Our final glance at Gameweek 9 sees us focus on City’s consistent Argentine, the flourishing attacking form offered by Fulham and whether “chasing points” is an act of folly or necessity…
The Player
Prior to last Saturday evening, he’d gone without a goal since Gameweek 3 and with Sergio Aguero’s recent return casting doubts over his ability to produce the points, Carlos Tevez had suffered a substantial drop in FPL ownership, with his price slipping from 9.9 to 9.4. City’s stuttering attack has hardly helped his cause either; the champions have notched just 18 times so far, 15 goals less than they had registered by the same point last year.
While Aguero failed to flatter in the 1-0 win over Swansea and Edin Dzeko warmed the bench in spite of his recent heroics, Tevez provided the vital spark in what was a dire display by the hosts – post-match, his manager acknowledged the player’s importance to the City cause:
“Carlos played very well against West Brom and again today. He worked very hard and I am very pleased for him. He scored a good goal at an important time and is a vital player for this team.”
Looking beyond the recent goal drought and it’s obvious that Tevez has offered a consistency that has been hard to mirror. He has produced attacking returns in seven of his eight starts this term and has racked up four goals and six assists thus far; with 64 points he is neck and neck with Robin Van Persie at the top of the FPL forward leaderboard.
Crucially for Fantasy managers, Tevez, like Van Persie, offers a preferred route to City’s attacking returns with Aguero’s claims hindered by a loftier price tag. While Aguero has the potential for more explosive returns, Tevez, judging by Mancini’s endorsement, clearly remains an integral part of the City set-up and his match-winner has caught more than just Mancini’s eye; already, he is the most transferred in forward this Gameweek ahead of a trip to former club West Ham, in what will be an emotional return to Upton Park for the Argentine. Given his displays so far, there’s every chance he could break the Hammers’ hearts as City go looking for their fifth straight win next Saturday.
The Team
The departure of Clint Dempsey and Moussa Dembele this summer had initially looked like serving a real blow to Fulham’s prospects but Martin Jol’s side have regrouped and continue to offer Fantasy managers reasons to be cheerful.
A share of the spoils in the six-goal thriller at Reading last Saturday took the Cottagers’ goal tally to 19 already – only Chelsea and United have found the net more often. Furthermore, Jol has finally addressed Fulham’s inability to score on the road – the Dutchman’s debut campaign produced a mere 12 away goals all season but already, they have notched nine in just five games, scoring two or more on four occasions.
Perhaps surprisingly, given their offensive menace, it’s Damien Duff and John Arne Riise who lead the way for FPL points at Fulham; with 42 and 40 respectively, there are clearly alternatives right throughout a side that looks simply full of goals right now.
Granted, Dimitar Berbatov looks nailed-on up top should be remain injury-free but, with Bryan Ruiz, Hugo Rodallega and Mladen Petric all offering alternatives, the Cottagers boss admitted he is still uncertain over his best front pairing.
“What is my best forward line? That is still my problem – and it’s already October. Ruiz is probably my most creative player but on the other hand Berbatov is a very good second striker. But it was good to see Ruiz coming on and changing our style, even though we looked fine first half. Ruiz and Berbatov never played together before. I feel that Berba is not a typical No.9 and that is why I’m playing Rodallega because he has pace and he stretches defences.”
Bearing in mind that aforementioned quartet have all scored between 25-31 FPL points so far, it leaves us with something of a quandary should it be confirmed that Berbatov has suffered a broken rib to make him a doubt for the weekend meet with Everton. Berbatov offers assured coverage of a Fulham side bristling with attacking threat but, for those without the Bulgarian and with their forward lines settled, a nod to Duff, with three goals and two assists so far, may well be a decent alternative given the apparent goal power of Jol’s outfit this term.
The Talking Point
Sometimes the line between chasing points and snapping up a player due to undeniably strong form can be a fine one. A couple of eye-catching displays can sway even the steeliest of Fantasy managers to acquire the services of certain individuals even when logic can, at times, suggest we hold firm. The continued form of Juan Mata is a classic example. Having been rested in the Gameweek 4 trip to QPR, the Spaniard was sitting with a 8.9 FPL price tag and with team mate Eden Hazard hoovering up the points, few would have predicted what was to come.
A stunning free-kick against United yesterday once again produced the points and means that Mata has now outscored the Belgian in four of the past five Gameweeks. Hazard’s returns have been more than respectable, though; he has accrued 28 points over the last five fixtures and has maintained his lead at the top of the FPL midfield standings but Mata has now produced 54 points over the equivalent fixtures, with four goals and five assists to Hazard’s goal and three assists. Many Hazard owners will argue that Mata simply cannot maintain such levels but while Hazard’s price has held steady at 10.3, Mata has now risen to 9.3 and with double figure returns in each of his last two away games, he’s likely to receive significant investment ahead of next Saturday’s deadline.
The same applies to another couple of likely protagonists, Demba Ba and Luis Suarez. Ba’s opener against West Brom means he has now played a part in eight of Newcastle’s 11 strikes, with seven goals and an assist, while Suarez has finally stepped up for Liverpool. The Uruguayan has had a hand in nine of Liverpool’s 12 goals, finding the net six times in addition to supplying three assists – can the duo continue to produce at the same rate?
Clearly, both are looking integral to their team’s chances but we only need to look to last season to see that the pair are more than capable of returning blanks aplenty. Non-owners have a quandary – do we cast aside our doubts and grab them while the going is good or ride out their current form and hope the returns will hit a decline, whilst scouring the market for lesser-owned alternatives?
While plenty of options are offered elsewhere, their respective displays are becoming more difficult to overlook as the Gameweeks go by and, in the case of Ba and Suarez, “chasing points” in hope of continued form, could be a fruitful tactic.
