This Much We Know – Gameweek 31

As always on a Monday lunchtime, there’s plenty for us to mull over. Arsenal’s right flank, Chelsea’s situation up front, Bafetimbi Gomis’ rise to form, Sadio Mane’s pitch time and the upturn in goals from the bottom two as they look to go on the offensive and fire themselves to safety are amongst today’s topics.

Wenger may have solved his Ramsey dilemma…
Having carried his fine domestic form into recent international matches, Arsene Wenger clearly decided Aaron Ramsey was undroppable for the visit of Liverpool. Ramsey had started the last two in the middle for Arsenal and although he made way for Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla on Saturday, the Welshman still retained his starting berth after being handed the role on the right – bad news for Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott’s prospects. Ramsey served up a pair of assists before limping off with a minor injury and with his manager expecting him to be available for the trip to Burnley, he looks poised to clamber up many a Watchlist from Gameweek 35 onwards, once the blank and home clash against Chelsea are out of the way.

.. though Debuchy isn’t going to walk back in…
Elsewhere on the Arsenal right, Hector Bellerin’s commanding weekend performance certainly gave Wenger food for thought as Mathieu Debuchy edges towards a return to the first-team fold. Debuchy stepped up his recovery with a run-out for the reserves last week but clearly has a battle on his hands to reclaim the right-back berth – Bellerin’s pace and eye for goal are proving key assets as the Gunners go on the offensive in their quest for second place. The youngster’s opener took his tally to two goals in his last six starts and certainly affords Wenger the chance to tentatively ease Debuchy back into the picture after a couple of spells on the sidelines.

Costa’s hamstrings have changed everything…
With a double Gameweek 34 on the horizon, the move from Sergio Aguero to Diego Costa looked the obvious move for many. Saturday’s events have thrown those plans into disarray, though, after the Spain international lasted just 11 minutes off the bench against Stoke before his dodgy hamstrings went again. Given that his star striker has now been forced off in each of the last two matches – despite a fortnight’s break between the encounters – Jose Mourinho will be reluctant to unnecessarily risk Costa as his side closes in on the title, potentially forcing us to scrap our plans for his acquisition and return to the drawing board.

…but Remy could a short-term answer…
The Frenchman once again proved the difference as Chelsea earned a hard-fought victory to edge another step closer to the title. With Mourinho pessimistic over Costa’s hamstring in light of Saturday’s setback, Remy looks a ready-made, in-form replacement for the league leaders up front – having fired winners against Hull and Stoke in each of the last two Gameweeks, he could be a snip at 7.1 as the Blues roll up to QPR’s woeful defence this weekend. Indeed, if Chelsea clinch the title earlier than anticipated, Mourinho could easily choose to be careful with Costa’s minutes if there’s little to play for, boosting Remy’s appeal further down the line.

Mane’s minutes remain a concern…
A run of four straight starts came to an end last Saturday as the Senegal international shifted to the bench for Southampton’s trip to Goodison. Ronald Koeman’s decision to drop Mane is all the more perplexing given his lack of form attackers – the Saints have scored just five goals in the last nine Gameweeks, with Mane, courtesy of two strikes and an assist, playing a part in three of them. The St Mary’s side have Hull, Sunderland, Villa and Leicester in the next six and with Graziano Pelle misfiring up front, Koeman must surely bring Mane back into contention if he’s to take advantage of such a kind schedule.

A settled side is benefitting United…
Five straight wins have strengthened the Red Devils’ chances of a top four finish and have coincided with a stint on the sidelines for Robin van Persie which has seen Wayne Rooney move up front and allowed Louis van Gaal to restructure his midfield. With Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini hogging the pre-Gameweek headlines, Ander Herrera remained under the radar but the Spaniard’s brace – in his seventh successive league start – highlights just how United are clicking as a result of less tinkering. Angel di Maria continues to rely on minutes off the bench as Van Gaal keeps faith in Ashley Young and whilst Van Persie may be closing in on a return, bench-warming duties look likely for the Dutchman as a result of his manager’s winning formula.

Henderson’s star is on the rise…
A fourth goal in five Gameweeks took the Liverpool midfielder to within two points of team-mate Raheem Sterling as his strong finish to the season continues to pick up pace. The Reds may have gone off the boil in recent matches but Henderson’s consistency is keeping him very much in the Fantasy frame at a time where Daniel Sturridge is struggling for both form and fitness, having now notched two goals in his last eight appearances. Although Liverpool’s schedule may yet be subject to change due to their upcoming cup clash with Blackburn, Henderson – at just 6.6 – is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore and with some eye-catching fixtures on the horizon, looks poised to maintain his recent momentum.

Gomis has finally found his top-flight feet…
After a tentative first few months in the Premier League, the Frenchman looks to have belatedly emerged from the shadow of Wilfried Bony. The Ivorian’s departure to City has allowed Gomis a security of starts as the Swansea lone striker and with his confidence on the up, a weekend double against Hull took his tally to four strikes in the last six Gameweeks. Clashes with Leicester, Newcastle and Stoke in the next four afford him a chance to get amongst the goals again but with double Gameweek options affecting our plans, Gomis is likely to remain under the radar – as evidenced by a 13-point haul against the Tigers on Saturday, he could be an ideal differential at just 6.5.

The Toffees defence may be worth revisiting…
Three successive wins, with just a single goal conceded, have elevated Everton to the security of mid-table and dismissed any notions of relegation. Roberto Martinez’ men have finally rediscovered the form that earned them fifth place last time around and with some enticing fixtures ahead in the next five (swa, BUR, avl, SUN), their rearguard is staking a claim for inclusion is our late-season plans. Phil Jagielka and Seamus Coleman have both bagged a goal in the last couple of matches, whilst Leighton Baines has served up 18 points over the previous three – with their European adventure now over, Martinez’ men are taking full advantage of the domestic schedule to return to our thoughts.

Rangers know they need goals to survive…
Let’s face it – if QPR are going to beat the drop, they aren’t going to achieve it by grinding out results. Chris Ramsey’s side look incapable of keeping out opponents and are clearly determined to go on the offensive to stand any chance of defying the odds and, as shown by their extraordinary win at West Brom, it may be wrong to write them off just yet. Tony Pulis’ side had four clean sheets in five at the Hawthorns prior to Saturday’s showdown but the 4-1 loss highlighted their visitors’ capabilities – having grabbed a goal and two assists, Charlie Austin looks set to benefit from Ramsey’s approach and may well be worth retaining as the Loftus Road side attempt to fire their way out of the bottom three.

….As do Leicester…
After his restructured attack put three past Tottenham in the previous Gameweek, Nigel Pearson kept faith in the likes of Leonardo Ulloa, Jamie Vardy and David Nugent for the visit of West Ham. The 2-1 win over Big Sam’s side means that the Foxes have notched five times in their last two – putting it into perspective, that’s the same number of goals they managed in their previous eight fixtures between Gameweek 21-29. As we see so often at this time of year, the relegation candidates can provide us with unlikely heroes and with some favourable fixtures and a double on the horizon, the King Power side may yet find a way into our Fantasy plans.

The Kane captaincy is at the mercy of Spurs’ motivation…
After a wonderful start to 2015 that kicked off with a 5-3 win over Chelsea, Tottenham’s season is in danger of grinding to an abrupt halt. From that New Year’s Day win onwards, Mauricio Pochettino’s side had scored at least twice in all but one of nine league matches but a goalless draw at Burnley means they’ve now failed to net in two of the subsequent three. Seven points behind fourth place, Spurs already look out of contention for the Champions League places and with out-of-sorts playmaker Christian Eriksen managing a pair of assists in the last eight, Harry Kane is single-handedly taking the fight to opposition backlines. Back-to-back clashes with Villa and Newcastle will reignite Kane’s armband appeal but with double Gameweeks for others also to factor in, there’s an argument that, in terms of captaincy material, the youngster may struggle to persuade us from Gameweek 34 onwards.

We might need that Baggies exit route earlier than expected…
The 4-1 home mauling at the hands of QPR was a wake-up call. Granted, Tony Pulis was unable to call upon two of his rearguard regulars, Ben Foster and Craig Dawson, due to injury and suspension respectively, but bearing in mind the R’s had scored ten times in their previous 14 road trips, the alarm bells will be ringing at the Hawthorns. Those holding Baggies defensive options will no doubt retain for this week’s visit of Leicester but beyond that, the pickings look slim- with Palace, Liverpool, United, Chelsea and Arsenal in the final six Gameweeks, it may be the time to consider alternatives.

Advocaat’s men may yet be worth our attention..
A derby win over Newcastle handed Sunderland’s chances of survival a real shot in the arm. With Jermain Defoe back in the goals and the Black Cats backline delivering a tenth clean sheet of the season, Dick Advocaat’s installation to the Wearside hotseat suggests they could be worthy of our attentions once the blank Gameweek 33 is done and dusted. Bearing in mind they have a double Gameweek 37 to consider, the likes of Defoe, Patrick van Aanholt and Costel Pantilimon may find themselves appearing on our radars if Sunderland can build on their weekend momentum.