The Digest – Gameweek 9

Our final look back at Gameweek 9 acknowledges the flourishing form of Arsenal’s South America, United’s improved display against Chelsea and the redistribution of funds within our 15-man squads, as many start to spend big in midfield and defence.

The Player

He arrived amidst much fanfare and Fantasy expectation but it’s fair to say Alexis Sanchez wasn’t quick to ignite at Arsenal. After six Gameweeks of the season, the Chilean had scored twice in the league and played from start to finish on just three occasions as Arsene Wenger afforded his summer signing time to settle in the frantic Premier League.

Fast forward to last weekend, where Sanchez – handed a central role behind Danny Welbeck – bagged a brace against Sunderland to take his tally to three goals, an assist and six bonus points in the last two matches, racking up hauls of 13 and 16 points.

Now just one point off the summit of the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) standings, the Chilean is set for an almighty bandwagon as the Gunners prepare to face Burnley this weekend. With premium options such as Cesc Fabregas and Raheem Sterling sitting in over 50% of teams and Angel di Maria in 39%, the 10.4-priced Sanchez couldn’t have picked a better time to come to form, allowing us to freshen up our midfields and take advantage of his flourishing displays as the Gunners also prepare to face Swansea and West Brom in the next four.

The Team

The last-gasp draw against Chelsea salvaged a vital point and, crucially, boosted morale ahead of Sunday’s Manchester derby as United roll up to the Etihad looking for their first away win of the season.

Prior to the weekend visit to Old Trafford, Jose Mourinho’s side had afforded their opponents the least number of shots inside the box over the first eight rounds of fixtures but were forced to rely on Thibaut Courtois time and again in the 1-1 stalemate. Despite scoring just once, the home side fired 13 attempts from close-range; joint top for the Gameweek and a sign of their intentions and growing confidence against the tightest defence around.

Van Gaal now has Wayne Rooney back from suspension – albeit nursing a foot knock – and with Radamel Falcao also expected to return, the attacking options available suggest room for optimism.

Angel di Maria suffered a loss of ownership for the first time this season prior to the Chelsea clash but United’s display certainly indicates they are starting to find a better balance and the Argentine, as we mentioned in Sunday’s Big Numbers article, has created chances quicker than any regular in the league this season. Elsewhere in midfield, it remains to be seen whether the United manager will retain the current 4-2-3-1 formation but suddenly the likes of Marouane Fellaini and Adnan Januzaj could be on the radar as viable mid-price options if they can hold onto their starting berths.

As West Ham showed last weekend, the City defence is anything but watertight right now. The champions have managed one clean sheet in the last eight – against Aston Villa – and Van Gaal’s men will roll up to the Etihad in buoyant mood after depriving the league leaders of all three points. After that one, three superb home fixtures in the subsequent four (CPL, HUL, STO) suggest United’s bid for a top four finish looks very much on course, with Fantasy interest bound to increase on the back of such a schedule.

The Talking Point

The never-ending doubts surrounding Diego Costa’s fitness, allied with the steady form of a number of low-priced front men, has seen a shift in funds to midfield and defence over the last few days as many Fantasy managers begin to restructure their squads.

With the sub-6.0 pair Saido Berahino and Diafra Sakho continuing to make a mockery of their price tags and Graziano Pelle’s assist against Stoke taking him to the FPL summit, the trio have earned significant numbers of new investors this week. Costa and Radamel Falcao have been the premium price fall guys after missing the Old Trafford clash through injury, leaving Sergio Aguero as the only costly option in the top five transferred in strikers this week.

The cash generated from such sales has seen Sanchez soar to the top of many a Watchlist this week. As the Costa transfers out continue, both Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard have been snapped up by many as the league leaders prepare for a fine run of fixtures, whilst at the back, the spare budget has also allowed over 30,000 to bring in Leighton Baines, with the Toffees left-back now delivering attacking returns in six of his last seven.

There’s no doubt, though, that if Costa is fit for this weekend’s clash with QPR, he could run riot. With West Brom and Sunderland also in the next four, parting company remains a risky tactic – all the more so after Mourinho admitted he hopes to have his star striker back for Saturday. For many, though, enough is enough and shedding their sides of Costa finally relieves them of Mourinho’s mind games and the constant weekly drama that continues to hang heavy over our Fantasy campaigns.