Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 30 – The Weak

After analysing the sides with Strong upcoming fixtures yesterday, the second part of our weekly assessment focuses on those with menacing-looking opponents. The caprice of the schedule dictates that London teams feature heavily, whilst Southampton also have a couple of road trips which are likely to cause concern:

Tottenham

A gutless performance (to paraphrase Tim Sherwood) was rewarded with humiliation at Stamford Bridge and made it just one goal in three games for Spurs. A sudden fall in form allied with a downturn in fixtures is most unwelcome and the straight-talking manager will be hoping his side shows some character as he looks to navigate games againt Arsenal, Southampton and Liverpool in the next three. With no double Gameweek to garnish their appeal, it’s perhaps no surprise that Tottenham players are amongst the most transferred-out this week.

At the back, Michael Dawson’s hamstring problem adds to an injury list that also includes Vlad Chiriches and Danny Rose, suggesting Tottenham’s resilience will be severely undermined ahead of these dangerous games. The midfield lineup has become rather unpredictable lately, with Christian Eriksen the main source of woe for Fantasy managers, and many will use these fixtures as the trigger to rid themselves of the headache. Emmanuel Adebayor is a slightly trickier question, but with double Gameweek assets shrieking for attention, his recent form blip and these fixtures mean that many will be minded to part ways with the Togolese striker, at least temporarily, until the fixtures brighten from Gameweek 33.

Arsenal

Last night’s draw in Munich saw Arsene Wenger’s side leave the Champions League and, whilst they will be frustrated, it may be for the best – the last thing they require over the coming weeks is another distraction. Arsenal will need all their focus on a schedule that will likely decide their season as they prepare to face a couple of title rivals plus Tottenham and Everton in the next four weeks. A double Gameweek that includes a home fixture against Swansea scarcely compensates for such a daunting trial and many Fantasy managers are preparing to offload their Gunners assets in favour of players with paths of lower resistance.

The Arsenal defence has been a prolific source of clean sheets and bonus points but Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker et al will be hard pressed to maintain their level of returns against this opposition. Mesut Özil’s injury accelerates his slide from Fantasy Watchlists but in truth, with form and fixtures against him, few Fantasy managers would have been interested at this point. Olivier Giroud is a different matter, though. A brace against Everton in the FA Cup continued the Frenchman’s resurgent form and presents his owners with a conundrum, though the upcoming schedule is as tough a test of the old “form over fixtures” maxim as we’re ever likely to see. Finally, Aaron Ramsey is also worthy of note; the early-season Fantasy bandwagon has been injured since Boxing Day but reports suggest he may be back in contention for the double Gameweek. These fixtures probably make it unwise to bring the Welsh prodigy straight back into our midfields but if he comes through unscathed and in form, he will be a strong contender for Arsenal’s splendid run-in, starting around Gameweek 35.

Fulham

Felix Magath clearly had a tough task on his hands regardless of fixtures, with his squad looking bereft of both confidence and cohesion. Failing to take points from relegation rivals Cardiff was a big blow and his job is even harder now. The next six Gameweeks contain games against Man City, Everton and Tottenham and few would bet on the Cottagers picking up anything from those encounters. Few Fulham players have darkened the doors of Fantasy Watchlists this term, let alone made it into actual squads but new Greek striker Kostas Mitroglou raised eyebrows as an interesting prospect, arriving off the back of 17 goals in 19 appearances for Olympiacos. These fixtures, plus the lack of a double Gameweek, will surely quell the interest even his most ardent admirers, pending further evidence of points potential.

BE WARY OF

Cardiff
Ole Gunnar Solksjær’s team may have boosted their chances of survival with a crucial win over Fulham but a trip to Everton and visit of Liverpool will test the Bluebirds’ resilience. The going eases up after that but right now it’s hard to recommend many Cardiff players for Fantasy purposes. At the back, Steven Caulker’s owners may have to rely on further attacking returns from the goalscoring centre-half and, whilst Ben Turner has found his way back to the first team, his owners will be inclined to bench. Further up the field, Craig Noone, at 4.3, looks like a bargain but will find it hard to attract investment over the next few weeks.

Hull
Only Sunderland fans and the cold-hearted would begrudge the hard-working Tigers their place in the FA Cup semi-finals. A spirited win over the Black Cats showed that their form has not tailed off as the season wears on, and with a decent looking double Gameweek 31 coming, many Fantasy managers are eyeing up their kindly-priced assets. The fixtures surrounding the double counsel caution, though – with Man City beforehand and Stoke, Arsenal and a blank in the following four, returns look limited to the double Gameweek and the visit of Swansea a couple of weeks later. James Chester seems to be back in the first-team following his latest injury whilst Nikica Jelavic is in good form – both offer decent value options but few Fantasy managers are likely to load up on the Tigers.

Southampton
Saints players featured heavily in many managers’ plans for dealing with last week’s decimated fixture list and most of us will own at least one of Mauricio Pochettino’s players. Home games against Norwich, Newcastle and Cardiff in the upcoming five look promising but the downside is trips to Tottenham and Man City, with the White Hart Lane encounter arriving in Gameweek 31, at a time when 10 teams play twice. Carrying one or two Saints players through these stern tests could be manageable but anyone who took the plunge with a triple-up may now take the opportunity to capitalise instead on double Gameweek options.