Scout Notes – Gameweek 35 – Saturday

Christian Eriksen produces a pair of assists and Harry Kane notches for the third successive match as Spurs ease past Fulham. Palace deliver another clean sheet in a hard-fought win at West Ham, Marko Arnautovic is amongst the points once more for Stoke, Wilfried Bony bags a brace as Swansea get the better of Newcastle, whilst a defiant display from Vito Mannone helps Sunderland stun Chelsea at the Bridge:

Eriksen and Kane in the Points Once Again
The Tottenham pair continued to serve up the Fantasy returns in a routine home win over neighbours Fulham. Eriksen’s pair of assists, supplemented by the maximum bonus, took his tally to 55 points in the last five Gameweeks and saw him deliver a double-figure haul for the third successive home appearance as his rapid ascent up the Fantasy rankings continues.

Kane’s immediate impact on the Spurs first-team shows no sign of abating. Handed a role alongside Emmanuel Adebayor, with fit-again Roberto Soldado consigned to a brief sub appearances, Kane’s strike means he has now scored in all three of his league starts for the north London outfit and has outscored his strike partner by 21 points to 15 over that period – still priced at 4.4, his budget-friendly appeal could yet persuade more to take a punt as a means to free up cash to splash elsewhere.

Sidwell’s Form Continues
The Fulham midfielder grabbed his seventh of the season before missing a late spot-kick in yesterday’s 3-1 loss. Sidwell has now scored or assisted in three of his last four appearances, and with home games against Hull and Palace still to follow, he looks set to be handed further opportunity to get amongst the goals – he’s now scored as many times as the likes of David Silva and Jason Puncheon this term, yet in spite of a 5.2 price-tag, sits in just 6% of Fantasy teams with three matches remaining.

Jedinak On the Spot as Palace Win Again
Tony Pulis’ side served up a fifth clean sheet in the last seven Gameweeks as they racked up a fifth successive victory away to West Ham. Whilst their defence once again delivered, Jason Puncheon’s owners were left frustrated after Mile Jedinak stepped up to slot home a second-half spot-kick – clearly, Puncheon has dropped down the pecking order since his infamous missed penalty against Spurs back in Gameweek 21, and with Glenn Murray not on the pitch at the time of yesterday’s award, it seems Jedinak is next in line to benefit.

Saints Toiling Without Rodriguez
Mauricio Pochettino’s side have now gone back-to-back matches without a goal since Jay Rodriguez was sidelined for the season. Last week’s shock 1-0 home loss to Cardiff was followed by a drab goalless draw at Villa yesterday as Rickie Lambert struggled to pose any real threat to the home side’s goal – with home showdowns against Everton and United in the final three, many may decide to cash in on their Saints attacking assets as double Gameweek 37 starts to play a part in our transfer strategy. As expected, Pochettino reinstated Nathaniel Clyne at right-back ahead of Calum Chambers, while Jack Cork also dropped to the bench with Victor Wanyama recalled in midfield.

Arnautovic Consistency On the Rise
A converted spot-kick took the Austrian’s tally to a couple of goals and three assists in his last six appearances as Stoke grabbed a share of the spoils at Cardiff. Arnautovic managed just one goal and two assists in his first five months at the Britannia club, but since January, he’s moved to three goals and eight assists for the season to suggest he could be one to watch next time around if he continues in the same vein. Peter Odemwingie’s assist against his former club means he has delivered four goals and an assist in the last six – if he’s reclassified as a midfielder in next season’s Fantasy games, the Nigerian also looks one to consider from Mark Hughes’ side.

Bony at the Double
Having gone three games without a goal, the Swansea forward returned to form with a brace in a crucial away win over Newcastle. With Michu ruled out due to an ankle complaint, Bony’s contribution was vital as the Welsh side edged closer to safety by inflicting a fifth consecutive defeat on the Magpies. Bony has now scored 10 times and delivered a pair of assists since the turn of the year, and with back-to-back home games against Villa and Southampton followed by a trip to Sunderland, the 7.2-priced Ivorian looks the perfect combination of form and fixtures for the final three Gameweeks as Garry Monk looks to secure his side’s top-flight survival.

Mixed News Up Front for Pardew
Shola Ameobi’s first-half strike ended a run of four games without a goal for the Tyneside team. Alan Pardew’s injury worries continued, however, after both Papiss Cisse and Luuk de Jong were forced off with knee and ankle problems before the break – according to local reports, Cisse left St James’ Park in crutches, whilst De Jong had his foot in a brace. The Magpies boss can at least take some solace from Loic Remy’s return after the Frenchman climbed off the bench to mark his first appearances since Gameweek 28, having finally recovered from a calf injury.

Wickham Delivers Again as Black Cats Stun Jose
Having bagged a brace in Wednesday’s draw at the Etihad, the Black Cats frontman was in the goals again as Chelsea’s run of six successive clean sheets at the Bridge came to an abrupt end. With Petr Cech ruled out as a result of a minor illness, Wickham netted the first in a 2-1 win which will have huge ramifications at both ends of the table. Fabio Borini’s spot-kick duties helped him net for the first time since Gameweek 24 as Gus Poyet’s side served up one of the biggest shocks in Premier League history to move within three points of safety. With their morale sky-high on the back of their previous two results, Fantasy faith in the Wearsiders is likely to be on the up – Poyet’s side are now handed three home fixtures in the last three Gameweeks (CAR mun/WBA SWA) against a trio of relegation rivals, and with a price of 4.6 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), Wickham, in particular, could be set for major investment.

Mannone the Black Cats’ Saviour
The Italian’s heroics between the sticks proved the undoing of Jose Mourinho’s long-standing home record as Chelsea boss. Mannone registered an outstanding 14 saves as the hosts laid siege to his goal and served up a six-point haul for his owners in the 2-1 triumph. Still only 4.5 in FPL, Mannone is owned by 9% of managers heading into the final three Gameweeks, and whilst many will be reluctant to invest in a keeper, his average of 4.6 points per game – compared to the highest Sunderland defenders Phil Bardsley and John O’Shea, with 2.8 apiece – highlights his performances in comparison to any other player in Poyet’s back line.