Scout Notes – Gameweek 18

Harry Kane and Diego Costa bag two-goal home hauls for Spurs and Chelsea respectively. Kevin De Bruyne serves up a goal and two assists as City thrash Sunderland, Leicester suffer a rare blank at Anfield, whilst Arsenal’s title tilt takes a turn for the worse thanks to a 4-0 battering at the hands of Southampton.

Bojan Steers Stoke to Victory

The Potters kicked off the Boxing Day festivities with a 2-0 home win over Manchester United. Bojan Krkic (5.1) capitalised on some shambolic defending from the visitors to net his second goal in as many outings, before teeing up Marko Arnautovic for the Potters’ second of the afternoon. The former Barcelona recruit has bagged two goals in four starts since his deployment at the lone-striker berth, augmenting his allure as a budget third forward. With three decent fixtures next on the agenda (eve, wha, NOR), he’s certainly an enticing facilitator for those Fantasy managers who are planning to acquire Sergio Aguero in January.

Arnautovic surpassed his goal tally from the previous two campaigns combined (five) with his sixth strike of the season. The Austria international seemingly thrives on the big occasion, having netted four goals in recent home match-ups against Man United, Manchester City and Chelsea. As the top-scoring midfielder valued 6.2 or below, Arnautovic has established himself as a viable pick-up in the mid-priced bracket – he now sits joint-seventh for midfielders, on 83 points.

Jack Butland’s 20% ownership profited from his six saves and an eighth clean sheet in 11 Gameweeks, while Glen Johnson turned provider for his third assist this term – he has now moved up to fourth in the defender standings. Considering that West Bromwich Albion and Norwich City have claimed just seven goals between them across the last four Gameweeks, the Potters look well positioned to deliver further shut-outs in the short-term at least.

Lacklustre United Lose Again

A beleaguered Manchester United outfit fell to their third successive defeat and are now winless in five league outings. Their once-reliable defence has conceded in five of their last six match-ups, diminishing the appeal of the prohibitively priced Chris Smalling (6.8). Man United still boast the best home defence (three goals conceded), but the visit of a rejuvenated Chelsea on Monday will prove a stern test of those credentials.

At the other end of the pitch, Louis van Gaal’s troops have scored just three goals in five matches, casting serious doubt over the future of the Dutchman. Once again, Anthony Martial cut an isolated figure at the spearhead of the attack, mustering just a single shot inside the box and one accurate attempt.

Ayew Strike Not Enough for Villa

Aston Villa extended their winless streak to 17 matches with a 1-1 home draw against West Ham United. Remi Garde switched to a midfield diamond set-up, allowing Rudy Gestede to partner Jordan Ayew up front, with Jordan Veretout tucked in behind the duo. Gestede earned an assist for Ayew’s leveler – the latter’s converted spot-kick was his third strike in five Gameweeks and fifth in the last nine. Pitched at 5.5, Ayew is certainly one to keep tabs on as the Villains gear up for an excellent batch of fixtures (nor, sun, CRY, LEI, wba, whu, NOR) through to Gameweek 25.

Cresswell concern for Bilic

The Hammers were unable to best the league’s lowest-ranked side, meaning they’re now winless in eight matches. The fact that they carded just six key passes against the team that ranks joint-second for goals conceded (32) highlights their paucity of creativity in the absence of both Dimitri Payet and Manuel Lanzini. Both players are expected to return within the next fortnight, though, so we expect improvements on the attacking front.

Aaron Cresswell recorded his first away goal for the Irons but was hauled off 15 minutes from time with a muscular complaint, rendering him a doubt for Southampton’s visit tomorrow, along with fellow full-back James Tomkins who suffered a head injury. West Ham’s schedule (SOU, LIV, you, new, MCI, AVL) throws up four home ties and two winnable road clashes across the next six Gameweeks, which bodes well for their shut-out potential, should the duo make a timely recovery.

Cherries Extend Unbeaten Run

Bournemouth are unbeaten in six match-ups following a 0-0 stalemate with Crystal Palace on home turf. Junior Stanislas lasted the distance on his return from injury, though Josh King remained absent from the matchday squad due to a hamstring complaint, with Glenn Murray leading the line again in his absence. The Cherries racked up just five shots inside the box at the Vitality Stadium, arguably illustrating King’s importance to the brand of football Eddie Howe has cultured in recent weeks.

The south-coast club’s second clean sheet in four fixtures puts a spotlight on their budget defenders, but the fact they travel to Arsenal and Leicester in the next two Gameweeks tempers our enthusiasm in the short-term.

Injury-Hit Palace Fail to Fire

For the first time since April last year, the Eagles strung together a five-match unbeaten streak. Alan Pardew had to do without key attacking assets in Yannick Bolasie (leg) and Connor Wickham (calf) – who are both expected to be sidelined for a month – while Yohan Cabaye was only deemed fit enough to play the second half. They certainly suffered as a consequence, failing to register a single shot on target throughout the encounter.

On a more positive note, Palace posted their second clean sheet in three fixtures. Scott Dann (5.6) serves as the prime route into their rearguard by virtue of his three goals and one assist, but head-to-heads against Chelsea, Man City and Tottenham Hotspur over the next five Gameweeks do not appear conducive to continued defensive returns.

Costa Back With a Brace

Diego Costa grabbed twin strikes at home to Watford, but Chelsea wasted the chance to register consecutive victories for the first time this campaign. The Blues’ embattled frontman fired himself back into form with a goal either side of the half but conspired to sour these efforts by picking up his fifth caution of the season, thus ruling him out of a trip to Old Trafford on Monday. Nonetheless, Costa (10.7) could begin to represent an intriguing differential under Gus Hiddink’s stewardship.

By way of an assist at Stamford Bridge, Willian has now contributed to 10 goals (seven goals, three assists) in all competitions this term and notched three assists in two league starts under Hiddink. His Brazilian team-mate, Oscar, didn’t fare so well, skying a penalty in the 80^th minute that would’ve propelled the hosts into the lead. Interestingly, he took the spot-kick despite the fact that Eden Hazard was on the pitch, having entered the fray at the 74-minute mark.

Gary Cahill was Hiddink’s preferred partner for John Terry in central defence and went on to claim a rare assist. As such, Kurt Zouma’s 4% ownership will now likely be scouring the market for a suitable replacement, given that the French defender – who had started each of the previous nine – looks subject to rotation under the new regime.

Hornets duo in the goals again

In a familiar script, Troy Deeney (penalty) and Odion Ighalo etched their names onto the scoresheet, reaffirming the potency of form over fixtures. The former has played a part in eight strikes (five goals, three assists) during his previous seven league outings, while the latter became the first Hornets recruit to score in five successive top-flight matches. Back-to-back home ties against Spurs and Man City look challenging on paper, but the red-hot duo have shown they can deliver against any calibre of opposition – indeed, Ighalo is now up to 122 points in FPL – just two points off the summit for forwards.

Reds Repel the Foxes

Liverpool bounced back from a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Watford to beat Leicester City by a solitary goal. Subbed on for the injured Divock Origi – who was withdrawn after 38 minutes – Christian Benteke opened the scoring with his fifth goal of the season. The Belgium frontman is attractively priced at 8.2, but currently lacks the form and security of starts to warrant a spot in our 15-man squads.

Roberto Firmino snapped a four-match barren spell with the assist for Benteke’s strike, while Philippe Coutinho drew his third blank in succession, failing to test the goalkeeper with any of his five strikes at goal.

On the defensive end, the Reds notched just their third clean sheet in 15 outings. Although they’re on their travels for four of the next six Gameweeks, Liverpool’ schedule (sun, whu, ARS, MUN, nor, lei) reads quite well for Alberto Moreno’s 6% ownership. Certainly, faith in the Reds’ defence will be on the up on the back of this result – Leicester had scored in every league match prior to their trip to Anfield.

Rare Blank for Leicester

The Foxes succumbed to their first road defeat of the campaign, having last lost an away match back in March against Tottenham. As mentioned above, they also failed to score for the first time this season, marking the only occasion that Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez have both drawn blanks.

Speaking of Leicester’s much-vaunted pairing, Mahrez mustered just one shot outside the box at Anfield, while Vardy carded two attempts (one in the box). After the showdown, Claudio Ranieri admitted that the latter played with a fever and both players were suffering from fatigue. With Man City next on the agenda for the West Midlands outfit, it will be interesting to observe whether the league’s star men can avoid hitting a downturn in productivity. Leicester don’t play City until Tuesday night, though, affording their 24-hours more than most teams to recover from Boxing Day exertions.

De Bruyne Dazzles in Etihad Rout

Manchester City put Sunderland to the sword in a 4-1 win at the Etihad. Sergio Aguero was a surprise omission from the starting line-up, with Manuel Pellegrini later revealing that the Argentine had a small problem but would be “100% on Tuesday”.

In other injury news, Vincent Kompany suffered a recurrence of his calf issue just nine minutes into his comeback, portending a lengthy spell on the sidelines. Given that Man City haven’t tallied a single clean sheet in his absence, all investors in their back line will be be frustrated by the Belgian’s latest setback.

Kevin De Bruyne emerged as the clear man of the match, bagging a goal and two assists for the second time in five outings. He has now scored or assisted 57% of City’s goals at the Etihad. The Belgium international shed over 100,000 owners during the previous three Gameweeks but could enjoy an equal volume of new investors as Man City embark on a favourable run through to Gameweek 25 (lei, wat, EVE, CRY, whu, sun, LEI).

Underlining the wealth of viable alternatives within the Sky Blues’ midfield, Yaya Toure netted his second goal in as many starts, Raheem Sterling notched his fifth league goal and David Silva registered an assist. Wilfried Bony also graced the scoresheet but spurned his chance to nab a brace with a dreadful spot-kick – he’s expected to drop to the bench for Tuesday’s trip to the King Power.

Borini Nets Again for Beaten Wearsiders

In the absence of Younes Kaboul, Sam Allardyce deployed four at the back in a 4-3-3 set-up for the trip to City. Sunderland ultimately conceded three or more goals for the third away fixture on the trot, ensuring that they rank top for goals conceded (37) throughout the entire campaign. Fabio Borini starved the hosts of a shut-out with his second goal in as many appearances. The 5.4-priced marksman may now have earned a run of starts in the Black Cats’ ailing attack as they prepare for back-to-back home clashes against Liverpool and Villa.

Ki Strike Earns The Points

Swansea City tasted victory for the first Gameweek in eight courtesy of Ki Sung-yeung’s first league goal of the season. The South Korean had served as a budget differential last term by way of his eight goals and one assist but – like Gylfi Sigurdsson – has failed to replicate that form this term.

Angel Rangel picked up the assist for Ki’s goal and also benefited from the Swans’ second clean sheet sheet in a row. Priced at 4.1, the Spanish right-back – who has started ahead of Kyle Naughton in recent weeks – would represent the prime route into Swansea’s rearguard if he could cement that berth. Certainly, there’s scope for the Welsh club to maintain their defensive diligence across a decent quartet of upcoming match-ups (cry, mun, SUN, WAT).

Baggies Slump Continues

For the first time since Tony Pulis was appointed manager, West Bromwich Albion are winless in five matches. With Rickie Lambert standing in for the suspended Salomon Rondon at the lone-striker berth, the Baggies were toothless in attack, mustering just nine attempts and failing to create a single “big chance”.

Of more relevance from a Fantasy perspective, West Brom’s defence has been breached in each of their previous eight fixtures, lowering the stock of their rearguard recruits. That being said, Pulis’ men harbour the potential to re-establish a sturdy foundation as they enjoy four favourable home encounters in the next six Gameweeks (NEW, STO, che, sou, AVL, SWA).

Kane At the Double

Tottenham Hotspur strengthened their grip on a top-four berth with a 3-0 home win over Norwich City. Harry Kane came back to haunt the 88,000 managers that shipped him out in Gameweek 17, guiding Spurs to a 2-0 lead at the break with a penalty and a driven finish.

Kane’s two goals ensured a tally of 27 for 2015, bettering the previous club record for goals in a calendar year set by Teddy Sheringham. Scanning Spurs’ schedule through to Gameweek 25 (wat, eve, LEI, SUN, cry, nor, WAT), the stage is set for Kane to chase down Vardy at the summit of the scoring charts.

Delle Alli supplied the ammunition for Kane’s second strike, marking the fifth Gameweek in seven that he’s produced attacking returns. Valued at 5.2, the England international sticks out as the prime midfielder priced 6.0 or below, having amassed 29 points over the last four Gameweeks.

In terms of Tottenham’s peripheral figures, Ben Davies retained his starting berth following an impressive display against Southampton and went on to earn an assist, while Tom Carroll came on as a late substitute and scored his debut Premier League goal in spectacular fashion.

In the wake of Arsenal’s heavy defeat and their successive clean sheets, Mauricio Pochettino’s charges possess the best defensive record in the league (14 goals conceded). A by-product of their success finds Toby Alderweireld – who welcomed 122,000 new owners this Gameweek – occupying the top spot in the defender scoring charts (86 points).

Lukaku blanks in Late Toffees Win

Tom Cleverley scored in the dying embers of Everton’s road clash against Newcastle United to grant them a 1-0 win, marking just the second time in 12 outings that the Merseysiders have shut-out their opponents.

Their next quartet of fixtures could be just as lean on the defensive front, given that they clash with Stoke, Spurs, Man City and Chelsea.

Romelu Lukaku threatened throughout and fashioned three attempts at goal but didn’t do enough to prevent his first blank in eight starts. Ross Barkley also came up short in the final third, while Gerard Deulofeu was handed a rest by Roberto Martinez.

In light of the Toffees’ above-mentioned shift in fixture difficulty, reassessment of Everton’s attacking prospects now looks on the cards. Blanks for Lukaku and Barkley against Stoke could signal a good degree of fidgeting amongst their ownership.

Saints Storm to Unlikely Victory

In the shock result of the weekend, Southampton ran out 4-0 victors over Arsenal at St Mary’s Stadium. Drafted in for the injured Cedric Soares (groin) and Graziano Pelle (knee), Cuco Martina and Shane Long more than made their mark, with the former netting a goal-of-the-season contender and Long carding a brace in the second half.

With three goals in as many starts, Long (5.7) catches the eye as a cut-price forward that could flourish during Saints’ agreeable run (whu, nor, WAT, WBA).

Rounding off Southampton’s scoring, Jose Fonte recorded his second goal of the campaign. The Portuguese centre-back places joint-second for shots inside the box (12) among defenders, emphasising his rich potential for attacking returns.

Elsewhere in Saints’ camp, Dusan Tadic, Ryan Bertrand and Sadio Mane all produced assists. Mane somewhat fell off the radar due to his one assist in seven outings prior to the Arsenal tie, but would be one of the chief beneficiaries if Southampton can sustain this attacking momentum.

Arsenal Rearguard Falters

The Gunners blew their chance to leapfrog Leicester City and claim top spot in the league table, slumping to their heaviest defeat of the season.

Consecutive home clashes against Bournemouth and Newcastle offer the Gunners a prime opportunity to rebound from their ill-fated trip down south, but one would imagine that Arsene Wenger will enact changes in response to the loss, perhaps deploying Calum Chambers as a partner to Aaron Ramsey in the double pivot.

Saturday’s defeat was the first time Arsenal have failed to scored since Gameweek 6. It meant that Mesut Ozil returned a blank – his first in eleven outings.

Defensively, there are now some concerns growing: the Gunners have kept just a single clean sheet in their last seven and that was against basement dwellers Aston Villa.