Scout Notes – Gameweek 15 – Saturday

Luis Suarez serves up yet another scintillating home display as Liverpool sweep aside West Ham at Anfield. Yohan Cabaye nets the winner at Old Trafford but is set to serve a one-match ban, Palace’s revival under Tony Pulis picks up pace, Leroy Fer steers Norwich to victory at The Hawthorns, whilst Andre Schurrle scores twice in a rare start for Chelsea before limping off injured.

Suarez at the Summit
Runaway winner of the Gameweek 15 Captain Poll, the Liverpool forward once again justified our collective show of faith with a goal, two assists and maximum bonus points in a 4-1 win over West Ham. A 15-point haul against the Hammers was Suarez’ sixth set of double figures in just 10 appearances – since returning from suspension in Gameweek 6, he has now played a part in 21 of his side’s 29 goals, finding the net 14 times in addition to supplying seven assists. Despite missing the first five matches of the campaign, the Uruguayan’s stunning form saw him finally climb to the top of the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) standings last night, with an average of 11.4 points per game – with trips to Spurs, City and Chelsea in the next four, though, his incredible consistency looks set to be tested.

Steve Gerrard owners were left sweating over the midfielder’s fitness after he was subbed off just before the hour mark. Post-match, Brendan Rodgers confirmed his captain was forced off with a hamstring injury and will be assessed over the next 48 hours. The Reds boss also praised Mamadou Sakho – the Frenchman stood in for the ill Daniel Agger and found the net against the Hammers, with Rodgers admitting “he looked like he wanted to take his opportunity”. With a single clean sheet since Gameweek 3, though, in addition to the above-mentioned schedule, Fantasy faith in Liverpool’s defence could barely be any lower right now.

Cabaye Sinks United but Topples off the Tightrope
Newcastle atoned for their midweek loss at Swansea by handing United their second successive 1-0 home defeat courtesy of a Yohan Cabaye strike. Alan Pardew’s decision to drop Shola Ameobi and move to 4-3-3 saw Yoan Gouffran and Moussa Sissoko flank Loic Remy up top but it was their compatriot Cabaye who proved the difference, firing home the winner just after the hour mark. Since being handed his first start of the season in Gameweek 4, Cabaye’s consistency means he has never gone more than a single Gameweek without producing returns – he’s now scored or assisted in seven of the last 11 league matches but an eighth minute yellow card means he’s set to serve a one-match ban for next weekend’s home game against Southampton before returning for the Gameweek 17 trip to Palace.

Moyes’ Home Woes Continue
The return of Robin Van Persie made no difference to the champions, who have now scored a single goal in the last three matches in front of their own fans. With eight Old Trafford games already played, David Moyes’ side have scored just eight times – an average of one goal per home game is better than just two sides, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa. Last season, United’s home haul of 45 goals was second only to Arsenal, with Van Persie proving a reliable captaincy contender in almost every Old Trafford match but his side’s inability to break down opponents is proving a major headache for Moyes. It’s almost a relief, then, for their under-fire manager that three of the next four matches are on the road – with Wayne Rooney back on board alongside the Dutchman, trips to Villa, Hull and Norwich bode well for a return to scoring ways.

Aguero Ticks Over at St Mary’s
After picking up the midweek points at the Hawthorns, City’s frailties on the road returned to haunt them yesterday afternoon. Manuel Pellegrini’s side were expected to comfortable take care of injury-hit Southampton but had to settle for no more than a draw, with Sergio Aguero once again their goal hero. The Argentine’s tenth minute opener takes his tally to the season for 12 goals – equalling his haul for 2012/13, though he’s managed to achieve this in 1,069 minutes compared to 1,944 minutes last time around, a clear sign of his improvement under Chilean’s guidance. With Suarez set for some tough road trips, many may turn to Aguero for the armband; he has three home games in the next four but those include the visit of Arsenal and Liverpool, suggesting out short-term captaincy decisions may be a little trickier than usual.

Eagles on the Rise
It’s two home wins in a row now for Crystal Palace under the guidance of new boss Tony Pulis. Having netted against West Ham in midweek, Marouane Chamakh looks a man reborn after finding the net once more in the 2-0 triumph over Cardiff, whilst strike-partner Cameron Jerome also grabbed a goal as Pulis’ 4-4-2 formation overpowered the Bluebirds. From a Fantasy perspective, the focus on Palace’s defensive assets will surely increase after yesterday’s result – they’ve now conceded just one goal in the last five Gameweeks in an extraordinary turnaround in resilience. Trips to Chelsea and City, allied with a visit of Newcastle in the net four will certainly prove sterner tests but Palace’s home/away rotation with Cardiff looks eye-catching all the way up to Gameweek 27 – Dean Moxey’s owners will be awaiting an injury update after the left-back was subbed off midway through the first period with a hamstring problem.

Fer’s Eye for Goal Continues
The Dutchman grabbed a goal and assist as Norwich recovered from their midweek annihilation at Anfield in impressive style. While our Spot the Differential pick Nathan Redmond chipped in with his third assist in the last five in the 2-0 Hawthorns win, Fer’s strike means he has now found the net three times over the same period, having also notched against West Ham and Newcastle last month. Now up to 59 points in FPL (seven less than Chelsea’s Oscar, for example) Fer now braces himself for a schedule that sees the Canaries entertain Swansea and Sunderland and travel to Fulham and Palace in the next five – at 5.8, he remains a huge differential, with an ownership under 1%, and has started each of the last 14, having been suspended for the season opener against Everton.

Schurrle at the Double
The German proved an unlikely source of goals for Chelsea in his first start since Gameweek 9. Schurrle had been handed just 30 minutes off the bench over the past five league matches and had seemed a peripheral figure under Jose Moutinho but vindicated his recall by bagging a brace at the Britannia. Indeed, Schurrle has now scored three times in his last two starts for the Blues – bearing in mind Juan Mata has yet to open his account and Willian has netted just once, the German’s recent bench-warming duties seem a little unjust. Forced off a calf problem, Schurrle’s injury situation needs monitoring before looking to take a punt on the 7.1 priced midfielder – yesterday’s showing will surely have earned him another start if his withdrawal proves merely precautionary. At the back, though, Mourinho has plenty to ponder – his side have conceded three in each of the last two games and have a single clean sheet in 10 now; the Chelsea manager blamed “individual mistakes” for yet another poor defensive showing.

Potters Midfield in the Points
As many as four Stoke midfielders picked up attacking returns as a 3-2 win over Chelsea helped them to a second victory in the last 12 league fixtures. While the likes of Jon Walters, Marko Arnautovic and Oussama Assaidi all produced, substitute Stephen Ireland was the main protagonist – climbing off the bench to replace Charlie Adam in the role in “the hole”, the former Villa bagged a goal and assist to suggest that, at 4.6, he has the potential to provide us with a real budget option; all the more so if Adam fails to recover from the problem that forced his withdrawal on 18 minutes. With Hull, Villa and Newcastle in the next three, Mark Hughes’ side will have little fear in light of their battling display against the Blues – they will need to make do without Walters for their visit to the KC next weekend, though; he picked up his fifth yellow of the season yesterday and will serve a one-match ban.

Paulinho Starts to Deliver
The Brazilian had started the last two in “the hole” for Tottenham but despite being shifted into a more withdrawn berth, he still managed to get amongst the goals in the 2-1 win at Sunderland. Paulinho has scored just twice this term but his ability to bomb forward into the box and fire efforts on goal suggests he may still yet prove to be a viable Fantasy force this season – he has registered at least eight more attempts in the area than any other midfielder but has proven woefully unable to finish off the multitude of chances teed up by team-mates. With an assist also accrued in his last three, the summer signing – now down to 6.7 in FPL – is the only midfielder to have started every league match under Andre Villas-Boas and may yet be worth a punt ahead of three home games in the next four.