Scout Notes – Gameweek 31 – Sunday

A Steven Gerrard spot-kick helps Liverpool pick up the points at Villa. Philippe Coutinho and Luis Suarez provide an assist apiece as the Reds avenge their Gameweek 17 home defeat at the hands of the midlanders, while Christian Benteke is amongst the goals once again for the beaten hosts.

Gerrard’s Consistency
The Liverpool skipper grabbed his tenth goal of the season with a coolly-taken penalty midway through the second-half. Despite a deep-lying role alongside Lucas in central midfield, Gerrard has continued to rack up the points with a rarely-bettered regularity – yesterday was the seventeenth time in 31 appearances he has produced attacking returns. With 12 assists also accrued, he currently sits on 165 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) points, pre-bonus; he is the only premium priced midfielder to have spot-kicks in his locker yet still has an ownership less than 10%.

From Gameweek 13 onwards, Gerrard has not gone more than a single Gameweek without scoring or assisting and has now registered more FPL points since the 2008-09 season; an indication of his resurgence as a genuine Fantasy force under Brendan Rodgers. While Gerrard maintained his record of playing every minute this season – one of only two outfield players, alongside Villa’s Matt Lowton – Rodgers admitted he required treatment before the game in order to do so:

“He had to get an injection in his heel. He had a wee issue with his heel for a couple of days. He had a bit of pain in it and was struggling to get his boot on. For him it was a case of doing whatever it takes to play. It was nothing major but he had pain in his foot – and many other players might not have played or even trained.”

Coutinho’s Instant Impact
A sublime defence-splitting pass for Jordan Henderson’s leveller ensured the young Brazilian was amongst the points again. Coutinho was subject to plenty investment ahead of Saturday’s deadline – almost 38,000 FPL managers snapped him up for the Villa Park clash and he vindicated that show of faith with another convincing performance. The former Inter man has now scored or assisted in four of his five starts for the Reds, averaging six points per game in the first XI; at just 6.9 in FPL, he looks strong value for money right now and with West Ham and Reading up next, looks primed to prosper. Post-match, he was the recipient of his manager’s praise after dazzling on the left flank:

“It was a wonderful pass, and Jordan’s had a touch and his finish was fantastic because he’s got a wee bit of time to think about it. I’m really pleased for him and young Philippe has got great, great quality.”

Sturridge’s Game Time a Concern
While his previous omissions from the Liverpool XI in Gameweeks 26 and 28 were down to an ongoing thigh problem, Sturridge appears to have been omitted purely for tactical reasons in yesterday’s match. The Reds’ versatility saw Brendan Rodgers switch from 4-2-3-1 to 4-3-3, with Luis Suarez leading the line – the former Chelsea man was left to warm the bench as Jordan Henderson was handed a chance to impress as the most advanced central midfielder. Given the latter’s goalscoring display, Rodgers’ decision was fully vindicated and with just three starts in six now, Sturridge’s owners will be considering a transfer out. It’s a real frustration, given that the former Chelsea man has scored or assisted in six of his seven appearances but yesterday’s teamsheet suggests he is not as nailed-on as we perhaps had previously assumed.

Earlier in the week, Rodgers had hinted that Sturridge’s work-rate is perhaps not quite up to scratch yet following his January transfer from Chelsea. His move to the bench comes on the back of a 3-1 defeat away to Southampton and while Liverpool have won all three home games he has started, they have, intriguingly, taken just two points from the three matches on the road with Sturridge in the first XI. As Rodgers stressed, his pressing game is not yet on a par with Suarez’s – a sign, perhaps, that while a 4-2-3-1 shape is suited at Anfield, the 4-3-3 may be rolled out on the road until Rodgers feels Sturridge has become more accustomed to the Reds’ style of play.

“For me the striker drives the train, and when you look at the history of this club, men like Ian Rush, Kenny Dalglish and Robbie Fowler worked incredibly hard. Luis does that too. He is a great leader, the way he presses up there. He has an absolutely amazing appetite for the game. Daniel’s only just come to the club and it’s a new way of working for him. But it’s so important because when you don’t have the pressure up top, the gaps open up. He’s only 23 and knows he needs to improve, but he’s a real receptive boy, and he can’t have anyone better to learn from than Luis.”

Benteke’s Scoring Streak
His endeavours were not quite enough to earn Villa the result they desperately required but the Belgian was once again amongst the goals in yesterday’s defeat. A superbly taken opener from the edge of the area means Benteke has now notched in each of his last three and has scored in seven of the last nine Gameweeks for the midlanders; indeed, since the turn of the year he has averaged 6.1 points per game over 11 appearances. The next four fixtures includes a trip to Stoke and home showdowns with Fulham and Sunderland – with the Cottagers clash taking place over Gameweek 33, many Benteke owners will be tempted to hold despite the fact that other sides will have a couple of fixtures to Villa’s single.

Agbonlahor Stakes a Claim
An assist for Benteke’s strike maintained a recent run of form which has seen the 6.8 priced forward produce returns in six of his last eight appearances. Agbonlahor had notched in each of the last two and picked up five bonus points across that pair of fixtures – while fellow wide man Andreas Weimann was subbed off just after the hour mark, the left winger lasted the full 90 for the seventh time in his last eight. Granted, he may not be matching Benteke’s standards but few Premier League forwards are right now – clearly, if Villa are to avoid the drop, Agbonlahor’s contribution will also play a significant role.