While Fantrax EPL only directly involves games from the EPL, the players we all roster play other games outside of the league, believe it or not. Whether it's international matches or domestic and European cup games, other matches can often impact and indicate future EPL performances. In this special feature we cover cup performances, set piece takers, and what they might mean going forward.
Carabao Cup Performances (Pre - GW6)
Arsenal
Result: (3-0 vs Wimbledon - League 1 team)
Performances: Lacazette scored (penalty) and assisted once for 20+ fantasy points. Smith-Rowe scored and played well off the bench, as did Saka.
Set Pieces: Cedric took corners with Pepe, Odegaard, and Saka off the pitch. Lacazette took a penalty with Auba off the pitch.
Aston Villa
Result: (1-1, penalty loss vs Chelsea - EPL team)
Performances: Matty Cash assisted Cameron Archer's goal for Villa. Bertrand Traore played well, scoring 10+ ghost points, and was subbed in the 64th minute, potentially indicative of a start on the weekend. Buendia did not play particularly well and scored around 3 points. Ashley Young also played poorly, acquiring negative points with a yellow card. Targett should be expected to start at LB at the weekend. Particularly enjoyed the Villa fans cheers on Chilwell; "you're just a shit Matty Targett".
Set Pieces: Buendia took all corners and free kicks for Villa (only 1 of each) with Traore and El Ghazi on the pitch (no Bailey, McGinn, Targett) .
Brentford
Result: (7-0 vs Oldham - League 2 team)
Performances: Brentford played an almost entirely B squad in this one but still wreaked havoc. Marcus Forss, started alongside newly-signed Yoanne Wissa up top. Forss scored 4 goals and around 45 points and Wissa scored 2 goals and 30+ points. Both pose threats to Mbeumo if he falls out of form. LB Roerslev played well, assisting once and scoring around 10 ghost points. He poses a serious threat to start instead of Rico Henry in the coming weeks after subbing on for him last gameweek against Wolves. Ghoddos and Jensen also played well in the middle of the pitch, each assisting goals (Ghoddos twice).
Set Pieces: Jensen took corners and free kicks without Canos and Mbeumo on the pitch
Brighton
Result: (2-0 vs Swansea - Championship team)
Performances: Mac Allister assisted Aaron Connolly twice, before being subbed off with an injury in the second half. Mac Allister continues to score well when he starts, but the question remains whether he will start (particularly with a new knock) and unfortunately he does play in the late Monday game this gameweek. Fantasy-favourite Tariq Lamptey started at right back after a long time off following injuries last season. He'll likely be eased in, but may eventually take over the starting RB spot in the XI. Pascal Gross returned from COVID-19 isolation, subbing on for Lamptey at half time. Set Pieces: Moder took all of Brighton's set pieces until Gross came on the pitch and resumed his duties (no Trossard or March on the pitch though).
Burnley
Result: (4-1 vs Rochdale - League 2 team)
Performances: Jay Rodriguez scored 4 goals and around 50 fantasy points. Cornet had 1 assist and 12+ ghost points. Vydra scored once and Westwood assisted once. Cornet looked bright once again and if he's fit, should start this weekend. Set Pieces: Cornet and Westwood split set piece duties equally, however McNeil was not on the pitch. He will likely take set pieces away from Cornet when they do start together.
Chelsea
Result: (1-1, penalty win vs Aston Villa -EPL team)
Performances: Reece James assisted Timo Werner via a cross for Chelsea's sole goal. Loftus-Cheek, Ziyech, and Mount (in 45 minutes) all scored around 10 ghost points. Kante played 45 minutes and was then subbed off, likely in preparation for a start vs Man City at the weekend. Ben Chilwell looked uninspiring and scored less than 3 points, likely not yet pushing Marcos Alonso very hard for the starting LB spot.
Set Pieces: Mason Mount regained control of corner-taking duties and took 6 corners. Chilwell, Ziyech, James each took 1 and James took Chelsea's 1 free kick of the game. No Alonso on the pitch though.
Everton
Result: (2-2, penalty loss vs QPR - Championship team)
Performances: Everton played a fairly strong lineup and still lost to QPR. Townsend scored, assisted, and ended up with nearly 30 fantasy points. Digne scored and ended up with around 18 fantasy points before coming off injured. Rondon played poorly, scoring only a few points and getting subbed off for Gray in the 73rd minute. Set Pieces: Townsend and Gomes split corners and Gray took Everton's 1 free kick. Alarming for mangers of Digne, who got 0 out of 9+ set pieces while he was on the pitch.
Leicester City
Result: (2-0 vs Millwall- Championship team)
Performances: Lookman started, scoring once, and was subbed in the 69th minute. He played well, but worryingly only scored a few ghost points to go with his goal. Regardless, Lookman has a good chance of starting this weekend, and even if not should quickly get into the starting XI in subsequent weeks. Iheanacho scored and generally looked bright, and he too should be pushing for an EPL starting spot in the next couple weeks. Maddison, Barnes, Vardy, and Ricardo all did not start in this midweek game which is generally a good sign for their starting chances at the weekend. Set Pieces: Youri Tielemans took Leicester's 1 set piece, a shot from a free kick. No Bertrand on the pitch, and no corners for Albrighton to likely have taken.
Liverpool
Result: (3-0 vs Norwich - EPL team)
Performances: Minamino scored twice and acquired 25+ fantasy points. Origi scored the remaining goal and assisted once to the tune of 20+ points. Tsimikas and Oxlade-Chamberlain each assisted once and put up around 10 ghost points each. Set Pieces: Tsimikas and Ox split set piece duties until Robertson subbed on at LB
Leeds
Result: (0-0, penalty win vs Fulham - Championship team)
Performances: Leeds looked generally poor in this one. The few exceptions were Stuart Dallas who scored around 10 ghost points and Dan James (around 7 ghost points). Tyler Roberts started in Bamford's absence but played poorly and was subbed along with Klich to make way for younger players. With Bielsa ruling Bamford out for this weekend and Raphinha's and Harrison's statuses still unclear, Leeds may be forced into playing a very similar attacking lineup, despite looking uninspiring this week. Set Pieces: Stuart Dallas had a near monopoly on set pieces. Klich was on the pitch, but Raphinha, Phillips, and Harrison were not.
Manchester City
Result: (6-1 vs Wycombe - League 1 team)
Performances: After going down 0-1 to the lower tier side, City cruised to a 6-1 dominant performance. Mahrez scored 2 goals and assisted once for around 45 points. Foden scored 1 goal assisted twice for 40+ points. KDB started, played 90 minutes, scored 1 goal, and accrued around 13 ghost points. Sterling assisted 1 goal and Torres scored 1. What this all means for the Chelsea game is anyone's guess, but all the starting defenders, plus Silva, Jesus, and Gundogan (injured) all did not play, giving them decent chances of featuring at the weekend. Set Pieces: KDB and Foden each took 1 corner for City.
Manchester United
Result: (0-1 vs West Ham - EPL team)
Performances: United played an entirely second choice squad with the possible exception of Jadon Sancho. The team looked mostly uninspiring, but Matic and Van de Beek both had relatively good games, each scoring around 10 ghost points. Lingard showed some promise (around 8 ghost points), but was subbed off as United struggled. Sancho got 90 minutes, but again did not live up to his billing. He did at least score around 7 points. Due to playing 90 minutes on Wednesday, Sancho is unlikely to start the weekend, with Pogba and Greenwood likely maintaining their starting winger spots. Greenwood looked great off the bench, scoring nearly 10 ghost points in only 30 minutes. Set Pieces: Juan Mata and Alex Telles split set piece duty before Bruno and Greenwood subbed on.
Norwich City
Result: (0-3 vs Liverpool - League 1 team)
Performances: Outside of Billy Gilmour, who got around 13 ghost points, Norwich looked flat. Tzolis scored 5 in another start, and Idah had 7+, but no other Norwich player had more than 3. Rashica and Sargent look likely to start again at the weekend due to their absence in this one. Set Pieces: Billy Gilmour took 1 corner and 1 free kick for Norwich. Tzolis missed a penalty (with Pukki off the pitch). No Rashica or Dowell on the pitch.
Southampton
Result: (2-2, penalty win vs Sheffield United - Championship team)
Performances: Salisu and Diallo scored the 2 goals, assisted by Tella and Romeu. Redmond, Djenepo, and Romeu all had around 8 ghost points. Set Pieces: Redmond took all the set pieces in the first half before being subbed off for JWP, who took all the set pieces in the second half.
Tottenham
Result: (2-2, penalty win vs Wolves - EPL team)
Performances: Kane and Ndombele scored the 2 Spurs goals, with Dele Alli assisting one. Kane had a good game, scoring over 20 points with over 10 ghost points. Ndombele also looked solid, scoring around 15 points and was always involved. Unfortunately he also made mistakes that lead to both of Wolves’ goals. Bryan Gil played well on the wing and scored over 10 ghost points. He gets closer and closer to getting his first EPL start, and when he plays he should be a good streamer. Set Pieces: Ndombele, interestingly, took 1 corner and 1 free kick. When Son subbed on he took the remaining 2 corners. 0 set pieces for Lo Celso in 62 minutes.
Watford
Result: (1-3 vs Stoke - Championship team)
Performances: A poor showing from Watford with a good number of EPL starters on the pitch. Ashley Fletcher scored their 1 goal and accrued more than 20 points. Cucho Hernandez had a good fantasy game and scored 15+ ghost points! He was the best Watford player on the pitch and will continue looking for starting EPL minutes. Set Pieces: Louza and Toufan split set piece duties. 0 for Masina. Cleverley did not feature.
West Ham
Result: (1-0 vs Man United - EPL team)
Performances: West Ham's backups plus Bowen played a solid game against United. Lanzini scored the sole goal of the game. Areola made 6 saves leading to a 20+ point performance. Kral had around 9 ghost points and Bowen 7. Set Pieces: Noble and Bowen split set piece duties (with Cresswell not involved)
Wolves
Result: (2-2, penalty loss vs Spurs - EPL team)
Performances: Podence, Silva, and Hwang started up top for Wolves. Podence and Dendoncker scored, with Alt-Nouri and Dendoncker providing the assists. Silva looked uninspiring and was yanked at half for Traore. Outside of the attacking returns, not a lot of ghost points for Wolves in this one, with Dendoncker the one exception with 7+. Podence and Dendoncker both are pushing hard to be including in EPL XIs soon. If Wolves continue to struggle to score, Podence, and potentially Hwang, should be involved sooner rather than later. Set Pieces: Neves and Alt-Nouri split set piece duties before Moutinho was introduced. Trincao did not play.
For all the latest from DraftLad, follow @DraftLad on Twitter!
