A short lull in Premier League action has afforded us time to re-assess our Watchlist rankings. These have now been fully updated to reflect form and the fixture list over the next month and, as always, you’ll find them in your right-hand sidebar. Read on for a summary of the key movements and factors at play…
Goalkeepers
Tim Krul holds the top spot amongst the stoppers, despite the 5-0 White Hart Lane drubbing, with Wolves, Sunderland and Norwich all due in his backyard in the next four Gameweeks.
Krul’s fixtures do hand him a tough away trip to Arsenal in Gameweek 28, however, with Liverpool also visiting in Gameweek 31. There’s no obvious rotation option to work in tandem with the Newcastle keeper– Wolves’ Wayne Hennessey has Blackburn and Bolton at home in those Gameweeks, while Villa’s Shay Given also has two home matches – Bolton and Chelsea. Norwich City’s John Ruddy could be another option to work with Krul. The Norwich keeper has Wigan at home while Krul visits the Emirates and then hosts Wolves with Newcastle at West Brom, with a visit to Fulham on offer as an alternative to Krul’s home fixture with Liverpool.
If you’re looking beyond Krul for your keeper option, then Wigan’s Ali Al-Habsi climbs to second as a serious budget consideration. While the Latics back four is porous, four home fixtures against Villa, Swansea, West Brom and Stoke offer the Oman international the opportunity to grab an unlikely clean sheet, while Al-Habsi has already hovered up save points so far this term – including four penalty saves.
Fulham’s Mark Schwarzer is now back in Martin Jol’s starting lineup and offers coverage of their defence during a kind run of fixtures, although full-back Stephen Kelly looks a cheaper route into the Cottagers’ back line. Shay Given returns to the reckoning, with favourable home fixtures with Fulham and Bolton hovering, following two away trips to Wigan and Blackburn. Given looks to work well in tandem with Stoke’s Thomas Sorensen or QPR’s Paddy Kenny over the next four Gameweeks.
At the top end of the price bracket, Chelsea’s Petr Cech joins City’s Joe Hart as a consideration – the keeper possibly offers the most secure route into a Chelsea defence that faces Bolton, West Brom and Stoke in the next three.
Defenders
Vincent Kompany continues to wrestle with team-mate Micah Richards for the spot as the most coveted defender. With Richards rested at Villa, the City skipper looks to have sealed the spot atop our Watchlist rankings with his greater security. Across the other side of Manchester, Jonny Evans now looks well established in the United back four and offers outstanding value, despite two away trips to come for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.
Ryan Taylor climbs back into our top five, in anticipation of his return to fitness and a spot on the right-flank for the visit of Wolves. If Taylor can cement this midfield role, he will clearly offer the strongest defensive option with the Newcastle lineup, despite his inflated price tag. Danny Simpson’s stock drops this week as a result.
Jose Bosingwa is our choice for Chelsea coverage, although he looks far from secure. He might just be worth a punt for the home clash with Bolton, despite defensive frailties in Andre Villas-Boas’ backline. Amidst talk of unrest in the Chelsea camp, Bosingwa looks to have established himself as a favourite, having started 10 of the last 11 league matches.
Midfielders
The top four here remain unshakable, although David Silva will need to produce a goal or two soon to hold off the push from Chelsea’s Juan Mata and team-mate Yaya Toure, who both enjoy climbs this week.
Yohan Cabaye returns to our thinking, having served his three-match ban – fixtures are in his favour over the next four Gameweeks and, with Cheik Tiote expected to return alongside him, Cabaye could be a key figure as Newcastle look to climb into the top four.
Wigan’s Victor Moses and Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are low-to-mid price options pushing for consideration. Moses has four home games in six off the back of improved form, while Chamberlain will be looking to maintain his run of starts, despite the return of Gervinho from the African Cup of Nations.
Villa’s Stiliyan Petrov is the big differential lower down the rankings. Villa’s fixtures are strong and the Bulgarian remains the most likely to return attacking points in Alex McLeish’s midfield – edging Charles N’Zogbia, Stephen Ireland and Gary Gardner, who all seem less secure.
Forwards
Wayne Rooney begins to push the established top three but cannot break the trio of Robin Van Persie, Sergio Aguero and Demba Ba, who have either form or fixtures in their favour. Rooney is the only attacking option within the United ranks in our Watchlist this week, with Antonio Valencia dropping out through injury and Ashley Young and Nani set for the first league starts in months, when they visit Norwich next time out. Elsewhere in the United camp, a lack of security dampens enthusiasm for Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez.
Below Rooney, there are some decent differentials available for those looking to shake-up the template forward line. QPR’s Bobby Zamora and Villa’s Darren Bent both have fixtures and decent form which should offer returns over the next four Gameweeks. Chelsea’s Daniel Sturridge remains a consideration with fixtures compensating for a lack of form, while Tottenham’s Emmanuel Adebayor will have to show fixture-proof qualities if he is to get close to replicating his outstanding returns in the 5-0 win against Newcastle over the next month.
Budget options take a backseat with mid-price alternatives looking strong this month. Swansea’s Danny Graham has form and looks the best option, despite three away games in four. Norwich’s Grant Holt edges above team-mate Steve Morison for the first time this season but will have to deal with the United, Stoke and Newcastle defences in the next four.
