Seamus ‘Ramos’ Coleman, Ahmed Elmohamady and Aleksandar Kolarov have all proved popular picks this season as a result of playing out of position (OoP), and after touting Stephane Sessegnon in last week’s differentials article, injuries and tactical shuffles have given us a couple more potential “OoP” picks to consider this week. If you’ve already got your fill of double gameweek players, perhaps we can tempt you with a differential or two….
Nedum Onuoha
Despite a strong performance against Wigan two weeks ago, the makeshift strike force of Sessegnon and Malbranque failed to make an impact in their defeat to Fulham last weekend, and Nedum Onuoha was thrown up front for the final 25 minutes as Steve Bruce desperately sought a way back into the game.
At 3-0 down this move was clearly an act of desperation, but the introduction of Onuoha up front made sense from a tactical point of view – Malbranque and Sessegnon are both under 5’8” tall and playing Onuoha gave Sunderland a presence in the final third that they had been missing up to that point. As it turned out, Fulham were rampant by this stage and his introduction made little difference but reports suggest that Onuoha could now play up front from the start against Bolton this weekend, and if this proves to be the case then he could be a very handy differential considering Bolton’s poor run of form. The on loan Man City defender can currently be picked up for 5.1m and is owned by 2.9% of all managers in the FPL game.
Stephen Ward
If Stephen Ward can retain his striker role alongside Steven Fletcher this weekend, he could be another strong “out of position” target considering Wolves’ fixtures. Sylvan Ebanks-Blake has returned to training and McCarthy is hopeful that Doyle could still have a part to play this season, so banking on Ward playing up front may be a bit of a gamble. Even without attacking points however, three games against [WBA, sun, BLA] could still provide a decent return for 4.4m.
Ward is currently classed as a defender due to playing the last two seasons at left back, but he was bought by McCarthy as a striker and became a first team regular in that position in the second half of the 06/07 season, scoring four goals in his 11 starts. He looked a threat in last week’s derby game, and although he didn’t get on the scoresheet, it was his run into the box that earned them their early penalty.
Thomas Hitzelsperger
The last time Thomas Hitzelsperger made the differentials, he picked up a goal and an assist in an 11-point haul and with a home game against Blackburn this afternoon, we’re backing him to make a big impact again. Ok, he has managed just a single assist in the six games since then, but considering four of those were against Tottenham, Man United, Chelsea and Man City then that can probably be excused. Fixtures ease up considerably for the remainder of the season with [BLA wig SUN] possibly the easiest run in of any side in the league, so at 4.8m and with just 0.8% ownership then he looks a strong option.
A lot depends on how the team performs as a whole, but if West Ham get something out of the game then you can be pretty sure that Hitzlsperger will be involved somewhere. A look over his OPTA stats in recent weeks confirm just how influential he has become to the Hammers; In the last four games, he has had more attempts on goal (6) and more key passes (11) than the rest of the West Ham midfield put together.
Best of the Rest
Jonathan Spector is another “out of position” target, and should continue his role in the West Ham midfield in Scott Parker’s absence. He plays a more defensive role than Hitzlsperger but at just 4.1m and classed as a defender, he could be worth a look. Mikel Arteta returned to action last weekend, and slotted back into the left wing role that saw him pick up an assist and Bonus Points against Newcastle back in gameweek 29. Everton have won six of their last seven games against City, and Arteta could play a big part here again, despite conceding penalty duties to Leighton Baines. Finally, Shola Ameobi has somehow managed to string together a few games without picking up a serious injury, so at 4.1m he could be a decent option against struggling Birmingham if you’re short of funds for a striker option.
