The Scout Squad – Gameweek 29

With the weekend’s FA Cup quarter-finals behind us, we bask in the luxury of a full set of fixtures as we consider the players in contention for a coveted place in this Friday’s Scout Picks

This article aims to give a greater insight into the decision-making behind our final selection, as Mark, Paul and I list the 18 players we think have the best chance of success across the four positions, listing them in rank order.

The discussions and disagreements that will take place behind the scenes are then showcased, as each of us looks to back our players for a place in the Scout Picks, as well as our Spot the Differential articles.

Finally, we will also reveal the Community Champion who has been selected by our lottery to represent the community and be in with a chance of winning a £100 Amazon voucher.

Goalkeepers

Despite shipping four goals in his two starts since returning to the Sunderland starting XI, following a lengthy injury lay off, Jordan Pickford has picked up a pair of top placings in our goalkeeper selections ahead of Burnley’s visit to Wearside.

With Sean Dyche’s charges struggling on their travels, Mark and Paul have put faith in Pickford, with the Clarets scoring just nine goals on the road.

But I’ve only handed the young stopper a tentative third billing, somewhat unconvinced by his clean sheet credentials. Of those away goals from the Clarets, all but one have come in their last seven road trips.

Mark perhaps has little faith that either side in Saturday’s Stadium of Light encounter will garner goals, having also put forward Tom Heaton (5.1) as an option – although with both Pickford and the Burnley skipper, save points are always a factor.

Crystal Palace’s Wayne Hennessey (4.3) is another strongly backed by Mark and Paul, ahead of a visit to Selhurst Park by Watford, who have just 12 away goals to their name.

But once again I remain sceptical, after spotting that the Eagles have only managed two clean sheets and conceded 20 times in front of their own fans.

For me, Everton’s Joel Robles offers one of this week’s strongest opportunity of a shut-out.

I’m confident that a lowly 4.7 price tag, a vote from Paul and some impressive home statistics may give the 1.3 differential the edge ahead of Hull City’s Merseyside visit.

At home the Spaniard has earned clean sheets in five of his six matches, conceding just four goals.

My other clean sheet banker, David De Gea, may miss out due to the greater attacking potential of Red Devils’ defenders and his 5.4 price tag. Nevertheless, I feel that the Spaniard, who has a 33.5% ownership, deserves a mention in case we decide to double up on their rearguard for their trip to a shot-shy Middlesbrough.

The Teessiders are without a goal in four league matches and have the worst home scoring record in the league, with the lowest number of shots on home turf.

Defenders

Those awful home scoring numbers from Aitor Karanka’s side make Antonio Valencia (5.7) my top choice defender, with the Ecuadorian also claiming second spot from Mark.

Not only does a clean sheet look highly likely, but with three assists in his last six, Valencia also offers attacking potential having produced more successful crosses than any other defender this season. Paul has ignored the right-back, but Mark and I will be confident of winning him over.

There should be no such debate regarding Seamus Coleman‘s (6.0)  inclusion, who has three double-digit hauls this campaign and last failed to deliver attacking or defensive points at home back in Gameweek 17, against rivals Liverpool.

The Everton right-back squares up to a Hull City side that has handed opponents seven goals and failed to keep a clean sheet in their last four. The only disagreement may be whether or not to double up on Robert Koeman’s rearguard by pairing the Irishman with Robles.

Marcos Alonso (6.8) is another with universal support, though the 14.8% owned Chelsea left wing-back may still miss out given the strong home form of his hosts, Stoke City.

The Potters last failed to score in the league at the bet365 Stadium in Gameweek 16 and have earned six clean sheets there this season.

Spurs’ Kyle Walker (6.4) is favoured by both Paul and myself for Southampton’s trip to White Hart Lane. The top owned FPL defender boasts six assists, though his 6.4 price tag may prove prohibitive as we look to squeeze 11 players into the Scout Picks’ 84 million budget.

Mark has handed us the ideal solution if money is tight by including Ben Davies (4.7), who is once again set to continue deputising for the injured Danny Rose.

“Davies is sneaking under the radar somewhat. We’ve no idea on Danny Rose’ return date and, in the meantime, Davies is being deployed in a wing-back role and edging forward. He’s claimed one assist and has created seven chances in the last five Gameweeks – only Chris Brunt has produced more over that spell and he’s played a game more” – Mark

Mark’s selection of Palace defender Mamadou Sakho (4.7) is set to compete with Paul’s picks of Sunderland’s Lamine Kone (4.4) and Alfie Mawson (4.6) of Swansea City, as well as my punt on Christian Fuchs (5.2), for a Spot the Differential or a place on the Picks bench.

Of this quartet, Mawson looks to be the favourite to gain a Picks starting berth, having scored an impressive four goals in his last nine starts. He takes on a Bournemouth side that has conceded 23 goals and failed to keep a clean sheet in their last nine league encounters – they’ve also conceded more headed goals than any other side (11).

Midfielders

I likely face an uphill battle to convince Mark and Paul to back my selection of Dele Alli (8.7), who welcomes the Saints to White Hart Lane having scored 10 goals from his last 11 Gameweeks.

Instead, my colleagues prefer the creativity of Spurs’ set-piece specialist Christian Eriksen (8.6), who has 13 assists this season, in addition to five goals.

With both players getting on the scoresheet in Spurs’’ 6-0 FA Cup quarter final rout of Millwall on Sunday, they also have immediate form on their side.

At least Mark and I can agree on Son Heung-min’s potential to shine in the absence of Harry Kane; the striker starts a spell on the sidelines after injuring his ankle in that Lions clash, paving the way for Son to lead the Spurs attack.

The South Korean international scored a hat-trick in Sunday’s triumph and was also Spurs’ most impressive performer the last time Kane was absent with injury, between Gameweeks 6 and 10.

Over that time, the 6.8 priced midfielder, who may well be on penalty duties, scored twice and assisted another goal scoring 26 points over five appearances.

“I’m relying on the consistency of Christian Eriksen for Spurs’ home clash with Southampton. Dele Alli and Son Heung-min will arguably offer more threat in and around the box, yet the Dane’s creative endeavours may well see him emerge as the likeliest source of points. Indeed, despite failing to score for each of the last 11 Gameweeks, Eriksen has still managed eight assists and four double-figure hauls over that period.” – Paul

Meanwhile, Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez (11.5) looks a shoo-in with three votes, including top billing from Mark and Paul.

Undeterred by recent reports questioning his commitment, we see a trip to West Brom as an ideal opportunity for the 25.6% owned Chilean to silence the doubts.

We take comfort in his unrivalled 11 successful strikes on the road in the league, plus his goal against Lincoln City in the FA Cup at the weekend as evidence that he remains a fearsome heavy-hitting asset.

Josh King (5.6) is another with universal support, who looks assured of a Picks start.

The Cherries’ midfielder has scored nine times in his last ten starts and next faces a Swansea City side that has conceded 17 goals in the nine matches since Paul Clement took charge. It is no surprise to see him transferred in by more than 89,000 FPL managers since his improbable hat-trick against West Ham on Saturday.

Despite failing to plug the Swans leaky defence, at least the former Derby boss has managed to improve their attack, especially the creativity of Gylfi Sigurdsson (7.7), who joins King in earning three nominations. Just once in his last nine league starts has the 18.5% owned Icelander failed to deliver attacking returns.

Paul has also included West Ham’s Michail Antonio (6.9), who looked impressive in the 3-2 defeat at the Vitality Stadium last weekend. His goal against the Cherries was his ninth of the campaign, and he has also set up a further seven for his team-mates.

Forwards

Like Sanchez, Everton’s Romelu Lukaku (10.3) has suffered his fair share of concerning headlines this week, as it emerged the striker had turned down a new contract offer.

As with the Gunners’ midfielder, we are also unconcerned by such reports, with all three of us handing top spot to the Toffees marksman, who, with an ownership of 43.1%, is FPL’s most popular player.

He welcomes the Tigers defence to Goodison Park looking to score in his sixth consecutive home match.

Jermain Defoe (7.7) and Sergio Aguero (12.7) also earn three votes.

Defoe certainly has a strong fixture, with opponents Burnley conceding 30 goals and keeping just one clean sheet on the road. However, the veteran’s recent form makes his berth in Friday’s Picks far from certain; aside from a brace away to Palace in Gameweek 24, Defoe has blanked in the rest of his last six league matches.

In contrast, Manchester City’s Aguero is the picture of consistency, scoring six times in his last five run outs in all competitions. With two second place nominations, from Paul and I, the Argentine looks the current favourite to slot in alongside Lukaku in our strike force.

Chelsea’s Diego Costa (10.6) gains only lukewarm support, with fourth spot from Mark and Paul. Given Stoke’s resliance at home, his price tag and failure to register a double-digit points haul since Gameweek 14, he may miss out in Friday’s shake-up.

Nevertheless, he is this week’s most popular player in the transfer market, with just under 100,000 managers snapping him up since Saturday.

Vying for a third striker spot will be Mark’s choice of Andy Carroll (6.3) who has failed to score since returning from injury in Gamweek 26. However,  prior to his lay-off, he had scored an impressive four goals in as many games.

“Backing Carroll was a tough decision but, when fit, I just see him as one of the most dangerous and effective strikers in the league – against any opponent. While Leicester are resurgent, I still feel that they will concede goals at the London Stadium, with the target man involved one way or another.” – Mark

Paul is instead endorsing the aeriel threat of Fernando Llorente (6.5), who is second only to Christian Benteke in terms of headed goal attempts and will be hoping to recover from a dead leg picked up at Hull at the weekend to test the Bournemouth defence that struggles in the air.

“I’ve opted to include a trio of Swansea players for their trip to the Vitality due to Bournemouth’s susceptibility in the air. Eddie Howe’s side are second worst in terms of headed efforts conceded so far, which bodes well for the dead-ball delivery of Gylfi Sigurdsson and the aerial threat of one, or both, of Alfie Mawson and Fernando Llorente. Admittedly, the Spaniard has yet to train this week but, should he shake off a leg problem, Llorente could thrive against a defence that’s conceded at least twice in eight of their last nine at home”. – Paul

Meanwhile, I’ve got a pair of unfashionable, but in form strikers for Mark and Paul to consider, in Troy Deeney (6.8) and Jamie Vardy (9.6).

The Watford striker still only has a 6.2% ownership, despite scoring in five of his last six outings. Those aforementioned Palace defensive statistics indicate the Watford striker could profit when he drops by Selhurst Park.

Foxes frontman Vardy has been similarly shunned by FPL managers. But his meagre 8.2% ownership could rocket based on recent form, with two goals and an assist in his last two league matches. Vardy also encounters an obliging defence, with Slaven Bilic’s troops shipping 13 goals in their last six outings.

Community Champion

Representing the Community against the Scout Picks in Gameweek will be aa33. This is his fourth season, with 2011/12’s finish of 26,781 his best to date.

The community champion who has the best lead over the Scouts during 2016/17 will win a £100 Amazon voucher (currently we can only offer Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com vouchers).

Last Gameweek’s champion Baked Baines was beaten 72-51 by the Scouts.

The current champion to beat is Boris Bodega, who achieved a 33 point margin of victory over us in Gameweek 15.