The Digest – Gameweek 25

We take a final glance back at the previous round of fixtures this morning, assessing the impact of Arsenal’s German playmaker, the upturn in form at the Etihad and brace ourselves for the return of a number of key Fantasy assets in time for Gameweek 26.

The Player

Mesut Ozil’s contribution to Arsenal’s labored 2-1 win over Leicester was far from spectacular. The German playmaker could not rival the likes of Chris Smalling and even Samir Nasri in terms of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) output in the Gameweek but, nonetheless, his 11-point return promoted him in our thinking and suddenly forced us to reassess our view of the Gunners’ midfield assets.

Ozil is competing in a crowded market, not just as a heavy-hitting midfield option but also within his club – Alexis Sanchez, Santi Cazorla and Theo Walcott arguably have the weaponry to ensure that the German is kept in the shade as an option.

Since Ozil’s return to fitness within the Arsenal lineup, however, that trio have failed to keep him in the shade. A pair of goals, three assists and six FPL bonus have seen Ozil bloom to the level we expected on his arrival at the Emirates as a £42 million acquisition.

Cazorla’s form has been reduced to a simmer, while Sanchez’ failure to return on the Gameweek armband and ongoing niggles will have pushed some to consider using Ozil to double their Arsenal midfield cover.

Indeed, the Sanchez to Ozil swap is perhaps a step too far given the Chilean’s level of output to this point. Nonetheless, Ozil is now a credible target.

While he may have to bide his time to claim the “number 10” role he so obviously covets, Ozil’s contribution from the Arsenal left has been convincing. The statistics show that, while he’s seen less of the ball, his impact in the final third and presence in the opposition’s box has improved: the end product has followed.

Ozil’s modest 4% FPL ownership is on the rise but still a factor and with fixtures and form aligning, along with Daniel Sturridge he appears to be the obvious target for those seeking a double-figure differential.

The Team

Fantasy managers need Manchester City to revive themselves as a source of potential points and, above all, keep the title race alive. Their 4-1 victory at Britannia gave us hope they could achieve both.

Significantly, Sergio Aguero woke from his slumber in time to see off the claims for Diego Costa to make an immediate return to our squads. The Argentine’s twin strikes provide immediate relief following five appearances without a goal and, while his reputation as a nailed-on FPL captain may have been dented, Aguero’s credentials as a prime asset are back on the table.

We now need City to kick-on. Clean sheets would be a handy addition to the points they offer, although given Manuel Pellegrini’s penchant for attacking football, that might be a stretch too far. Instead we’ll now be anticipating Aguero to return to his consistent best, with David Silva, Samir Nasri and Yaya Toure progressing to become genuine contenders for spots in our midfield.

Then there’s Wilfried Bony…

The Talking Point

Bony’s return, along with Toure, from the African Cup of Nations is timed to coincide with the availability of both Diego Costa and Gylfi Sigurdsson – two players who, arguably, demand places in our team of the season so far.

Sigurdsson and Costa arrive back with caveats surrounding form and temperament respectively, although few can argue that they deserve consideration with their FPL values dropping to more manageable levels.

Costa is already topping the transfers in rankings with Chelsea’s struggle to break down a resilient Everton highlighting his importance to their cause. If he can stave off further suspensions and injury, Costa ‘s present ownership level of 36% will inevitably continue to soar beyond that of Aguero, who is currently found in 28% of squads.

Bony’s arrival could be a factor in that. From a Fantasy perspective, we’re torn on the perfect scenario, here.

Priced at just 8.2 in the FPL, the Ivorian has the potential to provide us with a key differential in the mid-price bracket. Should that materialise, however, he’ll likely draw points from Aguero and limit his output.

If Pellegrini turns to Bony to work in tandem with Aguero for the run-in, the relationship and distribution of goals amongst that pair could be pivotal to our Fantasy seasons. Our ability to monitor that development and plan transfer and captaincy strategies accordingly will be key.