Pros ✅
• £3m less than counterpart
• Strong attacking potential - 3 assists in pre-season
• On some set pieces
• Good starting fixtures (nor, BUR, CHE)
Cons ❌
• Milner can also play LB
• Blocks third Liverpool slot
• Robbo expected back GW3/4 the earliest
Amartey 🔵
Pros ✅
• Leicester currently have no other fit CBs
• Impressed v City in the community shield
• Good starting fixtures (WOL, whu, nor)
Cons ❌
• Leicester in the market for a new CB
• Evans expected back around GW4 at the earliest
• No attacking threat
• United’s 443 isn’t hindering Bruno from getting forward ✅
• Greenwood starting and scoring from RW then shifting to no.9 when Martial went off 🔥
• Everton defence in absolute shambles 🗑
• DCL out with a knock ⚠️
• Townsend (5.5) on set pieces 🤔
🐺Wolves 0-1 Celta Vigo
• Lage struggling to find a system that works for Wolves 😕
• Gibbs-White (4.5) benched ❌ - but subbed on after Traore’s poor performance 👀
• Ait-Nouri (4.5) also benched for Marcal ❌
• Hoever (4.0) starts but Semedo expected back for GW1 ❌
All stats are from the 2020/21 Championship & Bundesliga seasons and in the format ‘per 90 mins’
Heatmaps: very close one. Buendia has some good central positioning, whereas Bailey has more presence in the box. I think this slightly favours Bailey 🇯🇲🔥
🇦🇷Buendia v Bailey🇯🇲
Goals: 0.39 v 0.3 🇦🇷
xG: 0.30 v 0.2 🇦🇷
Shots: 2.86 v 1.93 🇦🇷
SoT: 0.93 v 0.84 🇦🇷
Conversion rate: 14% v 16% 🇯🇲
Big chances missed: 0.26 v 0.16 🇦🇷
Assists: 0.41 v 0.32 🇦🇷
xA: 0.32 v 0.24 🇦🇷
Chances created: 3.54 v 2.24 🇦🇷
BCC: 0.46 v 0.32 🇦🇷
I’ll be ranking the prospects of the players starting using the follow metrics, from highest chance of playing (✅), to clear avoids (❌)…
✅ Likely
👀 Watch
😕 Unlikely
❌ Avoid
Amartey (LEI) 🦊
Evans is currently injured and expected to spend some weeks on the sidelines. The only way Amartey can start is if Rodgers opts for a back 5, where Amartey will likely be the one to slot in at CB.