Gareth Bale gives his Fantasy owners some belated festive cheer with a brace at Carrow Road. In a gameweek that promised so much but ultimately delivered little, Michel Vorm concedes a rare goal at home, while even armband favourite Robin Van Persie forgets to read the script and returns no more than a couple of points. Let’s get this over with…
Gareth Bale
The Welshman proved the difference in Spurs’ trip to Norwich last night, grabbing both goals in his side’s 2-0 win to at least put some sort of positive spin on this gameweek. Bale has now equalled his goals haul (7) from last term in just seventeen appearances and has already doubled the number of assists from 3 to 6. It’s near certain he’ll grab the maximum bonus too, taking him to 13; he was awarded 12 last time round. With every passing gameweek, he’s continued to rack up the points with ridiculous ease and has either scored or assisted in seven of his last eight appearances. Even at 8.9, he seems an absolute bargain but with the double gameweek on the horizon, his price seems set to rise for the foreseeable future.
Emmanuel Adebayor
Once again, the on-loan Man City player got amongst the points for Harry Redknapp’s side. Adebayor’s dancing feet in the home side’s box brilliantly set up Bale for the Spurs opener and his assist continues one of the most consistent runs of Fantasy form this season; the Togo international has now scored, assisted or returned bonus in twelve of his fifteen games this term. In spite of this, he’s still only owned by 18% of Fantasy managers, 6% less than Luis Suarez, but with West Brom, Everton, Wolves and Wigan all at the Lane in the next five gameweeks, plenty more suitors will be jumping aboard the bandwagon, particularly in light of the afore-mentioned double gameweek.
Rafael Van der Vaart
The news of his inclusion in the starting XI would have given his Fantasy owners plenty optimism but the Dutchman once again failed to deliver. While Bale and Adebayor continue to produce the goods, Van der Vaart has just a single assist to his name since the end of gameweek 10. Down to just 7% ownership, he could prove a decent differential in the upcoming double gameweek but priced at 9.7, there’s no doubt he’s struggling to justify his place in Fantasy teams, particularly with cheaper and more consistent options available in the Tottenham first-team.
Steven Fletcher
While many of us waited fruitlessly on the usual double-figure points haul from Robin Van Persie, it was the Wolves forward who stole the limelight by grabbing a crucial equaliser. Fletcher was fielded as a lone forward and his Emirates goal – his seventh of the campaign – again highlighted his tendency to produce the goods when least expected. The Scotsman has also netted against the likes of Liverpool, Newcastle and Man United but with Chelsea, Spurs and Liverpool to come again in the next five, Wolves will be reliant on him to continue a run of form that has harvested 4 goals in his last 5 games.
Stephen Hunt
The Irishman seems to have stepped up his game of late. Hunt, having provided the ball for Fletcher’s goal, has now scored or assisted in each of his last three games. Given that he had previously failed to produce attacking points in back-to-back gameweeks prior to this run, it’s an indication of his displays and particularly pleasing for Mick McCarthy, given that Jamie O’Hara is currently sidelined with a hernia injury. With Bolton having lost eight of their nine games at home, a visit to the Reebok on New Year’s Eve will hold no fear for the Midlanders.
Yossi Benayoun
Arsene Wenger made four changes to the side that started against Aston Villa, with Benayoun replacing Aaron Ramsey in midfield. The Israeli – in his first start of the season- followed up his late winner at Villa Park with an early assist for Gervinho’s opener, lasting just over an hour before being replaced. With Gervinho’s departure to the African Cup of Nations just around the corner, Benayoun could continue to gather the game time as Wenger looks to rest and rotate over a hectic winter period. It’s perhaps a worry for Ramsey’s Fantasy owners, though; yesterday was the first time the Welshman didn’t make the starting XI, when available.
Wayne Routledge
Over the last few weeks, he seems to have made a strong case for a permanent role on the right wing for Swansea. Nathan Dyer has suffered through loss of form and injury of late, though a comparison of the pair’s stats is revealing. Dyer started the first thirteen games of the season and failed to pick up a single assist; Routledge, on the other hand, has provided 3 assists in his last five appearances, including the ball for Danny Graham’s opener against QPR yesterday evening.
Jamie Mackie
He’s been flying under the radar of late since recovering from a long-term absence due to a broken leg. While Heidar Helguson has hogged most of the headlines, Mackie has grabbed 2 goals and 2 assists, spread over four of his last seven games. Yesterday’s leveller saw him score in back-to-back matches and means he is only the second away player, aside from Javier Hernandez, to beat Michel Vorm at the Liberty Stadium.
