This Much We Know – Gameweek 25

There’s much to chew over from the weekend’s ten matches this Monday afternoon. Riyad Mahrez re-affirms his essential status, Mesut Ozil’s return to form keeps Alexis Sanchez on the backburner, Ronald Koeman returns to three at the back, whilst Gylfi Sigurdsson, Jesse Lingard and Wahbi Khazri stake a claim for our five-man midfields.

Mahrez remains locked in…
The Leicester winger rolled up to the Etihad on the back of just two assists in seven but returned to form in style on Saturday lunchtime, bagging a 14-point haul in the 3-1 win. Mahrez’ massive 64% ownership in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) continues to remain a deciding factor in our starting XIs – given his penchant for explosive returns (this was his tenth double-figure haul of the season), we can’t think about selling or even benching the Algerian in any given Gameweek for fear of a bumper haul forcing us down the overall standings.

City’s set-piece vulnerability is glaringly obvious…
With Vincent Kompany still sidelined, the City defence’s inability to deal with dead-ball situations was all too evident after Robert Huth notched twice in Leicester’s 3-1 win. Although Kompany is expected back soon, City’s upcoming schedule – a home clash with Spurs and trip to Anfield on either side of a blank – may well persuade those holding City defenders that it’s time to reconsider, with the likes of Toby Alderweireld and Eric Dier pencilled in by many from Gameweek 27 onwards.

Lingard could end the fifth midfielder debate…
It’s three goals in the last five league fixtures for the United winger after yesterday’s opener at the Bridge. Lingard looks to have cemented a role in Louis van Gaal’s starting XI for the time being, starting every match from Gameweek 21 onwards on the right flank, and his output suggests the role is his to lose. At a price of just 4.2, he’s looking like the ideal cut-price fifth midfielder right now.

Ozil’s done enough to put Sanchez switch on hold…
A goal and two bonus points in Arsenal’s win at Dean Court ensured that the German’s 49% ownership will happily hold for now. Ozil headed into the weekend on the back of five blanks in six and with Alexis Sanchez offering an obvious alternative in the Gunners’ midfield, some had been eyeing up a straight swap for the explosive Chilean. For now, though, that trade looks on hold, with many likely to keep faith in Ozil and potentially miss out on a first big haul from Sanchez until he can prove himself again.

Canaries are in free-fall….
A 2-0 loss at Villa continued a dire run of results which now leaves Norwich sitting inside the bottom three. Alex Neil’s men have conceded 16 times over that period and, aside from their 5-4 home loss to Liverpool, have shown little attacking edge and netted once in the other four fixtures. With West Ham, Leicester, Chelsea and City in the next five, the Canaries are in danger of becoming whipping boys unless Neil can arrest their decline, with Dimitri Payet owners licking their lips ahead of the Hammers’ weekend trip to Carrow Road.

Liverpool always find a way to concede…
The Reds defence yet again let us down this Gameweek after blowing a 2-0 advantage at home to Sunderland with just eight minutes left on the clock. Although Jurgen Klopp’s side have now gone six matches without a shut-out, one look at the underlying numbers suggests how vulnerable they are right now. Liverpool have allowed their opponents just 15 shots inside the box over the last four Gameweeks – that’s fewer than any other side – yet they have conceded nine times, with questions again asked of Simon Mignolet’s showings between the sticks.

Butland can’t cope as Stoke’s one-man defence… 
Despite another impressive display by Jack Butland, the Potters succumbed to a third straight 3-0 loss as Everton ran riot at the Britannia. With Ryan Shawcross still sidelined, Mark Hughes’ backline is looking a far cry from the solid unit that racked up seven clean sheets in nine league outings between Gameweeks 8 and 16. Certainly, a schedule that pits them against Bournemouth, Villa and Newcastle in the next three offers hope of a return to form but if Shawcross fails to recover, Butland’s save-point heroics may be as good as it gets for his 23% owners.

Sunderland are already dancing to Khazri’s tune…
Two assists in his first start for Sunderland suggests that Sunderland’s winter signing could yet keep them afloat. Khazri proved instrumental in the Black Cats’ comeback draw by teeing up Adam Johnson and Jermain Defoe, with the playmaker wasting no time in bringing his Ligue 1 form (five goals and seven assists in 20 appearances) to the table. At a price of 6.0, the Tunisian international is shaping up as another new face for us to consider for our five-man midfields.

Baggies’ goal famine is reaching critical levels…
A trip to injury-hit Newcastle seemed the perfect opportunity for West Brom to grab a vital win and boost their bid for survival. Although the Magpies were down to the bare bones at the back, Tony Pulis’ side once again failed to produce the goods and have now scored just once in the last four Gameweeks. Given that they’ve managed a mere two clean sheets in 15, the Baggies manager’s inability to strike a balance looks set to see them dragged into the relegation battle ahead of clashes with Everton, Leicester, United and Arsenal in the next five.

…and Watford aren’t faring any better…
It’s a similar story at Vicarage Road, with a 1-0 loss at Tottenham meaning that Watford have failed to score in four of the last five Gameweeks. Worryingly for Quique Sanchez Flores, his side – just like West Brom – failed to register a single shot on target at the weekend, with Odion Ighalo blanking for the fifth time in six. The Nigerian suffered his first price drop of the season last time out and with the fatigued Troy Deeney rested to the bench, Ighalo’s owners will surely be scouring the market for alternatives.

Pochettino won’t let us pick his full-backs…
Saturday’s clash with Watford once again saw Mauricio Pochettino successfully utilise his rotation tactic in the Tottenham full-back berths.
Since Gameweek 28, the Spurs boss has started Kyle Walker and weekend match-winner Kieran Tripper three and four times respectively at right-back, whilst on the left, Ben Davies has featured in the first XI on three occasions to Danny Rose’s four over the same period. With Jan Vertonghen still injured, it leaves only Toby Alderweireld – at 6.3 – as the one secure starter in the Spurs back-four right now.

…but Wenger is tempting us with Gabriel….
A 2-0 win at Bournemouth earned Arsenal a fifth clean sheet in seven yesterday afternoon. Having replaced the suspended Per Mertesacker for the recent FA Cup win over Burnley, Gabriel has remained ahead of the German in the pecking order and has now started the last three in all competitions, helping Arsene Wenger’s side to successive league shut-outs. At 4.3, the Brazilian’s minutes are clearly worth monitoring as a potential route into the league’s joint-second most resilient defence.

Dead-ball prowess has elevated Sigurdsson…
The Swansea playmaker’s recent renaissance shows no sign of slowing after he bagged a fifth goal in the last six Gameweeks at home to Palace. Sigurdsson’s expertly taken free-kick means he has scored three of those efforts via dead-ball situations, though, having netted spot-kicks against Sunderland and Everton. Although just seven of the Icelandic international’s 17 attempts during that period have arrived inside the area, his set-piece and penalty duties are keeping him firmly in the mix.

Koeman is sticking to his wing-backs experiment…
After the exploits of Fraser Forster earned Southampton a very fortuitous clean sheet in midweek, Ronald Koeman switched back to a three-man backline for the visit of West Ham. The 1-0 win took Southampton’s run to five straight shut-outs, emphasising the prospects of their chief protagonists at the back. Koeman’s decision also keeps Matt Targett’s Fantasy hopes alive for the time being. The youngster missed out with a minor injury at the weekend but, once recovered, he could reclaim that left wing-back berth, allowing Ryan Bertrand to return to the centre of defence once again.