This Much We Know – Gameweek 35

There are plenty of topics on our lunchtime menu after the weekend’s nine matches. Christian Benteke’s flourishing form, United’s toils without Wayne Rooney up top, Sadio Mane’s eye for goal and Alan Pardew’s tactical tinkering all come under discussion.

Benteke is the double Gameweek distraction…
Everton arrived at Villa Park on the back of a run that saw them concede just twice in the previous six Gameweeks. By the time the final whistle went at Villa Park, Christian Benteke had bagged himself a brace against the resilient Toffees, taking his tally to ten goals in eight league outings. It’s no surprise to see that Benteke is the most transferred in player since the weekend – the Belgian has served up three sets of double-figures in four home appearances and hosts West Ham and Burnley in the final three fixtures. With Olivier Giroud set for major investment ahead of double Gameweek 37 and both Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane still so prominent in many sides, the big Belgian’s form presents a real conundrum as we look to find a place for him in our three-man frontlines.

The Foxes points are flowing from all sources…
It’s three clean sheets in four for the Foxes, with the 3-0 win over Newcastle their fifth triumph is six. Nigel Pearson’s side bounced back immediately from their home loss to Chelsea by hammering the Magpies at the King Power to move seven points clear of the bottom two. Leicester’s survival may not yet be guaranteed but the momentum is very much on their side right now – with two home matches against Southampton and QPR allied with a trip to Sunderland still to come, benching their in-form options looks unwise. The weekend merely emphasised the options right across the board for the Foxes. Jamie Vardy may have failed to get amongst the points but strike partner Leonardo Ulloa bagged a brace, whilst Marc Albrighton served up a second successive double-figure haul to underline his budget potential at just 4.2.

Coutinho’s form could carry Liverpool over the line…
Along with Raheem Sterling and Jordan Henderson, the Liverpool playmaker was a bitter disappointment over the recent double. Whilst the former two both blanked again, Coutinho belatedly made good on his underlying stats by serving up his highest points return of the season against QPR. The little Brazilian has now produced 17 attempts on goal over his last three league outings – Sterling and Henderson have four apiece – and whilst a weekend trip to Chelsea is hardly enticing, those who drafted him in may now be reconsidering as the Reds finish the season with clashes against Palace and Stoke’s dodgy defences.

Fer’s absence has cost QPR dearly…
Handed a first start since Gameweek 25, the Dutchman bagged his side’s consolation season in the 2-1 loss at Anfield. It’s a damning indictment of the Loftus Road squad that, despite missing the last couple of months through injury, Fer is still their second top scorer behind Charlie Austin. Five strikes and four assists in just 2105 minutes takes him onto 100 points for the season – that’s just seven behind Jason Puncheon and two fewer than George Boyd, for example. Although a drop into the Championship now seems inevitable, Fer’s exploits may well have the suitors circling and could well earn him a move back into the top-flight over the summer.

Gomez is on the double Gameweek radar…
The Spaniard’s pair of penalties against Southampton may ultimately prove decisive in Sunderland’s bid to beat the drop. Having flitted in and out of the first XI during Gus Poyet’s tenure, Gomez has now started all five league matches under new boss Dick Advocaat and with a consistency of pitch time strengthening his cause, many may be eyeing up the former Wigan man as the best route into the Black Cats’ attack for double Gameweek 37. With the battle for places up front intensifying, Gomez – at just 5.1 – may well prove a better solution than Seb Larsson for those reluctant to free up a space for Connor Wickham or Jermain Defoe.

Mane needs more pitch time…
It’s been a hit and miss first year in the top-flight for Southampton’s new signing. Dropped after sleeping in for the Gameweek 26 clash against Liverpool, then publicly rebuked by Ronald Koeman after attempting to steal penalty duties off James Ward-Prowse in last month’s 2-0 win over Hull, his campaign looked poised to fizzle out. Mane had dropped to 6.3 in price after registering just a goal and assist in ten appearances prior to the weekend, yet his strike at Sunderland serves a reminder of his points potential. Despite being handed the full 90 minutes on just 12 occasions this season, he’s racked up eight goals and three assists for the campaign – that’s an average of 245.5 minutes per goal for the Saints and far quicker than Graziano Pelle’s average of 289.8 minutes by comparison. Granted, his weekend withdrawal was due to a knock but if Koeman can afford the Senegal international more minutes, he looks more than capable of producing.

Ki’s form is giving Monk a tactical headache…
Benched once again for the visit of Stoke as Garry Monk continued with a 4-2-3-1, the South Korean needed just 12 minutes late on as a sub to get amongst the goals again. Prior to last weekend’s trip to Newcastle, Ki had started every league match he was available for and whilst the recent move away from a midfield diamond has allowed Gylfi Sigurdsson to take up a more advanced role, it deprives the Swans of a player who has now scored eight times this term – two more than the Icelandic international. With Jonjo Shelvey bagging a pair of assists against the Potters, Monk faces a real dilemma in order to accommodate his central midfield options going forward.

United are toothless without Rooney in attack…
There’s no coincidence that the Red Devils’ recent six-match winning run has came to an abrupt half as a result of Wayne Rooney’s shift to central midfield. With Michael Carrick still sidelined, Louis van Gaal has been forced to take his captain out of the lone striker role and place his faith in Radamel Falcao or Robin van Persie. United have resultantly failed to score a single goal in the last three and bearing in mind that Rooney racked up four goals and an assist over those aforementioned six matches, Van Gaal may well focus his summer shopping list on central midfielders in order to free his captain from the shackles of a deep-lying role in future.

Pardew’s keen to experiment…
After back-to-back 2-0 home defeats, the Palace boss mixed things up for the trip to Chelsea. Yannick Bolasie started as a false nine, with Jason Puncheon shifted to the flank, before a second-half reshuffle saw the visitors finish the match in a 4-4-2 formation, with Glenn Murray and Yaya Sanogo leading the line. Post-match, Pardew conceded he’s keen to hand some of his fringe players the chance to impress over the run-in and with his side’s survival already clinched, more tinkering could be on the cards.

Pulis’ backline is already in our pre-season plans…
After a couple of spectacular wobbles at home to QPR and Leicester, the Baggies boss has steadied the ship in impressive fashion. The weekend win at United harvested a third straight clean sheet and, on the back of shut-outs against Palace and Liverpool, have ensured Pulis’ side will be playing top-flight football once again next term. Having kept out their opponents nine times in 15 matches under the new manager, we can expect West Brom to play a significant part in our plans for next term when the player price lists are rolled out in July.

Kane faces a tough task to catch Aguero…
Yesterday’s home blank against City means the Tottenham striker has scored just once in the last five Gameweeks. Kane had hinted at a return to form prior to the weekend, netting against Newcastle before earning an assist at Southampton in the previous Gameweek but was unable to take advantage of a defence that had conceded in each of their last eight road trips. Now two goals behind Sergio Aguero in the race for the Golden Boot, Kane has one home match left in the final three, whilst the City man plays twice at the Etihad, with QPR paying visit this weekend. Nonetheless, with 11 of his 20 goals arriving on the road, and only nine of Aguero’s 22 scored at home, Kane’s displays on the road could yet bring in the returns and keep him in our plans.

Lukaku’s seeking another lively finish.…
A converted penalty against Villa means the Everton striker is now just one goal away from breaking the double-figure barrier for the third successive season. Having racked up 17 and 15 strikes in the previous two campaigns, Lukaku has toiled for the Toffees this time round and has just nine to his name, though Roberto Martinez’ decision to hand him spot-kicks over Leighton Baines has certainly heightened his appeal. Lukaku has a habit of ending campaigns strongly – his hat-trick for West Brom in Sir Alex Ferguson’s final match in charge of United serves a timely reminder of his late-season heroics – and with Sunderland, West Ham and Spurs to follow, he seems to be gearing up for a strong finish once again.

Now we all fear Chelsea rotation…
Having sealed the title with a narrow win over Palace and with no other cup competitions on the line, there’s a chance that Jose Mourinho could, potentially, afford a number of his regulars some time off over the run-in. Branislav Ivanovic, John Terry and Eden Hazard have started every league match so far and, in light of the Blues’ recent double Gameweek 34, most Fantasy managers will likely be holding a couple of those players as a result of their guaranteed pitch time. Intriguingly, though, a change in the rules last season means that players need to make just five appearances to qualify for a medal – it was ten beforehand – meaning Mourinho won’t necessarily have to make any alterations for the sake of ensuring certain players are eligible.