The Digest – Gameweek 10

We dim the lights on Gameweek 10, turning attentions to the rising stock of Manchester City’s mid-price German and the continued promise in the Potteries, while pondering the merits of a change of shape.

The Player

Back-to-back braces against West Brom and Barcelona have sealed the deal for many Fantasy Premier League managers when it comes to Ilkay Gundogan.

The German was already ranked top for transfers in this Gameweek prior to last night’s Champions League display, having served up an 18-point haul against the Baggies on Saturday.

Gundogan went into the Barca clash with the praise of Pep Guardiola ringing in his ears – the City boss reckons
“it is impossible” to achieve his targets without the summer signing on board.

Utilised in a double-pivot role for former club Dortmund, Gundogan bagged just four goals and seven assists in his final two years in the Bundesliga.

Guardiola has a history of reinventing players, though, and a switch to 4-1-4-1 has allowed Gundogan to play with the handbrake off as Fernandinho is instead tasked with patrolling the area in front of City’s back-four.

Despite rising in price overnight, Gundogan’s current cost of 5.6 could still prove exceptional value for money if, as expected, he can cement a starting berth.

In saying that, City’s plethora of attacking options still remains an issue for would-be investors.

With Gundogan initially sidelined through injury, Pep started the season with Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva in central midfield and, while the Belgian is versatile enough to be fielded on the flank, it remains to be seen whether Guardiola prefers him orchestrating play in the middle.

Nonetheless, it hasn’t deterred the 202,000+ FPL managers who have splashed the cash on Gundogan since Saturday’s deadline as we seek out that cheaper fourth or fifth midfielder.

With a home clash against Middlesbrough up next, Pep is likely to field his strongest side as City look to go into the international break at the summit.

Another start and convincing performance from the German should see that bandwagon roll on at pace over the upcoming fortnight.

The Team

Three wins on the spin ensure that Stoke City now warrant our attention.

Until this point, our focus has centred on the now-undeniable appeal of Joe Allen as a cheap but hugely productive midfield option.

His Gameweek 10 performance, punctuated by a pair of assists, continued an ascent and has booked him almost 100,000 new owners ahead of Saturday’s trip to West Ham United.

But Stoke’s potential can extend beyond the Welshman.

Wilfried Bony’s brace on Monday night announced his return to consideration.

A provider of 17 goals for Swansea in the 2013/14 campaign, the Ivorian can produce in the top flight if he can be kept fed by the craft of Allen, Marko Arnautovic and Xherdan Shaqiri.

While Allen will again be buzzing around Bony’s muscular presence at the London Stadium, the service provided by Arnautovic will be absent through suspension, with Shaqiri also an injury doubt.

Gameweek 11 returns could be a stretch, then, even with the Hammers missing the influence of Winston Reid at the back.

But, longer term, Bony can be Stoke’s elusive goalscorer to ignite Stoke as an attacking force.

The Potters have played the bottom three sides over their last previous three Gameweeks, urging caution when assessing their current form.

However, with four in six at the bet365 stadium to follow Saturday’s clash, Bony can embark on a run of goals and begin to edge himself into our thinking.

If he can show consistency, we would also see Allen, Arnautovic and Shaqiri flourish further – with their supply translating into assist returns.

The Talking Point

The emergence of Gundogan adds further fuel to the formation debate.

For several seasons we’ve been set on the popular 3-4-3 set-up, a structure that would allow us to adopt the current midfield template, working in tandem with a settle frontline.

Circumstances in this campaign are prompting a rethink.

Gundongan adds to a cast of worthy fifth midfielder options, with the aforementioned Joe Allen joined by the likes of Junior Stanislas, Etienne Capoue and Nacer Chadli all affordable alternatives to a third striker, nudging us towards a 3-5-2.

The forwards have also played their part in this current movement – failing to provide us with reliable mid-price options to rival the almost weekly supply of candidates in midfield.

The tri-force of Sergio Aguero, Romelu Lukaku and Diego Costa looks unshakable but, for most, it’s out of reach if we are to concentrate funds on two or three big-hitting midfielders.

While it can often come down to a choice of two of those three forward candidates, filling the third striker spot has proved difficult.

Jermain Defoe is the only sub-8.0 striker to have scored more than four times, with Charlie Austin (four goals) perhaps currently the only other option to warrant the investment.

With the fixtures set to wing in favour of defensive investment at Chelsea and Spurs over the next month, the lure of a shift to five across the middle is growing.

Acquiring a benchwarmer up front – perhaps Hull City’s Will Keane – can make it possible to stock the midfield, sparing funds to pick up some reassuringly expensive options at the back.

As Gundogan flourishes and the procession of candidates from midfield continues, it’s now up to the likes of Defoe, Austin and perhaps Bony to prove they can keep pace to retain our trust in the 3-4-3 setup.