Scout Notes – Gameweek 6 – Saturday

Aaron Ramsey steers Arsenal to the top of the table. Robbie Brady grabs the only goal as Hull defeat the Hammers. Gylfi Sigurdsson nets again in Spurs’ stalemate with Chelsea. Wayne Rooney strikes for the third game running as David Moyes’ decision to rotate proves costly, while Southampton pick up yet another clean sheet in a home win over Palace.

Ramsey’s Relentless Form Continues
Shrugging off a minor thigh problem to take his place in last night’s trip to Swansea, the Welshman racked up the points yet again as his sensational season shows no sign of hitting the buffers. While Mesut Ozil failed to produce and Theo Walcott’s replacement, youngster Serge Gnabry impressed with a goal, it was Ramsey, once again, who was the main man for the north London outfit. Supplying a goal and assist as Arsene Wenger’s side opened up a two-point gap at the top of the table thanks to a 2-1 win at the Liberty, Ramsey now has eight strikes to his name in all competitions and with 46 points accrued in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, has risen to the top of the overall standings. The midfielder has produced 37 of those points in the last three Gameweeks, leading to a bandwagon that has earned him over 750,000 new owners in the past two weeks – an ownership of 35% is set to rise yet again, with a price of just 6.2 continuing to look a steal.

After the final whistle, Wenger discussed Ramsey’s incredible scoring record:

“Honestly I could not predict that. The only thing I can say is that he was always in good positions in the box and because he has improved his technique he doesn’t rush his decisions. Even the goal he scored today he needed a good touch, go past a player and finish quickly. Before, he used to rush his finishing but now he is more confident…but finishing is a bit cyclic because he will not score 38 goals in a season and you have to accept that. But it’s good you have players from midfield who can score.”

Ramsey, meanwhile offered further analysis of his current run:

“I felt like throughout my career I’ve got into these positions but I’ve maybe been a bit rash, now I’m more composed and things are starting to click into place quite nicely. I’m the type who never gives up and towards the back end of last season I was improving and my qualities are showing through.”

Sigurdsson Justifies Regular Role
Once again, the Icelandic midfielder produced the goods for Andre Villas-Boas’ side in yesterday’s 1-1 stalemate at the Lane. Returning to the first XI in Gameweek 4, Sigurdsson has now notched three times in his last three league outings and, in spite of a raft of summer midfield signings, is holding his own on the left of the attacking midfield three. With Nacer Chadli unconvincing and Erik Lamela still waiting his first league start, the former Swansea man looks set to continue as a regular for the north London outfit and with home games against West Ham, Hull and Newcastle in the next five, has the schedule to ensure his form is maintained.

Mata Stakes a Claim
Climbing off the bench at the break, the out-of-favour Spaniard needed just 20 minutes to make an impact as Chelsea salvaged a draw at the Lane. Having played in just two of the first five league matches, Mata’s role in the pecking order was summed up by Jose Mourinho’s decision to start Ramires on the right of the attacking midfield three but his inspired display seems to have won his manager round. A strong performance, culminating with an assist for John Terry’s equaliser, had the Blues boss purring:

“I think this is the way players have to say I want to play. Blah blah blah is not good, conversations with the press aren’t good, what’s good is the effort he made against Swindon, it’s the way he changed the team in the second half and because of that I’m very happy and I can say with 72 hours in advance, he plays in Steaua Bucharest, he earned that himself.”

It’s now down to Mata to cement a starting role. With 11 goals and 18 assists to his name last season, if he can establish himself, there’s little doubt that Fantasy managers will begin to take notice. Mata was a key target in pre-season leading up to Chelsea double Gameweek, prompting a dramatic drop in FPL price when it became clear that his starting role was less than secure. The Spaniard can now be acquired for 9.6, having started the season valued at 10.5.

Villa Move to 3-5-2
Having trialled a 4-4-2 in last week’s win at Norwich, Paul Lambert’s hand was somewhat forced yesterday afternoon as injuries had a major impact on the resources available. With Gabby Agbonlahor joining Christian Benteke and Ashley Westwood on the sidelines, the Villa boss paired Andreas Weimann and Libor Kozak up top and watched the Austrian grab a first league goal of the season in the home win over City. With Nathan Baker drafted into the defence, Antonio Luna and Leandro Bacuna were handed the wing-back roles – the latter has now started ahead of Matt Lowton on the right in each of the last two fixtures and was the main protagonist for the home side with a goal and assist shocking Manuel Pellegrini’s men. Priced in the budget bracket across the Fantasy games, Bacuna has now started three of the last four but it remains to be seen if Lambert retains the same system once his regulars are fit and available – a switch to a four-man backline would have a detrimental effect on Bacuna’s stock from right-back, given he is listed as a midfielder.

City’s Away Day Blues
It’s one point from three road trips for the Etihad side after yesterday’s surprise defeat. City had already tasted defeat at Cardiff and scraped a draw at Stoke but with Vincent Kompany returning to the fold last week, the prospects of keeping out a Benteke-less Villa looked strong – instead the visitors capitulated and have now shipped three goals in two of those away fixtures, compared to a single goal against in three games in front of their own fans. As doubts begin to rise over their ability to keep out opponents under Pellegrini, Yaya Toure continued his outstanding scoring form under the new manager – the Ivorian notched City’s opener yesterday and has now scored in four of the opening six Gameweeks.

Whittingham Key for Cardiff
The Bluebirds playmaker continued his rise up the Fantasy rankings with an assist in yesterday’s crucial win at Fulham. Whilst team-mate Fraizer Campbell has registered returns in just one of the first six Gameweeks, Whittingham has developed consistency to his displays and produced attacking points in three of those six games – indeed, Malky Mackay’s side have never lost a game yet when the left winger has delivered. Having already beaten City and drawn with Everton, the Welsh outfit go from strength to strength and with Newcastle and Norwich in the next three, Whittingham could well be set for a further upturn in ownership having enjoyed a price rise to 5.1 overnight.

Brady’s Form Continues
Another of the promoted midfielders to take the step up without issue, Brady shrugged off hernia concerns to notch the only goal of yesterday’s home win over West Ham. Having steered the Tigers to victory at Newcastle last weekend, Brady once again produced the goods for Steve Bruce’s side, with a converted spot-kick taking his tally to three goals and an assist in the opening six Gameweeks. Sitting third in the FPL midfield rankings, his next three home games (AVL, SUN, CPL) suggest the former United man could continue his recent form, though trips to Spurs, Everton and Southampton in the six may limit his consistency – at 5.2 in FPL, though, Brady continues to look outstanding value for money. Having ranked highly in our opening Watchlist rankings of the season back in Gameweek 2, Brady has since declined in stock due to the revelation that he may require surgery on the hernia problem. Fantasy managers considering investment in the mid-to-long term will have to consider the likelihood of a short term of absence, although given his form and price tag, that may not be a major concern if he’s selected as a bench midfielder.

Hull’s Home Resilience
Despite a number of alterations to his backline, Steve Bruce watched his side produce a staunch rearguard performance yesterday. With Maynor Figueroa returning to left-back, Liam Rosenior was shifted to the opposite flank as Ahmed Elmohamady moved into right midfield – Abdoulaye Faye came in for the injured James Chester, meaning only Curtis Davies retained the same position from the back-four that started at Newcastle last time around. Hull have now conceded just once in three in front of their own fans – Rosenior and Faye are both just 3.9 in FPL and could offer us a budget option at the back if Bruce keeps the same line-up. Allan McGregor, picked out in our Watchlist updated article earlier this week, now rates fourth in the FPL keeper rankings at 4.5.

Collins Drops to Hammers Bench
Sam Allardyce took the decision to draft in James Tomkins for his first league start of the season at the KC Stadium, dropping James Collins to the bench and breaking up the central defensive partnership with Winston Reid that had looked secure. Collins is currently the top owned West Ham defender in the FPL with over 6% of managers drafting in the Welshman. Priced at 4.6, he looked to be the cheapest route into the Hammer’s rearguard but Fantasy managers may now be forced to look to Razvan Rat as an alternative. The Romanian kept his role at left-back and has now started the last two league outings having been introduced from the bench at Southampton in Gameweek 4. With Spurs and Man City up next, however, there will be little rush to invest and Collins could be set for fall in ownership following yesterday’s omission and the short-term schedule.

Amalfitano the Baggies Hero
West Brom’s on-loan midfielder produce yet another stirring display on the right as Steve Clarke’s side continued their ascent up the table with a shock win at Old Trafford. Amalfitano had arrived on Fantasy radars last week with a goal and couple of bonus points in a 3-0 win over Sunderland but he went one better yesterday, finding the net with a superb solo effort before teeing up Saido Berahino for the visitors’ winner. There’s no doubt the fixtures are far from favourable – it’s Arsenal, Stoke, Liverpool and Chelsea in the next five – but, as yesterday’s display demonstrated, West Brom have the form to overcome such a fearsome schedule. Coming in at 5.0, Amalfitano looks a real steal and has quickly proven to be a key component of Clarke’s new-look XI as the host of summer signings start to gel.

Meanwhile, Fantasy managers may also be monitoring the progress of Berahino as a budget forward priced at just 4.5. Introduced from the bench early on for the injured Scott Sinclair, Berahino may now be in line to earn a run of starts with Steve Clarke indicating a more prominent role to come:

“Saido deserves his place in the team…He’s got goals in him.”

Moyes Pays the Price for Rotation
Having made seven changes from the side that suffered at City last weekend, David Moyes is clearly looking to utilise the depth of his squad as the fixtures come thick and fast. Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra and Rio Ferdinand had played every league game up until yesterday and were omitted from the line-up that faced Liverpool in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday – while Ferdinand took to the field, the other pair missed out again, with the United boss clearly having one eye on the midweek Champions League clash with Shakhtar Donetsk. Given the chopping and changing, it seems David De Gea is the most secure route into Moyes’ defence for now; while the schedule is still firmly on the Red Devils’ side (sun, SOU, STO, ful), a single clean sheet in the last four – at home to Crystal Palace – sums up United’s toils, with that triumph over the Eagles Moyes’ only win since the opening day of the season. After yesterday’s wholesale changes proved disastrous, though, Moyes may think twice over employing the same tactic again.

Rooney’s Strike Not Enough for United
Runaway leader in this week’s Captain Poll, Wayne Rooney justified the show of faith that earned him an extra 227,000 FPL owners in the week gone by. Starting up top alongside midweek goal hero Javier Hernandez, Rooney notched for the third successive league match to continue his recent run of form and, at present, looks the one dependable option under Moyes, with the above-mentioned run of games affording him plenty opportunity to rack up further returns.

Robin Van Persie owners, on the other hand, were left frustrated after Moyes handed him just over half an hour off the bench. The United boss hinted that he planned to limit the Dutchman’s minutes after a recent groin injury and only introduced him when United went behind. With a single goal since Gameweek 1, Van Persie is failing to replicate the form of the previous two seasons and with Moyes clearly looking to protect him ahead of Champions League games (he was withdrawn early in the win over Palace prior to Matchday 1) his legion of owners have plenty to ponder if the situation continues. Rooney’s form presents an obvious exit route and, indeed, he saw further investment overnight with his price now rising to 10.9.

Saints Maintain Resilience
Southampton’s incredible defensive record continued yesterday with a straightforward 2-0 win over Palace at St Mary’s. Mauricio Pochettino’s side have now registered a clean sheet in three successive Gameweeks and with just two goals conceded in their opening six, their backline options have made a mockery of their initial pricing across the Fantasy games. In spite of his superb record, Artur Boruc has risen a mere 0.1 in price so far but with Swansea and United up next, many may postpone investing in the short-term, before the fixtures pick up in Gameweek 9 (FUL, sto, HUL).

The Saints boss also saw his two main forwards finally get their act together. Club record signing Pablo Osvaldo grabbed his first goal since arriving from AS Roma in the summer, while Rickie Lambert ended a recent drought with a superb free-kick as the Saints moved up to fourth. Speaking to the club’s official website after the game, Lambert admitted his relief:

“I’m over-the-moon to get on the scoresheet because I haven’t scored in a few games. I didn’t need people to let me know I haven’t scored because I know that myself. To go one or two games is frustrating, and four is obviously more so. I was desperate to get on the scoresheet sooner rather than later, so I’m happy it came today. For it to come from a free-kick is a bit of a surprise because my free-kicks in training haven’t been going well at all.”