The Digest – Gameweek 21

An emphatic response from Chelsea’s marauding wing-back, a deep pool of Fantasy talent on the blue side of Merseyside and a re-appraisal of Diego Costa. We bid farewell to an eventful Gameweek 21.

The Player

Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

A heady combination of an early withdrawal at Spurs, Nathan Ake’s loan recall and reports suggesting a heightening injury concern all combined to create a cocktail of uncertainty surrounding Marcos Alonso.

We sipped at it cautiously, temporarily reducing the wing-back’s stock and lowering him in our Watchlist reckoning.

Regrettably, others gulped it down – more than 48,000 Fantasy Premier League managers felt the new doubts were enough to show the Spaniard the door ahead of Gameweek 21.

The end result could hardly have been more punishing.

Alonso came agonisingly close to sealing a dramatic hat-trick in Chelsea’s 3-0 win at Leicester City, which would have brought him the biggest haul from a defender in living memory.

His 21 points were devastating enough. The top individual score in the Gameweek, it confirmed what we had always felt about Alonso: while he is perhaps limited in finesse and technique compared to his Chelsea team-mates, the mere fact that he is pushed so far up the field was always going to lead to double-digit returns.

Now the masses are waking up to that potential. The top transfer target among defenders, Alonso has attracted more than 77,000 new owners ahead of likely profit from a Gameweek 22 meeting with Hull City.

It remains to be seen if Alonso’s fitness concerns and the looming threat of Ake’s versatility become issues.

For now, he is firmly reinstated as a near essential FPL asset, in a season which has seen the wing-back established as a key position both for Premier League managers and FPL bosses alike.

The Team

Back in November, Ronald Koeman’s Everton looked to have regressed alarmingly, with the Dutchman struggling to gain any fluidity or consistency from his side.

But an unlikely late victory against Arsenal appears to have sparked a revival.

A derby defeat to Liverpool followed but Everton are now unbeaten in their last four and have recorded seven goals without reply in their two previous outings against Southampton and Manchester City.

Suddenly, in Fantasy terms, Koeman’s squad appear flooded with options across the positions and price brackets.

Sunday’s dazzling 4-0 victory over Pep Guardiola’s men acted as a showcase.

We know all about Romelu Lukaku. But, visibly lifted by the vibrancy of those around him, the Belgian played with a smile on his face and an apparent appetite that had been missing in recent weeks.

Ross Barkley and Kevin Mirallas also appear to be revived.

The latter has now returned two goals and as many assists in his last four Gameweek appearances, while Barkley has contributed a goal and three assists over the same period.

Breaking into our established midfield thinking will be tough but, as cheaper cover of Everton’s attack, they may just earn some traffic.

Then there is Tom Davies.

Priced at just 4.3 in Fantasy Premier League, the young starlet’s goal against City capped a tireless all-round display that suggested that he will not easily surrender a starting role, even when Idrissa Gueye makes his return from the Africa Cup of Nations.

With Morgan Schneiderlin set to be installed as a screen for the defence and Koeman reverting to a three-man backline with wing-backs, the stock of both Seamus Coleman and Leighton Baines is also soaring.

Baines had the edge thanks to spot-kick duties, though Coleman’s assist for Everton’s fourth goal issued a reminder as to how his energy and direct running can also produce attacking returns.

There are even budget differentials elsewhere, with Mason Holgate and Ramiro Funes Mori offering potential, along with keeper Joel Robles, who may yet see off the challenge of Maarten Stekelenburg to retain his start.

Rarely have we seen a side bristle with such a variety of potential, let alone an Everton outfit.

When you add their upcoming schedule – incredibly strong right up to Gameweek 28 – it becomes clear that Everton are 2017’s first major gift for Fantasy Football managers.

The Talking Point

The power struggle for our frontline positions continues to fluctuate.

We will likely never know the full story behind the Diego Costa soap opera, with a slick and defiant Antonio Conte presenting an injury concern as the cause of the striker’s omission from the King Power clash against Leicester City.

Media chatter has switched to suggest that Costa is now back in contention, although another volley of questions will be fired Conte’s way; his answers will be filtered and analysed before we can be certain on the Spaniard’s start against Hull City.

Has the saga tainted our view of the striker?

For me, he’ll need a goal against the Tigers to stave off the naysayers.

His performance, behaviour and body language will come under intense scrutiny from this point on and his reaction to that heightened level of attention will be crucial.

A clattering early challenge from one of Hull’s heavyweight centre-backs looks a certainty should Costa take to the turf on Saturday. Having shown such discipline on the pitch to this point, the suggestion of unrest off has reset matters.

Costa will be under fire and will need to find a new level of composure.

With Sergio Aguero’s stock suffering blow after blow, it’s currently left to Romelu Lukaku and Harry Kane to battle for the spots alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who, having demonstrated relentless consistency, is now surely a lock in.