This Much We Know – Gameweek 6

It’s fair to say we’ve plenty of topics to discuss after an eventful Gameweek 6 came to its conclusion on Sunday. Eden Hazard’s return to form, Liverpool’s new formation, David Silva’s injury worries and Anthony Martial’s impact on United’s attack are all amongst the topics to make our Monday Gameweek retrospective.

There’s a spring in Hazard’s step again…
At long last, the Chelsea winger is off the mark after bagging his first goal of the season in the weekend win over Arsenal. After serving up just a single assist in the first five Gameweeks, Hazard has been sold by over 818,000 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers as former owners look for better value. Now down to 11.3 in FPL, his first double-figure haul of the campaign offers a perfect reminder of his points potential as the Blues prepare for a fine run of fixtures.

…So Sanchez needs to produce soon…
With Hazard struggling, many had turned to the Arsenal wide man as their premium midfielder of choice due to his strong underlying statistics. Whilst Sanchez continues to serve up eye-catching numbers, his lack of end product is a growing concern at a time where the fixtures start to turn against the Gunners. Sanchez is likely to be afforded a reprieve for next week’s trip to Leicester’s porous defence but with the schedule tightening from Gameweek 8, a switch to Hazard could be on the cards.

Zouma is a factor as Terry’s stock plummets…
It’s four straight starts now for the youngster, who appears to have secured himself a regular role in the heart of Jose Mourinho’s defence. Since replacing John Terry at the break in Gameweek 2, Zouma has played every minute and strengthened his claim for consideration by racking up 15 points against the Gunners. Terry – who had played every minutes of last season – continues to be alternated with Gary Cahill as Jose Mourinho looks to rest his skipper’s tiring legs and spares him against pacey opposition.

Newcastle are sitting ducks…
A home defeat to Watford means the Magpies have mustered just one point and a single goal in the last five Gameweeks. Despite the hefty summer outlay, there’s been little sign of progress on Tyneside – Steve McClaren’s side sit bottom for shots (50) and have managed just 14 efforts on target in six matches. Toiling at both ends of the pitch, they now face Chelsea and City in back-to-back matches as the malaise looks set to continue.

….and Sunderland have no reason to be smug…
Newcastle’s domestic woes have been mirrored by Dick Advocaat’s side as the north east duo prop up the table after six rounds of fixtures. The resilience that served up 13 clean sheets in 2014/15 looks long gone as the Black Cats continue to ship goals at an alarming rate – a 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth means they’ve been breached more times (13) than any side so far. Having failed to score in each of the last two since moving to a 4-2-3-1, there’s no reason for optimism ahead of clashes with United, West Ham and West Brom’s backline in the following three.

Silva’s fragility is becoming a concern…
The City playmaker has now missed back-to-back league outings after being ruled out of the weekend home clash with West Ham. With the likes of Raheem Sterling and Kevin de Bruyne bolstering Manuel Pellegrini’s options in the final third this term, it seems that the City boss is prepared to court caution when it comes to Silva’s fitness. First an ankle injury, now a calf complaint – can we afford to keep faith in the 10.2-priced Silva and rely on our benches to bail us out any more?

City can’t cope without Kompany…
The home loss to the Hammers coincided with Vincent Kompany’s first absence of the season. City were overwhelming favourites last weekend after serving up five straight clean sheets but they looked far from resilient with their captain on the sidelines. Given the upcoming fixtures, those holding City defenders will be more than happy to hold but it’s clear that their prospects for defensive returns are significantly improved with Kompany’s presence in the back-four.

Sigurdsson is a fading star….
Yet another blank last weekend means the Swansea playmaker has managed just a single assist in the first six outings. It’s a real fall from Fantasy grace for Sigurdsson, who’d racked up seven goals and ten assists in his first season under Garry Monk last time around. After playing all but five minutes of the first four, the midfielder has been subbed off on 70 and 60 minutes respectively in the last two, with his influence waning on the Swans’ attack.

Vardy won’t let Mahrez hog the headlines….
The Foxes duo continue to bring in points, with both once again delivering for their owners in Saturday’s comeback draw at Stoke. Mahrez may be hogging the headlines but Vardy deserves credit for a series of consistent displays – a goal at the Britannia was his third strike in successive outings. Indeed, the 6.2-priced striker has blanked in just one of the first six, richly rewarding those who opted for a double-up on Claudio Ranieri’s attack.

Bolasie is no striker…
Palace’s recent goal drought has coincided with Alan Pardew’s decision to handed the DR Congo international the lone forward role. With Connor Wickham still sidelined through injury, the Eagles boss has ignored the likes of Patrick Bamford, Dwight Gayle and Frazier Campbell and turned to Bolasie to lead the line instead. Given that Palace scored eight goals in the first four – including a 2-1 win at Chelsea – Pardew needs to address his side’s woes up top, with a more physical presence surely needed to boost their appeal ahead of some kind fixtures.

McCarthy’s tenure could be under threat…
One of the very few sub-4.5 options available to Fantasy managers, the Palace stopper’s security of starts looks in question after he was criticised by Alan Pardew in light of yesterday’s loss to Spurs. McCarthy has yet to manage a clean sheet in the first six Gameweeks and with Julian Speroni stepping up his fitness drive after weeks on the sidelines with a hand problem, those holding the former QPR keeper could soon be making plans for a way out.

Martial looks a risk worth taking….
In a season where form has been the overriding factor, United’s big-money signing has made an instant impact. After scoring as a sub against Liverpool, Martial has been fast-tracked to the starting XI and has instantly added a cutting edge to the Red Devils, with a finely-taken brace away to Southampton last time out. Despite some testing fixtures to follow after the weekend visit of Sunderland, the bandwagon is in full flow and with a price of just 8.1, it’s hard to resist Martial if he continues to cement a place in Louis van Gaal’s first-team plans.

Southampton have issues at full-back…
Six matches into the season and the Saints’ defence is still very much a work in progress. Whilst new boy Virgil van Dijk looks to have secured a starting role alongside Jose Fonte in the heart of the back-four, Ronald Koeman still seems unconvinced by the rest of his defence. Cedric Soares was dropped for the first time this term at right-back, whilst left-back Matt Targett – who had previously managed every minute of the season – was hauled off at the break against United. The imminent return of Ryan Bertrand should improve things but Koeman looks unconvinced by his options on the right.

…and United have problems there too…
Louis van Gaal also subbed off both his full-backs in yesterday’s win as concerns over United’s defence increase. The Dutchman conceded he hooked Matteo Darmian due to the Italian’s inability to stop Dusan Tadic on the Saints’ left, whilst the unconvincing Marcos Rojo was handed 80 minutes due to Luke Shaw’s long-term injury before being replaced by Paddy McNair. Having opened the season with a trio of clean sheets, United have now been breached five times in the subsequent three and with Arsenal, Everton and City in the next four, their recent lack of resilience will have many thinking twice over investing.

Norwich will manage Hoolahan’s pitch time…
Dropped to the Norwich bench for the weekend trip to Liverpool, it’s clear that the veteran’s pitch time is far from assured as Alex Neil opts for a horses for courses approach. With four assists already, Hoolahan’s creativity is clearly vital to the Canaries’ survival prospects and Neil’s weekend teamsheet at Anfield is perhaps an indication that Hoolahan is surplus to requirement when the Canaries are looking to tighten up defensively and cover ground in midfield. Seven testing fixtures (mci, SWA, che, ARS, EVE, mun, tot) in eight from Gameweek 11 onwards may well see the Republic of Ireland man struggle for attention as a fifth midfielder.

The Gomez option looks done and dusted…
Brendan Rodgers’ decision to finally switch his tactics and recall Alberto Moreno and Mamadou Sakho to the starting XI looks like bad news for a couple of Liverpool defenders. Those holding Dejan Lovren and Joe Gomez will now be mulling over their options, with Moreno’s assist for Danny Ings’ strike looking likely to keep the Spaniard in the frame for the weekend home clash against Villa. Whilst Lovren sits in just 2% of sides, Gomez’ 20% FPL ownership now seem set to turn their attentions elsewhere as Rodgers looks to last term’s 3-4-1-2 set-up to help steer him out of trouble. Another spot on the bench at home to Villa and the exodus will pick up pace.