This Much We Know – Gameweek 13

With another Gameweek just over 24 hours away, we spend Monday lunchtime contemplating the lessons learned from the weekend events, featuring Ramsey, Rooney, Tottenham’s wingers and player-list frustrations.

Ramsey and Arsenal are unrelenting…
I’m not quite sure who is more off the mark – those of us who continue to ignore Aaron Ramsey in the hope that his form may subside, or those who persist in writing off Arsenal’s title challenge on the grounds that their defence will not stand up to the stern tests to come.

Ramsey’s form is rapidly becoming the most extraordinary rise of any Fantasy asset in living memory. Valued at just 5.5 at the start of the season, his eight Premier League goals have since added 1.9 to that price tag and yet still he looks too good a proposition to turn down. The huge caveat is, of course, his popularity amongst the top ranks. Those making the move to Ramsey now will need to stomach the fact that they are signing a Fantasy asset who will do little to help close a mini-league gap, whilst costing them considerably more than their rivals have paid. It feels like defeat – a white-flag moment.

That’s something that Arsenal seem unlikely to experience. Inspired by Ramsey’s improbable finishing ability, the Gunners charge is looking convincing. Meanwhile, at the back, it’s now one goal conceded in the last five league games. It’s hard to argue with that.

Villas-Boas still can’t find the men to feed Soldado…
Andros Townsend was benched for the second successive Gameweek and was joined by Erik Lamela, as Aaron Lennon and Nacer Chadli were charged with providing the threat down the flanks for Spurs – their priority surely to provide the supply for the ailing Roberto Soldado.

While there was spirit, intent and two goals for the home side, Tottenham’s threat from the flanks fizzled with Lennon eventually replaced by Townsend just after the hour mark. The stats show just how little was produced from the huff and puff of Villas-Boas’ widemen: Chadli was the only one of the pair to create a goalscoring opportunity, while Lennon’s numbers are, at best, incredibly ordinary. Lennon completed just eight passes in his 65 minute appearance, fetching just one pass in the final third and receiving a pass every 6.5 minutes – only Hugo Lloris saw less of the ball. For all his critics, Townsend came on and easily surpassed those numbers in the 25 minutes that remained.

Doubtless Villas-Boas will reshuffle again for the trip to the Cottage on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Soldado’s toils without a goal continue – it’s now just two goals in his last ten league starts.

Moyes can’t afford to rest Rooney…
Having stated that he will look to give his striker a breather, Moyes has quickly retracted such an idea, suggesting that only a drop in Rooney’s form will find him rested to the bench. Having watched Rooney stand head and shoulders above all others for yet another 90 minutes, there’s little wonder that Moyes is resisting the inevitable. Rooney may well burn out over the busy Christmas period, but United simply can’t do without him. Without the ruthless Robin van Persie in the attack, Rooney is being charged with inspiring from deep, whilst also hurting opponents in the box. Meanwhile, his dead-ball delivery remains crucial.

It’s all looking rosy right now for Rooney backers – five goals and five assists in his last six league starts shows incredible consistency. Interestingly, United have drawn three of those matches, whilst keeping a clean sheet in just one. Clear evidence that, without Rooney, United’s title challenge would have likely all but dried up before Christmas. As it is, Moyes is having to bank on Rooney’s ability to produce match-to-match, in the hope that he can get van Persie fit enough to share the burden of keeping pace with Arsenal and City. Still walking the suspension tightrope, Moyes will have to hope that Rooney can stay out of trouble against his former club on Wednesday, whilst looking to time his striker’s absence for the Capital One Cup tie with Stoke in just over a fortnight. Look for that yellow card against Villa in Gameweek 16, then, together with palpable signs of relief on the face of Moyes and Rooney’s Fantasy owners alike.

You can hear the air-raid sirens over Selhurst Park…
The 1-0 defeat at Norwich provided some evidence as to how Tony Pulis will attempt to drag Crystal Palace clear of the trap door. Blood and thunder, with a reliance on home matches and set-pieces is surely going to be the order of the day. Post-match, grizzled centre-back Damien Delaney confirmed that Pulis has been focusing on set-plays in training and Fantasy managers may well be contemplating how they can possibly attempt to cash in on this new emphasis. Certainly, if ever there was a time to back a cheap Palace asset, it’s now. Six of their next seven matches at Selhurst Park have them face teams in the lower half of the table – if Pulis’ systems and tactics have a chance, we’re going to see them in full effect in the next two months.

Benteke’s goal drought is becoming alarming…
We saw Christian Benteke’s return as an opportunity to find a differential that would break the template up front. Meanwhile, Paul Lambert surely cited the return of his Belgian striker as a turning point that would spark a run of form and an ascent up the table. Neither has materialised.

With 23 goals in his debut season and four in his opening five matches this time around, the expectations were understandable. Hauled off to jeers from the Villa faithful in the Sunderland stalemate, and without a goal in seven outings, there could now even be question marks over his start at Southampton as Lambert considers taking the out-of-sorts striker out of the firing line. For Fantasy managers, Benteke’s form is hugely frustrating, leaving us picking from a the Aguero/Suarez/Rooney/Lukaku/Remy pool of options, as the template forward line is cemented further.

Classification is king when it comes to finding bargains….
While Leighton Baines’s toe injury should have opened up options in the Everton ranks, Fantasy managers were left ruing the pre-season position classifications as Bryan Oviedo and Gerard Deulofeu took centre stage in the 4-0 rout of Stoke. Oviedo stepped into Baines’ boots to return a goal and assist on his Premier League debut, while Deulofeu tormented the Potters back four with mesmeric footwork, capped by his own goal and assist combination. While the talent and potential was there to see, for Fantasy Premier League managers, their performances were of little consequence. As a midfielder, Oviedo is scarcely even an option, while Deulofeu’s classification as a forward will surely mean that only the very bravest will dismantle their settled template and gamble on the Barcelona loanee, even with an eye-catching price of 5.4. In a season where we are desperately looking to break the mould, imagine how significant Deulofeu could have been as a midfield option, at a time when midfielders continue to show erratic Fantasy form. Opportunity denied.

Our bench needs to stay alive…
Rest and rotation is coming, with the weekend providing an early indication as to what we can expect. The likes of Ravel Morrison, Michael Turner, Nathan Baker and Ross Barkley may not be names on which our seasons depend, but they can be key figures when it comes to getting eleven Fantasy figures out in a single Gameweek. All, except Morrison, were left unused in their respective matches, with Turner and Baker surely now facing a spell out in the cold as their Fantasy owners ponder replacements.

Of course, the temptation is to postpone such a move and prioritise something decidedly more sexy – that Theo Walcott transfer, the belated move to Ramsey. However, the “dead” bench players can quickly mount up and, with further rotation looking inevitable in December, we’re going to need all our troops present who are able to at least deliver two points – with the hope of more – if we’re to make it through the Christmas period without some severe bouts of frustration aimed at the Premier League teamsheet tinkerers.