Frisking the Fixtures – Gameweek 7

The Swans fly to the top of this week’s refresh with a hugely favourable set of fixtures on the horizon. Elsewhere, while back-to-back defeats and a stuttering gear box cause us to doubt United’s appeal, there’s no questioning that the schedule remains strong for David Moyes’ troubled outfit…

THE STRONG

Swansea

The Swans and their fans can breathe a sigh of relief as a stormy opening to the season is finally over and a prolonged spell of clement weather beckons. All of their next six fixtures seem potentially prosperous but home games against Sunderland, West Ham and Stoke look particularly appealing. They’ve won two of their three away games this season too, meaning that trips to Southampton, Cardiff and Fulham will hold little fear.

In pole position for our attentions for this scheduling boon is Michu. The Spaniard has scored in three of the last four games in all competitions and it looks quite likely that Fantasy managers will be craving his services in droves before long. Michel Vorm continues to offer a viable alternative to Simon Mignolet between the sticks, while Ben Davies is giving it his all to fend off the challenge from Neil Taylor: with two goals and two clean sheets to his name already, a gamble on the youngster could pay off handsomely. Pablo Hernandez is nearing a return from injury and could offer a mid-price route into Laudrup’s midfield – a goal and two assists in three appearances highlights his early-season form.

Man United

Defeat at home to West Brom was arguably more damaging to United’s credibility than the previous week’s mauling by City. Even so, the more level-headed pundits would say that the current ‘Crisis at Old Trafford’ hyperbole is rather premature. David Moyes will be hoping to prove them right and has the fixtures on his side to do so. In the next four games, United play host to Southampton and Stoke and have trips to Sunderland and Fulham, fixtures that look primed for returns at both ends of the pitch.

Rested for an hour of the Baggies match, Robin van Persie is still the luxury United asset of choice. The 10% of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers who have lost faith recently could be made to pay dearly if the Dutchman hits top form, while Wayne Rooney stays hot on his heels for our attention after scoring in each of the last three Gameweeks. United’s midfield continues to offer scant reward but the defence ought to profit from these fixtures. Moyes’ decision to rest both Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra against the Baggies means Rio Ferdinand is the only defender to start every Premier League game for the Reds, though most would expect the pair to return to the fold after United’s unconvincing display in the 2-1 defeat.

Tottenham

With last week’s Chelsea showdown out of the way, Tottenham’s fixtures look primed for investment. Home games against West Ham, Hull and Newcastle are especially mouthwatering and Andre Villas-Boas will be hoping his team can use them as a springboard for an upturn in goal-scoring. Although they’ve proved extremely solid at the back, their Gareth Bale-funded star acquisitions have yet to really ignite in front of goal thus far. They will need that to have changed by the time they visit Everton and City in Gameweeks 10 and 12 respectively.

Roberto Soldado has proven a test too stern for the patience of many of his owners and with several other strikers delivering on their promise, he is being shed en masse. The Spaniard’s talent is beyond doubt, though, and his remaining owners could well be rewarded by this schedule, while fellow new signings Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela will also be looking to kickstart slow starts to their Spurs careers. Fantasy legend turned Fantasy flop, Gylfi Sigurdsson, is seeing something of a renaissance; three goals in three games seems to have earned him the left flank role but with so many midfield options, rotation looms always. The back four are possibly the most interesting to Fantasy managers, presenting a smorgasbord of value propositions. At 5.1 Michael Dawson continues to maintain his starting berth; spend another 0.9 for the assist potential of Kyle Walker or a further 1.0 for the extra goal potential of Bonus Point friendly Jan Vertonghen, though the attacking threat that harvested five strikes last year has yet to materialize.

Arsenal

Holding firm at the top of the table, despite a profusion of injuries, Arsene Wenger may be privately doing a little “I told you so” dance towards his critics. Arsenal look full of goals right now and their short term fixture list looks set to facilitate that. Trips to West Brom and Crystal Palace straddle a home game against Norwich, games that may even see them keep their second clean sheet of the season. The fly in the ointment is that these are followed by two tricky games, home against Liverpool followed by a visit to Old Trafford.

The “prolific” Aaron Ramsey was at it again last week to keep the pedal of his bandwagon firmly to the metal. Four assists in three league games is keeping Mesut Özil’s stock high whilst a slight downturn in Olivier Giroud’s attacking figures probably won’t deter many of his owners – both returned to scoring form in the midweek Champions League win over Napoli to strengthen their appeal. Interest in Arsenal’s defence is understandably low but for anyone looking to defy the trends and invest, Kieran Gibbs has been roaming up the wing with menace, whilst both Per Mertesacker and Bacary Sagna have both compensated for low clean sheet returns with a goal apiece.

Liverpool

Luis Suarez’ return from suspension seems to have steadied the Anfield ship after a brief wobble against Southampton. The fixture list continues to smile on Brendan Rodgers and his crew, with home games against Crystal Palace, West Brom and Fulham set to keep Fantasy interest high. Trips to Arsenal and Everton in Gameweeks 10 and 12 may be a little tricky but for now the grass is green.

Announcing his Premier League comeback with a brace, Luis Suarez will be on many a radar and is accordingly top of the captaincy poll for this week. Strike partner Daniel Sturridge was not to be outdone against Sunderland and he has many Fantasy managers twisting themselves in knots trying to figure out which, if not both, of these options to acquire. On-loan Victor Moses is still the most promising midfielder from the side, at least until Philippe Coutinho recovers from injury. The backline is more difficult to predict as Rodgers moves from a 4-2-3-1 to a 3-4-1-2 formation. Kolo Toure, Martin Skrtel and Mamadou Sakho are the back three of choice as Daniel Agger nurses the knock that forced him off against Southampton, though Jose Enrique’s move to the left of midfield heightens his appeal as an out of position prospect.

ALSO CONSIDER

Stoke
Despite a lacklustre display against Norwich last time out, it’s fair to say that Mark Hughes has transformed Stoke into a team capable of more dimensions of play than Tony Pulis ever did. He’ll be hoping to capitalize on a medium-term fixture list that presents opportunities at both ends of the pitch. An away date with Man United in Gameweek 9 is obviously problematic but that’s nestled between home games with West Brom, Southampton and Sunderland, in addition to visits to Swansea and struggling Fulham. Marc Wilson is the cut-price defensive pick of choice, currently playing in central midfield. Further forward, Marko Arnautovic presents an intriguing differential but will need to up his game from his last showing to inspire faith.

Aston Villa
Having rewritten the form book to turn Man City over, Aston Villa may be looked upon again as a side with something to offer. A decent fixture list beckons, with games against Hull, West Ham, Cardiff and West Brom, marred only by home games against Tottenham and Everton. Most managers will be awaiting the return of Belgian goal-machine Christian Benteke as their entry into Villa’s schedule but with a goal and assist in the triumph over City, Leandro Bacuna could prove a cut-price option if Lambert continues with a 3-5-2 formation. Classified as a midfielder across the Fantasy games, Bacuna’s appeal would be dented by a move back to a four-man defence – Lambert has been fielding him as a right-back instead of Matt Lowton in recent matches.

Chelsea
Not scoring quite as freely as Jose Mourinho would have hoped, Chelsea are nevertheless not to be underestimated. With away games against United and Tottenham now dispensed with, they enter a period of favourable fixtures – home games against Cardiff and West Brom, allied with visits to Norwich, West Ham and Newcastle, should inspire confidence of Fantasy returns at either end of the field. Jose Mourinho’s teams are notoriously tight, defensively and investment looks set to pick up there; John Terry has emerged as the choice pick and at just 6.1 could prove good value. Rotation is rife up front but Oscar is the leading points corer for the Blues and Mourinho has made comments to the effect that the little Brazilian is first choice for the number 10 role. Juan Mata’s recent resurgence is worth monitoring – down to 9.6 in FPL, he’s been talked up by Mourinho after a couple of impressive displays, while Samuel Eto’o will surely benefit if Fernando Torres is ruled out with the knee injury that forced him off against Steaua Bucharest on Tuesday.

THE WEAK

Norwich

Despite some mixed opening performances, Chris Hughton’s side sit in the relative comfort of mid-table after Sunday’s win at Stoke. They may need it, though; up next are games against Chelsea, Man City and Arsenal in the next four. Such fixtures will dampen any enthusiasm, although home clashes with Cardiff and West Ham may be worth holding a Canary on the bench for. In defence, Michael Turner is the only defender to have started every game. One-time budget punt of choice Nathan Redmond is injured, while Robert Snodgrass has failed to live up to pre-season expectations. For the very brave, Ricky van Wolfswinkel seems to have his manager’s faith, though the sober choice is surely to wait until Gameweek 11, at least, when this short passage of thorny fixtures comes to an end.

West Ham

It’s not unfair to say that West Ham have held limited Fantasy appeal so far this season. James Collins has been the second most popular Hammers asset behind stalwart Kevin Nolan but the former’s surprise omission for James Tomkins last week leaves a hole in 6% of squads. In light of the upcoming fixtures, though, he should already have been on the chopping block; with Tottenham, Chelsea and Man City in the next six games, the Hammers will need to be at the very top of their resilient game. For Sam Allardyce, a haul of two goals in five games highlights just why he’s desperate for the return of injured Andy Carroll, though the fixture list remains mostly unkind until the second half of the season, which may deter investment.

West Brom

The Baggies will obviously be rejoicing at their giant-slaying antics last weekend but they’re far from out the woods. Although games against Stoke and Crystal Palace hold some appeal, they face Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea in the next five gameweeks. Morgan Amalfitano and Stephane Sessegnon blinked onto our radars with impressive performance against Man United, but their appeal is surely curtailed for now with those opponents. Suitors of those assets may wish to check their urges until Gameweek 15 when a splendid run of five appealing fixtures in six games begins for Steve Clarke’s side.

BE WARY OF

Crystal Palace
Just about the most predictable opponent in the Premier League so far, a cynic might say that The Eagles are of most value to Fantasy managers as captaincy magnets. With Liverpool, Arsenal and Everton in the next six games, owners of Suarez, Giroud and Romelu Lukaku will be hoping for a bumper harvest. The fixture list does ease up for them around Gameweek 12 though, and Gameweek 14 marks the start of three appealing looking home games in four. Budget defender Danny Gabbidon could be a canny acquisition for that period.

Man City
Having tasted defeat at Villa last weekend, City need to get back to winning ways quickly. Unfortunately that task is made a little harder by the arrival of three tricky-looking fixtures in the next six games: Everton, Chelsea and Tottenham. That mix is sweetened slightly by ties against West Ham, Norwich and Sunderland but owners of City’s heavily-rotated forwards may feel that this is the last straw and could be moved to part company with them. Whilst David Silva is reportedly fit for the Champions League clash with Bayern, managers may wish to wait until this storm has passed to invest in the wee Spaniard.

Newcastle
Despite a spirited near-comeback against Everton on Monday evening, Alan Pardew will need to eradicate the “disturbing” aspects of his team’s defensive display as a matter of some urgency to avoid serious damage in the upcoming difficult fixtures. A pair of heavyweight visitors to Tyneside in Liverpool and Chelsea will be hard to contend with and with a trip to Tottenham also on the horizon, admirers of Loic Remy’s goalscoring form may be persuaded to look elsewhere for now. Hatem Ben Arfa’s owners will also be concerned after he was hauled off at half-time in the Goodison loss – clearly, Pardew will have no issues with replacing his playmaker if Ben Arfa fails to up his work-rate.