Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 5 – The Strong

As ever, our weekly perusal of the winners and losers of the fixture list lottery begins with the teams whose next four to six Gameweeks hold the most promise. A raft of mid-table hopefuls vie for our attention, while a pair of faltering title challengers also have the fixtures to make amends for early season sins.

Burnley

Yet to really get off the ground, Sean Dyche’s team have, nevertheless, shown some grit to emerge from matches against Man United and Crystal Palace with two points. A lack of bite in attack has resulted in just a single goal, though, and the Clarets will be hoping their next four fixtures – home matches against Sunderland and West Ham as well as trips to West Brom and fellow promoted side Leicester – can address that.

Two clean sheets in the last two, however, tells the story of a decent budget-priced defence. Michael Duff has added two bonus points to each of those shut outs to make a mockery of his 4.0 price tag and remains a cut-price alternative to Kieran Trippier in the back-four, whilst in goal, Tom Heaton could continue to prosper with these fixtures. In midfield, the 5.0-priced Scott Arfield missed a spot-kick with first-choice taker Danny Ings off the park but remains a definite option, having already scored against Chelsea in the opening week. At 4.4, though, record signing George Boyd seems to be the cheapest starting midfielder around. Up front, the search for goals won’t be helped by a hamstring problem sustained by Ings and Dyche will look to Lukas Jutkiewicz to step up and deliver on his pre-season promise.

Stoke

Having beaten the reigning Champions on their own turf the Gameweek before, a loss at home to promoted Leicester came as something of a surprise. However, Mark Hughes has plenty of decent looking fixtures to atone for the display and continue the progress his Potters have made in the last 18 months. The next six Gameweeks include home clashes with Newcastle, Swansea and West Ham, plus visits to QPR, Sunderland and Southampton, meaning there ought be points at both ends of the pitch for Fantasy managers.

Fantasy stalwart Asmir Begovic is an ever-present in goal, and in defence, managers can choose between the budget-priced Marc Wilson, whose place is slightly at risk from Robert Huth, the attacking forays of Erik Pieters or the more expensive goal-threat of Ryan Shawcross. Midfield is more of a conundrum, with no one yet sticking their head above the parapet, though both Victor Moses and Steven Nzonzi registered some interesting attacking numbers in the loss to Leicester. Veteran Peter Crouch almost opened his account for the season but Mame Biram Diouf was benched after his international exploits, though is expected to return to the starting XI next weekend.

Sunderland

Three draws and no wins is a frustrating tally for Gus Poyet and he’ll be eager to settle the nerves with a first scalp of the season. The fixture list offers him several candidates, with trips to Burnley and Southampton either side of back-to-back showdowns against Swansea and Stoke at the Stadium of Light.

Vito Mannone has seen off the challenge of Costel Pantilimon to retain the number one jersey, while in defence, the stand-out Fantasy pick is ex-Chelsea player Patrick van Aanholt. The Sunderland midfield has been in fine form in the early stages of the season with four goals and two assists between them so far; Seb Larsson leads the way with exactly half that tally. Up front, it seems that Gus Poyet has yet to settle on his favourite formula – Connor Wickham has played four sets of 90 minutes but Steven Fletcher was unexpectedly left out of the squad that squared up to Tottenham as the youngster shifted from the wing to lead the line at the Scot’s expense.

Southampton

Thumping Newcastle 4-0 to earn their manager some well-deserved plaudits, the Saints have shrugged off their summer plundering to emerge as an early form team. Add to that a very pleasant-looking short-term fixture list and it seems like Fantasy managers could do a lot worse than investing in Ronald Koeman’s side. Home matches against QPR, Sunderland and Stoke combine with Swansea and Hull in the next six, leaving only a visit to former manager Mauricio Pochettino at White Hart Lane to taint their prospects.

Fraser Forster has stepped straight into Artur Boruc’s boots and performed admirably; with two clean sheets so far he presents good value. In defence, we’re blessed with two raiding full-backs to choose from. Nathaniel Clyne has the most Premier League experience, but Ryan Bertrand is pushing hard for inclusion in our thinking – both have chalked up an assist but the former also has a goal to his name.

In midfield, Morgan Schneiderlin has scored three goals in two matches to offer a cheaper option to new signing Dusan Tadic, though the latter’s share of set pieces and more advanced role means he is still worth considering. The big story though is the flowering of Graziano Pelle; his brace against Newcastle confirmed the feelings of many that his physicality would suit the Premier League. With the fixtures available to help maintain momentum, he could provide excellent value for a mere 7.6 in the Fantasy Premier League game.

Also Consider

Newcastle
The knives are out for Alan Pardew, and it’s not hard to see why. After a successful transfer window and promising pre-season, the Magpies have collapsed into disarray, conceding seven goals in two matches to mid-table opposition. If there’s one silver lining to the cloud hanging over the hapless Pardew, it’s that the next four fixtures smile relatively kindly on his bid to arrest Newcastle’s decline. Hull and Leicester roll up to St James’s Park, while a trip to Swansea could also help him save his job.

Many Fantasy managers started the season with Tim Krul in their squads and are now looking nervously at the woeful Newcastle defence, wondering if it may be necessary to use a precious transfer to buy out of the mess, but these fixtures would suggest that the time might not have arrived just yet. It would take a brave manager to invest in the Newcastle attack right now, but for those who think the time is right, Remy Cabella or Emmanuel Riviere look like the best options in the absence of Siem De Jong and Rolando Aarons.

Man United
An upturn in form for Louis van Gaal’s wallet-busting outfit has boosted their Fantasy appeal. Fantasy eyes now fall upon the next four fixtures with renewed interest, as West Ham and Everton visit Old Trafford between trips to Leicester and West Brom. With David De Gea looking firm between the sticks, only Jonny Evans can match him for price with the same long-term prospects.

In midfield, Angel di Maria was as impressive as expected, given the way he mastered La Liga last year but it is just possible that Ander Herrera can give him a run for his money in the value stakes. Whilst Juan Mata chimed in with his second goal of the season, there is enough worry over his starting position to avoid new investment. Up front, it’s hard to say how the long-term will pan out. Wayne Rooney looks undroppable as club captain but could find himself pushed further back to accommodate both Radamel Falcao and Robin van Persie, though the latter’s insipid showing has earned Rooney few fans.

Liverpool
Uncharacteristically anaemic against Aston Villa when so many expected a cricket score, Brendan Rodgers has much to think over. The Reds boss does at least have good fixtures to help resurrect some form – Everton, West Brom and Hull all visit Anfield in the next six and the Merseyside club also travel to to West Ham, QPR and Newcastle. Yet again, the Liverpool defence has looked calamitous, though in terms of attacking potential, Alberto Moreno carries the most appeal. In midfield, it looks unlikely that Rodgers will repeat the catastrophic experiment of resting the vital Raheem Sterling, but as long as the Reds are driving into opponents’ boxes, Steven Gerrard should benefit from penalties. Up front, the injury to Daniel Sturridge handed Mario Balotelli a gift-wrapped opportunity to stake a claim but the mercurial Italian chose to spurn it with a performance so far from super than many new owners are considering jumping ship already.