Harry Kane and Nacer Chadli are the chief tormentors as Spurs put five past Chelsea at the Lane. Stevan Jovetic grabs a goal and assist as City draw level at the summit. Steven Gerrard nets a pair of penalties as Liverpool stumble at home to Leicester, George Boyd is in the goals again for Burnley, whilst Sadio Mane nets for the third successive Gameweek as the Saints sweep aside Arsenal at St Mary’s.
Falcao Saves United’s Blushes
Man United have now gone ten matches without a loss after a 1-1 draw at Stoke on Thursday lunchtime. Having fallen behind to a Ryan Shawcross goal, United had Radamel Falcao to thank for ensuring a share of the spoils – earning his fourth successive start, the Colombian took his tally to two goals and an assist over that period. Bearing in mind Robin van Persie has scored just once in the last four alongside Falcao, the latter’s improving form suggests he should not be overlooked. United have taken just three points from their previous trio of road trips but with three home matches in the next five (SOU, LEI, BUR), will be confident of returning to winning ways.
Another Blank for Benteke
The big Belgian continues to frustrate Fantasy managers after failing to deliver the points at home to Palace. Subject to investment ahead of Villa Park encounters with Sunderland and the Eagles, Benteke’s inability to prove the cutting edge to Paul Lambert’s side may already have his new owners looking elsewhere – Villa have scored just once in the last five now and with Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea in the next four, returns at either end of the pitch look limited.
Palace Hold Steady
A goalless draw at Villa continued the upturn in resilience since Neil Warnock’s departure. Caretaker boss Keith Millen has steered the Eagles to back-to-back clean sheets – given they had managed a single shut-out in Warnock’s final 12 league matches, the instant impact is impressive. With Alan Pardew set to take over, Palace have a decent run of fixtures to build upon their recent results, with Burnley, Everton and Leicester in the next four.
Tigers See off Toothless Toffees
Hull’s home clash with Everton afforded both sides the chance to bounce back after some indifferent festive displays. Goals from Ahmed Elmohamady and Nikica Jelavic clinched a vital victory for the home side as Steve Bruce’s side moved two points clear of the drop zone – fielded alongside Abel Hernandez in a 4-4-2, Jelavic struck his second in three outings to take his tally to six for the season; more than his haul (five) for the 2013/14 campaign.
Roberto Martinez’s decision to roll out a three-man backline allowed Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman the wing-back roles at the KC before a tactical reshuffle saw the former moved into central midfield. A run of ten matches without a clean sheet and one assist in his last eight is bad enough but a regular berth as a holding midfielder would surely cause the Banes exodus to gain momentum. Martinez, though, will surely need the left-back’s delivery from the flank to help turn around his side’s fortunes and may well decide to ditch yesterday’s ill-fated switch.
Gerrard at the Double
Monday’s 4-1 win over Swansea meant our main focus was on Liverpool’s front three as Leicester rolled up to Anfield. Instead, it was skipper Steven Gerrard – returning to the first XI after being rested against the Swans – who stole the show by notching both the hosts’ goals via the spot in a 2-2 stalemate against the Foxes. Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho were fortunate to supply an assist apiece via handball decisions, keeping their recent tallies ticking over: the Brazilian has now returned points in his last four outings. With Sunderland, Villa, West Ham and Everton in the next four, the Reds attack remains on our radars, though Adam Lallana is a concern after being forced off with a thigh complaint.
Mahrez in the Points Again As Foxes Fight Back
The Algerian’s growing influence on Leicester continued yesterday after an assist at Anfield took his tally to a goal and three assists in the last six Gameweeks. Mahrez has blanked only twice over that period and has now played a part in four of his side’s five goals from Gameweek 15 onwards. Sadly for the Foxes, Mahrez and Jeffrey Schlupp, who struck his third of the season in yesterday’s draw, are poised to depart for African Cup of Nations duties with Algeria. This could see Nigel Pearson’s side struggle to take advantage of three home matches (AVL, STO, CPL) in the next four.
Jovetic Steers City to Vital Win
Handed the lone forward role as Manuel Pellegrini ripped up his false nine system, the Montenegrin international bagged a goal and assist as City drew level with Chelsea at the summit. Having bagged an impressive three goals and two assists in his last four starts, Jovetic has shown he’s more than capable of producing, when given the pitch time – although he’s expected to retain his start against Everton’s obliging defence next time out, his manager’s confirmation that Dzeko and Aguero could both be back in the next fortnight certainly limits Jovetic’s appeal and places Fantasy managers on alert as the winter wildcard season gets underway.
Whilst Yaya Toure grabbed a goal in his final league match before leaving for the African Cup of Nations, David Silva’s new owners will be hoping that yesterday’s blank was a temporary blip. The Spaniard had thrived in the false nine set-up but Jovetic’s return ended a run which saw Silva score in three successive outings prior to the Black Cats clash. Elsewhere, Frank Lampard’s strike took his tally to five for the season – equalling his total for 2013/14 in just 372 minutes on the pitch. Toure’s absence could see the veteran handed extra pitch time but a total of three starts so far underlines Pellegrini’s penchant for using him as an impact sub late on in matches.
At the back, Gael Clichy still managed to serve up a 10-point return despite City conceding two goals for the second successive home match. The left-back – who failed to earn any attacking returns in 2013/14 – provided a pair of assists and now has a goal and three assists to his name – he’s now 19 points ahead of any defensive team-mate.
Johnson Nets Again in Narrow Black Cats Loss
With Steven Fletcher rested to the bench, the Sunderland winger benefitted from spot-kick duties in yesterday’s 3-2 defeat at the Etihad. Johnson’s converted penalty means he’s netted in three of the last four Gameweeks for the Black Cats – indeed, he’s now scored or assisted four of their five goals across the previous six rounds of fixtures. Gus Poyet’s side now have four home fixtures in the next six (LIV, BUR, QPR, WBA) and the 6.0-priced Johnson is looking increasingly crucial to their survival bid.
Kane Dismantles Chelsea Rearguard
Harry Kane’s appeal as a Fantasy assets hardly needs re-affirming after a stunning one-man display in Tottenham’s Thursday’s 5-3 victory over Chelsea. Kane returned a pair of goals and assists, inevitably fetching maximum FPL bonus along the way. Those numbers took him to five goals and three assists in his last five outings, during which time he’s gather bonus points on four occasions. Quite simply, even at his increased price of 5.5, there can be no argument that Kane has emerged as a irresistible acquisition – a regular points scorer in an attacking side who has a price tag of an “enabler” that allows investment elsewhere in our squads. Kane has seen a significance increase in ownership over his last five matches and, overnight, found his way into 140,000 new squads.
With Palace, Sunderland and Villa providing Spurs’ next three opponents, the case for Kane looks watertight and, with Nacer Chadli also boosting his stock with a goal and two assists in the win over Chelsea, suddenly Spurs look ripe for investment. Chadli has fetched four assists since his return to the starting XI in Gameweek 17 and, once again, appears to present outstanding value as a fourth or fifth midfield option. In contrast, Christian Eriksen’s owners will be feeling hard done by – the Dane blanked in the five-goal blitz and, over the festive spell, has delivered just a single goal and one bonus point.
Hazard and Costa Tick Along
While the Chelsea defeat will likely have serious repercussions for the title chase, with three goals scored, FPL managers are not likely to be panicking on the merits of their assets just yet. Eden Hazard’s display brought him another away goal: the Belgian has suddenly snapped into a consistent spell which has seen him return in each of his last six matches, earning three goals and three assists along the way. Indeed, Hazard has now returned in seven of his last nine league starts. Similarly, John Terry has enjoyed a bountiful Christmas spell, notching three goals to thrust him up the FPL defensive rankings: he now sits just one point behind Southampton’s Ryan Bertrand on 95 points.
While the case for Diego Costa continues to be questioned, the striker’s tap in from one-yard at the Lane took him to 14 goals for the season. Three strikes in the last five continue to keep his tally ticking over, although with an 11.2 price tag, there’s no question we’d want more from the Chelsea heavy-hitter. However, with the likes of Kane freeing up significant funds in our forward lines, Costa’s consistency is that little bit more attractive given the lack of options elsewhere in the top bracket.
Hammers Held By Pulis’ Baggies
While the influence of Tony Pulis on West Brom was minimal, the new Baggies headcoach will have been enthused by his side’s gutsy display at the Boleyn Ground. From a Fantasy perspective, the result may actually provide a crossroads with West Ham’s assets providing frustration, while we begin to contemplate just how West Brom’s output will improve as a result of Pulis’ introduction.
Aaron Cresswell’s assist and a return to the scoresheet for Diafra Sakho provided returns for some but, with just two goals in their last three, it’s fair to say that the Hammers have disappointed of late. With Stewart Downing and Andy Carroll blanking over that three-match spell, their stock has gone into decline, particularly with the likes of Kane and Chadli beginning to shine. Sakho is now expected to depart for the African Cup of Nations with Senegal, although that could yet be postponed following a back injury sustained late on in Thursday’s encounter.
It remains to be seen just how West Brom will kick-on from here. It’s widely accepted that they will stiffen up in defensive areas under Pulis’ guidance, with the likes of Ben Foster and Andre Wisdom set to gain more suitors as a result.
Mane and Tadic Punish Sorry Gunners
Goals from Sadio Mane and Dusan Tadic extinguished the Arsenal threat at St Mary’s, as abject defending once again cost Arsene Wenger’s side. Tadic followed up his assist against Chelsea, while Mane has now scored in three consecutive matches to underline his potential in the mid-price midfield bracket. The Senegalese is now set to depart for the African Cup of Nations following Sunday’s FA Cup tie, although the thigh injury which saw him withdrawn before half-time against Arsenal may yet postpone that.
In defence, the Saints appeared to have returned to their robust best – Ronald Koeman’s side have shipped just two goals over the four festive matches, despite facing Everton, Chelsea and Arsenal in that spell. That impressive form bodes well for the run of fixtures to come – certainly from Gameweek 22, there is no doubt that Ryan Bertrand and company will be firmly back on the radar (new SWA qpr WHM).
Sanchez Stalls for Impotent Arsenal
Alexis Sanchez is another midfield asset who has frustrated over the festive window. While Arsene Wenger has been unable to rest the Chilean, Sanchez has found the net just once in the four-match spell and has just one goal in his last six league outings. There is perhaps little reason to panic just yet – Arsenal’s blank at St Mary’s was their first since the Gameweek 7 defeat to Chelsea and Olivier Giroud will return from suspension to bolster their attack for the Emirates meeting with Stoke up next. Indeed, with the Potters, Villa and Leicester the next three opponents due in north London, there’s every reason to expect Arsenal to offer profit in the coming weeks, particularly if Wenger’s back four continue to surrender goals to put the emphasis on outscoring opponents.
Austin Blanks Again
Despite QPR generating 24 goal attempts against Swansea, Charlie Austin again returned a blank for the second successive Loftus Road encounter. Having scored eight times in his previous five home matches, Austin has now blanked against Palace and Swansea to dent the confidence in his Fantasy appeal and potential. As we’ve mentioned previously, Austin now faces just two home matches in his next six league encounters and they are against the United and Southampton rearguards. The away trips are, however, favourable enough to offer Austin owners a reason to hold firm – QPR square up to Burnley, Stoke, Sunderland and Hull on their travels in a spell that will likely prove pivotal to their survival plight.
Burnley’s Bite Stuns Magpies
Sean Dyche’s side followed up their dramatic 2-2 draw at the Etihad with another superb fight-back and, again, George Boyd proved a key figure. Recently emerging as the definitive fifth midfielder in the FPL, Boyd is making a case to more than just bench-filler having notched two goals and an assist in his last four outings. Indeed, there’s every reason to expect more from Boyd and team-mates Danny Ings and Ashley Barnes. The Clarets now have three home fixtures in the next four, against QPR, Palace and West Brom. Dyche’s side have shown the resilience at Turf Moor to encourage investment in their backline assets, while, in recent matches, Boyd, Ings and Barnes have belied their budget price tags. Ings has returned a goal or assist in six of his last nine league outings and, at just 5.6, looks an outstanding option.
Colback Makes His Case
While Moussa Sissoko is often identified as the Magpies one mid-price midfield asset to consider, Jack Colback has recently put on a spurt of scoring to lift him into consideration as a viable fifth midfielder option. Incredibly, Colback’s superbly taken goal against the Clarets took him to two goals and three assists in his last five league outings. Prior to Gameweek 16, Colback had registered just a single assist. At just 4.8, Colback could now earn some investors during the January Wildcard spell.
