Our last glance at the Gameweek gone by assesses Sunderland’s flying winger and turns our attentions to north London, where Tottenham’s attack and Arsenal’s lack of offensive consistency are threatening to shape our Fantasy plans:
The Player
Having racked up a 22-point haul in the previous Gameweek as Sunderland swept aside fellow strugglers Fulham, Adam Johnson was a man in form ahead of the Wearsiders home clash against Southampton. Midway through the first-half, the Black Cats looked dead and buried after their visitors swept into an early two-goal advantage but the former Man City wide man once again came to the rescue to underline the fact that, if his side are to beat the drop, he’s going to have a significant say in the matter.
As Fantasy managers know, there’s a fine line between chasing last week’s points and snapping up a player in form but, in Johnson’s case, it’s becoming increasingly obvious the latter applies. Currently sitting at 6.5 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) – 0.5 less than his starting price – the wide man’s goal, assist and maximum bonus in Saturday lunchtime’s stalemate took his tally to 35 points in just two appearances.
What seems remarkable is that Johnson had started only one of the previous eight Gameweeks under Gus Poyet – and also found the net on that occasion, too. For whatever reason, he seemed to have drifted onto the periphery but is now firmly established as a key figure on the right of the Black Cats’ front three, with his manager lavishing praise on his recent performances.
Whilst his next four away trips (new, mcy, ars, liv) are a little unappealing, Johnson’s remaining home games more than balance the weight in his favour. With Stoke, Hull, West Brom, Palace, West Ham, Cardiff and Swansea constituting seven of the final eight visitors to the Stadium of Light, Poyet could barely wish for a kinder run of games. Bearing in mind Sunderland have already got the better of City, Chelsea and United in front of their own fans, it seems a near-certainty that Saturday’s exploits won’t be the last time Johnson will be making the Fantasy headlines before the season is out.
The Team
A 3-1 win at Swansea took Tottenham’s record to five wins and a draw under Tim Sherwood as the north London club continue to impress as an attacking force. Both Emmanuel Adebayor and Christian Eriksen have been paramount to their turnaround in fortunes and, as winter wildcards continue to be wielded, have deservedly earned plenty of interest on the back of a string of consistent performances.
Sherwood’s decision to switch from 4-4-2 to a 4-2-3-1, with Eriksen tucked in behind the Togo international, didn’t deter the in-form duo last Sunday. Adebayor’s 13-point haul at the Liberty took his tally to 49 points in six (8.2 points per game) since the departure of Andre Villas-Boas and makes a mockery of the Portuguese’s decision to hand him a single sub appearance in the first 16 Gameweeks. Eriksen has earned 42 points (7 ppg) over the same period as Sherwood’s offensive approach allows him to operate with a freedom never afforded under the previous manager.
At 7.8 and 7.3 respectively, it’s hard to overlook such value for money, with the pair also offering a real consistency – Adebayor has returns in five of six, whilst Eriksen has produced the goods four times over the same period. Furthermore, Spurs have now scored 14 times in those six matches under Sherwood – previously, they had produced a paltry 15 in 15 for Villas-Boas.
The signs seem encouraging, then, though the upcoming schedule is perhaps enough to persuade many to either look elsewhere or at least limit their level of immediate investment. Home clashes against City and Everton, with a trip to Hull sandwiched in between, offer Sherwood’s side a stiff test over the short-term as that familiar Fantasy quandary of form against fixtures prepares to collide.
The Talking Point
Whilst the majority of top-flight sides can rely on one or two talents to produce the goods on a near-regular basis, Arsenal, on the other hand, are becoming a real source of Fantasy frustration as the season unfolds. The league leaders have notched 20 fewer goals than City, for example, and whilst the rest of the top four boast consistent performers such as Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure, Eden Hazard, Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge and Steven Gerrard, the Gunners have shared the points around in recent weeks.
The loss of both Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey has left us hoping Mesut Ozil and/or Olivier Giroud can step up. Neither has delivered with any regularity, though – the German has mustered a single assist in five, whilst Giroud, despite being nailed-on as the lone striker, has netted in just three of his last 16 league appearances.
Luckily for the Gunners, others have improved of late. Jack Wilshere has produced attacking returns in each of his last three now, whilst Santi Cazorla’s 16-point haul against Fulham also highlighted the fact that Arsene Wenger’s side are not solely reliant on one or two individuals to make the difference – indeed, the Arsenal manager has acknowledged this last weekend, going on to say:
“It’s the best thing that can happen to us, because if you depend on one player you think you have to put him in cotton wool to keep him fit. For us to know everyone can score and that someone like Ramsey, who is a goalscorer, is not playing at the moment, and Arteta, who can get us a goal as well but is not playing, that is very positive.”
Ozil’s decline has led to significant sales over the last few days. At 10.1 in FPL, the German’s value has been questioned by many, with his departure from Fantasy squads freeing up the cash to splash on fit-again Sergio Aguero. With Walcott out of the picture until next season, Ramsey’s imminent return is bound to see him return to our squads, though a possible role on the right in Walcott’s absence may well dent the Welshman’s appeal for the run-in. Given that Per Mertesacker, with 106 points, is one behind Giroud and only four off Ozil’s 110, some are eyeing up the prospect of investing in the Gunners backline alone, with their increasingly resilient displays making the Arsenal defence far more effective Fantasy options right now.
