered the DefCon goods in 12 of them (66%).
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