Gareth Bale is at the double to down an out-of-sorts Wigan, with Luka Modric also chipping in at the Lane. Scott Sinclair produces once again at home for Swansea, Antonio Valencia picks up yet another assist, Man City continue to struggle for goals on their travels and a buoyant Liverpool sweep aside Wolves at Molineux:
Gareth Bale
His seventh double-figure points haul of the season saw Bale forge ahead of David Silva as the top-scoring Fantasy Premier League (FPL) midfielder. It’s an indication of his form this term that only Robin Van Persie has returned more points than the Welshman. Bale’s brace in the 3-1 win over Wigan means he has returned attacking points in every home game but one since gameweek 10; with the 3 bonus points surely in the bag, those who chose to captain him look like grabbing 30 points after last night’s display. Despite a schedule that reads (liv, NEW, ars, MUN), it’d take a bold Fantasy manager to get rid of Bale from here on in.
Luka Modric
The Croatian tends to be one of those players who, despite their undoubted talent, tend to frustrate as a Fantasy force. Last night saw Modric come to the fore and take on a starring role alongside Bale, returning a goal and assist for his Fantasy owners. In total, it was a 10 point haul for Modric, only the second time he’s hit double-figures this season. Closer look at Modric’s figures show that, since the end of gameweek 10, he has comfortably outscored Rafael Van der Vaart by 59 to 44. Granted, the Dutchman’s tendency to pick up injuries hardly helps his cause- he was subbed off just after the half-hour mark with a calf problem, according to Harry Redknapp.
Benoit Assou-Ekotto
An assist in his side’s win propelled the Cameroon international up to second in the defenders chart. Assou-Ekotto has now returned 5 assists compared to Kyle Walker’s 1 this term and continues to offer a far greater threat going forward than his fellow full-back, but with that aforementioned run of fixtures on the horizon, he’ll be relying on more of the same over the next month, with clean sheets looking unlikely.
Scott Sinclair
The winger opened the scoring against his old side, netting for the fourth home game in the last five. Echoing the Fantasy hauls of Jonathan Walters, Sinclair continues to keep his returns purely for home games- this was his seventh goal of the campaign, with every one coming at the Liberty Stadium. Pre-bonus, Sinclair has picked up 74 points in front of his own fans this season, compared to 26 on the road.
Gylfi Sigurdsson
Afforded a 67 minute appearance by Brendan Rodgers, the on-loan Icelander once again shone for Swansea. Sigurdsson has now played a significant part in his side’s last two home games, helping the Welsh club pick up four points against Arsenal and Chelsea. His previous home appearance saw him climb off the bench to set up Danny Graham’s winner, while last night he provided the assist for Sinclair’s early goal against the Blues.
Michel Vorm
Neil Taylor’s last-minute own goal proved a huge source of frustration for the Dutchman’s Fantasy owners. Vorm’s early-season heroics has seen him snapped up by 35.6% of Fantasy managers- the same number as Robin Van Persie- but there’s no doubt his returns have been diminishing. While Swansea’s away form has improved as the season has unfolded, their ability to stop opponents from scoring at the Liberty Stadium continues to dry up. The 1-1 draw with Chelsea was the fourth home game in a row that Vorm and co have failed to keep a clean sheet.
Gary Cahill
The former Bolton man is finding it difficult to break into the Chelsea first-team. Despite John Terry being absent with a knee problem, Andre Villas-Boas decided to keep Cahill benched, drafting in Branislav Ivanovic alongside David Luiz and keeping faith with Jose Bosingwa at right-back. While Bosingwa picked up an assist for Chelsea’s late leveller, fellow full-back Ashley Cole received his marching orders for a couple of cautions and will miss Sunday’s game with Man United. If Terry is passed fit, Cahill could once again find himself on the bench, with the possibility of Bosingwa moving left and Ivanovic taking over at right-back.
Jonny Evans
The champions once again delivered a shutout with Evans back in the defence. In his last seven appearances, United have conceded just 2 goals, with the Irishman collecting four clean sheets for his Fantasy owners in that spell, having been replaced at half-time against Wigan due to a calf problem. With Phil Jones still troubled by injury, Evans is becoming established as the key Fantasy option in the United rearguard, with his 4.5 price tag looking somewhat irresistible as a route into a title-chasing defence.
Antonio Valencia
The success story continues – with Nani and Wayne Rooney sidelined, the Ecuadorian delivered yet another assist in United’s 2-0 win. Felled for the spot-kick converted by Dimitar Berbatov, Valencia has now delivered 9 assists in as many games – an incredible run. Further Fantasy investment has followed, with only Gareth Bale commanding more transfers-in so far in the Gameweek, in the midfield bracket.
Sergio Aguero
The Argentine’s form will be a major concern for Roberto Mancini and his Fantasy owners alike. Aguero has delivered patchy scoring runs all season and is once again in a slump, having delivered just a single goal in his last six league outings. The blank at Everton perhaps shouldn’t come as a surprise – Aguero has returned just a single assist in his last seven away games in the league. Despite that form, the City remains a popular transfer option, with a fixture list that delivers three attractive home matches (FUL, avl, BLA, BOL) in the next four. Fantasy managers will be looking for immediate returns from Saturday’s encounter with Fulham.
Edin Dzeko
The Bosnian is, of course, the cut-price alternative to Aguero and, with his illustrious strike partner struggling for returns, Dzeko may well convert a few more Fantasy managers before Saturday’s deadline. With Mario Balotelli facing another two league games out through suspension, Dzeko looks assured of starts against Fulham and Villa. His form, in terms of raw Fantasy returns, is far from encouraging however, with just a single goal in his last five appearances.The fact is then, City are clearly misfiring, having drawn blanks in three of their last six. Ironically, six of their seven goals in that spell have come in their two most difficult fixtures – against Liverpool and Spurs. With United grinding out results, City desperately need to turn their obliging short-term fixtures into points – Fantasy managers will hope that the goal output will increase accordingly.
Everton’s Defence
Eyebrows were raised when Tony Hibbert lined up alongside Johnny Heitinga in the Everton defence and yet Hibbert, along with his team-mates, put up a disciplined display to keep City out. David Moyes’ defence have kept three clean sheets in their last eight league games, conceding just seven goals in that spell. While goals have remained hard to come by, the Everton defence has provided a strong platform for the Toffees to earn results. The signing of Nikica Jelavic could signal a upturn in fortunes at the sharp end, while there could still be value in the back-four. With fixtures stiffening, however, in addition to a blank gameweek 26, investment in Everton’s mid-price assets may be placed on ice.
Liverpool’s Defence
The red side of Merseyside also boasts a defence in form; the clean sheet at Molineux was Liverpool’s fifth in the last nine league games. Like Everton, Kenny Dalglish’s side have struggled to offer a consistent goal threat but the defence have stepped up accordingly. Wolves had scored in every home match since gameweek 5 and were on a nine-game scoring streak prior to last night but their visitors, perhaps buoyed by their recent cup exploits, were never in any danger at the back- Jose Reina make just one save on the 90 minutes. With (TOT, mun, blank, ARS) up next, though, they may well be hard-pushed to continue such strong returns in the short-term.
Charlie Adam
The Scot claimed his ninth and tenth assists of the season in the 3-0 win over Wolves, taking him above last season’s tally for Blackpool. Adam’s creativity has blossomed at Anfield – only David Silva has provided more assists. Despite this, in Fantasy terms, Adam has rarely tempted investment, thanks mainly to just 2 goals so far; Adam scored 12 times in his season with the Seasiders. Without spot-kicks in his locker, his goal threat has reduced considerably and Adam’s starting role and pitch time are also in doubt. With Steven Gerrard back in the frame, Adam’s is not assured of a start, despite his form, and he has completed 90 minutes just once in his last six league outings.
Andy Carroll
The forward grabbed his first league goal since gameweek 10 last night. Carroll also provided an assist in the previous gameweek’s defeat at Bolton, producing attacking returns in back-to-back fixtures for the first time this season. Just as Carroll is starting to adapt to a role as a lone forward and beginning to pick up Fantasy points, Liverpool welcome back Luis Suarez for the home clash with Tottenham this weekend. There’s little doubt their goal threat seems to be improving, though; the 3-0 win meant Kenny Dalglish’s side scored more than 2 league goals on the road for the first time this season.
