This Much We Know – Gameweek 27

Despite the quick-fire turnaround in fixtures, we find time to cast an eye over the weekend’s eight league matches. Alexis Sanchez’ dire run of form, Marko Arnautovic as the go-to-Stoke option, the toils of Tottenham’s main men at the Lane and Jamie Vardy’s remarkable King Power consistency are all amongst our lunchtime menu.

We’re all missing the Sanchez spark…
It’s a single assist in ten league appearances now for the Arsenal winger after yet another disappointing display. Frustratingly, Sanchez is still getting the chances – since retuning from injury in Gameweek 23, he’s fired more shots from inside the box (14) than any midfielder but his woeful lack of accuracy has dented Arsenal’s title bid and deprived us of a valid option for our five-man midfields. The Chilean may have the underlying stats but, allied with Mesut Ozil’s return to form, he remains off our radars until he can rediscover his eye for goal in and around the area.

United can win matches with kids…
Louis van Gaal’s side may be blighted by injuries from back to front but they still proved too much for Arsenal at Old Trafford yesterday. Marcus Rashford continued his stunning rise to prominence with another double in the absence of Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial, whilst Jesse Lingard’s assist means he’s earned points in four of the last seven Gameweeks. Given that the Dutchman was forced to start with Guillermo Varela and introduce Tim Fosu-Mensah off the bench, it seems that an injection of youth has given new life to his much-maligned “project” as United start to click.

Mertesacker is the lesser of two evils…
The German dropped to the bench for yesterday’s trip to United as Arsene Wenger turned to fit-again Gabriel to partner Laurent Koscielny at centre-half. Gabriel’s return hardly helped the Gunners’ cause, though, as they conceded more than two goals for just the second time this term to remain five points off the summit. Certainly, at a price of 4.3 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), the Brazilian’s cost makes him the more appealing Fantasy pick but yesterday’s showing may well fast-track Per Mertesacker into the XI as the Gunners welcome Swansea to the Emirates in midweek.

Antonio’s form hammers home our Payet frustration…
The West Ham playmaker was again overshadowed by Michail Antonio as Slaven Bilic’s side climbed into fifth spot with a narrow home win over Sunderland. Whilst Payet has demonstrated his penchant for explosive returns, with two double-figure hauls in the last seven, he’s now blanked in eight of his previous ten league outings, whereas Antonio, on the other hand, has earned points in seven of his last ten. With Sam Byram suspended, though, Antonio may have to fill in at right-back if the injuries fail to clear, affording the Frenchman the chance to re-establish himself at the top of the Hammers’ midfield pecking order.

Arnautovic is undisputedly the prize Potter…
The Austrian now sits joint-fifth in the midfield standings after racking up a 15-point haul at home to struggling Villa. With Bojan handed just one start in the last five and Xherdan Shaqiri finding the net in just one of his 20 league outings since arriving in the summer, Arnautovic has shrugged off the competition to emerge as the Potters’ main Fantasy asset. It’s nine goals so far now for the former Inter man, who scored just once last term, and with 11 Gameweeks still to go, he’s already registered his highest total points haul since arriving on these shores in 2013/14.

Some are grinding their way to safety…
A goalless draw at Vicarage Road helped Watford and Bournemouth edge another point away from the drop zone. Whilst the Cherries are not yet out of the relegation mire, Quique Sanchez Flores’ side now sit on the cusp of safety, after accruing 37 points thus far. Having previously scored in 11 successive league matches, Watford have now failed to notch in five of the subsequent seven, and with their manager happy to tighten up in order to ensure his side’s survival, there’s no real surprise to see Odion Ighalo already shipped out by over 40,000 FPL managers as we turn to those sides with everything still to play for.

Spurs at home are proving a difficult call…
A 2-1 comeback win over Swansea took Tottenham to just two points off the summit but once again their main men disappointed at the Lane. Dele Alli has mustered a mere three assists in his last seven home appearances, Christian Eriksen has blanked in five of the last seven in front of his own fans, whilst Harry Kane has now produced a goal or assist in just five of 14 outings at the Lane. Although Mauricio Pochettino’s troops have won eight and drawn four of those fixtures, their chief protagonists are proving far more reliable Fantasy candidates on the road.

Vardy’s King Power consistency is hard to beat…
Whilst Kane toils in front of his own fans, the same cannot be said for Jamie Vardy. In a Gameweek where we were deprived of Sergio Aguero’s services, the Foxes frontman – who topped our Captain Poll for the visit of Norwich – showed he’s as close to a home banker as we can get this season. Vardy’s assist for Leonardo Ulloa’s late winner means he’s now scored or assisted in 11 of his 13 appearances at the King Power, underlining his remarkable consistency ahead of home encounters against West Brom and Newcastle in the next three Gameweeks.

Berahino’s return can keep the Baggies afloat…
It’s fair to say that the youngster’s reintroduction to the West Brom XI has paid off for Tony Pulis. With Berahino back on board, the Baggies have chalked up back-to-back victories against Everton and Palace, scoring four times in the process – previously, they’d won two of 12 matches prior to his return. The Hawthorns outfit have still scored just 27 times – only two teams have netted fewer – but with Berahino back in the fold and Salomon Rondon serving up two goals and an assist in his last three starts, their new-improved attack may well prove decisive in firing them to safety.