This Much We Know – Gameweek 4

With the international break now upon us, we assess the previous round of fixtures for signs of lessons learned this lunchtime. West Ham’s unpredictability, Garry Monk and Manuel Pellegrini’s tactical tweaks, Palace’s new wide man and Sunderland’s consistent Dutchman are all amongst today’s topics..

Expect the unexpected with West Ham…
After shipping six goals at home to Leicester and Bournemouth, the Hammers rolled up to Anfield as overwhelming underdogs on Saturday afternoon. Instead, the 3-0 win, allied with a victory and shut-out at the Emirates in Gameweek 1, highlights just how unpredictable Slaven Bilic’s men are at both ends of the pitch. Worryingly for Dimitri Payet owners, that erratic output also applies to the Frenchman – for all his undoubted talents, he’s now failed to play a part in any of his side’s six goals over the last two Gameweeks. Owners will be hoping he can take advantage of four decent fixtures (NEW, NOR, sun, cpl) in the next six before reassessing.

Canny Monk is keeping Swansea fixture-proof…
With an opening day point at Stamford Bridge and comeback win over United already under their belt, Swansea have more than proven their credentials. Devoid of the injured Jefferson Montero, Garry Monk started with his default 4-2-3-1 before a switch to a midfield diamond swung the match in Swansea’s favour after going a goal behind. Andre Ayew and Bafetimbi Gomis were once again the stars of the show as both breached a backline that rolled up to the Liberty on the back of three clean sheets. Rated third in our Season Ticker for attacking potential over the next six, many will be tempted to double-up on the duo as Monk looks to build momentum.

We cannot overlook Sterling …
The weekend arrival of Kevin de Bruyne, allied with the fine form of David Silva and Yaya Toure, has kept the former Liverpool man out of the headlines. Manuel Pellegrini’s half-time tactical tweak against Watford may force a re-think, though. With the match goalless, the City boss shifted from 4-2-3-1 to 4-4-2 at the break and handed Sterling a role up front alongside Sergio Aguero – the youngster needed less than two minutes to find the net and vindicate his manager’s decision. Whilst a lone striker system remains City’s default tactic, Sterling’s versatility clearly offers the league leaders an extra element should Pellegrini need to alter formation when dealing with obstinate opponents.

Sako looks the real deal…
Having fired his side to victory at home to Villa, the Palace wide man maintained his superb start to life at Selhurst Park with a match-winning display away to Chelsea. Sako’s goal and assist saw him leap onto our radars at a price of just 5.5 – after just two appearances, he’s produced more shots on target (eight) than any midfielder in the top-flight and with Alan Pardew’s side primed to go on the offensive, the summer signing from Wolves has emerged as a major candidate in the budget bracket.

Lens remains under the radar…
Sunderland may have yet to register a win or clean sheet but the Dutchman’s arrival has clearly made a significant difference to their prospects up top. Lens has now played a part in four of the Black Cats’ six league goals after finding the net in the 2-2 draw at Villa Park and, impressively, has produced attacking returns in each of the first four Gameweeks. He’s now accrued 20 points – that’s the same as the much-hyped Dimitri Payet, for example – yet with less than 1% of Fantasy managers currently on board, is looking a solid differential option in the centre of the park.

Vardy form could warrant a Leicester double…
With Riyad Mahrez now sitting in over 37% of FPL teams, most Fantasy managers are prepared to overlook the rest of Leicester’s main assets. Claudio Ranieri’s men look full of goals, though, and Jamie Vardy’s strike at Bournemouth means he’s now served up points in three of the first four Gameweeks. Sitting in just 5% of FPL teams, the 6.0-priced Vardy has already bagged 20 points and with Villa, Stoke and Norwich in the next four, could prove a canny move for those prepared to heavily invest in the in-form Foxes.

The Saints are starting to settle…
After a patchy opening few fixtures, Ronald Koeman’s side chalked up their first win of the season in convincing fashion. The Saints have now produced back-to-back shut-outs and with Dusan Tadic, Sadio Mane and Graziano Pelle all delivering the points against Norwich yesterday, there are hopes than the St Mary’s outfit can hit the heights of the season gone by. Certainly, last week’s Europa League exit should keep rest and rotation at a minimum and with Ryan Bertrand expected back soon, Koeman’s main men could soon be back in Fantasy favour.

Sinclair deserves more pitch time…
After dropping to the bench in Gameweek 3, the Villa winger has responded superbly, racking up five goals in two appearances across all competitions. Sinclair followed a midweek hat-trick against Notts County with a brace at home to Sunderland, serving Tim Sherwood a reminder of his goal-getting ability. Granted, Sinclair only started after Jack Grealish, Adama Traore and Gabby Agbonlahor were all ruled out against the Black Cats but bearing in mind his side have only scored four league goals, Sherwood could well keep faith. At a price of 4.9 and with spot-kicks in his locker, Fantasy managers will be hoping that’s the case.

Liverpool’s defence is still a work in progress…
With three clean sheets in as many matches, investment in the Liverpool backline was substantial ahead of the visit of West Ham – the first of three home matches in four for the Merseysiders. The 3-0 capitulation will surely persuade many to think twice now, whilst Brendan Rodgers’ decision to switch to a three-man backline after the break suggests more tinkering could be on the cards as the Reds boss looks to get his side back on track.

.. but the Baggies backline is starting to click…
A 1-0 win away to rivals Stoke brought West Brom a second clean sheet in three attempts as Tony Pulis’ side served a timely reminder of their resilience ahead of a very kind run of fixtures. Given that they served up 16 shut-outs in 2014/15, it’s a real surprise that Joleon Lescott – with just 4% ownership – is the most popular defensive option at the Hawthorns so far. Lescott looks increasingly likely to exit before tomorrow’s deadline but with the likes of Jonny Evans (4.9) now on board, the midlands outfit look poised to take advantage of a run which pits them against Villa, Everton, Palace, Sunderland, Norwich and Leicester in the next seven.