Members Scouting_OLD

16 Sept

A Macedonian youngster at just 19, making his debut for Napoli.

He’s looked high baseline with good overall involvement in play but for Napoli hasn’t had a shot to date in pre-season.

That changed at the weekend and he managed 4 efforts although mainly long range efforts. 1 really ood chance amongst them and he showed some impressive running and dribbling, beating a man to make his own opportunity. 

Not the perfect package because he has a fairly deep position and the lack of consistent historic goal threat in his game is a worry. But he did show potential in this game.

Price has stagnated for a few months but if he keeps appearing for Napoli I think there could be a nice rise here and he has some potential. 

Will be interesting to watch him in the coming games if he gets more pitch time, particularly as to whether he can keep getting chances to score. 

When Serie A player ratings are updated, I’ll add him at a with potential which is an optimistic rating and factors in the expected rotation for a young player. 

16 Sept

Some good goal threat recently and 4 chances created over the last 3 games. 

Further big scores look inevitable and when one of these long range efforts flies in (1 game in 4/5?) it could be a really big score. 

Was optimistic on him in pre-season and he has risen from £1.10 to £1.65. 

Really, for a player of his quality, that still looks cheap even after he has announced himself with a win already. 

Normally you could expect a low price for an older elite player but he is still just 26 and also starts for Croatia who are topping their group as it stands. 

Will bump him up a bit more from to when I redo the Serie A ratings.

15 Sept

Last season’s Serie A topscorer and at 36 year’s old shows no signs of slowing down. 

That age keeps the price down though which is what makes him a great IPD source for early season. 

Has 2 goals in the last 4 and is showing the regular goal threat that should make this consistent.

From the 22nd Sept has a good run of games and at 58p he looks a strong veteran IPD punt. 

15 Sept

Very strong game for Sensi, his best since he transfered to Inter in July. 

Udinese really let Inter dominate here, not helped by De Paul who got himself sent off on 35 minutes. Likely, that flattered the scores considerably as it often does when playing versus 10 men as possession goes up.

He’s looking a solid player and I’d expect him to get some regular big scores, particularly when playing softer opposition. 

I expect to peg him at a when I re-do my Serie A ratings, which means better than most but not quite into the elite.

I’m also a little tentative because of the price. When you get a big win for a player being hotly discussed on social media the champagne comes out and things can over heat a bit.

But, with him appearing for Italy now too, he looks solid enough for a long hold if not the most incredible value anymore. 

Will be interesting to see if Conte really improves Inter because if so, we could see good value emerging at Inter. 

Brozovic we have already covered in Scouting before his win. Politano, Gagliardini, Lazaro, Sanchez, Barella would all be worth watching if getting starts.

15 Sept

I’ve covered him extensively in Scouting and the Euros articles because he has looked really good quality for both IPD and some performance wins.

Came close here with 240 which is impressive for a forward, narrowly pipped by the also great value Moreno covered below. 

Still looks excellent particularly where Napoli have a lot of games coming up. 

I suspect had Moreno not beat him to it there would have been a decent price rise here. 

*Correction* I momentarily made Mertens Italian and said he competes with Belotti! I must have been thinking of Immobile. Ick. 

For Belgium Mertens probably starts in a fully fit squad although the formation/line up is fairly unsettled. 

2 Sept

A penalty for Lukaku. Getting penalties is encouraging.

He did need it though, threat outside of that was soft. And it needs to be big given he contributes little else.

Should be a regular goalscorer but a weak performance player. I’m not sure why he would be worth £2.29 at Inter really. 

2 Sept

Covered in best of the rest last week for his high goal threat despite a lack of goals, he delivered this week with 2 well taken strikes. 

Looks consistent for IPD purposes (not big performance scores regularly though) and can easily keep scoring.

2 Sept

Unusually poor game from Under who has looked much better across pre-season and the opener. 

Filed under “one bad game” and not a problem as I believe he has quality. But something to keep an eye on. 

2 Sept

A wonder Correa did not score for Lazio, he had fantastic chances. Extremely strong goal threat and assist potential across the last 4 games.

And still just under £1, 25 years old, looking a solid choice after a great pre-season and a promising 2 opening games. 

2 Sept

Another strong goal threat game from Immobile despite the lack of finish. 

Risen about 20-20p since the scouting under Lazio below but with 5 goals and 1 assist in 4 he looks good to keep going given his level of threat.  

2 Sept

After last week’s heroics Insigne was pulled at halftime due to an injury. It doesn’t look serious but it may be frustratingly timed for holders as it could keep him out of the Italy team for the qualifiers. He is being assessed and may yet be fit.

FI wise he had a couple of chances and created 2 as well and showed very high passing accuracy. So the performance itself was fine especially vs such tough opposition.

2 Sept

Lozano got his debut following Insigne’s injury and he made a good impression with a well taken goal and general good performance.

This could put him in contention for a start next time although it’s not clear who will miss out if he does, I’d be very suprised if Insigne, Ruiz or Zielinski made way though. Lozano played up top with Mertens in a 4-4-2. 

He is unlikely to be a brilliant FI performance scorer. But his goal threat has been solid in the past and if he keeps scoring he could do well as he is well known.

Perhaps a bit too well known, if he was 30p cheaper I think this would look very attractive but at just under £1.70… it’s a bit of a 50/50 bet. 

2 Sept

Some lovely involvement stats for Ruiz in this match. 76 passes at over 90% accuracy is excellent especially in a tough game away to Juventus.

He really does look the elite level baseliner and is not too far behind a Pjanic or Brozovic in many games.

Capable of some huge scores but it needs one of these long range efforts to go in. 

He’s almost certainly going to score big before too long but for it to happen regularly we do need to see him pushing more forward and getting more shots in the box which we have not seen yet this season. 

Alternatively, he could get better at long range shooting which would also do the trick! Scored 2 wonderful long range strikes for Spain U21 in the Summer but we haven’t seen that regularly at club level yet. 

2 Sept

A goal for Ronaldo and it has been coming based on his threat in the last two. Can be expected to be on the score sheet consistently as ever. 

Overall his stats are not spectacular, it’s likely to be those days where he explodes with 2 or 3 goals that get him the big scores. 

He is capable of that as we all know. He looks far from the level of a Neymar or Messi for FI purposes these days but he will still have his days in the sun.

He has his problems with age but it’s hard to see him not getting interest come November/December with the Champions League and the Euros still ahead.

1 Sept

Interesting youth prospect.

Italy Under 21 regular, was sold by Juventus to Bologna just this Summer after spending last season there on loan.

Showing very strong goal threat over the last few games (incredible he did not score at the weekend with 7 efforts actually) and also created 5 chances.

This is a bit of an over performance but he does have both goals and assists in the locker, as well as a solid all round game that can build a decent baseline.

Looks a very good prospect for a patient holder who may find that he pops up with a few big scores this season and could be hitting decent transfer speculation by the season end.

With the move so fresh it may be that he stays for another season so that would have to be kept an eye on. 

But at £1 in a market where finding young talent that hasn’t been over bought is tough, I like this. 

1 Sept

I’m glad I waited before damning AC Milan last week following their awful opener. This was much better.

Suso bagged his first win and it should not be the last. Winning as a forward and hitting 212 with just an assist is monstrous behaviour. And it can be reproduced consistently.

Creating lots of chances is definitely a strength.

What is consistently weak here in recent games is his threat and despite a lot of shots they are not good quality chances. 

But, when his baseline is so unreasonably strong for a forward, he doesn’t really have to do much to win. A single goal or assist can put him in contention in the forward category. That’s exactly what we want and it’s the opposite to the frustrating forwards who bag 2 goals and still end up with a 150. 

Strong. Just watch for any signs of poor performances or rotation out of the side because he has tended to drift in and out of favour last season and some traders will remember that. He’ll need to show consistency to keep confidence. 

A match winner for Calhanoglu but being hooked off on 66 minutes hurt him. Capable of very strong scores and at a cut price. Bit of positional uncertainty and a deeper role is a dampener but the price is kind and he is still getting and creating chances. 

Solid for the money but he would need to go back to the more advanced role he used to have for me to think him spectacular. 

26 Aug

Woeful opening performance from Milan. They have a lot of potential quality at value prices but they will need to do a lot better than this. It made everyone look bad.

I’ll do a longer review after the next game when we can see if these numbers are the result of a bad game or are consistent.

Pre-season stats were much better so you can’t write them off after just the first game but it’s got to improve.

A 6th game without a goal for Piatek who looks very much off the boil. Not really getting any good chances either and since he contributes little else it looks bleak. 

He is a quality goal scorer so if he hits form again it could turn around quickly. But he looks in a slump right now. 

Leao had a 20 minute run out but offered nothing. Pre-season stats were better so it’s worth watching how he gets on. 

Suso gets a bit of credit for creating 3 chances but generally, this is a poor game for him. Capable of much better. 

Paqueta started which is good although I have to say I do not like this position for him. He is very deep. When I was optimistic about him he was much more advanced. If this continued I would lower my expectations. 

22 Aug

New signing Leao has only had 45 minutes but it was a solid start. Didn’t score but he had plenty of chances and got an assist. Saw a bit more of the ball (per minute) than he did at Lille too. 

He also has decent assist potential so at a new club and in a new scoring system he is worth revisiting. Historically, he has been a strong IPD player but a very weak performance player. 

At a new club, with a new matrix and a reduced price he may look start looking better. But, we need to see more because this is based only on a 45 minute display and a decent assists record from last season. 

An unspectacular pre-season for Piatek. He has not scored in 5 games despite a decent number of minutes. He is getting chances though and with his clinical record it would not surprise me if he was back amongst the goals. 

He is a poor performance player though and I don’t expect that to change. His price is just a bit high now for an IPD player. 

That reflects the not totally unreasonable belief that he could become one of Europe’s top strikers and get a big move one day. 

Suso has big potential with a more central playing position and both goals and assists in the locker. He’s risen a fair bit since the last review below and people are noticing. £1.64 is still decent value at this stage.

Whilst he has scored 2 in pre-season, this is probably an over performance based on his goal threat which has actually not been huge. Plenty of shots but they are not easy chances. 

Whilst he doesn’t have any assists in pre-season, he is creating a good number of chances. 

If one of these goals goes in early or a couple of his chances are put away he is the sort who could fly in price in this hysterical market. But holders will want to watch the first few games closely for any signs of under performance.

Calhanoglu is a good performance player but his price has been kept down for a long time with periodic rumours about transfers or losing the confidence of the coach. He’s still here, though. 

Since his last review below in June he has soared from under 50p to nearly £1 and this is the kind of low key huge profit trade I love.

Will he be worth his 93p? Could be. He has seen plenty of minutes in pre-season in a deeper midfield role than last season which should raise his baselines if that continues.

Normally this would be a problem but he has continued to create chances and get forward for efforts on goal. That threat is not huge but if one goes in the score could be impressive.

Paqueta has been lightly raced in pre-season as he was with Brazil at the Copa where he came on from the bench. Rest is no bad thing because he showed talent last season but faded and looked tired after a long season in Brazil before making his transfer straight to Serie A.

Has real potential and his base scores should be decent but there is plenty of uncertainty because we don’t have too many pre-season minutes on him. He does have goals and assist potential though. 

At £1.25 I think he looks a solid punt. If he did well early it would be quite easy to get him rising from there but if the games wore on without him delivering he could drop back fairly easily too. 

Borini may be underrated at the 30p mark particularly early on as other players are rested and reports in Sky Italia say he may start the opener. 

He scored in pre-season and got plenty of minutes. Saw lots of the ball too, far more than usual on the right of midfield. Also created 4 chances in the last 3 friendlies. 

It’s a bit of an unorthodox first game punt but it looks quite an intriguing one.

Kessie hasn’t had many minutes due to AFCON. Reasonable baselines expected but he doesn’t usually show enough threat or creativity to punch through regularly. On his day though, he should put up the occasional decent score. 

I can’t see much potential in defence. Calabria if anything could do ok as he has reasonable involvement, creates a few chances and has the occasional attempt on goal. Decent trend fit and a kind price so it’s a reasonable shout but the numbers aren’t hugely exciting. 

Aug 4

A good pre-season for Suso who was looking like being shown the door but seems to be back to being their main man. Showing strong creativity stats and some goal threat. If he can improve the latter he could do extremely well. For the money, he’s got a strong chance of success. 

June 11 

AC Milan didn’t light up performance scoring last year, but, they have a lot of talent that in the right shape could do well. Giampaolo, formerly of Sampdoria, is set to take over the reins and it will be fascinating to see what he has planned.

Calhanoglu scored pretty well even in a tricky season and was unlucky not to win more dividends. He’s long made a mockery of his price tag, but people are starting to catch on as he rises from 50p to 75p recently. There is a loose rumour that the expected new coach is a fan and sees him playing in a preferred No 10 role. If so, I would see him doing very well. He may have to fight Paqueta for it though.

Paqueta gets a bit of stick on social media from a few people I have noticed saying he is just a showboat. But the stats suggest that is not true. He made a bright start to life at Milan but faded badly and looked tired after a long season in South America. Fully fit, I think he’d do well in the right role and some traders must agree because he is rising recently. Will be important to watch closely in pre-season.

Suso another talent that didn’t quite deliver last season. He had a great start with some big scores but really tailed off. He could move to Atletico where I wouldn’t be too keen. But, if playing in a settled and decent performance side I’d rate him.

Bonaventura is worth watching. He had a season out with injury but is capable of a big score and should be monitored in pre-season.

Cutrone had heavy rotation last year displaced by Piatek often. The proposed new coach however did play with 2 up top at Sampdoria, so the plan may be to accommodate both. If so, Cutrone’s goal output should be decent although his performance scores will likely be poor in general. 80p is a reasonable price though and if he looks like starting he should head up towards £1 fairly easily. Pre-season will tell us more.

Piatek looks nailed on for a start after a great opening to life at Milan. A weak performance player but he is prolific so at least has strong IPD value. Should definitely see interest and a return to his mid season price of £1.60 or so wouldn’t be a surprise. And as a young goalscorer for Poland, he should see further interest later in the season with the Euros in mind too. 

27 Aug

As soon as I saw Brozovic had the first goal I knew it was going to be a monster score. It was with a 304. Last review below I said he was capable of a very big score on his day and this was his day. His goal threat has been strong recently, much better than usual, so it’s not unreasonable to expect it again soon.

However, he will likely need these soft matches where Inter can dominate for these kind of scores, tougher opposition won’t make it so easy. Under £1.20 last review he looked a total bargain. £1.66 now… those kind of rises make me wince. 

But at least he looks good for that price and very occasionally buying after a rise is ok provided the evidence justifies that price. You can definitely make a good case that Brozovic does. 

Good again from Sensi with a nicely taken goal. Also created 3 chances. Was a soft game though that made everyone look good. On the whole I think he is solid but probably no better than reasonable value at £1.50. We can reasonably expect decent baselines regularly and a smattering of goals and assists but not every week.

Lukaku actually looked pretty decent on debut. Strong statement of intent that he was put straight in and he should be the main man. 

Historically he has been dire. You could say his goal was a bit of a gift but at least he was in the right place to finish it and strikers need that early confidence boost. Created a couple of chances too.

I’ll watch him with an open mind. As a well known player the price is already fairly high. £1.50 would look a no brainer. £2… he’d have to be scoring very frequently. He could, worth watching.

Martinez is a dire performance player and is probably always going to be. However, for IPD purposes he is looking decent. Could have scored vs Lecce and it is surprising he didn’t. Creating chances too. Under £1 I’d say yes, at £1.50 I think some people still think he is better than he is. 

15 Aug

Taking a pre-season penalty renewed interest in Politano. He’s long shown potential but never really put it all together consistently. Penalties would indeed help the cause although it is not clear he will be the main taker. Otherwise, his goal threat has been a bit soft and he’d need to improve significantly before I went in heavy. The price is kind though.

Barella is generally too deep to be expected to win regularly. Did get a couple of shots in pre-season but it’s not enough. Nor has he created many chances. Has an occasional big score in him but not enough to excite me.

Sensi looks a bit better. Scored vs Spurs and has had other chances in pre-season. He won’t tear it up every week but he’s capable of putting up some good scores. At 80-90p it would be an easy yes, at £1.16 it still looks a solid pick if not amazing value.

Brozovic is looking good. Had the last Valencia game been scored he would likely have done very well as he racked up over 100 passes with superb accuracy. Has also been getting some long range chances. Capable of a very big score on his day. Looks solid value at £1.28. 

July 29

First real look at Barella who was deep as expected but did get forward for one decent chance. I have long said he was overhyped. He was and the price has come down.

If he can show some more forward running and the price comes down a bit more, he might start looking more attractive. But we need to see more minutes for him before judging. 

No threat from Sensi in this match, he has potential but we need to see more consistent quality chances for him to really to be expected to be a regular challenger.

July 25: Lots of rotation so far and an unsettled side.

New loan signing Sensi has been getting a bit of attention. He has a good all round game but in the past has lacked goal threat. He has scored in pre-season though and had quite a few long range efforts. For 89p he looks decent although I would want to see more consistent goal threat before getting over excited. 

Gagliardini is another to watch who has potential. We just need to see him getting forward more, goal threat not brilliant so far in pre-season. With 5 goals in 19 last season though he has shown he has the ability.

June 11: Inter were not the best performance side last year. Conte coming in may not entirely change that, although individuals, like his preferred wing backs, might benefit. But, he tends to be fairly direct without too much fussy build up play which isn’t ideal for us. Still, will be some decent targets and they are worth watching.

Brozovic: Solid player and capable of big scores without a goal. Which is just as well, because he doesn’t get too many. Will likely be fairly consistent though and I think people will fancy him, should probably get closer to his mid-season price of £1.20 at least for a nice little jump from his current £1.

Politano is a decent player and probably underperformed last year, I think him capable of better because he throws up some nice stats. He just didn’t put enough chances away and managed twice as many for Sassuolo in the previous season. Could improve, and has Italy involvement. Worth watching in pre-season at least because he has a budget 60p price tag. Would be surprised if he didn’t get some kind of pre-season rise.

Icardi is causing a ruckus. Inter want him gone apparently but he is refusing to leave. That might not sit well with Conte and he doesn’t seem the type who will play him if he is unhappy. Potential transfer there but the possible move seems to be to Juventus. In the EPL Icardi would be a big deal but not so much outside of it. If he stays in Italy he is probably only good for IPDs, but if his price drops after no transfer, that might be decent value.

Baldé could come good if he gets pitch time. He may need to move to get it, with Lazio the latest. He’s a talent and if he looks like starting for a decent club I’d rate him for a nice rise from his budget 67p price. 

Karamoh is worth watching although he may get loaned or sold. He’s got performance potential but he will need the minutes. One to look at in pre-season with a bargain 47p price. 

26 Aug

Insigne smashed it out of the park with a +300 score. I know a lot of site members have interest in Insigne due to recommendations in Scouting so it’s great to see him deliver.

As per his entries below he has been looking really strong throughout pre-season and I expected him to be a big beneficiary of the new scoring matrix because of his creativity.

A big player for Italy too in a Euros year, signing him up and going big on him was an easy decision after seeing his numbers and the new scoring system.

Will he do this every week? No! But I do expect him to put up big scores frequently and establish as a consistent dividend challenger. He would have to really dip in form for that not to be the case and I’ll keep monitoring that here.

The best thing about finding a low price gem that breaks out is that they are capable of winning again and the price still has much further to go when he does. 

As I covered in the latest blog post, players who win and then win again tend to get rewarded and Insigne is capable of doing that if he keeps doing what he is doing. 

Of course, hype buyers are fickle friends so if Insigne doesn’t repeat his heroics next game some traders may exit but as long as his underlying numbers hold up I would be content to stick with him for the foreseeable, perhaps even for the season or most of it.

Mertens as per the scouting below looks solid. A goal this time which is not unexpected. IPD returns look like they will continue. Performance wins may be rare but he does have an outside chance on his day.

No fireworks from Ruiz but it was good enough to stay optimistic. Overall involvement very good, particularly his passing accuracy which is elite level. 4 chances created but no assists which is unlucky. Couple of shots but they are his long range speculative efforts. They can go in but they aren’t reliable. 

When Ruiz is at his best it is when he pushes on and gets shots in the box and this is what we need to see in the coming games.

As per the scouting below, I have been cooling on Zielinski. Nothing to change my mind in the opener. He has bags of talent though. 

His involvement is great and his baselines will be good but he has not shown enough goal threat or assist potential to make it count. Will monitor him but I am not optimistic. If he pops up with a big score (which is possible) it’s probably going to be a fluke based on current form.

Fantastic game for Callejon. He is not a player I normally pay a lot of attention to given his 32 years of age. 

But if he kept this up it might change. Poor season last year with just 3 goals. But in previous seasons he has been a 9-15 goals man. If he rekindled that, combined with his definite assist potential he could be a bargain at 56p. I’ll wait for another game because it might be a false dawn though I would say at 56p even if was a soft performance player IPD would justify that price at least in early season. 

Well worth watching how he gets on in the next games. At 32 he will always be a hard sell but you might get him towards 70-80p if he does well and that’s a handsome profit. But a wait and see for me. 

11 Aug

1 goal and 4 assists in pre-season for Insigne and really he should have scored  more particularly vs Barcelona where he had 6 efforts on goal and created 4 chances. Has very strong pre-season stats and he looks good especially at the price. Should benefit from the matrix changes due to his creativity.

Interesting to see Fabian Ruiz tried as a forward in the last game. May not continue but his baseline held up and he had a decent chance to score. He’s only had just over 90 minutes in pre-season so far so can’t comment too much. Nothing spectacular in the stats but some decent encouragement as his involvement is still there, he’s getting some chances and creating them too. 

Zielinksi needs to improve to be a regular contender. His goal threat just isn’t there despite what should be some solid baselines. Will pop up with the occasional big score on this form but it’s unlikely to be regular enough to really break through. 

I like Verdi and early pre-season he showed promise scoring 3 in 90 minutes. In the last 3 friendlies though he hasn’t had too many chances. Has transfer risk so is probably a wait and see rather than a dive in. 

Mertens looks as threatening as ever with 2 goals in pre-season and plenty of chances vs Barcelona. Could be strong IPD value and has an outside chance of a performance win too. 

June 11: Napoli were fairly average as a performance club last year. But, they’ve got some improving players and some tempting targets.

Ruiz: A player I mention often and there was an improvement in late season I am hoping continues. His involvement stats are fantastic, approaching elite levels matching players like Alcantara etc. He also had a lot of shots, but they were poor quality long range blasts. In late season he got forward more and we need to see more of this. If so, he could have a real breakout season and I think given the recent price rise people are realising that. Also getting Spain minutes now. Should enter the season with plenty of optimism behind him.

Insigne had a poor season with plenty of distractions. Still, 10 goals isn’t bad, he was unlucky to miss out on dividends at times, and he is capable of doing much better whether at Napoli or elsewhere. He probably looks like staying now but that’s not confirmed. He is capable of being an excellent performance player if settled and in form. Plus, he will play for Italy at the Euros. At the price still just over £1 I think this is a solid bet.

Zielinski: Similar to Ruiz, he’s a talent but we need to see him get forward more. There is less evidence that this is the case though than with Ruiz. Still, he’s cheap and has some potential. I think at the 70p price he will see interest before pre-season, and possibly beyond for Poland. 

Ounas may get loaned out for next season. He had limited minutes but it’s enough to flag him as a potential good performance player. If he went to a good club I’d be interested. If he stays, it’s hard to see him getting much pitch time if he is on Ancelotti’s black list. 

Verdi spent much of the season recovering from injury and was introduced lightly in late season. If he looks like playing a bigger role next year with regular 90 minutes, I’d back him to do very well as a performance player. Budget price so not many will be aware of his potential yet but they could be if he starts well. 

26 Aug

Pjanic got the classic reaction to a big half time score which from memory was 140. I said below he would be the sort who could get a big reaction in this hysterical early market. 

It wasn’t a goal but the big halftime score was enough of a trigger. 

He went on to win with 216. As per scouting below, Pjanic’s baselines are very likely to hold up and 200-220 should not be uncommon for him. 

One worry is whether 200-220 is really enough anymore.

216 is the lowest winning midfield score on a treble day since we had a respectable number of leagues in action. 250 is more the mark in midfield now.

There is cause for optimism though. When you put up a 200-220 someone still has to beat you and sometimes, like this time, they don’t. (They usually will though I think). And you have the odd single game day etc too where he could easily win.

Pjanic also has a bit of goal threat and better assist potential, despite having neither scored nor assisted in the last 10 games. He is getting shots and creating chances though so it should come. 

These will bump up his scores that bit extra so he is well capable of several big scores this season. 80p to £1.20 just 3 months ago now looks an absolute steal. £1.68… more about fair / reasonable value. 

With 7 efforts on goal it is suprising Ronaldo ended up goalless. In the last 4 games he has looked dangerous scoring 2 but could have had more. With this kind of threat you can get braces and hatricks and he looks threatening. Will likely need 2 goals or more to challenge but we know he can.

The bench again for Dybala and not even used. It’s a crime against football. Sarri tends to stick with his first 11 once he has found it so once a player looks established it’s bleak for any subs. If this continues and Dybala’s price gets panned towards £2.50 there may be a value opportunity there for a patient trader. This surely is not sustainable for another season and I would suspect he would move on if it doesn’t improve. 

If and when he does get a chance he has a chance of smashing it like vs Triestina in pre-season where he dominated. 

Solid from Sandro who delivered an assist. 87p is reasonable for a solid player who can challenge although he may struggle to do much better than his 182 at the weekend apart from on the days he bags his usual 3-4 goals a season. Good value. Possibly not incredibly exciting but that is often the case with defenders. Often gets linked to the EPL too so that’s a bonus. 

22 Aug

Dybala offers a reminder of his quality vs Triestina. Playing 61 minutes (the whole team was rotated) he scored 1 (lovely chip) had 6 shots, created 3 chances and saw plenty of the ball in general. Superb stuff.

It’s just pitch time and the right playing position that are his problems. Transfer rumours still circling. Barcelona? PSG? Either of those would be good moves provided he started.

Ronaldo did not appear as he was rested although worth noting that he has this week said he may retire “next year”. 

He also said he could keep going until 40 so it’s hard to read. However, as per the analysis below, it remains a tricky but potentially very rewarding trade because he is capable of a huge season whilst that “next year” comment might spook people too. 

Some people may like to go for this and there is potential value for sure. I tend to stay out of things that can give me a big headache. 

First appearance for Ramsey. He’s got potential and he was played in a good position for performance scoring. Did ok but we need to see more than 20 minutes. No shots but did create a chance and should have decent involvement. 

Worth watching and I would back him for success if he played 90 minutes regularly the only worry is rotation which looks likely unless he performs exceptionally well early on.

Pjanic‘s solid baselines are set to continue, I can see no reason why they wouldn’t. Strong assist potential but weak goal threat. Could be a nearly man who hits big scores but not quite big enough to win. 

However, he often gets 1-2 long range efforts per game and if one of those flew in early he could get a nice rise in this hysterical market.

Douglas Costa shows some decent threat in pre-season and good assist potential too (creates a lot of chances and should get more assists – either he doesn’t create great quality chances or someone isn’t finishing them). Good involvement undermined by ropey passing accuracy. But, would be value if he finished 90 minutes regularly although that doesn’t look likely. 

Bernadeschi is still not showing much goal threat. Reasonable assist potential but nothing spectacular. Looking weak throughout 2019.

Not much encouragement from Bentancur mainly due to limited minutes which could be an issue. Decent underlying numbers but nowhere near enough goal threat or assist potential to give us real hope. 

De Ligt got his first shot away for Juventus so we can expect him to come up for those headers and nick the occasional goal. Stats are decent and he is capable of a few big scores. But being honest, for the money, it’s nowhere near enough. 

Sandro was solid again with reasonable involvement and another chance created. Gone up about 10p since I last said he was a decent shout for that money a week ago… it’s probably still true at 87p which is reasonable.

15 Aug

I don’t think Ronaldo will be going anywhere just yet. His goal threat looks as strong as ever, scoring twice in pre-season and getting lots of opportunities. Created some chances as well. Those big scores should come. 

Interesting trade because the price is rock bottom for a player of his quality and it is very unlikely to be his final season. In fact he could have 3-4 more seasons to go or more. 

He’ll also be the big draw at Euro 2020. 

Versus that you have the drag of the fear of age. People will drop Ronaldo at the first sign of any major difficulty so it’s hard to relax with him in your portfolio.

The potential rewards for those who do though are strong and barring any major disaster I see his price rising as we head towards December.

Something of a disaster for Dybala holders as his EPL move fell through and he is stuck in limbo. His FI potential is huge but he needs regular starts in a favourable position and it is hard to see how he gets them from here. 

Looked dangerous in his pre-season appearance vs Atletico but didn’t score. Will always be worth watching to see if his fortunes change but it’s hard to recommend him at the moment when there is so much uncertainty. 

Ramsey has potential but has not featured much in pre-season and it would be a surprise to see him starting the first game. 

Some chances for Bernardeschi but still has not put anything away and some of his opportunities are poor quality. Capable of a big score but I can’t see them coming consistently because his finishing record is awful and he hasn’t scored since January!

We can expect continued big baselines from Pjanic. His assist potential is strong and that may push him into contention. Will get help from the new scoring matrix for sure. But I generally like a bit more goal threat than this.

No reason to expect De Ligt will be anything more than average in FI terms. Still looks extremely over priced even after the drop. 

Sandro could fare a bit better and has been creating chances in pre-season. Should benefit from the new scoring matrix and could be in contention. 

July 25: Bit of unusual tinkering for Sarri as he plays his usual 4-3-3 and an experimental 4-4-2 so I’ll keep an eye on that.

Ronaldo looks dangerous so far scoring in both, with decent involvement otherwise. He will likely need 2 goals to post monster scores but he can do that even in average form. Interesting one to watch because now the cloud has lifted over his rape allegation he looks very cheap compared to other premiums.

If he strung some big scores together early and some media wins too he could fly in price (and he is well capable). Competing with that you have the general fears about age and retirement which is valid. Early season is the best time to hold an older player if you are going to.

Still no appearance for Dybala which we could put down to recovery from international duty or because he is indeed on the way out

Decent from Bernardeschi if not spectacular. He’s got some nice stats but he needs to put more goals away. His finishing last season was just not good enough and we need to see that changing to get optimistic. Lots of chances again in pre-season and still no goal.

Rabiot is probably too deep to be more than a high baseline nearly man. He did get one shot away and if this improved he could be of interest. 

The same applies to both Pjanic and Matuidi. Pjanic is particularly strong for baselines but will need more regular goal threat to suceed. No evidence so that will change under Sarri. 

Own goal for De Ligt, ouch. Pass completion excellent althogh overall numbers low in the last game. As I’ve said for a while there is not much justification for this price which I expect to continue to fall. Nothing I have seen so far changes that view.

June 11: Big change at Juventus and Sarri looks very likely to take the reins. Whilst he will leave England with his reputation dented, Sarriball can be performance friendly and we shouldn’t forget that. He does stick with a 4-3-3 which is what Juventus do anyway, so there may not be a full change over.

Ronaldo: Indisputed main man and as good as that can be, he definitely does suck the life out of other Juventus targets who could otherwise be solid picks. Age has been a problem for a while. And the rape allegation is still on-going. All that said, he’s still Ronaldo and still very likely to be having another good season at the forefront of both Juventus’s Champions League push and Portugal’s attempt to retain their European crown.

The price is back in a range where people are willing to take the punt despite the risks. I can see definite upsides here but I think this is one where if you are going to buy, you should do so sooner rather than later. Then, if he gets a period of hype and a price rise, probably not hang on too long. 

Dybala: Conflicting statements about whether he will stay or go. In a 4-3-3 where he is forced wide (likely to stay under Sarri) that is not his best position in reality or on FI. I think he remains a good transfer hold as I think if 4-3-3 remains the system he will look to move on. However, I would not hold him if he stayed for another season like this one. If moved to his favoured central position however I think he becomes one of FI’s performance stars. Close monitoring needed.

Bernardeschi: Not a great season. Fair bit of rotation probably did not help. Does have potential to do a lot better though, perhaps under a new manager. Has Italy involvement too so at 66p, he isn’t bad at all. Perhaps one to evaluate in pre-season.

Kean: Good goal scorer. Poor performance player. Should get some pitch time but rotation will likely continue. Far too expensive by now for my taste.

Pjanic: Quiet season for Pjanic but we shouldn’t completely rule him out. He’s capable of adding a few more goals than he scored this season, and he’ll probably do better than 84p price tag by the new season, maybe pushing towards £1. One to evaluate in pre-season with a new manager. 

Ramsey may have to fight for his spot but if given a favourable playing position I like him a lot. Better than he has been able to show in a fragmented season for Arsenal. Will be watching in pre-season.

26 Aug

As per the scouting below Dzeko looks lethal and duly delivered his 3rd goal in as many games. Could have had more, he’s looking dangerous. Creating chances too. Excellent veteran punt for IPD and like Lewandowski is capable of a win when he pops off. 

I’ve been over and over how good Under could be in pre-season (see how these fantastic puns keep the scout reports fresh? No? Ok.) He has been looking likely to score recently and so he did. Nice goal too. In fact, he could have scored again. Also, created 4 chances. Involvement is decent enough too. Looking good. Obviously, better when he appeared in Scouting below in July at £1.25 but at £1.63 now I still think given the trend fit he can keep going.

Zaniolo on the other hand showed very little in the opener. No good efforts on goal, no chances created. He was better than this in pre-season and could do well. Given the trend fit, a goal could see him rise further. But I think Under is the better FI player and he’s also cheaper.

Possibly a bit better in the last pre-season game and the opening league game for Kluivert although overall, he still looks weak. Having not had a shot for 6 pre-season games the only way was up. Really poor pre-season. 

His goal off the bench in the final pre-season game might give confidence and in the opening league game he did get 3 efforts away but they were not good chances. Not creating anything either. If he did have a strong game he would be an easy player to sell but he would need to get a lot better than this. 

As per below scouting Kolarov has good goal threat for a defender and he did indeed deliver. Created an incredible 5 chances too building on 4 from the previous match. Looking very strong for both IPD and possible performance wins.

22 Aug

Dzeko is now staying at Roma and has shot up from 65p to 80p since the last review a week ago. Goal threat is very strong and he has scored in his last two, with 11 shots across those games. Creating chances too. 

Overall involvement not huge so he will likely need to get more than just 1 goal to win but he can do that. 

At 80p his IPD potential alone is excellent and a possible win is a bonus. Superb veteran punt that was better taken last week but is still good.

Under looked good again with consistent goal threat now even though he hasn’t scored. Assist potential too and some good involvement. Passing accuracy has to improve but he is looking good. 

Zaniolo had chances again, good threat and created 1 chance per game in the last 2 (though nothing in the 4 games before those). Involvement was better than usual this time but it needs to be consistently a lot better than usual if he is going to get big performance scores.

Kolarov looks likely to stay and could be a veteran powerhouse for 52p. He has had chances to score in the last 3 friendlies (scoring 1) and created 4 chances in the last game (1 assist). Could very easily nick a win and has strong IPD credentials too. 

15 Aug

Under is still looking good. Scored vs Lille, a brace vs minnows Ternana and has had consistent chances across pre-season. Showing good involvement stats too and creativity with chances made. Optimistic.

Kluivert‘s pre-season stats are… yuck. No shots at all despite a good number of minutes and not much else to shout about either. Last update I said I was concerned… still am for a player that has shown some potential in the past. 

Zaniolo has shown some decent threat in pre-season and scored vs Lille. Given the hype for him I have to say though that his underlying stats are fairly average and he likely needs more than 1 goal to make an impact on performance scoring. 

Dzeko, if he stays, looks his usual threat and has also been creating plenty of chances too. Looks a solid IPD choice. And to be honest this would likely stay true if he moved to Inter.

Kolarov may also leave. If he doesn’t, his stats look pretty great for a full back. Good baselines and creativity. But a risk of a move to Fenerbache is too much to bear until the window is closed. 

2 Aug

No obvious formation change for Roma so far.

A string of poor misses for Schick in pre-season. Could have taken over from Dzeko who also may depart for Inter but pre-season goal scoring records will not fill a coach with confidence. 

Kluivert has some decent baseline stats in pre-season but nothing spectacular and he has shown zero goal threat in any of the three games which is a concern. 

Under has shown impressive pre-season stats, smashing in two vs Ternana and creating chances too. These are easy games so you can’t get over excited but he is looking good so far. Passing accuracy is a touch low which could drag scores back a bit but if he maintained something like this threat and kept creating chances he could be strong. 

Not brilliant from Zaniolo so far, particularly in the last game vs Perugia. In the pre-season opener he was good with 3 shots (although he missed them) and some decent involvement and a chance created. Poor involvement, no threat and no chances created vs Perugia or Ternana though.

If Kolarov stays he could be a strong budget veteran again, with hood underlining stats, strong creativity and some goal threat. I won’t fear buying a quality veteran like this in early season if they look set to start. 

2 July

Kolarov is really knocking on although if he does stay at Roma for another season (that is in doubt), should not be underestimated. He’s got quality and at 39p there will probably be some in early season who fancy him and he could rise towards 50p. He’s capable of some big scores over a season for sure. Wouldn’t be holding too long if I fancied that punt, though.

El Shaarawy could be worth watching but doesn’t over excite me and has risks of a move to China that make any hold right now far too risky in my view.

Kluivert arrived at Roma last season with big expectations and a hefty price tag that he did not justify. The too high expectations are probably more at fault than he is though. Wasn’t a bad first season really and he showed glimpses of performance potential. Worth watching and should probably enter the season with positive trader expectations and is not yet as pricey as other hyped youth of similar potential.

Zaniolo is one such youngster with a pretty high price that he will have his work cut out to justify. He’s talented in reality and has some FI suitability (and has a long shot EPL link to Spurs which would be a price boost). If thinking of players who may rise as traders get excited for a new season, he’d probably make the list. However, the stats are not strong enough given the price to convince me to genuinely hold in expectation of a performance win early on.

Under is another young talent at Roma and he has some decent FI relevant stats. Arguably, he has done more to show FI potential than Zaniolo so far but comes 40p cheaper which makes me much more inclined to punt on him succeeding this season. 

Veteran Dzeko is capable of a big score on his day. Subdued season for him last year which may cause worry about decline. At 50p though with increased IPD offerings, I think at Roma (or Inter, possible) he looks decent for those happy to take an early season punt on an older player (best time to do it).

Schick is worth keeping an eye on for an IPD punt (does not look a strong performance player particularly). Has transfer uncertainty (may go out on loan?) but if he looks set for more pitch time than last year at a decent club he might do ok. Has spiked in value in the last month though which is a dampener.

Aug 26

Immobile was excellent again with another 2 goals. Threat is very consistent. Last week I said he was good value at 94p. Still is at £1.06. 

Excellent threat from Correa. He’s a youngster with real potential. Nice goal, could have had two. Bit of an odd game because by his usual stats, his involvement was down and he is capable of much bigger scores than his 125 with a goal would suggest. He creates chances too and his baseline is usually better. I was optimistic before the opening game and I am even more so now. I just want to see his usual level of involvement in the next game. 

Alberto did very well to get the win with 2 assists. He is capable of this although it is a touch fortunate that he created 2 chances and both were converted, that is quite unusual. I am sure he will score big again but perhaps not every week. 

Decent from Savic in terms of threat and creativity. He had a good effort on goal and created 2 chances. He is capable of much better overall involvement numbers than this though and we will want to see that improve. But he did enough. 

Aug 20

Lazio cancelled their final scheduled friendly so there is nothing to add to the last update below. The 4 players identified on Aug 15 look the most promising. 

Aug 15

Correa has had a good pre-season and shown strong goal threat, good assist potential and a decent level of involvement too. A solid young prospect that could have a good season. And still decent value.

Immobile continues his strong threat with another 2 vs Celta Vigo. Strong IPD potential and can nick a performance win on his day. Great value. 

Savic is now looking more likely to stay. Still has bags of potential and is kindly priced again after the EPL move fell through. Has shown consistent goal threat in pre-season and the underlying stats are there. He’s had so many stop and starts many will be sceptical but I’d be quietly confident on him especially at this price. 

Alberto is a solid performance player capable of a big score on his day. He was a bit goals light last term with 6 and he shown he can do better in previous seasons, bagging 11 in 17/18. Shown decent threat and creativity in pre-season so there is a chance he kicks on. £1.16 is still reasonable value. 

July 29: No obvious formation shift from Lazio, the standard 3-5-2 is back again in pre-season.

30 year old Caicedo catches the eye with 3 goals in 90 minutes across the first two friendlies. He will be rotated and will rarely challenge for actual performance. But at just 26p, with 8 goals last season and looking threatening in pre-season, that’s a good looking IPD punt. Just beware – he has transfer links to Leeds although the latest gossip is he may stay. If so, for that money I’d say he is looking a solid IPD choice.

Immobile still looks good at 74p for IPD and an occasional performance challenge. 1 goal and looks his usual threatening self generally in pre-season games so far.

June 11: Not the best source of performance points last year in a season where they really struggled. Only managed to qualify for the Europa through the Cup. Surely they can only improve? Some good potential players.

Savic: Widely expected to be playing at Juventus but it may not happen. He’s a talent and better than he showed in a poor season.  Although performances in late season were better. Without an EPL move, his price has dropped to decent value. Depends on the move, and how he shapes up in any new team. But, he could improve. 

Berisha: Entered last season with decent optimism. And then tanked hard. Injuries were unlucky but he never really hit the form he showed at Salzburg. Remains to be seen whether he is given a second chance, but if he has a good pre-season he could get a nice rise given his rock bottom 26p price. Wouldn’t rush to buy him but worth keeping an eye on.

Immobile is reliable at least for IPDs and possible performance wins too. Actually a subdued season for him with 15 goals, he is capable of better if Lazio improve next season. Should start for Italy too. Pretty strong bargain at 69p and should see people return to him for the new season.

26 Aug

A warning shot from Alejandro Gomez. 4 shots on target, 4 chances created but perhaps amazingly no goals and no assists. A 186 on an unlucky day. Could tear it up in this new scoring matrix.

His strike partner Zapata looks dangerous too although more for IPD than performance wins. Getting good chances to score in the last 2. 

Belotti scored (arguably an assist!) but this is not a surprise given his strong goal threat that I have been discussing under the Torino section. I am moving his entries here since Torino was just coming a vehicle for Belotti anyway. 3 chances created too this game, he looks strong. 

22 Aug

Some big stats for Chiesa vs Monza in the Coppa Italia with 9 shots (1 goal) and 4 chances created. Not the greatest performance to watch but this would likely have delivered a competitive score.

Transfer rumours still circle. He should go to a big club (likely Juventus) either very soon or next Summer, starts for Italy already. Long term trend fit and his potential quality are about as good as they get but if he stays at Fiorientina he can’t reach his full potential yet.

De Paul at Udinese is another who could get a big club move either now or next Summer. Saw lots of minutes at the Copa for Argentina although the numbers are actually pretty disappointing, never looked like scoring in 6 games. 

Looks better for Udinese though and he did bag one in pre-season and has some good chances. Created 7 chances with 1 assist last game too in the Copa Italia so he does have that mix of goal threat and assist potential but he will likely need a bigger club than Udinese to show it more often. 

Alejandro Gomez is worth a mention although apparently Atalanta don’t believe in friendlies in August because they haven’t played since Aug 2. Average stats for him in the 3 pre-season they have played with some goal threat and assist potential but none of them converted. He was in the old system anyway and he could be a strong beneficiary from the new performance matrix. I am optimistic on him. 

Quagliarella, Serie A’s veteran top scorer last season is back and shows no signs of slowing down. Strong goal threat in pre-season and scored in the last game. A pretty awful performance player but IPD potential doesn’t get better than this with a 60p price tag. Late bloomer for Italy too.

Some people on Social media love to pump Pulgar. Maybe 6 months ago, at 50-60p that wasn’t such a bad thing. Now at 90p… he’s alright. He is capable of a big score but you have to keep expectations in check at a smaller club. We have seen two appearances for Fiorentina so far. He is deep but does get forward a bit. No goal threat so far but created a couple of chances and sees plenty of the ball. Ok but nothing to get super excited about.

22 Aug

Torino have a tough qualifier vs Wolves tonight with a place in the Europa league at stake, that’s a tougher draw than both sides would have wanted. I wouldn’t expect huge over reactions to this for who goes through or goes out, at budget prices European involvement can be considered a luxury.

A rare blank for Belotti in the Europa second leg but he still got a couple of chances. It’s a very impressive pre-season goal tally with 6 in 5 (including Europa league qualifiers) and he has also created 11 chances in the last 4 matches. 

These were easy games so the stats will be a bit flattering. But even half of this would be very good indeed for his budget price. Still looks good and if Torino do overcome Wolves it will look even better. 

13 Aug

Star man Belotti is firing with 6 in 4 in pre-season including penalties. Some soft games in pre-season so it won’t quite be at this strike rate most likely! 

But he looks dangerous as ever and he should be on the scoresheet before too long in the opening games.  

As below not a great performance player but he is capable of an occasional big score because he is so prolific. 

Looks a strong IPD punt at the 90p mark and with likely Europa League involvement as well this year he has every chance to build on his 15 goals from last term. 

Regained his place in the Italy set up as well recently. 

2 July

Belotti is the stand out choice for Torino and for good reason.

He’s not the best performance player as he is very goal focused with not much else to pump his scores. However, he is capable of putting 2 away in game which can put him in the 180-200 range and make winning possible. And, he has decent IPD value as well as Italy involvement. May get a move to a bigger club but I suspect it could be a season too early for that.

When first featured here under Best of the Rest he looked a good steal at 72p. At 95p after Torino qualified, the shine comes off a bit.

But, he finished last season strongly and returned to the Italy line up too. So, I still think he represents decent value.