Scout Notes – Gameweek 7 – Saturday

Harry Kane and Alexis Sanchez finally deliver in a weekend that saw the goal scoring shackles removed. While that pair returned to the script, the season continued to offer twists and turns as Spurs routed leaders Man City, allowing a Juan Mata inspired United to climb to the summit. Here’s the notes from Saturday’s events…

Kane Ends Goal Drought

Harry Kane netted his first goal of the campaign as Spurs handed league leaders Manchester City a 4-1 thrashing. The out-of-form marksman – who’s plummeted to 17% ownership in the wake of six successive blanks – fashioned three shots on target at White Hart Lane and will now look to kick on as Spurs embark on a testing pair of fixtures (swa, LIV).

The Lilywhites’ defenders proved to be a gold mine for Fantasy returns, with Eric Dier and Toby Alderweireld both netting against the Sky Blues. The former boasts two goals from the double pivot this term, rendering him the prime route into a Spurs rearguard that’s conceded a solitary goal in their past four outings. Moreover, no team has conceded fewer goals than Mauricio Pochettino’s men (five), highlighting the improvements they’ve made at the back.

Erik Lamela was chosen ahead of the underperforming Nacer Chadli and arguably turned out his best performance since a £30 million switch from Roma, bagging an assist and a goal. Afforded the license to interchange positions within Tottenham’s fluid supporting trio, the 6.8-priced Argentinian is certainly one to monitor if the North London club can sustain their attacking momentum.

In his first league start since Gameweek 2, Christian Eriksen picked up an assist after his superb free-kick rebounded off the crossbar for Kane to steer home. Clinton N’Jie also got in on the action, emerging from the bench to outfox Aleksandar Kolarov on the right flank and serve up the assist for Tottenham’s fourth.

City Capitulate To Topple From Summit

In the absence of Vincent Kompany and Joe Hart, Man City’s defence high defensive line was exposed by Spurs’ speed and movement in the second period. Manuel Pellegrini’s troops have now conceded six goals in their previous two outings, following on from a five-match stretch in which they recorded five successive shut-outs.

Bacary Sagna owners have to be concerned by Pablo Zabaleta’s imminent return, while Kolarov’s 33% ownership will at least be encouraged by a pair of favourable fixtures (NEW, BOU) on the horizon.

The visitors’ opened the scoring through Kevin De Bruyne, who rifled home a low finish after receiving Yaya Toure’s pass on the counter. The former has notched back-to-back goals and looks to be worth every penny of his 10.1m price tag, while the latter was withdrawn at the 55-minute mark with a hamstring problem and is set to be assessed in the comings days.

Sergio Aguero has now gone five league appearances without a goal and managed just one shot on target. Nonetheless, few Fantasy managers will be contemplating his sale ahead of back-to-back home ties against defensively suspect teams. Further blanks in those match-ups at the Etihad could well be the final straw for a large portion of his ownership, though, with plenty of budget and mid-priced options currently serving up more consistent returns.

Sanchez Delivers On His Numbers

Alexis Sanchez carded a hat-trick as Arsenal ran out 5-2 victory over Leicester City. The Chilean finally delivered the attacking returns to match his unparalleled recent goal threat, having attempted eight more shots inside the box (28) than any of his counterparts this term. The 30,000 managers that shipped Sanchez out prior to Gameweek 7 were left to rue their decision as the 11.0-priced midfielder showcased his big-hitting potential, racking up a bumper 20-point haul. The Gunners face a relatively tough schedule over the next five Gameweeks (MUN, wat, EVE, swa, TOT), yet Sanchez’s fixture-proof status shouldn’t deter a wave of new investors.

Theo Walcott kicked off the goal fest with his second goal in three starts, while Olivier Giroud applied some gloss to the scoreline with the visitors’ fifth in the final minute. Priced at 8.5, Walcott represents an attractive route into Arsenal’s resurgent attack. Although Walcott is certain to start at home to Olympiacos next Tuesday – given that Olivier Giroud earned a red in their Champions League opener – there’s a growing confidence that Arsene Wenger will resist rotating in the league and continue to field the form forward.

Elsewhere in the Gunners camp, Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil tallied their second assists in three outings. On the defensive front, Hector Bellerin also turned provider on one occasion, while Nacho Monreal popped up with a brace of assists. The latter stands as the cheapest (5.5) source of Arsenal rearguard coverage and ranks in the top six among defenders for key passes (eight) this term.

Foxes Finally Succumb To Defeat

Leicester City’s 10-match unbeaten streak came to an end at the hands of a rampant Arsenal side, with their swashbuckling style ultimately affording the North Londoners a raft of clear-cut chances. Jamie Vardy ensured that the end-to-end contest wasn’t an entirely one-sided affair, though, scoring in both halves to boost his season tally to an impressive six goals. The 6.4-priced forward has rattled in five goals across his last four starts and is handed a great opportunity to perpetuate that form in light of the East Midlanders’ excellent schedule (nor, sou, CRY, wba, WAT, new). Vardy has emerged as a favoured solution for those currently holding the stricken Callum Wilson in their squads.

Daniel Drinkwater and Leonardo Ulloa claimed the assist’s for Vardy’s double. In the wake of assists in three consecutive starts, Drinkwater has stood out as the top pick in the 4.5m-or-less bracket. Delving into the underlying statistics, the Manchester-born midfielder has tallied as many attempts (eight) as Marc Albrighton and one more key pass (12) – strengthening his case for investment.

Sturridge Strikes To Paper Over the Cracks

Daniel Sturridge shot back onto the radars of Fantasy managers with a brace in a 3-2 win over Aston Villa. Notwithstanding his lengthy injury layoff, the 10.4-priced forward looks to have already found his groove just two starts into his return. Although the Reds face three challenging road ties (eve, tot, SOU, che) over the next four Gameweeks, Sturridge’s big-hitting potential will likely engender a significant increase on his 1.2% ownership.

James Milner netted the quickest Premier League goal this season and notched an assist in the second half. Priced at 6.7 following an exodus of owners in the preceding Gameweeks, the former Villa recruit could be a valuable pick-up if the Reds’ can build on this attacking display. Philippe Coutinho, meanwhile, chalked up a pair of assists but failed to score with a further seven strikes at goal. His 15% ownership will be hopeful of a Sanchez-esque renaissance if the Brazilian continues to engineer such a wealth of chances.

Alberto Moreno was again favoured to Joe Gomez as Brendan Rodgers retained a 3-5-2 set-up. Those managers in possession of the ex-Charlton recruit might be casting their attention towards the equally priced Mamadou Sakho (4.8), who’s security of starts was bolstered by the recent injury to Dejan Lovren.

Gestede Threat Not Enough For Villa

The Villains twice mounted a comeback through Rudy Gestede but eventually fell to their third defeat in a row. The imposing striker was handed his first league start since Gameweek 5 and took full advantage of that opening, yet few managers will eyeing up the Benin international as Villa prepare for a unforgiving run of match-ups (STO, che, SWA, tot, MCI, eve).

Jordan Amavi’s attacking instincts lead to his second assist in four outings, while Alan Hutton delivered an assist from the opposite full-back berth. Considering that Tim Sherwood’s men have shipped 11 goals in their last five outings, the likes of Amavi will remain in the periphery until we witness greater resolve at the back.

Mata The Architect As United Go Top

Juan Mata – one of our three Differentials this Gameweek – was the star man for Manchester United as they recorded a convincing 3-0 win over Sunderland. The Spain international – who’s been involved in six goals in as many appearances – bagged a goal and an assist to further his appeal at the 8.7 mark. Although his 15% ownership will be delighted to retain the form midfielder, prospective buyers may be deterred by Man United’s next trio of match-ups (ars, eve, MCI).

Both Wayne Rooney and Memphis Depay got off the mark this campaign with goals against the Black Cats. Anthony Martial – who registered an assist to add to his three league goals – has somewhat marginalised Rooney’s relevance on the Fantasy scene, but Depay (8.3) harbours the potential to be a fine acquisition if he can exhibit some consistency.

Man United’s fourth clean sheet of the season furnished Matteo Darmian’s 21% ownership with a welcome four-point boost. Given that Louis van Gaal’s troops travel away from Old Trafford in three of the next four Gameweeks and conceded twice in their last two road fixtures, Darmian admirers might be inclined to sit tight for the time being.

Saints Blitz Sorry Swans

Southampton triumphed 3-1 over Swansea at St Mary’s Stadium, courtesy of goals from Virgil van Dijk, Dusan Tadic and Sadio Mane.

Van Dijk tallied 10 goals across 58 appearances in all competitions last season so clearly possesses the attacking potential to rival Cedric Soares and Ryan Bertrand as the prime route into Saints’ back line. Trips to Chelsea and Liverpool in the next three Gameweeks hardly look conducive to clean sheets, but they do enjoy a quartet of agreeable fixtures (LEI, BOU, sun, STO) before Gameweek 14.

Mane has one goal and four assists to his name in three starts, pushing the Senegal attacker back into contention for a place in our 15-man squads. In his last five outings on home turf, Mane has been directly involved in eight goals, underlining how integral he is to Southampton’s attack. Tadic remains an intriguing differential, with a 6.9 price point representing great value for his three goals and one assist so far this season.

Monk’s Men Falter Again

The Swans are without a win in three matches following their second consecutive road loss. The Fantasy returns for Andre Ayew and Bafetimbi Gomis – who was subbed off at half time due to the poor nature of his performance – have dried up since Gameweek 3, tempting their owners to explore other avenues.

With Gomis off the pitch, Gylfi Sigurdsson converted from the penalty spot seven minutes from time to starve Saints of a clean sheet. The Iceland international has played second fiddle to Ayew as a midfield prospect this term and has yet to show enough from open play to justify his 7.3m price tag.

Potters Claim Much Needed Victory

At the seventh time of asking, Stoke City posted their first three points of the campaign by way of a 2-1 victory over Bournemouth. With Mame Biram Diouf only fit enough to be named on the bench, Jonathan Walters again spearheaded the Potters’ attack and opened the scoring from a Marco Arnautovic cross. The 5.8-priced midfielder now boasts two goals in as many appearances, increasing his chances of retaining a starting berth at Villa next weekend.

Diouf then entered the fray in the after hour mark, netting the winner in the 83^rd minute from a Glen Johnson assist. The 6.5-priced frontman has scored three goals in his last five appearances, making him a consideration ahead of Stoke’s decent run of opponents (avl, swa, WAT, new).

Xherdan Shaqiri sustained a hamstring injury and will undergo a scan on Monday to assess the severity of the damage. His potential absence could pave the way for Walters to drop back into a right-wing berth, with Diouf reinstated as the lone striker in Mark Hughes’ favoured 4-2-3-1 formation.

Wilson Blow for Beaten Cherries

Callum Wilson was withdrawn after just 17 minutes of the Britannia Stadium showdown with what Eddie Howe expects to be “another serious knee injury”.

In the event that the 6.0-priced forward is ruled out for the foreseeable future, the similarly valued Vardy (6.3) could be subject to an upsurge of investors as Wilson’s ownership scour the market for a suitable replacement. Glenn Murray could be the man to take up the mantle in his stead, yet the 5.6-priced ex-Crystal Palace striker lacks the same potential for explosive returns.

Dan Gosling found the back of the net with a deflected effort to complement his assist last time out against Sunderland. Meanwhile, Marc Pugh – who scored in the Cherries’ midweek League Cup win over Preston North End – earned his first assist of the campaign.

Hammers Battle For A Point

The Hammers twice came from behind to register a hard-fought draw at home to Norwich City. Diafra Sakho and Cheikhou Kouyate graced the scoresheet, as Slaven Bilic’s men kept pace with Leicester City in the scoring charts (15 goals). Sakho has carded three goals in his past four outings, while Kouyate is well on course to break last season’s haul (four goals and three assists), following his third goal in six starts.

Dimitri Payet and Andy Carroll assisted the goalscorers, with the former also scooping three bonus points for his efforts. Only Riyad Mahrez (60) has amassed more points than Payet (49) among the full Premier League roster this season, illustrating his fine start to life in England’s top tier. The Irons have already bested Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City on their travels, so the presence of three favourable away fixtures (sun, cry, wat) in next four Gameweeks will serve as encouragement for Payet’s 22% ownership. Meanwhile Sakho is another who will be considered as a replacement for the injured Callum Wilson in our squads.

Redmond and Hoolahan Factor Again

Norwich took the lead in both halves through Robbie Brady and Nathan Redmond but were undone in stoppage time as a result of some poor keeping from John Ruddy.

Redmond tallied his third goal of the season, having been dropped from the starting line-up by virtue of a string of lacklustre performances. Despite the Canaries strong upcoming trio of fixtures (LEI, new, WBA), the 5.7-priced midfielder is rendered less enticing because of his rotation risk.

Wes Hoolahan returned to the starting line up to claim his fifth assist of the campaign. Norwich’s midfield veteran is offering great value at the 5.1 mark but is liable to be rested at any time at the behest of Alex Neil – who is keen to manage his minutes and deploy stronger legs in certain match-ups.

Brazilian Bench Men Salvage Chelsea Draw

Chelsea came from 2-0 down to rescue a point at St James’ Park, with Ramires and Willian – who were both second-half substitutes – scoring in the final quarter of the encounter. Although the champions dominated possession (65%), the Magpies actually recorded more shots on target (five compared to four), reflecting the Blues’ lack of quality in the final third.

Eden Hazard kept his points ticking over with an assist, but he offered little in the way of goal threat, taking just one shot throughout the match. Assessing the season as a whole, Hazard has fallen well short of justifying his 11.3m valuation. The fact that Lamela – who’s started just three games this term – has tallied an equal number of attempts (11) and one more shot inside the box (nine) is a damning indictment of the Belgian’s displays this campaign.

On the defensive front, Chelsea conceded two or more goals in five successive road ties for the first time in 23 years. Only Sunderland (16) have seen their net ripple on more occasions than the Blues’ beleaguered back line (14), discouraging the recruitment of their high-priced defenders.