Scout Notes – Gameweek 33 – Monday

Emmanuel Adebayor bags a brace upon his return from injury as Spurs sweep aside sorry Sunderland. Christian Eriksen also runs riot with a goal and two assists, whilst Harry Kane turns in an impressive display on his first league start for the north London outfit:

Eriksen Tames the Black Cats
The Dane served up his second successive double-figure haul at White Hart Lane with another inspirational left-flank display last night. Eriksen’s last home game delivered 18 points against Southampton and he almost repeated the feat with a goal, two assists and maximum bonus helping him accrue 15 points in a comprehensive win over the basement-dwellers. Fielded on the left of a 4-3-1-2, with Nacer Chadli handed the central role behind a front two, the 4%-owned Eriksen made a mockery of his 6.6 price-tag and rewarded the 33,000+ Fantasy managers who snapped him up prior to the weekend deadline. Up next is a trip to West Brom, a side Eriksen has already produced a goal and maximum bonus against earlier this season, and with Fulham, West Ham, Stoke and Villa still to follow, his schedule suggests further investment is on the cards.

Adebayor Back with a Bang
Having missed the previous two Gameweeks with a heel injury, the Tottenham forward announced his return in style last night. Adebayor had dropped to less than 5% ownership but proved himself to be a vital differential by notching twice against Gus Poyet’s strugglers and delivering a 13 point return – he has now averaged 6.7 points per game in 15 outings under Tim Sherwood. Certainly, with double Gameweek forwards the main objects of our attentions this week, Adebayor may find it difficult to earn a space in our three-man frontlines, though a home game with Fulham in Gameweek 35 could well see the bandwagon pick up speed again.

Kane Vindicates Sherwood’s Show of Faith
With plenty of rumours flying around that Sherwood is set to be dismissed after the end of the season, the Spurs boss was in defiant mood prior to last night’s match. Sherwood is adamant his plans for the team won’t be influence by outside pressure, and with Roberto Soldado injured, he handed Harry Kane his first league start for the north London outfit. Whilst Eriksen and Adebayor understandably hogged the headlines, Kane marked his debut with a goal and, priced at just 4.4, could be a bargain if Sherwood retains him in the starting XI from here on in.

Johnson Returns to the Sunderland Starting XI
Having grabbed a goal and assist in his last two appearances as a sub, the midfielder’s owners were relieved to see him back in the Sunderland first-team for last night’s trip to the Lane. Johnson was moved to the role in “the hole” behind Fabio Borini in a 3-5-1-1 formation but, ironically, despite Poyet finally affording him the full 90 minutes, he failed to make any impact in a demoralising defeat. Considering he now has a double, Johnson’s owners will surely retain his services given that he’s back in Poyet’s plans, but bearing in mind next week’s matches are against in-form Everton and City, and with a game against Chelsea directly after, would-be suitors may wait until Gameweek 36 to assess his form – Sunderland than have a trio of home fixtures in the final three rounds of matches, including a double Gameweek 37.

Black Cats’ Resilience Slipping
Last night’s 5-1 mauling means Sunderland have now mustered a single clean sheet in their last seven matches in a run that has seen them concede 17 goals. At the back, John O’Shea was surprisingly dropped, Phil Bardsley and Marcos Alonso were again handed the wing-back roles before Poyet reverted to a 4-4-2 late on in a vain attempt to claw back the deficit, whilst Vito Mannone’s saves ensured he still ended the evening on two points, in spite of the heavy defeat. Palace, Everton and City all approach the double in fine form but Sunderland’s season goes from bad to worse, with last night’s display perhaps causing many Fantasy managers to think twice over drafting in the Wearsiders right now.