Scout Notes – Gameweek 25 – Tuesday

Daniel Sturridge plays a part in two of Liverpool’s three goals in his first start since August. Harry Kane grabs a goal and assist at Anfield. Mesut Ozil serves up a pair of assists, Dame N’Doye fires Hull to victory over Villa, whilst QPR stun Sunderland with their first away win of the season.

Ozil Steers Gunners to Win

The German earned the points once again as Arsenal edged past Leicester at the Emirates. Having scored in each of his two league starts since returning from injury, Ozil’s impressive form continued with a pair of assists in the 2-1 win after he teed up Laurent Koscielny and Theo Walcott for the hosts’ strikes.

Last night’s team sheet highlighted the strength in depth of Arsene Wenger’s options as Olivier Giroud, Aaron Ramsey and Danny Welbeck all dropped to the bench to be replaced by Alexis Sanchez, Tomas Rosicky and Walcott. Whilst form and fixtures may be in their favour, it’s clear that Wenger has yet to decide on a first-choice XI and his tinkering up top will continue to be a real source of frustration. Both Sanchez and Ramsey limped off with knee and hamstring problems, though, and the Chilean – who was preferred to Giroud as the lone striker – could be set for another exodus if he’s ruled out for any period of time.

The Gunners boss did, at least, remain faithful to the same back-four as Hector Bellerin earned a fifth straight start at right-back, though Andrej Kramaric’s consolation left their owners without defensive returns for the second match running.

Pearson Freshens up the Foxes Defence

With a full quota of defenders to choose from, Nigel Pearson handed veterans Robert Huth and Matthew Upson their first starts of the season as Leicester took up a 5-4-1 formation for the trip to the Emirates. Pearson also retained skipper Wes Morgan in the middle, meaning that Marcin Wasilewski failed to feature for the first time since Gameweek 10. The Pole’s kind price tag has persuaded 5% of FPL managers to acquire his services but last night’s teamsheet now suggests that Pearson may turn to experience in his attempt to clinch the Foxes survival.

Tigers Find their Form

Steve Brue opted for a 3-5-2 formation for Hull’s crucial home encounter with Villa last night. The Tigers manager’s decision to partner Nikica Jelavic with new boy Dame N’Doye proved decisive after both grabbed a goal apiece in the 2-0 win – the latter also grabbed an assist on his first start and, at a price of just 5.5, now squares up to QPR, Stoke, Sunderland and Leicester in the next four Gameweeks.

At the back, Bruce once again left Curtis Davies on the bench as his side chalked up a second clean sheet in ten attempts. Hardly persuasive for those looking to invest in their defence and more a damning indictment of Villa’s dire form, with Paul Lambert once again utilising Christian Benteke as a sub as his side’s struggles continue.

R’s Cure Travel Sickness

Rolling up to the Stadium of Light without a manager and devoid of their injured top scorer, QPR looked like proverbial whipping boys for this one. Caretaker boss Chris Armstrong made six changes from the weekend and his decision to roll out a 4-2-3-1 formation proved instrumental in earning the R’s their first away points of the season. Matty Phillips provided a pair of assists from his role on the right, whilst Leroy Fer bagged a goal from the role in “the hole” behind fellow scorer Bobby Zamora before being subbed off injured. With a blank Gameweek 27 and showdowns against Arsenal and Spurs in the next four, though, Ramsey’s charges may struggle to earn a place in our short-term plans.

Black Cats Disappoint

Fantasy faith in Jermain Defoe was high heading into last night’s deadline. After serving up two goals and an assist in his first three matches, the Sunderland new boy was snapped up by over 140,000 managers prior to a home clash with QPR but his failure to produce against a side that had lost every previous away match raises concerns. Owners of the likes of Costel Pantilimon and Patrick van Aanholt were left disappointed by the surprise loss but Gus Poyet’s troops at least have the schedule in their favour to recover – showdowns with West Brom, Hull and Villa in the next four look vital to their survival prospects.

Sturridge Brings in the Points

With Raheem Sterling ruled out through injury, the Liverpool forward was handed his first start since Gameweek 3 as Spurs rolled up to Anfield. Having been eased back into action with a couple of sub appearances, Sturridge made an instant impact upon his return to the first XI by providing assists for both Lazar Markovic and Steven Gerrard in a five-goal thriller.

Whilst Mario Balotelli’s winner may have hogged the headlines, Sturridge’s return to the fold will have caught the eye of Fantasy managers. Handed 73 minutes by Brendan Rodgers, he’s now starting to approach full match sharpness and at 11% ownership, remains a relative differential for those with cash to spare. The Reds’ fixtures could be a deterrent, though; Southampton, City, United and Arsenal in the next six will continue to test the Merseysiders, though judging by last night’s display, they’re back to their swashbuckling best.

Kane Delivers Yet Again

The Tottenham forward demonstrated his fixture-proof appeal with a goal and assist in the 3-2 defeat at Anfield. With maximum bonus also accrued, Kane served up a third successive double-figure haul to move to the top of the FPL forward standings – a fact that’s all the more remarkable bearing in mind he didn’t start a league match until Gameweek 11 and had played just 100 minutes until that point.

Moussa Dembele was handed a sixth successive start by Mauricio Pochettino as Nacer Chadli continues to rely on minutes off the bench. The former bagged a goal and has also picked up a pair of assists in his last three outings – at a price of 5.2, he may be worth monitoring ahead of Tottenham’s double Gameweek 28 fixtures against Swansea and QPR.