Scout Notes – Gameweek 9 – Saturday

Jamie Vardy continues to emerge as the unlikely front-runner for the Golden Boot, ensuring he remains the hottest property across the Fantasy games this morning. This despite Raheem Sterling’s hat-trick at the Etihad as the £49 million man teams up with Wilfried Bony to dismantle Bournemouth.

Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho ring the changes and earn victories, as Eden Hazard suffers the indignity of being dumped to the Chelsea bench. Meanwhile, Alexis Sanchez has no such concerns as he continues to fire Arsenal’s title tilt and cement his status as prime armband material for the coming Gameweeks. Here’s all the notes from Saturday’s events….

Prolific Vardy Continues Relentless Scoring Streak

Jamie Vardy’s inexorable march towards the Golden Boot continued as he rescued a point for the Foxes with a second-half brace. The 6.8-priced forward now lays claim to eight goals in his last six outings and 10 in his previous 10.

The fact that he amassed double the number of shots inside the box (eight) of any forward on Saturday shows that he’s fashioning a wealth of chances and not just enjoying an unsustainable shot-conversion rate. With a quartet of obliging fixtures on the horizon (CRY, wba, WAT, new), there’s nothing to suggest that Vardy won’t prolong his rich vein of form.

Riyad Mahrez was again omitted from the Leicester starting line-up for the second Gameweek running, much to the ire of his 54% ownership. He and Nathan Dyer entered the fray at the break, though, and went on to supply the ammunition for Vardy’s strikes. Whether this convinces Claudio Ranieri to re-insert Mahrez into the starting line-up remains to be seen. Given that Leicester are back at the King Power Stadium in Gameweek 10 for the visit of Palace, Mahrez will surely be expected to figure from the off.

Saints Pegged Back As Pelle Blanks

Southampton surrendered a two-goal lead at home to the Foxes, having entered the break two goals to the good through the efforts of centre-backs Jose Fonte and Virgil van Dijk.

The Saints are without a clean sheet in their last four fixtures, but the presence of three enticing match-ups (BOU, sun, STO) in the next four should trigger an upsurge of investment in the defensive partnership.

While Van Dijk and Fonte both prospered with attacking returns, Cedric Soares was again withdrawn – this time just before the hour-mark, missing out on a clean sheet point by just a single minute of play. Soares has now been replaced in four of his eight starts this campaign. Given Van Dijk’s proven attacking prowess, the extra 0.5 outlay, or even the 0.4 to Fonte, looks to be a viable option as Soares’s minutes continue to be in question, reducing his bonus point potential in a clean sheet scenario.

In attacking areas, Dusan Tadic – one of our differential picks – came up trumps with an assist, yet form duo Sadio Mane and Pelle – who’d chalked up five goals and seven assists between them in the previous trio of Gameweeks – were conspicuously absent from the scoreboard. Nonetheless, both men came close to converting at St Mary’s Stadium and will fancy their chances of totting up further attacking returns during Southampton’s favourable stretch. Southampton are at Anfield in Gameweek 10, presenting a key test of Ronald Koeman’s side’s progress.

Sterling & Bony Step Up To Fill Aguero Void

Raheem Sterling picked up where Sergio Aguero left off, steering Man City to a 5-1 win over Bournemouth with a first-half hat-trick. In the absence of David Silva, the ex-Liverpool winger was fielded at the number-ten slot and proceeded to amass a 19-point haul.

Priced at 8.8 and owned by 9.7% of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers, Sterling acts as an affordable route into an attack that’s racked up 11 goals in two outings and faces the generous defences of Norwich (home) and Villa (away) to follow next weekend’s Manchester derby.

Wilfried Bony rewarded the 63,000 FPL managers that plumped for the Ivorian ahead of Southampton’s form striker, Graziano Pelle, with a brace and an assist. No forward recorded more shots on target (four) on Saturday than the former Swansea man, illustrating his capacity to plug the gap while Aguero’s nursing himself back to full health.

Kevin De Bruyne threaded through a sublime pass for Sterling’s second of the afternoon. He’s now carded four goals and assist in his last six starts for the Sky Blues in all competitions. Jesus Navas was on hand for a brace of assists – boosting his tally to four for the season – while Yaya Toure was substituted at half time, with Manuel Pellegrini affording him a rest ahead of their midweek Champions League clash.

Spurs Rearguard Returns Again

Tottenham extended their unbeaten streak to eight matches with a 0-0 stalemate at home to Liverpool – their fourth clean sheet in their last six home ties. No side has conceded fewer goals (seven) than Mauricio Pochettino’s troops, who are profiting from astute defensive reinforcements and a steelier midfield.

Both Toby Alderweireld (5.1 in the FPL) and Eric Dier (5.2) serve as strong routes into their rearguard ahead of a run that includes a trio of favourable match-ups (bou, AVL, ars, WHU). However, Moussa Dembele’s performance on his return to the side in the double pivot alongside Dele Alli will give Pochettino food for thought when considering an instant recall for Dier in that position.

In addition, the decision to recall Danny Rose at left-back indicates that Ben Davies – a 4.5 option in the FPL – is now no longer a viable candidate in the Spurs rearguard. Alderweireld or keeper Hugo LLoris (5.0) currently look the most secure options, then.

Sturridge Absence Blunts Klopp Debut

Jurgen Klopp commandeered Liverpool to a hard-fought draw in his first match at the helm.

The new Liverpool boss was dealt a major blow pre-match when Daniel Sturridge sustained a knee injury in training. Klopp therefore opted for a 4-3-2-1 set-up, fielding Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana behind central striker Divock Origi who made a first league start of the season.

In defence, the reds kept their first shut-out in six outings and, while Fantasy managers should monitor progress in this area, Liverpool’s schedule presents them with a tough quintet of match-ups (SOU, che, CRY, mci, SWA).

Alberto Moreno, pushing up from left-back and handed an share of dead-ball duties, looks to be the premium option on offer – he’s currently priced at just 4.7 in the FPL and seemingly assured of his start, at least until Klopp has opportunity to recruit in January.

Costa The Key As Hazard Sits Things Out

Diego Costa – one of our suggested differentials – recorded a goal and an assist as Chelsea ran out 2-0 victors over Aston Villa.

Drafted in by over 100,000 managers during the international break, the 11.0-priced marksman proved to be an able replacement for the injured Sergio Aguero and delivered Fantasy returns for the first time in four starts.

Considering the Blues’ wealth of agreeable fixtures through to Gameweek 19 (sto, NOR, BOU, lei, SUN, WAT), Costa could reaffirm his big-hitting potential over that stretch.

Eden Hazard’s omission from the starting line-up was the major talking point prior to kick-off, with Pedro the favoured replacement on the left flank. Jose Mourinho later revealed that Hazard wasn’t rested but was instead dropped due to his lack of defensive discipline. Mourinho went on to insist that the Belgian winger will remain rooted to the bench if he can’t match the work ethic of his other wide options. Should Hazard sit out the Gameweek 10 trip to West Ham, an exodus would likely be on the cards – Hazard is still found in 25% of FPL squads.

Willian claimed the assist for Chelsea’s opener and he’s now found returns in three consecutive Gameweeks. With two goals and assists this campaign, the Brazilian livewire is already on pace to surpass his haul from last term (two goals and four assists). However, a lack of security of starts and the presence of more attractive alternatives in the mid-priced bracket renders Willian a peripheral figure in Fantasy terms.

Payet Delivers In Another Away Win

Dimitri Payet notched his fourth goal in five outings as West Ham United registered a 3-1 win over 10-men Crystal Palace.

Priced at 8.1, the France international now boasts five goals and three assists in his maiden Premier League campaign, having produced attacking returns in five consecutive starts. The Hammers’ form is such they rank second for goals scored (20) behind Manchester City (24), encouraging investment in Payet regardless of their tricky schedule (CHE, wat, EVE, tot).

Manuel Lanzini (5.3) grabbed a goal and assist against the Eagles, underlining his value as a fourth or fifth midfielder in our 15-man squads. Pitched at the same valuation, Victor Moses popped up with his third assists in five matches and looks to be growing in stature under Slaven Bilic – he is, however, ineligible for the home clash with Chelsea next time out.

Carl Jenkinson netted his second goal in as many appearances for the Irons, having tallied just one in his 69 league outings prior to Gameweek 8. The Arsenal loanee is the prime pick among West Ham’s 5.0-priced defenders, but the fact that Bilic’s men failed to batten down the hatches in their previous four match-ups limits Jenkinson’s appeal as they gear-up for their testing run of opponents.

Cabaye Back On the Spot

Yohan Cabaye converted from the penalty spot for the third match on trot as Palace fell to their fourth defeat in five home clashes.

The former Newcastle midfielder presents the safest route into the Eagles attack but has only scored one goal from open play this campaign. Given that Alan Pardew’s troops square up to Leicester, Manchester United and Liverpool over the next trio of Gameweeks, prospective investors might be inclined to hold fire until their fixtures turn kinder from Gameweek 13 (SUN, NEW).

Dwight Gayle earned the assist for Cabaye’s penalty but then received a second yellow less than 20 minutes later for a challenge on Cheikhou Kouyate. The diminutive marksman now sits out Palace’s trip to the Foxes next weekend and will likely struggle to forge his way back into the starting line-up for the Red Devils’ visit, considering that Connor Wickham is closing in on a return.

Van Gaal’s Shuffles The Pack In Goodison Victory

Wayne Rooney chalked up his second goal in three starts as Manchester United registered a comfortable 3-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park.

In terms of the Red Devils’ high-ownership players, Anthony Martial failed to net for the third consecutive start, while Juan Mata came off at the break – Louis van Gaal confirmed in his post-match press conference that the Spaniard was withdrawn for tactical reasons.

Memphis Depay missed out against the Toffees, with Anthony Martial occupying the left flank role – a concerning development for Martial’s 30% ownership. Rooney subsequently pushed up to the lone-striker berth, allowing Ander Herrera – who recorded a goal and an assist – to operate in “the hole”. It was a successful exercise that should prompt Van Gaal to retain all three in those respective slots for the Gameweek 10 Manchester derby.

Van Gaal enacted couple of changes in defence, replacing Daley Blind and Ashley Young with Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones. Although Rojo and Chris Smalling notched assists, it’s Jones (5.2) – who comes in at 0.6 cheaper than Matteo Darmian (5.8) – who really catches the eye. Should he cement a start alongside Smalling, Jones would be elevated to a key Fantasy consideration.

Indeed, the Red Devils’ schedule beyond Gameweek 10 (cry, WBA, wat, lei, WHU, bou, NOR) throws up a procession of match-ups that look likely to help Van Gaal’s side add to their clean sheet tally.

Listless Toffees A Cause For Concern

The reinstatement of John Stones and Seamus Coleman at the back couldn’t prevent Everton from shipping three goals and posting their first defeat in six matches.

The lacklustre nature of the Merseysiders’ performance was underlined by the fact they mustered just three shots on target. Although a trip to Arsenal next time out might have Ross Barkley (no returns in four) owners contemplating his sale, it’s worth noting that Everton enjoy an excellent run of fixtures from Gameweek 11 (SUN, why, AVL, bou, CRY, nor, LEI, new) that could propel them up the league table and renew our faith in their Fantasy assets.

Gunners Ease Though the Gears At Vicarage Road

Arsenal handed Watford a 3-0 defeat courtesy of goals from Alexis Sanchez, Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud. The former netted his sixth goal in three league outings, having fired in three goals for Chile during the international break. The shining light in a Gunners attack that’s tallied 11 goals in the past three Gameweeks, Sanchez is sure to be a captaincy favourite despite a testing batch of upcoming fixtures (EVE, swa, TOT).

Ramsey’s first goal of the campaign reminds us of his latent potential, but Mesut Ozil – who assisted two goals against the Hornets – is arguably the stronger alternative to Ramsey and Theo Walcott among Arsenal’s mid-priced supporting cast. The 8.4-priced Ozil appears to be playing his best football since making the switch to England’s top flight and, along with City’s Kevin De Bruyne, looks set to head the list of top assisters this season based on current form.

At the back, Hector Bellerin earned his second assist in three outings. He and Nacho Monreal (two assists against Leicester) are given license to maraud forward in Arsene Wenger’s chosen 4-2-3-1 set-up and have picked up clean-sheet points in five of their last seven starts. Gabriel missed out due to a minor surgical procedure and will now find it hard to usurp Per Mertesacker in central defence. Tuesday’s teamsheet for the vital Champions League clash with Bayern will tell us more on the current pecking order.

Berahino Strikes As Baggies Shut-out Sunderland

Saido Berahino settled a pretty uneventful affair against Sunderland with his third goal in four matches. The 6.2-priced forward has scored 13 of his last 17 goals at The Hawthorns, revealing his clear home bias.

Considering that Leicester – who’ve conceded 12 goals in their last five outings – are the next visitors in the West Midlands, Berahino’s 7.5% ownership will be hopeful of further attacking returns in Gameweek 11.

Tony Pulis’ disciplined brand of football continues to deliver defensive points, with the Baggies registering their fifth shut-out of the campaign – no side has managed more. Boaz Myhill reaffirmed his status as a bonus-points magnet, scooping two bonus for the second time in five outings, while 48,000 new Craig Dawson owners were vindicated in their acquisition.