Oscar helps steer Chelsea to the summit with the opener against Fulham. Christian Benteke limps off with a hip problem for Villa. Leighton Baines and Romelu Lukaku fire Everton to victory at West Ham, Stephane Sessegnon gets amongst the goals on his West Brom debut, Robbie Brady proves pivotal to Hull’s win at Newcastle, while Southampton’s defence ends Daniel Sturridge’s scoring spree at Anfield.
Oscar Key to Blues Success
After admitting “I want to build with Oscar as my number ten” on Friday afternoon, Jose Mourinho was as good as his word and handed the Brazilian yet another start behind a lone forward yesterday. Oscar continued the form that saw him score in midweek against Basel by grabbing the opener for the hosts and, having also notched in the Gameweek 1 win at home to Hull, he is making a definite case for consideration as Chelsea’ main midfielder this term. While Frank Lampard was handed a sub role for the second league game in succession and Eden Hazard delivered yet another blank, Mata was omitted from the match day squad altogether – an indication of how quickly he has fallen as a prospect under Mourinho.
Understandably, the Chelsea boss was quizzed on Mata’s absence after yesterday’s win. The Special One revealed the Spaniard was set for a return to the first XI in the midweek Capital One clash against Swindon before discussing the need to utilise the strength and depth of his squad over a busy autumn program:
“He trained this morning and my assistant that was training with them told me he trained very, very hard. Tuesday of course he plays from the beginning against Swindon. The people who didn’t play today are going to play. Juan and David Luiz and Michael Essien, Bertrand, and Azpilicueta. And I hope he tells me on the pitch, ‘You are wrong, I am the best and I have to play every game’. I have to create a balance in the bench. I must have players to cover every position. That’s what I have to do. I have Azpilicueta to give cover to the full-backs and central defence, because Ivanovic can go central defender, Essien as a central midfielder, Lampard for his traditional position, and three attacking players, one striker and after that De Bruyne and Willian.”
Blues Resilience Shuts out Cottagers
Another clean sheet in yesterday evening’s derby win over Fulham means Chelsea have now conceded just two goals in five league matches since the return of Jose Mourinho. Granted, the cast majority of the Blues’ attackers are struggling for any sort of consistency but at the back, they are looking particularly strong. Once again, John Terry benefitted from the new Bonus Points System against the Cottagers – the Chelsea skipper, who also contributed an assist in the 2-0 win, has now earned seven bonus points from three clean sheets and is now up to 32 points in FPL – top scoring player for Mourinho’s side. Having been rested for the midweek Champions League defeat at home to Basel, it seems Terry could well be preserved for league action, boosting his appeal over the rest of the season.
Baines Racks Up the Points
A run of three successive Everton clean sheets may have come to an end at West Ham yesterday but the points keep coming for Leighton Baines owners. The Toffees left-back had his set-piece duties to thank after scoring twice in a superb comeback win against Sam Allardyce’s outfit to ensure the Merseysiders retained their record as the last unbeaten team in the Premier League. Baines has mainly been kept in the shade by the performances of fellow Toffees full-back Seamus Coleman but his two-goal haul, allied with maximum bonus points, took his tally to 42 FPL points – more than any other player thus far. After just five games, Baines has already accrued 10 bonus points and bearing in mind last term’s 24 was his highest-ever, there’s no question that the change in bonus scoring is considerably boosting his Fantasy potential this time out.
Indeed, with Newcastle, Hull and Villa in the next four, there’s a case for even doubling up on both Baines and Coleman at the back, though Martinez’ flourishing side continue to offer value across the classifications. The 5.1 priced midfielder Ross Barkley served up pair of assists for his 25% FPL owners, while Romelu Lukaku (7.4) needed just 46 minutes to stake a case for a start next weekend after climbing off the bench to notch the winners against the Hammers. After the game, the Belgian’s impact was hailed by his delighted manager:
“Romelu is the type of striker that influences everyone around him because of the gaps he creates. Other players around him become a threat. The goal is everything that typifies him – the character and desire to want to be successful. That’s why he will be such a big asset. He’s a very intelligent footballer and I want him to continue enjoying his football because his potential is incredible.”
The only bad news for Martinez on the day was a groin injury sustained by Leon Osman. He was forced off on 52 minutes with the Toffees boss declaring him an early doubt for Everton’s midweek Capital One Cup tie:
“He [Osman] has some soft tissue damage. He will have some scans in the next 48 hours to assess it.”
Any potential absence for Osman will be greeted by Barkley owners as competition for starts in Everton’s midfield intensifies.
Benteke Concern for Lambert
With four goals in his first four appearances, many Fantasy managers were happy to hand Christian Benteke the armband as Villa made their way to Norwich yesterday. The Belgian lasted less than 30 minutes, however, before limping off with a hip injury that could trigger a significant selling spree right across the Fantasy games if the prognosis proves poor. Benteke is currently owned by a huge 35% of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers –second only to Robin Van Persie for forwards – and with plenty of similarly-priced options producing the goods, in addition to the differential appeal of both Wayne Rooney and Luis Suarez, a mass exodus could be on the cards if he’s ruled out for any length of time.
The Belgian’s replacement, Libor Kozak, will certainly be hoping for an extended first-team stay after climbing off the bench to notch the only goal – after the match, he was subject of Lambert’s praise:
“I think he’s [Benteke] not too bad. Christian slipped and the medical team are telling me it’s his hip flexor. Hopefully it’s not too bad. We’ll see how he is, but I’m delighted for Libor to score his first goal. That’s why we bought him, in case Christian got an injury. Libor came on and to be fair it was at a difficult time. He popped up with the goal that has won us the game. He’s come here, with how fast it is, and he’s endeared himself to the crowd which is great.”
Whittaker Back on the Bench
Having started the last four league outings are right-back, the former Rangers full-back looked to have justified the recent FPL investment which had seen his price rise to 4.2. However, club captain Russell Martin was always going to be a threat and Saturday’s teamsheet was to confirm our fears. Martin earned a recall, consigning Whittaker to the bench for the visit of Villa. There is now real concern over his security of start. An injury to Seb Bassong may yet see Whittaker earn an instant recall, however. Bassong was forced off with a hamstring problem on 37 minutes with Hughton remaining vague on the prognosis:
“Seb had to come off with a hamstring injury and we’ll see how that is the morning.”
Saints Steely Resolve
Many had anticipated an easy home win for Liverpool as Mauricio Pochettino’s side rolled up to Anfield yesterday but the visitors yet again showed plenty of resilience at the back to topple the Reds from the summit. With Luke Shaw and Nathaniel Clyne retaining the full-back roles, the Saints are looking settled in terms of defensive selections once again and have now shipped just two goals in the first five matches – only Tottenham have conceded less, though they have played one game fewer. Four home games (SPL, SWA, FUL, HUL) and a trip to Stoke in the next six offer plenty opportunity for their low-to-mid-price options to flourish once more at the back, with Dejan Lovren’s winner highlighting the Croatian’s all-round appeal as he moved to second in the FPL defender rankings, just one point ahead of team-mate Jose Fonte in third.
Rodgers Explains Defensive Selection
More than a few eyebrows were raised when the Liverpool teamsheet was delivered yesterday. Jose Enrique – the only defender to start the first four Gameweeks – was dropped to the bench, while Kolo Toure was shifted to right-back as Brendan Rodgers chose to omit Andre Wisdom from the XI after Monday’s poor display at Swansea. After the game, Rodgers admitted that Enrique’s fitness played a part in his decision:
“Jose Enrique is one we’ve got to keep an eye on his knee. He’s got an issue with his knee and if there is an overload on that, it could maybe put him out longer term. We’ve got Cissokho out already, so it [Enrique’s knee] was one we needed to keep an eye on. Kolo and Mamadou have played at full-back before, but obviously you lose a wee bit of that offensive threat. They coped as well as they possibly could. I thought Toure was exceptional today with his enthusiasm and drive to try to get into the game.”
The Liverpool boss also revealed that his side’s injury problems at the back could force him into a change in formation, after he subbed off Daniel Agger for Enrique later in the second period:
“He’s (Agger) had the problem with his side. We needed him to play, really. He hadn’t trained all week and felt a bit of pain in the game, so we decided to take him off, try and be a bit more offensive and see if we could get 30 minutes or so out of Enrique. It’s not ideal to have to play that [four centre-backs]. If it’s something where we don’t have players back fit and recovered, we may have to look at a different system that allows it to work.”
Brady’s Budget Appeal
Rated as a doubt for Hull’s trip to Newcastle, the Republic of Ireland international recovered in time to help steer the visitors to an unlikely victory. Steve Bruce’s side had failed to score in each of their first two road trips while the Magpies had registered back-to-back clean sheets at St James’ Park but those records both came tumbling down as Brady’s goal and assist were key to a 3-2 Tigers triumph. Somewhat surprisingly, the Hull midfielder now sits joint-top the FPL midfield standings on 29 points and is now handed a couple of successive home games against West Ham and Villa to further his points potential. Coming in at a mere 5.1 in FPL, the former United man has been quick to show there’s plenty of promise to be found in the budget bracket so far.
Another of Hull’s cut-price options was dealt a blow yesterday. James Chester has played every minute of the season in the Hull defence and, coming in at 4.0 in FPL, has been favoured by 3% of managers as a budget backline option but he is now set for a spell on the sidelines, according to his manager, with Abdoulaye Faye perhaps set to benefit:
“He [Chester] stretched in the last minute to make a block and unfortunately his hamstring’s popped. He’ll be out a long time, I would have thought. It may be four, six weeks. He’s just getting his teeth into playing in the Premier League and that’s a big loss to us. That’s the one thing we can’t afford. We’ve had two or three (out injured) today. We hope that’s as much as it gets.”
Remy at the Double
We handed th Newcastle forward a place on the Scout Picks bench and he vindicated our decision by scoring both his side’s goals in the loss to Hull. While over 420,000 FPL managers loaded up on Hatem Ben Arfa, Remy was firmly under the radar heading into this one but, handed his first 90 minutes since joining up on Tyneside, he kept his compatriot firmly in the shade to suggest he’ll be as equally crucial over the season for Alan Pardew’s side. Providing he remains clear of injury, Remy – despite his role on the left of a front three – clearly is capable of picking up the Fantasy points and could be one to monitor.
Baggies New Boys in the Points
While Stephane Sessegnon’s debut opener against his former club Sunderland quite rightly hogged the headlines, the club’s record signing was one of four new faces at the Hawthorns to get amongst the points as Steve Clarke’s side finally showed signs of gelling. The 5.0 priced Morgan Amalfitano also served up a goal on his first start in front of the West Brom faithful, while Scott Sinclair and Victor Anichebe chipped in with an assist apiece in a comprehensive win over the struggling Wearsiders. After a poor start, Clarke’s decision to move back to last term’s 4-2-3-1 proved a masterstroke but with United, Arsenal, Stoke and Liverpool in the next four, Fantasy faith will be somewhat tempered. Chris Brunt was missing from yesterday’s match day squad with reports of a groin injury sustained in training.
Fletcher Concern for Sunderland
Rooted to the bottom of the table after yesterday’s 3-0 hammering, the problems are mounting for Paolo Di Canio. With back-to-back games against Liverpool and United prior to showdowns against Swansea and Newcastle in the next four, the Wearsiders have little reason for optimism right now after accruing a single point from their opening five fixtures. After the Hawthorns loss, the Black Cats boss admitted he could now be without main forward Steven Fletcher due to a shoulder problem. The Scot has only returned from a long-term ankle injury but his manager has revealed:
“We have sent him to hospital. He came back very good from his ankle injury and quickly, and now he may have to stay out for more than two weeks. It was painful. The shoulder was still out and they couldn’t touch it. It is very bad at the moment, everything is negative.”
Di Canio will also have to assess an ankle injury sustained by Ki Sung-Yueng who was seen struggling on 90 minutes and undergoing treatment.
