Scout Notes – Gameweek 7 – Saturday

Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge are in the goals again as Liverpool brush aside Palace. Romelu Lukaku notches for the third successive game but Everton lose their unbeaten record at City. Loic Remy bags a brace as Newcastle win at Cardiff, Adnan Januzaj is United’s unlikely hero at Sunderland, whilst Hull’s defence hold steady once again at the KC Stadium.

Suarez and Sturridge Off the Leash
The strike duo continued from where they left off against Sunderland last week as Liverpool swept aside a lacklustre Palace side that have rapidly turned into top-flight whipping boys. Suarez may have been the runaway leader of this week’s Captain Poll but Sturridge is continuing to keep pace with his more expensive team-mate – having picked up the maximum bonus points yesterday, he has outscored the Uruguayan in both his appearances since returning from suspension; all the more impressive given that Suarez has accrued 19 points in those two fixtures.

The pair continue to look enticing propositions, with the fixtures remaining firmly in their favour – with Newcastle, West Brom and Fulham in the next five, the tactic of acquiring both looks stronger with every passing Gameweek. Sturridge has now scored in six of his seven appearances and with Suarez alongside him in a 3-4-1-2, his relentless charge to the top of the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) standings has been more than merited. After the game, their manager was understandably impressed:

“You can see the link-up that they have already. The movement was outstanding and how they combined with each other to arrive in there. They give you a real thrust and a real edge. If we’re away from home and sometimes under the cosh, we counter attack because we’ve got that pace and people willing to join in. It can be a real threat. We’ve done many exercises in order to help and improve that combination, but all we’ve asked is that they work very hard for the team and that natural ability comes out then. They’re both movers, they are not static strikers. Those two occupy a back four on their own because of their movement and cleverness. When they get other players around them, they’re a real threat. You saw the telepathic nature they have to play with each other today. For the team, it really bodes well for us going forward.”

Lukaku Proves his Consistency
It’s four goals in three games now for the on-loan Everton forward after yesterday’s opener at the Etihad. Having plundered the points against West Ham and Newcastle, a trip to City was Lukaku’s big test as Fantasy managers assessed how he would fare against Manuel Pellegrini’s defence – after just 16 minutes we had our answer as he fired the visitors into the lead. With games against Hull, Villa and Palace in the next four, the big Belgian can expect a substantial bandwagon as Fantasy managers take advantage of his kindly price tag – Lukaku is currently priced at 7.7 just now but will surely rise to 8.0 over the upcoming international break.

Toffees Defence Comes Unstuck Again
With three clean sheets in the first four Gameweeks, Roberto Martinez’ backline regulars were subject to substantial investment but the defensive returns have been hard to come by in recent weeks. Granted, a trip to City far from guarantees a clean sheet but yesterday’s 3-1 loss means Everton have now conceded at least twice in each of their last three – whilst Leighton Baines has relied on set-pieces to pick up the points, Seamus Coleman’s owners will be a little concerned; the right-back has mustered just two points from Gameweek 5 onwards.

Aguero Back and Firing
Omitted from last week’s shock loss to Villa due to a minor injury, Sergio Aguero’s return to the XI proved key as City ended the last unbeaten run in the top-flight. Despite missing a second-half spot-kick, the Argentine was amongst the goals yet again – taking his tally to four in four home games so far as Manuel Pellegrini’s side recovered from back-to-back losses in all competitions. Alvaro Negredo was once again preferred over Edin Dzeko – the Spaniard has now started the last four in the league and vindicated Pellegrini’s decision by notching for the first time since Gameweek 3. With West Ham, Norwich and Sunderland in the next four, the duo look poised for a profitable run as City look to maintain the attacking verve that has harvested 17 goals thus far – four more than any other side.

Kolarov Cements His Start
While the City defence continues to falter, Fantasy managers will have noted that Aleksandar Kolarov earned an instant recall to left-back having sat out of the midweek Champions League tie. Manuel Pellegrini relegated Gael Clichy to the bench to recall the Serbian defender – a player renowned for his attacking intent and dead-ball delivery. Kolarov again showed a willingness to get forward and provided several crosses that begged for a finish. Priced at 5.3 in the FPL, Kolarov has now started the last five league outings and is amongst the cheapest options on offer in the City rearguard. He suffered a cut to his head in a clash with team-mate Matija Nastasic which saw him withdrawn on 57 minutes but looks set to be back in the frame for a start when City travel to West Ham in Gameweek 8.

Kolarov would likely need to deliver on his attacking potential to warrant investment. City have three of the next four fixtures away from the Etihad and have conceded six goals in three matches on the road this season. With Vincent Kompany withdrawn with a groin problem that could keep him out after the international break, Fantasy managers will likely shelve their investment plans whilst keeping the Kolarov situation monitored.

Remy’s Form Flourishes
Much of the pre-match talk surrounded Alan Pardew’s bold decision to drop Hatem Ben Arfa but by the time the final whistle sounded, it was another Frenchman who was the talk of Tyneside. Remy rolled up to Cardiff yesterday on the back of three goals in two games and had been handed a role through the middle against Everton last Monday – despite a shift to the left flank against the Bluebirds, the on-loan forward maintained his superb form with a crucial brace as Pardew’s side secured a vital three points. Despite played just 17 minutes in the first three Gameweeks, Remy is now up to third in the FPL forward standings but with Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea in the next four, the fixtures are firmly against him. Subbed off with an ankle knock midway through the second period, Pardew was quick to state that this was precautionary measure.

Mutch Stakes a Claim
Having struck a superb winning goal at Fulham in Gameweek 6, Jordan Mutch was perhaps unfortunate to find himself on the bench for the visit of Newcastle. True to form, he emerged for the second half and played a significant role in rejuvenating the home side as they rallied to push the Magpies to the final whistle. Mutch earned the assist for Peter Odeminwingie’s first goal for the club and will surely be pushing for inclusion at Chelsea when Cardiff resume for Gameweek 8. The 21-year-old is available as a 4.4 midfield asset in the FPL.

Bent Makes The Difference
Dropped from the starting line-up after a series of poor displays, the on-loan forward emerged from the bench to grab the only goal of the game as Fulham secured victory for the first time since Gameweek 1. With the pressure increasing, Martin Jol opted for last season’s front pairing of Dimitar Berbatov and Bryan Ruiz, with the former taking up an advanced role as the Costa Rican moved to the role in “the hole” but Berbatov’s enforced withdrawal proved a blessing in disguise for the hosts as his replacement fired the winner. Bent has now notched twice in five games for the Cottagers and, whilst this is hardly prolific, Berbatov has yet to find the net of games against Southampton, United Liverpool and Swansea in the next five. After the game, Jol revealed the reason for subbing off both Berbatov and Brede Hangeland, after the latter failed to appear for the second period:

“Hangeland had a stiff right side of his back and he couldn’t play on. But I have Fernando Amorebieta and he’s a terrific centre-back. Of course, these substitutions don’t make you stronger as Dimitar Berbatov had to come off also and then you have to come up with something different. I really wanted to get Darren Bent on alongside Berbatov in the latter stages of the game. But I had to take off Berbatov for Bent – if he’d stayed fit I probably would have left him on.”

Blunt Potters
It’s just one goal in the last four Gameweek for Stoke after the narrow loss at Fulham. From a Fantasy perspective, the only point of note in yesterday’s defeat was Mark Hughes’ decision to move Marko Arnautovic into the lone forward role – with Matt Etherington recalled to the left flank, the big Austrian got the nod to lead the line as Kenwyne Jones dropped out. Classified as a midfielder across the Fantasy games, Arnautovic now looks likely to afford us an out of position prospect with West Brom, Southampton and Sunderland in the next five; whether Stoke can find their feet in attacking terms is another matter entirely.

Elsewhere for the Potters, Marc Wilson gave way on 58 minutes after suffering a rib injury earlier in the Craven Cottage encounter – there are little details on the extent of the injury and we must now wait to see if Wilson withdraws from the Republic of Ireland squad for their qualifiers with Germany and Kazakhstan.

Tigers Home Resilience
Saturday’s goalless draw against Villa continued a superb run of home defensive displays by Hull. With four games at the KC now done and dusted, Steve Bruce’s side have conceded just a single strike – with clean sheets also accrued against Norwich and West Ham prior to the midlanders’ visit. Whilst most of the Fantasy interest has surrounded Robbie Brady, Allan McGregor has proven equally as efficient – the Tigers’ stopper is now up to second in the FPL keeper standings on 39 points and with Sunderland, Palace and Stoke three of the next four visitors, more home defensive points look on the menu for the 4.5 priced summer signing. In the defence, both Liam Rosenior and Abdoulaye Faye present 3.9 FPL options, although James Chester’s potential return from a hamstring injury in the next month could lead to a re-shuffle. Curtis Davies, at 4.5, is the leading Bonus Point System (BPS) scorer in the back four having notched a goal back in Gameweek 4.

Januzaj to the Rescue
A goal down at half-time and facing a third consecutive defeat, the champions found an unlikely hero in the form of 18-year-old Adnan Januzaj. The young winger struck both goals in the comeback win at Sunderland, having been handed a spot on the left flank ahead of the likes of Ashley Young and Shinji Kagawa. The teenager justified his manager’s show of faith in his first league start for the Red Devils and, priced at a mere 4.6 in FPL right now, can now expect huge investment over the next couple of weeks as Fantasy managers snap him up in the hope of finding the next cut-price sensation of the season. Certainly, Moyes wasn’t shy in delivering post-match praise and with United’s midfield once again struggling to produce, the youngster’s display could well be enough to nail down a starting berth once the domestic campaign gets back underway in a fortnight’s time:

“I remember giving Wayne Rooney and Ross Barkley their debuts and Adnan is certainly in that quality. He’s a top player. We would have liked to have played him two or three weeks ago but, for different reasons, we weren’t able to. I didn’t want to go with a young player too early on in the season but I thought today was the right time. He has been so good it was difficult not to stop him. He is going to be a great talent, a really special talent. He showed that with his goals and his great ability on the ball, but we’ll keep his feet on the ground here and make sure he gets on with things. We had him in the Reserves on Monday and we won’t let him get ahead of himself.”

Van Persie Drought Continues
Robin Van Persie’s Fantasy owners were eagerly anticipating yesterday evening’s trip to Sunderland, with a return to scoring form expected against the out-of-sorts basement-dwellers. Once again, though, the Dutchman delivered a blank as his frustrating season shows little sign of improving – with just a single converted spot-kick to his name since Gameweek 1, faith in Van Persie’s ability to replicate his previous couple of campaigns is rapidly eroding. His – and, indeed, Wayne Rooney’s – owners face a real dilemma now; significant sales can surely be expected over the upcoming international fortnight but the fixtures remain firmly in United’s favour – back-to-back home games against Southampton and Stoke precede trips to Fulham and Cardiff in the next five, with the duo handed the platform to rack up the goals as Moyes attempts to address his side’s unconvincing start to the season. Those with faith unwavering will likely need to absorb price drops as the volatile market picks up pace over the next week, leading into Gameweek 8.

Fellaini Misses Out
United were without the force of Marouane Fellaini in their midfield for the trip to the North East. The Belgian missed out with a wrist problem which will see him consult a specialist in the next few days, according to David Moyes:

“He’s got a wrist injury. He’s going to see a specialist. It doesn’t sound too good but we’ll wait and find out on Monday.”

Presumably, we could now see Fellaini withdrawn from Belgium’s World Cup Qualifiers with Croatia and Wales, making him a doubt for United’s home meeting with Southampton in Gameweek 8. Right-back, Rafael, could be another injury concern for Moyes. He was forced off late on in Saturday’s win having recently returned to the starting XI; there are little or no details available on his prognosis.