Scout Notes – Gameweek 32 – Saturday

Wayne Rooney bags a brace as United put four past Villa at Old Trafford. Adam Lallana, Jay Rodriguez and Rickie Lambert are in the points as Southampton thrash Newcastle at St Mary’s. Jonathan de Guzman nets twice in Swansea’s win over Norwich, Peter Odemwingie scores for the third successive match, whilst David Silva grabs City’s goal in the evening stalemate at the Emirates.

Rooney and Mata to the Rescue for Moyes
The hosts turned around a one-goal deficit to register an emphatic win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford, handing United the perfect morale boost ahead of Tuesday’s crunch clash with Bayern. Wayne Rooney’s brace took his tally to six goals in as many matches, or four in three games as the more advanced forward since Robin van Persie was ruled out with injury, whilst Juan Mata – fielded in “the hole” in a 4-2-3-1 – ended a six-game drought with a goal and assist in the 4-1 win over Paul Lambert’s side. Despite their toils, yesterday’s showing may have done enough to suggest United’s main men could still be worth our attention over the run-in – Rooney is now just one point behind Daniel Sturridge in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) standings and has just 14% ownership, whilst Mata sits in just 8% of FPL sides. A blank Gameweek 34 dents their immediate appeal, but with a home clash against Norwich preceding a pair of home fixtures against Sunderland and Hull in double Gameweek 37, one, if not both, will surely be worth considering.

Post-match, David Moyes revealed that he will have to assess both Rafael and Antonio Valencia prior to the Tuesday’s European tie. Rafael was forced off at half-time in yesterday’s win with a knock, whilst Valencia was absent from the squad with tendinitis in his knee. It was also notable that Patrice Evra was omitted from the squad having also missed the trip to West Ham in Gameweek 31. Evra is banned for Tuesday’s Bayern tie with Moyes presumably deciding on Alex Buttner in yesterday’s clash in order to earn him further pitch time. It remains to be seen if Evra returns to the fold for the trip to Newcastle next weekend.

Saints Mid-Priced Trio Run Riot against the Magpies
The recent double Gameweek saw many Fantasy managers part company with their Southampton attacking assets – they were made to regret that decision almost immediately, as Adam Lallana, Jay Rodriguez and Rickie Lambert all racked up the points in a 4-0 home thrashing of Newcastle. Lallana was transferred out by over 160,000 prior to the Gameweek 31 deadline but, having netted at Spurs last weekend, he grabbed a goal and assist, mirroring Lambert’s haul, whilst Rodriguez recovered from a knee knock to bag a brace against the Magpies. Next week’s trip to City is unlikely to persuade many to snap up any of Mauricio Pochettino’s main men, but with Cardiff, Villa and Swansea in the following four, the Saints trio look poised to continue their outstanding Fantasy seasons. Lallana is now third for midfielders, whilst Rodriguez and Lambert sit fifth and six amongst the forwards, with price hikes for all three looking on the cards next season.

Odemwingie’s Scoring Streak Continues
A move to Stoke in the winter transfer window has worked wonders for the Nigerian. A peripheral figure at former club Cardiff, Odemwingie has been revitalised by his Britannia switch and, despite playing on the right of the attacking midfield three, has now scored five times in nine appearances under Mark Hughes. Impressively, four of those strikes have arrived in the last three matches, and with the Staffordshire outfit embarking on a run which has seen them lose once in the last nine (away to Man City), it’s clear their new manager’s tactical approach has finally reaped reward after a slow start to the season. Stoke still have Newcastle, Cardiff, Fulham and West Brom left to face, whilst Odemwingie – if classified as a midfielder next term – definitely looks one to monitor.

Elsewhere on the Stoke team sheet it was notable that Charlie Adam returned from suspension, only to sit on the bench, seeing action in the final eight minutes. Hughes now faces a real selection headache ahead of the trip to Chelsea, with Jon Walters also eligible for a return and pushing for inclusion in the starting XI.

De Guzman at the Double as Swans Sweep Aside Canaries
After an array of tinkering since taking over from Michael Laudrup, Garry Monk may have finally found his ideal trio behind Wilfried Bony. Having mainly been utilised in a withdrawn role since arriving in Wales, Jonathan de Guzman has now played each of the last two on the right of the attacking midfield three – the Dutchman played a vital role in yesterday’s home clash with Norwich by scoring twice in the 3-0 win. With fellow wide man Wayne Routledge also finding the net and Michu and Bony chipping in with an assist apiece, Monk’s four main attackers all served up the points as the Welsh club continued a series of displays which has seen his side score seven times in three games over the last week. Pablo Hernandez, having impressed in recent weeks playing behind the lone striker, was consigned to the bench and limited to a 17-minute appearance – his starting role clearly looks under threat. The Swans now sit seven points clear of the bottom three, and with Hull, Newcastle, Villa and Sunderland amongst their remaining opponents, Monk’s side will be confident of serving up the goals and points which will secure their safety.

Terry Mistake Helps Palace Rip Up the Form Book
Tony Pulis’ side welcomed Chelsea to Selhurst Park on the back of a record which had seen them clock up one clean sheet in six and score a single goal in their previous five. With the Blues hitting Arsenal for six last week, a routine away win was expected but a spirited home display, boosted by a John Terry own goal, was enough to secure the most unexpected of victories for the Eagles. Next up is a clash with fellow-strugglers Cardiff before double Gameweek 34 – Joel Ward produced 12 points in yesterday’s win, with an assist and maximum bonus also accrued, and looks the safest option amongst Pulis’ regulars.

Jose Mourinho’s side have now lost each of their last two road trips 1-0 and are starting to stumble just when the schedule looked in their favour. Having been beaten at Villa by a similar scoreline, Chelsea’s recent woes are a worry for Fantasy managers who opted for the double-up option at the back, whilst Eden Hazard’s goal threat has mainly came from spot-kicks – the Belgian’s last three strikes have come courtesy of converted penalties and, in terms of away displays, he has now notched just once in his last nine appearances on the road.

Rare Blank for Yaya as Silva Nets in Emirates Draw
After producing no more than an assist over last week’s double, the Spaniard was sold on by almost 12,000 FPL managers ahead of the weekend deadline. Silva’s opener in the evening kick-off at the Emirates, supplemented by the maximum bonus in a 1-1 stalemate, took his recent tally to 32 points in four league matches, highlighting the 7%-owned midfielder’s current form for the Etihad side. With Edin Dzeko chipping in with an assist, Yaya Toure’s owners were left with no more than a single-point return after the Ivorian picked up a yellow against Arsene Wenger’s outfit. Whilst Mathieu Flamini’s leveller ended a run of five straight clean sheets, Manuel Pellegrini’s outfit remain in pole position for the title, with home games against Southampton, Sunderland and West Brom in the next three sure to prompt further investment in Silva as City look to return to winning ways.

Caulker and Mutch Deliver Again
The Bluebirds centre-half grabbed his fifth goal of the season in a six-goal thriller at the Hawthorns. Caulker’s threat in the opposition’s box continues to keep his Fantasy points ticking over – despite Cardiff’s inability to earn shut-outs, he has now moved above the likes of Bacary Sagna and sits just behind Pablo Zabaleta for defenders in the FPL rankings. Caulker is now over 40 points ahead of any other Cardiff defender, though with 11 goals conceded in the last three matches, it’s fair to say he looks unlikely to deliver clean sheets anytime soon. Elsewhere, Jordan Mutch’s strike, supplemented by the maximum bonus, helped the midfielder serve up his third double-figure haul in the last four Gameweeks and justify the bandwagon which earned him over 85,000 new owners last week. Still very favourably priced at 4.6 in FPL, he now has Palace, Stoke and Sunderland in the next four to maintain his impressive form.

Baggies Differentials in the Points
Victor Anichebe failed to recover in time from a hamstring injury but Pepe Mel’s side still took advantage of the Bluebirds’ porous backline. The Baggies boss fielded a 4-2-3-1 set-up and saw wide men Graham Dorrans and Morgan Amalfitano grab a goal apiece, whilst Thievy climbed off the bench to also find the net – given that Amalfitano, with a 1.4% ownership, is the most popular of the trio, it’s fair to say their exploits had minimal impact on the Fantasy landscape. Unfortunately for West Brom, the schedule is far from favourable and games are rapidly running out in their bid to beat the drop – up next is a trip to Norwich, and with Spurs, City and Arsenal in the subsequent four, it’s difficult to justify any sort of investment in the Midlands outfit.