The Digest – Gameweek 30

Our final look at the pertinent topics from Gameweek 30 sees us assess United’s resurgent Spaniard, Palace’s ascent under Alan Pardew and the relentless armband consistency of Tottenham’s new talisman.

The Player

Whilst Steven Gerrard did his best to hog the back pages with a 38-second dismissal, there’s no denying Juan Mata was the headline act in Sunday’s Anfield showdown. The Spaniard’s class and subsequent two-goal haul proved the difference as the visitors ended Liverpool’s 13-match unbeaten run with a dominant win, described by Louis van Gaal as “one of the most important moments in my career”.

Having failed to start any of United’s six matches between Gameweeks 23-28, Mata looked confined to a bit-part role but a suspension to Angel Di Maria has afforded him the chance to finally nail down a regular spot under the Dutchman. His involvement has helped the Old Trafford outfit to vital back-to-back wins over Champions League rivals Spurs and Liverpool and Van Gaal’s post-match praise of his role on the United right certainly bodes well for future pitch time, leaving Di Maria likely to occupy the opposite flank ahead of Ashley Young.

Impressively – given that he’s started just 19 of his side’s first 30 fixtures – Mata’s Anfield double takes his tally to seven for the season. That’s more than twice Di Maria’s three strikes and a total superior to all but one of his previous three campaigns in the top flight.

With the chase for a top-four spot intensifying, Mata looks to have rediscovered the level of displays that served up 162 and 212 points in his two seasons at Stamford Bridge. Van Gaal’s side don’t have it easy, though – showdowns with City and Chelsea in the next three will perhaps ensure the playmaker stays off our radars for now, though United, and Mata, have offered strong recent evidence to suggest that they have the form to prevail.

The Team

A 2-1 win at the Britannia elevated Palace into eleventh spot and continued their remarkable ascent under Alan Pardew. The Eagles have now served up six victories and a draw in ten outings since the new man took charge – harvesting a total of 19 points in comparison to the 17 points accrued in their first 20 fixtures.

With the emphasis on attack, Pardew’s decision to shift Jason Puncheon to the middle has allowed him to deploy Yannick Bolasie and Wilfried Zaha on the flanks and all three have prospered in recent weeks – Zaha has now struck in back-to-back matches, whilst the former two have three assists apiece over the last four.

Pardew’s decision to call upon Glenn Murray up front has also proved inspired. Handed just 16 minutes by Neil Warnock and farmed out on loan, Murray’s barged his way to the front of the pecking order in the new regime, with four goals, an assist and five bonus points in the last four.

It’s testament to Pardew’s approach that, since his arrival, only champions City have fired more shots inside the box than the Selhurst Park side. Whilst a lack of a double Gameweek may deter would-be investors, a schedule that pits them against Sunderland, West Brom and Hull in the next four should ensure their short-term prospects remain solid before the fixtures turns nasty in Gameweek 35.

The Talking Point

A three-goal haul against Leicester took Harry Kane to joint second in the overall Fantasy Premier League (FPL) standings and places the Tottenham youngster 16 points ahead of any other forward.

Given that Kane failed to start a single league match until Gameweek 11, his rise as a Fantasy force is all the more remarkable. Serving up 18 goals and five assists in 20 first XI appearances, he’s proven a fixture-proof option, too, delivering 18, 12 and 11-point hauls against Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal since the turn of the year. Putting his form into perspective, Kane has outscored Sergio Aguero by 14 goals to three in this calendar year so far with a series of displays that have persuaded almost 50% of FPL managers to snap up his services.

Even though we have three confirmed double Gameweeks on the upcoming schedule left to play, the issue now is – do we dare to look beyond Kane as a captaincy option? In his last 13 appearances, the 6.4-priced striker has produced seven lots of double figures and has blanked just four times over that run. Whilst Villa and QPR brace themselves for a double Gameweek 31, Kane prepares to square up to a Burnley side with the second worst defensive record in the top flight. Such is his form, there’d be no real surprise if he outscored the likes of Charlie Austin and Christian Benteke – indeed, it’s a sign of his stock that he’s currently neck-and-neck with Austin in this week’s Captain Poll, with 26% of the votes cast apiece.

Looking at Kane’s schedule, there’s arguably just one fixture that could pose problems – in Gameweek 34 away to a Southampton side with ten clean sheets in 16 outings at St Mary’s. Handily, Chelsea already have a double that week, giving us a rare chance to consider alternatives to the Tottenham man.

Even in Gameweek 37, when Arsenal are poised for a double, Kane threatens to cast a shadow over our armband intentions. Given that the Gunners travel to Old Trafford first of all, they could be solely reliant on a home clash against Sunderland to bring in the points. Kane, meanwhile, hosts Hull in the same round of fixtures and, as we’ve seen many times already, is more than capable of destroying any other rival as a reliable captaincy contender.