The Digest – Gameweek 20

Diego Costa showcases his goal-getting capabilities as Chelsea sweep aside Palace. West Ham look in form as the schedule smiles kindly, whilst the time now may be right to swoop for Sergio Aguero.

The Player

Having served a one-match suspension away to United in the previous Gameweek, Diego Costa’s return to action saw Chelsea turn on the style with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Palace.

The Spain international’s goal and assist at Selhurst Park was supplemented by a single bonus point as the champions’ recovery under Guus Hiddink picks up pace. Whilst Eden Hazard’s toils continue, Costa, in particular, seems to be reinvigorated since the departure of Jose Mourinho – it’s now three goals and an assist in his last two league outings with Hiddink at the helm, having bagged a brace against Watford prior to his ban.

Given that he managed just three goals and two assists in the first 16 Gameweeks with Mourinho in charge, Costa’s transformation serves a timely reminder of the talent that saw him find the net on 20 occasions during the Blues’ title-winning 2014/15 campaign.

Encouragingly for Chelsea, they have now scored at least twice in three of their four matches since Mourinho was handed his P45. By comparison, they failed to notch more than once in any of their final seven league matches prior to the turnaround in manager.

Costa’s penchant for picking up bookings continues to remain a concern but there’s no doubt he has looked a different player in recent weeks. Although Sergio Aguero is likely to remain the number one premium-priced frontman for Fantasy managers, Costa’s showings under Hiddink suggest we could have a major differential on our hands. Owned by less than 6% of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers, he now embarks on four home fixtures in six (WBA, EVE, MUN, NEW) which offers the champions the chance to continue their climb up the table as Hiddink attempts to salvage their disastrous title defence.

The Team

A 2-0 win over Liverpool extended West Ham’s unbeaten run to seven league matches as Slaven Bilic’s men climbed to sixth in the table, just four points off the Champions League spots.

At the back, the Upton Park outfit chalked up a fourth clean sheet in six – with just two goals conceded over that period, their upturn in resilience has been marked. Bilic’s decision to recall Angelo Ogbonna in Gameweek 14 and shift James Tomkins to right-back has been pivotal to their improvement and, at 4.8 and 5.0 respectively, both offer cheaper alternatives to the 5.5-priced Aaron Cresswell, who climbed to seventh in the defender standings after earning maximum bonus on Saturday.

Dimitri Payet’s weekend return from injury has made a significant impact on Fantasy games. Handed a 27-minute run-out off the bench, the Frenchman has been drafted in by over 63,000 FPL managers and has leaped in price from 7.6 to 7.7. Having averaged 6.2 points per appearance prior to his injury, Payet’s availability will allow the Hammers to play more expansively in the final third once again after Bilic tightened up his tactics in the playmaker’s absence. Whilst uncertainty still surrounds Bilic’s plans up top, Michail Antonio’s recent displays on the flank may well cement a regular role for the summer signing from Forest. At just 5.2 in FPL, Antonio’s goal against Liverpool means he’s now played a part in four of his side’s five strikes (two goals, a pair of assists) since being handed a first start in Gameweek 16.

The upcoming schedule also bodes well for the Upton Park outfit. Given that Bilic’s side now square up to six of the bottom eight in the next seven Gameweeks (bou, new, MCI, AVL, sou, nor, SUN), you’d expect them to cement that top six place, offering points potential at both ends of the pitch.

The Talking Point

Having proven his fitness by lasting 85 minutes in the weekend win over Watford, Sergio Aguero looks to finally be back on the radar.

The Argentine has been tentatively eased back into action by Manuel Pellegrini, with his pitch time at Vicarage Road representing the first occasion he’s lasted more than 60-odd minutes since recovering from injury. Aguero’s late winner against Quique Sanchez Flores’ side, supplemented by the maximum bonus, bodes well for his momentum over the second half of the season.

Aguero’s return to scoring ways arrives at a time when Jamie Vardy is struggling for form and fitness. The Leicester frontman has netted once in his last six now and is set to undergo minor groin surgery, making him a doubt for the Gameweek 21 trip to Tottenham. Bearing in mind that the Foxes have drawn blanks in their last three, there’s no real surprise to see Vardy has earned over 116,000 transfers out this week – substantially more than any other player in FPL.

Whilst his 13.1 price tag is regarded as too prohibitive by some, the emergence of a number of value options in the centre of the park makes the transition far smoother. The recent form of players such as Dele Alli (5.4), Marko Arnautovic (6.7) and Willian (7.1), allied with the aforementioned Payet’s return to the fold, affords us the chance to downgrade in the centre of the park to free up cash for Aguero. With four home matches (EVE, CPL, LEI, TOT) coupled with trips to West Ham and Sunderland in the next six, many may feel that now is the time to accommodate the Argentine as City look to chase down Arsenal at the summit.