This Much We Know – Gameweek 36

We cast an eye back over the previous round of fixtures this afternoon, with one eye firmly focused on the final double Gameweek of the season. Whilst the likes of Eden Hazard, Anthony Martial, Jermain Defoe, Troy Deeney and the West Ham midfield build convincing cases for consideration, those holding Tottenham’s key assets and Romelu Lukaku may well be rethinking their plans.

Hazard is back on the radar…
It’s three goals in two appearances now for the Chelsea winger after he emerged from the bench to put an end to Tottenham’s title hopes last night. Yes, he’s been a major disappointment for the vast majority of the season but Hazard’s return to form is better late than never as the Blues prepare for three matches in the final two fixtures. As we saw last night, Guus Hiddink may yet choose to manage his minutes after a stint on the sidelines but with his mojo back, the Belgian is looking difficult to ignore.

Tottenham’s heads have gone…
Two-nil up with just 32 minutes remaining last night, Mauricio Pochettino’s troops looked to have the mettle to take the title race into another week. Instead, Spurs fell apart in the most alarming manner with a display of petulance that earned them nine yellow cards and potential FA charges for Mousa Dembele and Erik Lamela to follow. Granted, they still have second spot to play for but with defensive regulars Toby Alderweireld and Danny Rose limping off injured last night, is it time to part company with Harry Kane and co and turn to double Gameweek options instead?

Lukaku’s pitch time is far from secure…
Fantasy owners of the Everton striker have a real dilemma ahead of Gameweek 37 after he was dropped to the bench for Saturday’s win over Bournemouth. Lukaku had started all 34 league outings he was previously available for but, in light of his recent drought, Roberto Martinez handed new boy Oumar Niasse the chance to lead the line against the Cherries. Afforded a 31-minute run out off the bench, Lukaku once again failed to find the net and with question marks hovering over his minutes, is he really worth the hassle of another double Gameweek?

Townsend could keep the Magpies up..
The winger’s superb free-kick winner over Palace gave Newcastle cause for optimism after clambering clear of the drop zone on Saturday. Townsend continues to look revitalised under Rafa Benitez and has now bagged three goals and a pair of assists in his last six league outings ahead of a vital trip to relegated Villa. If the Tyneside team can clinch their survival, the winter signing from Spurs looks certain to make his way onto our pre-season Watchlists for 2016/17.

..and Sunderland’s survival may rest on Defoe’s shoulders…
Big Sam’s side may be back in the bottom three after the weekend draw at Stoke but with a match in hand over Newcastle, Sunderland remain in control of their own safety. Yet again, Jermain Defoe delivered the goods for the Black Cats – a last-gasp leveler at the Britannia was his fourteenth of the season, with the 5.3-priced frontman firing eight attempts against Mark Hughes’ men at the weekend. Amongst forwards, only Andy Carroll has produced more efforts onside the box than Defoe over his last four league outings, underlining his flourishing threat ahead of back-to-back home encounters with Chelsea and Everton.

Arnie’s home comforts keep on delivering..
The Stoke wide man took his tally to 11 strikes for the season with the opener against Sunderland on Saturday. Up to joint-sixth in the FPL midfield standings, Arnautovic has now scored or assisted in ten of his 17 Britannia appearances this term compared to three sets of returns in 15 matches on his travels. Impressively, the Austrian’s goal involvement of 63.2% at home is superior to any regular player in the top-flight – if he can find an end product away from the Britannia next term, he’ll be hard to ignore.

Deeney looks the go-to Watford option…
As expected, a weekend visit from Aston Villa afforded Watford the chance to bounce back from their recent FA Cup semi-final loss to Palace. Whilst Odion Ighalo drew a blank for the eleventh successive league outing, strike partner Troy Deeney rose to the occasion with a late double against the relegated midlands outfit affording him a real morale boost ahead of the Hornets’ double Gameweek. Having bagged the consolation against Palace at Wembley, Deeney – who fired six attempts inside the box last weekend – looks to be the man most likely for Quique Sanchez Flores’ side as they make their way to Liverpool and Norwich.

There’s no shortage of options on offer from the Hammers…
A 3-0 win away to West Brom indicates that the Hammers are in fine fettle as we head towards double Gameweek 37. Slaven Bilic’s side have now scored at least twice in each of their last seven league outings, and whilst Dimitri Payet and Andy Carroll continued their consistent output with an assist apiece, Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate threw their names into the hat with double-figure hauls at the Hawthorns. Whilst the returns may have dried up for Michail Antonio and Manuel Lanzini, Bilic’s in-form outfit still offer plenty of viable targets ahead of back-to-back home matches against Swansea and United.

We need Villarreal to do us a favour..
Liverpool’s ongoing involvement in Europe continues to have a frustrating impact on Jurgen Klopp’s domestic team sheets. With one eye on Thursday’s return clash against Villarreal, the likes of Roberto Firmino, Alberto Moreno, James Milner and Simon Mignolet were rested for the 3-1 loss to Swansea as the German once again handed a number of fringe players the chance to impress. Bearing in mind that the Europa League final takes place on May 18 – three days after the Reds’ Gameweek 38 trip to West Brom – the threat of rotation may well decimate Liverpool’s team sheets should they progress past the Spanish club on Thursday. Essentially, we need Villarreal to knock out the Merseysiders and allow Klopp to focus fully on the Premier League as the Reds prepare for a double Gameweek 37.

Martial’s building momentum…
An early opener against Leicester at Old Trafford took the United winger’s tally to five goals in his last ten appearances across all competitions. With a couple of trips to Norwich and West Ham up next on the agenda, Martial is the most sought-after striker in FPL so far, with over 20,000 drafting him in on the back of a nine-point haul against the Foxes. Granted, Louis van Gaal’s team sheets in double Gameweek 34 – when Martial was afforded just 15 minutes as a sub against Villa in the fist of their two fixtures – remains a cause for concern but having played a part in six of his side’s 12 goals over those ten matches, the Frenchman looks the most reliable option for those looking for a route into Van Gaal’s attack.

The Saints are not on the beaches…
Whilst some sides can be accused of switching off ahead of the summer, the same can’t be said for Southampton. Ronald Koeman’s side look to have the bit between their teeth as they battle for a Europa League slot, with Sunday’s home thrashing of City taking them up to seventh spot – just three points behind fifth-placed United. Dusan Tadic, Shane Long and Sadio Mane have all racked up the points in recent weeks and now travel to White Hart Lane, where Spurs will be licking their wounds in light of their title failure. With their Gameweek 38 visitors likely to have one eye on the FA Cup final, Koeman’s dreams of a European spot still remain intact.

Pellegrini is determined to gamble on glory…
With Wednesday’s return trip to Madrid looming large, Manuel Pellegrini’s stating line-up proved hugely frustrating to those holding City assets. The Chilean’s decision to bench both Sergio Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne up top and rest the vast majority of his first-choice defence backfired spectacularly as Mane and co ran riot in a 4-2 win. Should City prevail at the Bernabeu, there’s a real fear that we could see the same at home to Arsenal on Sunday as Pellegrini attempts to clinch the Champions League before making way for Pep Guardiola in the summer. A loss to Madrid looks ideal for Fantasy managers, then – with City now three points behind Arsenal in fourth, it would give them plenty still to play over the final two domestic matches of the outgoing Chilean’s tenure.