This Much We Know – Gameweek 14

We cast an eye over some of the main topics from the weekend’s ten fixtures this Monday evening. Mesut Ozil and Kevin De Bruyne’s stars are on the rise, Sunderland’s defence and Bournemouth’s midfield continue to impress, whilst our options amongst Chelsea’s regulars are narrowing by the week.

All roads lead to Ozil….
The Alexis Sanchez hamstring scare has now accelerated Mesut Ozil’s bandwagon, with the German’s strike at Norwich meaning he’s blanked just once in the last ten Gameweeks. Sanchez’ weekend withdrawal, allied with a single assist in five, has sparked a major exodus – indeed, Ozil is now owned by more FPL managers than the Chilean for the first time this term. Despite his recent drought, any length of absence for Sanchez will likely seriously hamper Arsenal’s cutting edge – up next, it’s Sunderland and Big Sam’s parked bus at the Emirates as the Gunners look to bounce back from another miserable November.

Injury worries to others could boost De Bruyne’s bandwagon….
Sacrificed by almost 100,000 FPL managers due to Sergio Aguero’s recent return from injury, the Belgian picked a fine time to deliver his highest points haul of the season at home to Southampton. For many, De Bruyne had looked the obvious player to replace as a means to freeing up funds to draft in his team-mate but with Aguero forced off with a heel problem on Saturday, plenty will be prepared to hold onto the summer signing after his weekend goal and two assists. Although Aguero has reassured fans over his fitness earlier today, there’s no question that Manuel Pellegrini will remain cautious with the Argentine’s minutes, and with question marks hovering over Sanchez’ availability elsewhere in the premium midfield bracket, De Bruyne’s ownership could be on the up in light of the weekend’s events.

Some familiar Black Cats are back on the radar…
It’s three wins and a trio of clean sheets in just six matches for Sunderland as Big Sam brings their defence back onto our Fantasy radars. Allardyce has cited shut-outs as key to the Black Cats’ chances of survival and last weekend’s victory over Stoke saw the Wearsiders climb out of the relegation places, in what has been a remarkable turnaround in fortunes. Patrick van Aanholt looks to have re-established himself as a regular, with a weekend strike taking his tally to a goal, an assist and two clean sheets in his last three – a role as left wing-back in a 3-5-2 is clearly benefitting the Dutchman. In goal, Costel Pantilimon, has now earned 32 points since Big Sam’s arrival, compared to 17 points in eight matches beforehand, with the Wearsiders starting to mirror the displays that served up 13 clean sheets in the season gone by.

Deeney’s keeping pace with Ighalo…
Having blanked in each of the first nine Gameweeks, Troy Deeney seemed to be struggling with the step up from the Championship as strike partner Odion Ighalo ran riot. A goal and assist away to Villa means the Watford captain has now scored in four of the last five Gameweeks, though, as he finally finds his top-flight feet, and with Ighalo racking up three strikes and four assists over that period, Quique Sanchez Flores’ men now sit nine points clear of the bottom three. Whilst the 5.8-priced Ighalo has now found his way into 22% of FPL sides, Deeney, at just 5.1 and owned by 2%, is looking a ready-made differential.

We should look to Bournemouth for the cheap fifth midfielder…
The Cherries’ switch to 4-1-4-1 in Gameweek 11 continues to boost their attacking potential – Eddie Howe’s side have fired more attempts (71) than any side over the last four Gameweeks. With Dan Gosling and the out-of-position Joshua King already on our radars after netting in the previous Gameweek, Junior Stanislas was the latest to throw his name in the hat by bagging a brace in Saturday’s 3-3 draw with Everton. With all three midfielders coming in under 5.0 in FPL, Howe’s tactical tinkering has ensured there’s no shortage of cut-price options on offer at Dean Court right now.

Vardy’s looking fixture-proof…
Fourteen matches into the season and only West Ham – back in Gameweek 2 – have managed to prevent Jamie Vardy from picking up Fantasy returns. The home clash against United represented his stiffest test yet, given that the Red Devils have chalked up more clean sheets and conceded fewer goals than any other side, but the Leicester marksman passed yet again, recording an eleventh successive strike to register a new Premier League record. The Foxes still have Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool and City in the next five but judging by Saturday evening, we have to go with form over fixtures for now.

Bolasie could be worth the frustration…
Having blanked at home to Sunderland last Monday evening, Yannick Bolasie served a reminder of his goal-getting ability by netting twice in Palace’s 5-1 thrashing of Newcastle. Handed a central role behind Connor Wickham, Bolasie’s brace means he has already equalled last season’s four-goal haul as he delivered a 15-point return against the Magpies. Whilst there’s no denying his explosive potential, Bolasie’s inconsistency will test our patience – Saturday was only the third time in 13 appearances that he’s picked up the points.

Mourinho is narrowing our options..
One by one, uncertainty over Chelsea’s main Fantasy assets builds. With three plum home clashes on the horizon (BOU, SUN, WAT) Diego Costa could have been a differential but, after being dropped away to Spurs, his show of defiance doesn’t bode well. Can we really justify splashing out 10.9 on Eden Hazard, given he’s scored once all season? It may well be that the sensible option is to opt for Kurt Zouma – the goalless draw at Spurs means the Blues have three successive clean sheets in all competitions and, at 5.4, the youngster has now started 11 of the last 12 league outings.

Sturridge return is another uncertainty….
Similar to Chelsea, Liverpool have the fixtures and improving form in their favour but the situation surrounding Jurgen Klopp’s attack remains cloudy. Daniel Sturridge’s surprise return off the bench saw Christian Benteke replaced with 20 minutes to go at home to Swansea and as the Reds’ boss looks to ease the England international back into the fray, the likes of Roberto Firmino and Adam Lallana’s pitch time could also be in question. Arguably, Philippe Coutinho looks the safest option – providing he recovers from a hamstring problem – but even then, Sturridge’s return could influence Klopp’s formation and the Brazilian’s role in the final third.