Scout Notes – Gameweek 8 – Saturday

Diego Costa goes AWOL to allow Sergio Aguero to take centre stage with a four-goal blitz of Spurs. Southampton’s burgeoning cast of Fantasy assets march all over a sorry Sunderland, while Diafra Sakho, Alexis Sanchez and Oscar are in the goals again. Here’s the notes from Saturday’s outings….

Costa Sits out Palace Win
Diego Costa failed to make the squad for Chelsea’s victory over Burnley yesterday – his first non-appearance of the season after weeks of uncertainty surrounding his fitness. To make matters worse for his 66% ownership, Jose Mourinho confirmed post-match that Costa would remain sidelined for the Blues’ midweek Champions League clash with NK Maribor, immediately putting him in doubt for their next league trip to Old Trafford. The situation surrounding Costa’s security of start looks set to plague Fantasy managers and with United up next, allied with Sergio Aguero’s stunning form, Costa’s ownership may well suffer a dent: only Leicester’s fading Leonardo Ulloa suffered more Fantasy Premier League (FPL) sales overnight.

Oscar Stands Out in Chelsea Win
In Costa’s absence, Oscar stepped in to inspire Mourinho’s outfit with a goal, an assist and maximum bonus points at Palace. The haul takes him to two strikes and two assists in his last four appearances – a record that equals Eden Hazard across the entire season. At 8.3 in the FPL, Oscar is continuing to offer a decent differential option. Those considering ousting Costa, could well consider Oscar as alternative cover of Chelsea’s attacking talent. Elsewhere, Filipe Luis is another Chelsea option who may come into our consideration. The 5.4 defender came off the bench following Cesar Azpilicueta’s dismissal for dangerous foul play and he will surely replace the Spaniard in Chelsea’s next two league outings.

Aguero Cuts Through Spurs
After two weeks of debate on whether he was able to keep pace with Diego Costa in the “essential” stakes, Sergio Aguero served up a timely 19-point haul to cement his position as the top-scoring player in the FPL. The Argentinian grabbed four goals and, unsurprisingly, maximum bonus points, in City’s 4-1 drubbing of Spurs: his first-half penalty miss all but forgotten in light of an electric display. This performance, coupled with Diego Costa’s absence, could well trigger a significant swing in transfers towards the City man, particularly when one considers the kind fixtures awaiting City (whm, MNU, apr, SWA, sou). Aguero had enjoyed almost 50,000 FPL transfers in overnight with his price already rising to 12.4.

Eriksen Heightens His Appeal
It’s now three goals in five for Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen, who is beginning to rival teammate Nacer Chadli for our affections in Mauricio Pochettino’s midfield. Eriksen now sits seventh in the FPL midfield standings, above Raheem Sterling, yet has just a 7.6% ownership – the second lowest of any player in those rankings. Tottenham have an excellent schedule ahead of them (NEW, avl, STK, hul) and Eriksen’s displays, raiding forward from the centre to support the lone striker, continue to look pivotal for them. Significantly, there could now be some uncertainty up front for Spurs with Roberto Soldado starting over the benched Emmanuel Adebayor. Soldado saw a spot-kick saved in the 4-1 defeat, a factor which may, later down the line, potentially benefit Eriksen should Pochettino search our a new taker.

Sanchez Lights Up the Emirates
Alexis Sanchez continued to deliver, returning a goal and an assist in the 2-2 draw with Hull in just his second start in the Gunner’s last four league encounters. The former Barcelona attacker has proved to be a formidable force when handed the opportunity to impress: it’s now three goals and an assist in his last four league starts, with 31 points accrued across those performances. Sanchez has struck six goals in all competitions for the Gunners.

While Mesut Ozil remains on the sidelines, Aaron Ramsey returned to contention with an appearance from the bench on the hour-mark. With Theo Walcott taking place in an U21 outing on Friday, it’s clear that Sanchez will have to maintain his scintillating form to cement regular starts as competion for places in the Arsenal midfield remains fierce.

Danny Welbeck owners would seem likely to avoid that minefield, as the striker notched a last-gasp equaliser to keep his tally ticking over. That should be enough to keep Welbeck in favour, despite blossoming options elsewhere in attack, with the Gunners facing a tempting schedule in the upcoming Gameweeks (sun, BUR, swa, MNU, wba).

Diame’s Goals Keep Flowing
Hull’s Mo Diame notched his fourth goal in his last five appearances as the Tigers held on for a point at the Emirates. The deadline day capture from West Ham has undoubtedly emerged as a viable option for our midfields at 5.4 in the FPL. However, Fantasy managers will likely be perturbed by Hull’s fixtures which appear to be decidedly testing over the next six Gameweeks (liv, SOU, bur, TOT, mun, eve). Given that run, Diame may struggle to maintain his current form and with so many mid-price options available, it seems unlikely that his recent returns will be enough to trigger a significant increase in ownership.

Elsewhere, Steve Bruce gave a first league start to Hatem Ben Arfa on the left of midfield, initially dropping fellow new signing, Abel Hernadez, to the bench. Nikica Jelavic’s knee injury in the warm-up brought Hernandez back into the starting lineup, although it’s clear that Bruce may now consider a tactical option involving a lone striker as a way of introducing Ben Arfa and Gaston Ramirez to his teamsheet.

Sakho Keeps Firing
Diafra Sakho has been hugely instrumental in the Hammer’s climb to fourth place in the table, notching goals in his last four league outings. The Senegal striker added to his tally by grabbing a goal and an assist for the Hammers overcame Burnley 3-1 at Turf Moor. His outstanding recent form should ensure that Sakho earns plenty of new owners even prior to a clash with Man City, as the former Metz forward continues to prove incredible value for his 5.6 price tag. Villa, Newcastle and Swansea at due at Upton Park after the Champions’ visit as West Ham’s schedule softens leading into the Christmas period. Elsewhere for the Hammers, James Tomkins missed out with a thigh injury as James Collins returned to the starting XI.

Boyd Comes Good from the Bench
While George Boyd’s Fantasy points would have been lost in an avalanche of impressive hauls, his goal in Burnley’s 3-1 defeat should not go unnoticed. The 4.4 midfield option is a clear contender for the role of the fifth, benched midfielder in our squads. Seemingly assured of starts as Burnley’s record signing, Boyd demonstrated his ability to contribute points from our benches with his goal – he also struck the woodwork early on.

Everton’s Assets Deliver
Leighton Baines, Seamus Coleman and our Differential pick, Romelu Lukaku, were all in the points yesterday as the Toffees disposed of Aston Villa by a three-goal margin. Their pair of raiding full-backs also added a clean sheet to their haul – only their second shut-out of the campaign.

Everton’s assets across the board are surely set to earn investment after yesterday’s convincing showing. The fixture schedule ends (bur, SWA, sun, WHM) would suggest that Baines and company have the platform to go on delivering points at both ends.

Ross Barkley’s surprise return to the Everton lineup also gives Fantasy managers food for thought. A lively display pushed up in support of Lukaku, capped by the assist for the Belgian’s goal, reminded us of the promise that saw him established as the top owned midfielder in the FPL going into the season. Barkley has since dropped to 6.7 in value and may yet tempt investors searching out midfield differentials – Barkley is owned by just 3% of FPL managers at this point.

Southampton Maul Black Cats
The remarkable eight-goal dismantling of Sunderland saw Southampton’s options prosper all over the park. Graziano Pelle registered his second brace of the season and the Saint’s defence held out for fourth clean sheet, with Ryan Bertrand moving into third place for defenders in FPL with an additional bonus point.

Dusan Tadic was arguably the headline act, however. Subject to our recent Monitor treatment earlier in the week, Tadic finally exploded to justify our Watchlist faith and Scout Picks selection with a devastating 23 points. That haul lifted him to second in the FPL midfield rankings, as the Serb drew level with Cesc Fabregas on seven assists. Notably, Sadio Mane also notched his first league goal for the club after emerging from the bench: both he and Tadic look hugely attractive options for our midfields. To compound matters, Ronald Koeman’s side have an excellent next four fixtures to build on their form (STK, hul, LEI, avl).

Toon Edge Past Foxes
Offered a route out of St James’ Park in the summer, Gabriel Obertan was handed his second consecutive start for Newcastle yesterday, and rewarded Alan Pardew by stealing his sides’ winner against Leicester. The former United winger has now earned returns in each of the last two Gameweeks and is rivaling Burnley’s George Boyd for that fifth midfielder role. Meanwhile, Papiss Cisse supplied the assist for Obertan’s strike, taking his total to 30 points in four appearances for the Tynesider’s this season, as he continues to prove himself to be a worthwhile option for our frontlines at just 5.9. Given the consistency being displayed by West Ham’s Sakho, however, Cisse continues to be largely ignored as an option.