Scout Notes – Gameweek 8 – Sunday

Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Theo Walcott all serve up the points as Arsenal coast past United at the Emirates. Swansea’s Andre Ayew returns to form, though a pair of free-kicks from Christian Eriksen earns Tottenham a point at the Liberty. Danny Ings and Romelu Lukaku continue their fine recent showings as the first Merseyside derby of the season ends all square at Goodison.

Sanchez Stars as Gunners Run Riot Again

Having put five past Leicester last week, Arsenal blitzed Manchester United in a frenzied opening spell at the Emirates, netting all three of their goals before the 20-minute mark. Alexis Sanchez opened and closed the scoring, bagging a brace to complement his hat-trick last time out. The now 11.2-priced midfielder sits at a relatively modest 20% ownership but is sure to attract an influx of new owners in light of his sensational form – the wide man has earned more transfers in (90,000) than any player since the weekend. Sanchez was withdrawn after 81 minutes with a minor groin problem but will be fit to play for Chile during the international break.

Mesut Ozil claimed the host’s second of the afternoon with a clean strike, having set up Sanchez for the opener. The German international now boasts one goal and three assists in four outings yet many admirers will be inclined to plump for Theo Walcott instead, given that the jet-heeled Englishman appears to have cemented the lone striker berth – in his fifth straight league start, Walcott produced a pair of assists for his 4% ownership.

Arsenal served up their fourth clean sheet of the campaign and third at home, underlining the value of their defensive assets. With the league’s joint bottom scorers (Watford: six goals) next on the agenda, those Fantasy managers holding the likes of Nacho Monreal and Hector Bellerin will be quietly confident of further points in the immediate future. Intriguingly, Arsene Wenger’s side have kept out their opponents every time Gabriel (4.9) has played from start to finish this term, suggesting the Brazilian is worthy of a regular role.

United Chastened at the Emirates

The Red Devils suffered their second defeat of the season at the hands of Arsene Wenger’s troops, snapping a three-match winning streak. United have now conceded seven goals in their last three road ties, exposing a defensive vulnerability away from home that Everton and Crystal Palace will look to exploit over the next three Gameweeks (eve, MCI, cry).

The heavily-backed Anthony Martial (30% ownership) fashioned just one attempt across the course of the match – which Petr Cech expertly saved from close range with an outstretched leg. Despite his laudable scoring record, Martial owners might be concerned by the fact that the French frontman averages a shot just once every 52.3 minutes, having mustered only six efforts in four appearances. In saying that, the youngster has been consistent up until now – this was his first blank – whilst Juan Mata failed to get amongst the points for the first time since Gameweek 3.

Ayew Back in the Points

The Swans survived a late barrage of attacks in the second half of their encounter against Tottenham Hotspur to emerge with a well-deserved point. The end-to-end tie finished as a 2-2 stalemate, with Andre Ayew and Harry Kane (own goal) on the scoreboard for the Welsh outfit. The former has struggled to exert his influence in the past three Gameweeks but nodded home a sublime header after 16 minutes to highlight his finishing prowess. The 110,000 managers who have shipped him out since Gameweek 6 might now be regretting that decision as Swansea gear up for four strong match-ups (STO, avl, nor, BOU) in the next five.

Jonjo Shelvey and Jefferson Montero both grabbed their second assists of the campaign, while Lukasz Fabianski tallied a whopping nine saves. Elsewhere, Bafetimbi Gomis carded his fourth blank in succession and proved wasteful with his chances, failing to hit the target with any of his four attempts at goal. In spite of Swansea’s promising set of upcoming fixtures, Gomis’ 21% ownership might well have their heads turned by the surfeit of in-form alternatives in the mid-priced forward bracket.

Eriksen at the Double

Christian Eriksen scored two free-kick goals to announce his return to prominence on the Fantasy scene. The Danish playmaker (8.3) has chalked up two goals and assists since his reintroduction in Gameweek 6, offering an alternative to the likes of Juan Mata and Dimitri Payet around that price range. Considering that Spurs are unbeaten at home this term, the presence of four head-to-heads at White Hart Lane (LIV, AVL, WHU, CHE) over the next six Gameweeks bodes well for Eriksen’s attacking prospects.

Delle Alli (4.9) claimed the assist for both of Eriksen’s strikes, illustrating his potential to be a fine budget pick-up. The former MK Dons midfielder looks nailed on at the double pivot in light of his well-rounded performances alongside Eric Dier but is resting just one caution away from a one-match suspension. Speaking of the Suspension Tightrope, Dier toppled off this Gameweek after picking up his fifth yellow of the season, ruling him out of Liverpool’s visit on 17 October.

Ings Form Continues

Having taken the lead through a Danny Ings header – from a James Milner cross – Liverpool held out in the second period at Goodison Park to secure a 1-1 draw. The main talking point, however, was the dismissal of Brendan Rodgers, who was sacked an hour after the Merseyside derby. It remains to be seen what impact his replacement has on the Reds’ Fantasy prospects, with a bruising schedule (tot, SOU, che, CRY, mci, SWA) set to test the incoming manager’s credentials from the offset.

After a slow start to his career on Merseyside, Ings has now scored in three of his last five appearances for Liverpool. The 7.1-priced striker has clearly benefitted from being moved into a central role once again but his position could be under threat if the new boss doesn’t favour their current 3-4-1- 2 set-up – it’s perhaps ominous that bookies’ favourite Jurgen Klopp preferred a 4-2-3-1 set-up at former club Dortmund. Meanwhile, Milner has enjoyed a profitable run of late, notching one goal and two assists in his previous couple of starts. The all-action midfielder is priced fairly at 6.7 yet suffers from the above-mentioned tricky batch of fixtures.

Lukaku in the Goals Again

Romelu Lukaku lead by example for the second week running, netting his third strike in two outings as he moved up to third in the FPL forward standings. Although Everton’s next pair of fixtures (MUN, ars) aren’t that conducive to attacking returns, potential investors will be aware of the fact that they enjoy an excellent run of matches from Gameweek 11. Indeed, the Toffees will have played the top eight teams from last term by that point, encouraging investment across the board.

Brendan Galloway (4.5) deserves a mention for his excellent performances at left-back, affording his 1% ownership with a decent return on their outlay. The budget defender would serve as a prime option in his price bracket were it not for the imminent return of Leighton Baines, who may be in line for a return against Manchester United after the international break. Now pitched at 6.2 following his lengthy layoff, Baines’ unparalleled propensity for attacking returns among full-backs renders him an enticing acquisition leading up the New Year. At 5.4, though, Phil Jagielka remains the cheapest, and most reliable, of Roberto Martinez’s preferred back-four ahead of the Toffees’ fine schedule.