There’s little doubt who the star turn was in yesterday’s round of games. “Robin Reliant” came up trumps yet again, as a Robin Van Persie tore Chelsea apart in the lunchtime Stamford Bridge kick-off. Here’s a round-up of the Scout Notes from Saturday’s eight matches…
Robin Van Persie
A hat-trick at the Bridge ripped Chelsea to pieces and underlined the Dutchman’s explosive Fantasy form. Van Persie’s start to the season was particularly slow –just a single goal in his first five fixtures- but the following five have harvested 9 goals and propelled him to the summit of the goalscoring charts, ahead of Wayne Rooney and Sergio Aguero. Few would, perhaps, have handed him the armband but an ever-obliging Chelsea defence are always likely to concede right now- no one can argue with many Fantasy managers’ decision to sell on the likes of Jose Bosingwa last week. Van Persie has a favourable run of fixtures on the horizon but showed yesterday that his form is impossible to ignore, regardless of opponent.
Juan Mata
Amidst the mayhem of yesterday’s home defeat, Mata showed his Fantasy credentials. The Spaniard is yet to justify his 9.6 pricing to any significant extent but the Stamford Bridge loss saw him return a double-figure tally for the first time since moving from Valencia. A goal and assist in the 5-3 loss was of little consolation to Andre Villas-Boas but for his patient Fantasy backers, it proved significant reward.
Frank Lampard
Lampard returned a double figure FPL return for the third time this season; he is now second only to David Silva in the overall midfield score chart. Although his price is still a major concern, there can be few doubts now that Lampard’s attacking instincts and influence are flourishing under Villas-Boas. Indeed, as the Chelsea defence continues to falter, Lampard’s attacking potential seems set to remain strong as two ore more goals remain paramount to the prospects of three points.
Daniel Sturridge
A winning goal in the midweek Carling Cup tie at Everton continued a strong run of form but Sturridge unquestionably suffered a bad day at the office against the Gunners. Missed opportunities, wasted crosses – Sturridge faltered and will be feeling the pressure following his substitution on 61 minutes. We’d expect him to start at Blackburn next time out but, draw a blank there, and he could well come under serious threat for a starting role. Sturridge already suffered an FPL price drop overnight.
Wayne Rooney
Owners of the United forward were yesterday put on alert, as a deeper role in the Goodison win allowed Javier Hernandez to partner Danny Welbeck further up the field. A lack of bite in the middle of the park in last weekend’s defeat by Man City may have played a part, as Sir Alex Ferguson chose the industry and graft of Rooney for a tricky trip to old club Everton. It may have been a one-off but, with the return of Nemanja Vidic to the champions’ back-four, Ferguson’s side recorded their first clean sheet in four and the United manager’s post-match comments will give plenty food for thought:
”Everyone’s telling us the stats about chances made against us. We knew we had to reduce that number if we are going to win the league, and reinforcing the midfield was one way of doing it. We brought Wayne back to increase our numbers in midfield. Today we were very solid.”
Adam Johnson
The team sheet put paid to the doubter’s theories of rest and rotation for David Silva and Sergio Aguero as Man City played host to Wolves. Both started in the 3-1 win, though an assist apiece was as good as it got for their respective Fantasy owners. Adam Johnson, on the other hand, despite a brief twenty-eight minute second-half cameo, bettered both their tallies, rounding off the victory with a stoppage time goal. Johnson has featured in three of City’s last four league games and has found the net in every one of his appearances- added to his midweek Carling Cup performance, it’s clear he’s blossoming into a strong squad player as the season unfolds.
Bradley Johnson
For a low-price budget option, the Norwich midfielder is ticking along rather nicely. Priced at just 4.5, Johnson’s goal in the home draw with Blackburn was his second of the season and, added to a couple of previous assists, he’s now sitting on 34 Fantasy points. Compare this to the Canaries 5.2 playmaker Wes Hoolahan, on 21 points, and Johnson is forging a reasonable case for consideration for those looking to cut costs in their Fantasy midfield.
Chris Samba
Blackburn’s defensive prospects have been appalling, with not a single clean sheet to their name thus far. Typically a reliable source of Fantasy points, Samba had struggled to make any sort of impact in the early stages of the campaign- the solidity instilled by previous bosses seems to have evaporated under Steve Kean and after seven gameweeks, the Rovers skipper had a mere 4 Fantasy points to his name. Yesterday’s goal in the 3-3 Carrow Road thriller underlines his recent attacking potential- Samba has now scored twice and produced one assist in the last three gameweeks, in addition to grabbing three bonus.
Stephane Sessegnon
Clearly, a role out wide is more suited to the Benin international. Sessegnon failed to fire when tucked in behind a lone frontman but since moving to the wing and a change of system to 4-4-2, he’s finally flourished as a Fantasy proposition. A goal and assist for the second week running- with a strong chance of maximum bonus surely to follow- has seen the Black Cats midfielder finally begin to realise his pre-season potential.
Stiliyan Petrov
The Bulgarian was renowned for his attacking prowess during his time with Celtic but recent seasons have seen him mainly utilised as a deep-lying central midfielder at Aston Villa. The arrival of Alex McLeish seems to have removed the shackles, however, and yesterday’s goal and assist in the 2-2 draw at Sunderland highlighted his ability to produce further up the pitch. Petrov had scored three goals in the previous three seasons at Villa Park- already he has scored a couple under Big Eck and returned double figures for the second time in ten games.
Angel Rangel, Joe Allen and Danny Graham
Angel fully justified out Scout Picks decision to go with the right-back over keeper Michel Vorm – recording a pair of assists in Swansea’s win over Bolton. The Welsh club may have conceded for the first time at home this season but the right-back’s ability to forage forward and lend weight to their attacking ploys proved crucial yesterday afternoon and maintained his Liberty Stadium average of over six points per game.
Joe Allen was, once again, in amongst the points for the Swans, grabbing his second goal on the trot. Allen has developed consistency as the season unfolds; it’s 34 FPL points from his last six gameweeks now and, at 4.5, is looking the best budget midfielder in the Swansea ranks, backing up his inclusion in Big Dunc’s Differential’s back in gameweek nine.
A mention must also go to Danny Graham here- an own goal from the centre forward ended Swansea’s run of clean sheets but a goal at the other end maintains his hot streak of form; the former Hornet has now netted in the last four games, making a mockery of his 4.9 price tag. Fixtures at Liverpool and United may well perturb short-term investment however.
Luis Suarez
The Uruguayan may have failed to score in Liverpool’s win at West Brom but set up both goals in the 2-0 win. The two assists at the Hawthorns were, surprisingly, Suarez’s first of the season but his inability to find the net means he’s scored just twice in the last eight league games. His Fantasy owners will be looking for an improvement at home to Swansea next week before he squares up to Chelsea and Man City.
Clint Dempsey
A goal in Fulham’s win at Wigan means that Dempsey has grabbed two goals and two assists in the last four games, a return of 26 points, pre-bonus. While the 6-0 win over QPR saw the likes of Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora hog the headlines, Dempsey is showing a greater consistency than any of Fulham’s attackers right now, despite his role on the wing.
