Scout Notes – Gameweek 14 – Sunday

Mesut Ozil maintains his stunning form by netting in Arsenal’s draw at Norwich. Chelsea register a third successive clean sheet to keep Tottenham at bay, James Milner fires Liverpool to victory over Swansea, whilst Mauro Zarate’s dead-ball expertise breaches West Brom’s backline at Upton Park.

Ozil Opener Not enough for Gunners

Arsenal are winless in three matches following their 1-1 draw at Carrow Road. Mesut Ozil prolonged his exceptional purple patch with the opening goal at the 30-minute mark. The German playmaker has delivered attacking returns in his previous eight starts, producing two goals and nine assists in the process. With head-to-heads against Sunderland (home) and Aston Villa (away) on the horizon, there’s a good chance that trend could continue.

The biggest talking point to surface from this encounter was the withdrawal of Alexis Sanchez on the hour mark because of a hamstring complaint. We await further news in the coming days to ascertain the extent of the injury, but Arsene Wenger is certainly not confident that it’s a mere impact knock – as the player himself insists. Ozil looks set to be the prime replacement if the Chilean is ruled out for any length of time.

The Gunners’ injury travails didn’t stop there: Laurent Koscielny came off after 10 minutes with a hip problem, while Santi Cazorla suffered a kick to the knee but had to remain on the pitch following the visitors’ third substitution. In the event that Koscielny faces a spell in the treatment room, Gabriel (4.6) shoots onto our radar as a budget source of defensive coverage.

Grabban Takes His Chance

In just his fifth appearance of the season, Lewis Grabban spoiled Arsenal’s evening with his first top-flight goal for the Carrow Road outfit. Man of the match, Robbie Brady supplied the assist for his team-mate and is now Norwich’s top-scoring player in the FPL game on 52 points. Although the Canaries have recorded just three goals in five outings, their defence was breached only four times across meetings with Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal. As such, the attacking threat of left-back Martin Olsson (4.4) could render him an intriguing pick-up later in the campaign – the Swede’s recent return to their starting XI has afforded Brady to move into midfield, with the Irishman serving up two assists in the last four.

Spurs Defence in the Points

Defences ruled supreme as Spurs’ attritional home tie against Chelsea ended in a goalless draw. Toby Alderweireld (three bonus) and Jan Vertonghen (two bonus) profited most from the stalemate, underlining the merits of investing in Tottenham’s rearguard. Considering that they boast the second-best defensive record (11 goals conceded) and a strong schedule through to the New Year (wba, NEW, sou, NOR, wat), the likes of Alderweireld and Eric Dier remain enticing picks in the mid-priced bracket. Vertonghen and Kyle Walker, though, now sit on the Suspension Tightrope on four yellow cards apiece.

Harry Kane’s blank arrested a four-match scoring streak, but he still managed to fire off four attempts in an uneventful encounter. Next on the agenda for Spurs is a trip to West Bromwich Albion, who rank top for goals conceded in home matches (13). Moreover, Newcastle United place joint-top for road goals conceded ahead of their visit to White Hart Lane in Gameweek 16, which bodes well for Kane’s Fantasy potential in the next fortnight.

Costa Dropped in Goalless Stalemate

Chelsea carded their third consecutive clean sheet in all competitions as they turned out a disciplined performance in north London. A consistent starter and the cheapest route into their back line, Kurt Zouma (5.4) is courting attention in light of the Blues’ excellent quartet of upcoming fixtures (BOU, lei, SUN, WAT). Bolstering the Frenchman’s case for investment, no side conceded fewer shots inside the box (five) or big chances (zero) in the last two Gameweeks.

Chelsea’s solid foundation against Tottenham came at the expense of goal threat, given that they mustered just five attempts and one shot on target. Eden Hazard had two decent chances but still represents a huge gamble at his 10.9 price point, making it hard to pinpoint a path into Chelsea’s misfiring attack. To further compound matters, Diego Costa (two goals in five) failed to grace the pitch at all, with Jose Mourinho opting to deploy Hazard as a false nine. The Spain international was conspicuous with his dissent, implying that there’s a certain disharmony between manager and player. Loic Remy missed out as his partner gave birth but is expected to be available next weekend, suggesting that Hazard is likely to drop back into an attacking midfield role again, regardless of Costa’s pitch time.

Zarate Stakes a Claim

An own goal from Winston Reid cancelled out Mauro Zarate’s dead-eyed free-kick in the 17^th minute, resulting in a 1-1 draw against West Bromwich Albion. The latter enjoyed just his second start in eight outings but looks set to be afforded increased pitch time in the wake Diafra Sakho’s second-half ankle injury – the Senegalese frontman hobbled off the pitch in the 73^rd minute, with manager Slaven Bilic later admitting that “it doesn’t look good”. Zarate (5.3) has bagged two goals in five appearances and is clearly adept from set-piece situations, but there are stronger alternatives (Troy Deeney, Odion Ighalo and even Arouna Kone) around his valuation.

Baggies Backline Breached Again

Rickie Lambert earned the assist for Reid’s own goal when his strike cannoned off the Kiwi centre-back. Of more pertinence to Fantasy managers was the Baggies’ inability to record a clean sheet for the fourth successive outing, having tallied five in seven prior to Gameweek 11. Tony Pulis’ troops now face tough match-ups against Tottenham (home) and Liverpool (away), before the fixtures start to fall in their favour (BOU, swa, NEW, STO) from Gameweek 17 onwards again.

Milner Wins it for Reds

Courtesy of James Milner’s penalty (assisted by Jordon Ibe) in the 62nd minute, Liverpool secured their third win in four matches. Given that the 6.6-priced midfielder also converted a spot-kick in the Reds’ midweek win over Bordeaux, he now looks ahead of Christian Benteke in the spot-kick pecking order, though it remains to be seen if he has usurped Jordan Henderson. The latter signalled his comeback from injury just two minutes after Milner netted, whilst Daniel Sturridge also made his return from injury with a 25-minute cameo at Anfield, setting him up for a potential start at Newcastle next Gameweek.

Alberto Moreno’s 15,000 new owners were rewarded with the Spaniard’s nine-point haul and Liverpool’s first clean sheet in five matches. Pitched at 4.9, the former Sevilla full-back serves as a cut-price route into a rearguard that will fancy their chances of rebuffing the lacklustre forward lines of Newcastle and West Brom in the next two Gameweeks.

Swansea’s Toils Continue

The Swans slumped to their third defeat in four matches and now lay claim to only one victory since Gameweek 5. Once again, Eder failed to lead the line with any authority, posting a solitary shot inside the box during his 68-minute stint – enhancing Bafetimbi Gomis’ case for a starting berth next time out. The 19%-owned Andrew Ayew fared no better, failing to fashion a single attempt throughout the 90 minutes. With Leicester and Man City up next, more Swansea owners will be parting company, with Garry Monk’s men now just four points clear of the drop zone.