Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 21 – The Weak

Having assessed those teams with strong upcoming schedules over the next four-to-six Gameweeks, we now turn our attentions to those with less friendly runs of fixtures. Big Sam’s side may struggle to retain their lofty position, whilst Swansea and Newcastle also have some tough looking matches on the horizon.

WEST HAM

After such a successful run-up to Christmas, the Hammers have stumbled over the festive period. Two losses and a draw in their last three has seen them fall behind in the race for the top four, as an inability to earn results against the league’s top teams continues to hinder their efforts. To make matters worse, Sam Allardyce’s men now face five top ten sides in their next six outings, with daunting trips to Swansea, Liverpool, Southampton and Spurs matched with the visit of Man United to Upton Park on their imminent agenda.

Aaron Cresswell has earned a lofty position in our Watchlist of late, with his attacking abilities and knack for picking up bonus points when the Hammers hold off their opponents proving great value for his 5.6 price tag. The full back may, however, struggle to replicate this form over the short term, and managers in the market for a mid-price defender are likely to look elsewhere. Meanwhile, with Diafra Sakho off to the African Cup of Nations (ACoN), Stewart Downing and Andy Carroll will have to be at their best if they are to see their side past such testing encounters; Downing has failed to deliver returns in his past three, and many of his owners may now be considering fazing him out of their sides as they deploy their winter wildcards. Furthermore, Alex Song has been handed a late call-up by the Cameroon squad for the ACoN and with Cheikhou Kouyate also set to feature, Big Sam’s side look up against it.

NEWCASTLE

Currently managerless and having been knocked out of the FA Cup by Leicester on Saturday, hard times could be ahead for the Magpies. A trip to Chelsea is up next, where they will be harbouring slim hopes of completing the double over the league leaders, followed by a clash with fourth-placed Southampton in Gameweek 22. With a trip to Man City also lying in wait, the Tynesiders will need to buck up their ideas pretty quickly if they are to avoid being sucked ever closer to the relegation battle over the coming weeks.

Daryl Janmaat has atoned for his side’s defensive woes with back-to-back assists over his previous two outings, and he will surely need to maintain that attacking form if he is warrant investment as part of a backline that has conceded eight times in their last three. The Dutchman, along with Jack Colback (two goals and three assists in five appearances), Moussa Sissoko and Fabricio Coloccini, all missed the weekend loss due to injury, and with Papiss Cisse off to the African Cup of Nations, Newcastle’s prospects at both ends of the pitch look bleak. Ayoze Perez’s prospects as a budget forward seem unlikely in light of that schedule.

SWANSEA

A late equaliser from substitute Wilfried Bony saved the Swans’ blushes last time out, and prevented his side from losing two on the bounce. With the Ivory Coast international now off African Cup of Nations, Garry Monk will need his team-mates to step up ahead of a run which sees the Welsh side meet West Ham, Chelsea and Southampton in their next three, whilst a clash with Man United also waits further down the line.

Bafetimbi Gomis looks set to be the man trusted to fill Bony’s boots, though considering the Frenchman has scored just once in the league this season, that could be an almighty ask; a brace in Saturday’s FA Cup victory will provide optimism, however. Fantasy faith in Gylfi Sigurdsson continues to persist, though without a clinical striker ahead of him and up against the two tightest defences in the league in Chelsea and the Saints, the 6.8-rated Icelander might struggle to add to his tally of eight assists for the campaign. Meanwhile, the Swans’ decent record of conceding just four times in their last six home fixtures is sure to be put to the test when Chelsea and the Hammers arrive at the Liberty, and the likes of Ashley Williams and Neil Taylor are unlikely to be on many managers’ immediate transfer plans.

Be Wary Of…

Man City
A toiling victory over Championship side Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup yesterday continued the champions’ run of poor defensive form. Five goals conceded in their last three league outings is one more than they let in over the previous eight, and with a trio of testing encounters now coming up (eve, ARS, che), Manuel Pellegrini will need to get his backline in order ahead of next weekend. The likes of Pablo Zabaleta and Gael Clichy may have to be reliant on their attacking endeavours, then, though the potential return of Vincent Company will surely aid their cause. Yaya Toure’s departure to the ACoN could see his 10% ownership looking for alternative cover in the Blues’ midfield, with David Silva the preferred option – the little Spaniard will be hard tasked, however, to continue the form that has seen him notch four times in his last four. Stefan Jovetic announced his return to the starting XI with a goal and assist against Sunderland last time out, but with Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko both expected back within the next two weeks, the Montenegrin looks a short-term punt at best.

Aston Villa
A late goal from Christian Benteke saved Villa’s blushes in the FA Cup yesterday afternoon, and Paul Lambert will be reliant on the Belgian carrying that form into a tricky upcoming schedule for his side. After this weekend’s trip to Leicester, Villa face Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea in consecutive fixtures between Gameweeks 22-24, and having scored just once in their last five league outings, will need a big upturn in their offensive efforts if they are to come away with anything from those matches. Instead, it may well be that the Midlanders’ defence is relied upon once again, though Alan Hutton and Brad Guzan won’t be backed by many to continue delivering the clean sheets across those tough encounters.

Everton
A 2-0 loss at Hull took the Toffees’ recent run to four straight defeats and with a tough run of fixtures on the horizon, Roberto Martinez’ side face a testing time. Everton face City, Liverpool and Chelsea in the next five Gameweeks and whilst showdowns with West Brom and Palace would typically offer reason for optimism, a change of manager will hand those two sides a shot in the arm. At the back, Leighton Baines and co. have now conceded in each of the last ten, whilst up top, Martinez’ men have toiled badly in recent weeks – after scoring in 13 of the first 14 Gameweeks, they’ve now blanked in four of the subsequent six, with the likes of Kevin Mirallas and Romelu Lukaku falling off our radars.