The Digest – Gameweek 36

Southampton’s in-form wide runs riot at home to City to maintain his recent renaissance. West Ham’s Fantasy options are on the rise ahead of a double Gameweek 37 where motivation could be more vital than ever to our prospects of points.

The Player

A stunning hat-trick at home to Man City kept Southampton’s Europa League dream alive and continued Sadio Mane’s goal-laden end to the season.

It’s now seven strikes in the last six league outings for the Southampton flier, who recently racked up a couple of ten-point returns before producing a 20-point haul against Manuel Pellegrini’s men to climb to joint-sixth in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) midfield standings.

Although Mane has now surpassed his total of 137 points in his debut season with the Saints last time out, his inconsistency continues to overshadow a penchant for explosive scoring streaks. Earlier in the campaign, he delivered three goals and five assists between Gameweek 4-10 before embarking on a miserable run that harvested a mere three assists in 19 appearances prior to his return to form in Gameweek 31.

Looking at the underlying numbers, though, Mane clearly has the potential to fare better. He sits second only to Alexis Sanchez for shots inside the box from midfield, yet a lowly 12.3% goal conversion rate – which has brought ten goals – is well down on last year’s 18.3%.

After dropping Graziano Pelle to the bench and opting for Shane Long to lead the line over the last couple of matches, Ronald Koeman’s decision to field a more mobile attack has paid off. With Dusan Tadic also earning a trio of assists against City, the Saints are settling into a groove that bodes well for their prospects next season.

Although Koeman’s side are without a double, their swashbuckling form could allow Mane to finish the season on a high. With upcoming clashes against a Spurs side with nothing left to play for and a Palace outfit with one eye on the FA Cup final, he has a chance to build on Sunday’s three-goal salvo.

The Team

It’s fair to say that West Ham could barely be approaching their upcoming pair of home fixtures in finer fettle.

A 3-0 demolition of West Brom at the Hawthorns continued a remarkable run of form that has seen Slaven Bilic’s side find the net at least twice in each of their last seven league matches.

The clean sheet against Tony Pulis’ side – their first in that seven-match spell – heightens the prospects of Aaron Cresswell, whose raids from left-back have delivered a goal and assist in four appearances.

In midfield, though, our options have suddenly increased beyond the popular Dimitri Payet, whose assist against the Baggies means he has now produced returns in seven of his last ten league outings.

At a time where the points have dried up for Michail Antonio and Manuel Lanzini, the recent displays of Mark Noble (two successive braces) and Cheikhou Kouyate (one goal and two assists in the last two) have ensured many Fantasy managers have migrated towards the free-scoring Hammers for the double. Indeed, Noble – at a cost of just 5.5 – and Payet are the top two midfielders for transfers so far this week.

With the 6.5-priced Andy Carroll adding an assist against the Baggies to his previous haul of six strikes in five, there’s value to be had from back to front amongst Bilic’s regulars as they look to chase down a European spot for next term.

The upcoming pair of home clashes against Swansea and United adds further incentive for the Hammers before a trip to Stoke’s dire defence on the final day of the season.

The Talking Point

The race for the title may now be over but motivation created by battles at both ends of the table remains pivotal to our double Gameweek 37 fortunes.

Over the stretch of a five-day round of fixtures, Saturday’s early kick-off – Norwich’s clash with United at Carrow Road – could prove to be the catalyst that drives results and point returns elsewhere.

A victory for Alex Neil’s side would ramp up the pressure on both Sunderland and Newcastle at the foot of the table, whilst also impacting on the battle for European spots at the other end.

Should the Canaries climb out of the bottom three with a win, it would make Sunderland’s quest for three points at home to Chelsea in the first of their two Gameweek 37 fixtures all the more vital. Defeat for United in East Anglia would also end the Red Devils’ fading Champions League ambitions and leave them vulnerable heading into a midweek meeting with a West Ham.

The Hammers face Swansea City at Upton Park on Saturday and, should they witness United faltering earlier in the day, they will have every motivation to go all out for a win in Wales and then again when they face United at home on Tuesday.

Indeed, if Arsenal can defeat a potentially weary Manchester City at the Etihad on Sunday, the Hammers could move into fourth spot heading into Gameweek 38 with two wins.

As the results unfold, the domino effect on motivation and, potentially, the teamsheets, could be decisive to both the league table and the fortunes of our double Gameweek assets.

With difficult decisions ahead, the vibrant Hammers arguably look the safest Gameweek 37 picks on offer. Putting aside the European angle, those Swansea and United showdowns are West Ham’s final league fixtures at Upton Park and there’s no doubt that Slaven Bilic will want to sign off in style before the club move to the Olympic Stadium in the summer.

Sunderland appear to be the other standout source of double Gameweek 37 talent – should Norwich earn a victory and intensify the pressure on Sam Allardyce’s side, it will surely force the Black Cats to seek goals and six points, regardless of Newcastle’s result at Villa.