The Scout Mission – Gameweek 4

There are plenty of points for us to ponder this weekend as Fantasy managers brace themselves for the first international break of the season. Wayne Rooney’s confidence, Swansea’s attack against United’s rearguard, Bournemouth’s momentum, Chelsea’s big hitters at home to Palace and Liverpool’s main men as the Hammers roll up to Anfield are all on our dinnertime menu..

The Swans attack versus United’s resilient rearguard….
Swansea’s start to the season has been no fluke – Garry Monk’s men have fired more shots than any side other than Arsenal in the first three Gameweeks. The Welsh club beat United home and away last term and will fancy their chances of another win, with Bafetimbi Gomis, Andre Ayew, Jonjo Shelvey and Jefferson Montero all in fine form. Up against a side yet to concede, though, they won’t have it easy as the Red Devils attempt to put the brakes on their hosts’ momentum. Turn in another big display, though, and their “fixture proof” appeal is all but cemented.

Rooney’s morale after the midweek treble….
Just when many had written his prospects off, the United skipper finally found his form with a hat-trick against Club Brugges last night. Sold by more managers than any other player after failing to score in the first three Gameweeks, Rooney has been made the Fantasy scapegoat as we look to find a way for Sergio Aguero in our three-man frontlines. Can he kick on from Wednesday’s showing or will his domestic toils return as United make their way to the Liberty on Sunday?

Bournemouth’s chance to start more bandwagons….
Callum Wilson’s hat-trick at West Ham has earned him 230,000+ new owners as the Cherries chalked up their first win of the season. A home clash with Leicester kick starts a superb run of fixtures, with the Championship winners also set to face Norwich, Sunderland and Watford in the next five Gameweeks. Fantasy managers will be closely monitoring the likes of Simon Francis, Matt Ritchie and Max Gradel’s form as we look for more budget options amongst Eddie Howe’s charges.

Hazard and Costa’s form with Pedro on board….
Pedro’s debut has understandably earned the Spaniard significant investment after a 13-point haul at West Brom last weekend. The signs are there, though, that his arrival could spark Chelsea’s big hitters into action – Eden Hazard turned in his most creative display last week, whilst Diego Costa produced his most threatening showing of the campaign. Up against a Palace side that just don’t do clean sheets under Alan Pardew, the Blues duo could find their way back on many a Watchlist if either can turn on the style at the Bridge this Saturday.

…and Ivanovic’s….
As mentioned in yesterday’s Technical Area piece, the Chelsea right-back showed little attacking initiative against the Baggies last weekend. Having been torn apart by Jefferson Montero and Raheem Sterling in the first two Gameweeks, perhaps Ivanovic is suffering from a crisis of confidence right now, with Jose Mourinho’s decision to operate with a high defensive line seeing his side ship seven goals already. This weekend’s opponent is likely to be Bakary Sako – a player who produced more shots inside the box and efforts on target than any midfielder on his way to bagging a debut winner against Villa last week. Another poor display from the Serbian and it may be time for Fantasy managers to part ways.

Liverpool attack against the out-of-sorts Hammers….
Like their bitter rivals United, Liverpool have mainly impressed at the back in the first three fixtures. Brendan Rodgers’ men have yet to concede a goal but have notched just twice, with Petr Cech’s heroics at the Emirates denying them time and again on Monday evening. Up against a West Ham defence that’s conceded six times in the last two, and are without the suspended pair Adrian and Carl Jenkinson, the likes of Christian Benteke, Philippe Coutinho and co. have the chance to impress in the first of three favourable home fixtures (WHM, NOR, AVL) in the next four.

Koeman’s defensive set-up….
A switch to 3-4-1-2 at Watford finally earned the Saints a first shut-out of the season on Sunday afternoon. Having conceded five times in the first two, our faith in the Southampton rearguard took a turn for the worse but Koeman’s tactical tinkering may well boost their defensive prospects. Another show of faith in his three-man backline may persuade owners of Cedric Soares to hold fire for now, with the new boy benefitting from an out of position berth on the right of midfield at Vicarage Road.

Gestede against the Black Cats….
After a summer of major restructuring, Villa’s sluggish start to the season has persuaded Fantasy managers to steer well clear of their assets. Whilst Tim Sherwood’s side clearly need time to adapt, a home encounter with Sunderland offers the midlands outfit the perfect opportunity to recover from back-to-back defeats. Given that the Black Cats shipped three to lowly Exeter in the cup on Tuesday, the Villa boss is sure to pinpoint their porous backline and we can expect an aerial assault from the home side as they look for Rudy Gestede to wreak havoc against Dick Advocaat’s strugglers.

Chadli the differential ….
In the clamber for new midfielders, the Spurs man has mainly been overlooked by Fantasy managers. Sitting in just 7% of FPL teams, Chadli has bagged a goal and assist in the last two and with Christian Eriksen still sidelined, the Belgian’s eye for goal looks key as Everton come calling this weekend. Chadli has been overshadowed by the likes of Dimitri Payet and Andre Ayew in the mid-price bracket but with Sunderland and Palace to follow, another points return could finally see our interest pick up.

Thauvin’s chance to impress….
The Newcastle winger ran riot on his first start for the club in midweek, grabbing a goal and three assists in a 4-1 cup win over Northampton. A St James’ head-to-head with Arsenal is another matter entirely but with the Gunners harbouring doubts over both their first-choice centre-backs, Steve McClaren’s side will have high hopes for a first league win of the season. After a goalless draw at United last weekend, the Magpies will be hoping their latest new recruit can make the difference and steer them to a first league win of the season.

Watford’s rearguard at the Etihad….
Quique Sanchez Flores’ side have the chance to play party poopers this weekend. Fantasy managers have loaded up on City options, with Sergio Aguero the overwhelming armband favourite as Manuel Pellegrini’s free-scoring side go in search of a fourth successive win. Watford, though, arrive at the Etihad having chalked up back-to-back clean sheets and have conceded just 18 shots inside the box – only four sides have restricted their opponents to fewer. Can the Hornets well-drilled backline frustrate the league leaders or will Aguero and co. vindicate our investment and run riot?