Stephane Sessegnon grabs a goal and assist as Sunderland lose to in-form West Brom. Robin Van Persie draws a blank as United overcome QPR, Stoke register yet another Britannia clean sheet, while Jordi Gomez bags a hat-trick as Wigan see off Reading in a five-goal thriller at the DW…
Sunderland’s Attack on the Radar
Kicking on from his goal at Fulham last weekend with a 10 point FPL return in the 4-2 home defeat by West Brom, Stephane Sessegnon found the net and also provided the assist for Craig Gardner’s opener. With a home clash against QPR up next, Sessegnon faces a tricky trip to Norwich before back-to-back home games with Chelsea and Reading in double Gameweek 16 – his past two performances will surely be enough to persuade some to take a punt, with his self-belief clearly on the rise. Steven Fletcher has picked up attacking returns for the second match running, having provided an assists for Sessegnon’s goal; the Black Cats duo have picked up 17 points apiece over the last couple of matches.
Black Cats a Defensive Concern
Martin O’Neill’s side went into yesterday’s clash with three goals against in their opening four home games and were resultantly earmarked by many for double Gameweek investment. The four goals conceded at the hands of West Brom will have plenty thinking twice over snapping up Sunderland’s defensive assets – with Sessegnon and Fletcher starting to fire, it seems our targets are starting to shift further up the field. Martin O’Neill will be concerned about his new defensive woes, particularly with John O’Shea subbed off at half-time with a calf injury, though the club are yet to give any prognosis. Simon Mignolet’s form is also a worry given that he was at fault for West Brom’s second goal, although O’Neill will surely stand by the Belgian for Tuesday’s meeting with QPR.
Flourishing Baggies
Shane Long continued his superb season under Steve Clarke by grabbing another goal as West Brom moved to third in the table. The Irishman now has five goals and five assists to his name, playing a part in 10 of his side’s 23 strikes so far; he has now produced attacking returns in nine of his 13 appearances and priced at 6.2 in FPL and with a mere 5% ownership, could be worth a punt for those looking to freshen up their forward lines. Throughout Clarke’s midfield and attack, there is consistency, though. Peter Odemwingie’s assist means he has produced points in three of the last four and, while as James Morrison dropped deeper, this afforded Zoltan Gera to move into “the hole” and find the net, with Clarke understandably delighted by the Hungarian’s performance…
“For me, Zoltan was man of the match…He was outstanding. Zoltan played that No.10 position like a dream for us. The way we played and passed it, we kept getting him on the ball in good positions. It’s something we had spoken about before the game and thankfully it worked for us.”
Six West Brom players produced five FPL points or more yesterday – a perfect snapshot of just how well Clarke is utilising his squad this season. Rotation will remain a concern, however, with Romelu Lukaku typifying the resources available to Clarke by again coming off the bench to make an impact. Clarke has demonstrated a habit of rotating his attacking players and, going into the trip to Swansea on Wednesday, we should expect some changes despite Saturday’s display.
Potters Resistance Unrivalled
There is simply no breaking through the Stoke defence at home, with yet another clean sheet registered yesterday. Tony Pulis’ side have shipped just one goal in six at the Britannia now after keeping out Fulham – all the more impressive, given the Cottagers had scored in each of their last nine, at an average of two per game. Heading into Gameweek 13, it’s was noticeable that the top two teams in the overall FPL rankings have been doubling up on Stoke this term – with many of the more pricey defenders finding clean sheets hard to come by, it’s a tactic that has reaped rich reward.
Pulis Unlocks Adam Goal Potential
Charlie Adam struck his second goal in consecutive home matches and is clearly being pushed up in support of Peter Crouch, with Jon Walters occupying more of a right-sided midfield role. Pulis confirmed, post-match, that he’s encouraging the former Liverpool man to get forward and has set a 10-goal target for Adam…
“We’ve told Charlie to get a lot closer to Crouchy. Crouchy is as good a target man as anybody in the Premier League and he possesses both the ability and quality to open doors for others around him. We want Charlie to get on the end of them. We were looking for him to get 10 goals this season when we signed him and I am confident that he can achieve that because he can certainly finish when you present him with the chances.”
Such statements have to be of interest to those seeking differentials in midfield, given that Adam is certainly capable of providing an end product. With 12 goals with Blackpool in the 2010/11 season, he has proven pedigree but there will be concerns on just how many opportunities will come his way in a Stoke side that are still far from potent. Even so, with Walters clearly accommodated elsewhere, it’s currently falling to Adam to push on and he has now emerged as the most likely source of points in the Potters midfield.
Reading Backline Value
Kaspars Gorkss may be the most popular pick in the Royals defence but Nicky Shorey and Sean Morrison continued their impressive recent form and picked up the points in spite of a 3-2 defeat. Shorey has created chances aplenty over the last few matches and earned his second consecutive assist, while Morrison’s goal means he has produced 22 points in four games since being handed his top-flight debut in Gameweek 10. At 4.1 and 4.0 respectively, their upcoming double Gameweek sees them travel to Southampton and Sunderland – while one clean sheet all season is a worry, Shorey and Morrison are still managing to produce.
Gomes Stakes a Claim
When Jordi Gomez plays as he did yesterday, it’s difficult to ascertain why he’s no more than a bit-part player at Wigan. An injury to Franco Di Santo allowed Gomez his third start of the season and, lining up on the right of a front three, he boosted his chances considerably by bagging all the Latics’ goals in a thrilling 3-2 win over Reading. While Di Santo came off the bench and could now start in midweek, his record of three goals in 10 appearances may persuade Roberto Martinez to keep faith with Gomez – the midfielder is also the club’s first-choice spot-kick taker whenever he is on the field, a fact that will diminish Shaun Maloney’s appeal if he can cement a regular role.
Latics In the Wars
Maloney was replaced at half-time in yesterday’s game with Roberto Martinez confirming a groin injury that will bring a spell on the sidelines. Ivan Ramis also suffered a setback – he has a hamstring problem.
“Shaun’s injury is worse that Ivan’s. His picked up a groin strain and although we’ll asses him it looks as though he’ll be out for a while. With Ivan’s injury we managed to catch it just in time before it got worse. He felt a twinge in his hamstring and we’ll asses him to see how long he’ll be out for.”
This will likely see Adrian Lopez start against Man City in midweek, while Emmerson Boyce would seem set to continue as one of three centre-backs unless Gary Caldwell is fit to return from his own hamstring problem. Boyce has been employed as right wing-back this season, offering some attacking potential but Ronnie Stam played that position in yesterday’s game and is set to continue when City pay visit.
Naismith Form Continues
Everton had scored two or more in each of their last four at Goodison but a resilient Norwich defence ground out a 1-1 draw yesterday. Once again, though, Steven Naismith was impressive for David Moyes’ side. Injuries and suspensions have afforded him a first-team chance in recent weeks and the former Glasgow Rangers man has provided the returns that suggest he could be worthy of a regular role. His goal was the third time he has scored in his last four starts, having also notched against Liverpool and Reading in recent matches – if Kevin Mirallas continues to be hampered with a hamstring injury, Naismith could continue to see increased game time over the next few. Marouane Fellaini’s return against Arsenal in midweek will prompt a reshuffle, however.
Garrido in the Points Again
Norwich’s recent superb defensive form, allied with his assist against United last Saturday, made Javier Garrido a wanted man in FPL. Almost 70,000 managers transferred in the Canaries left-back last week ahead of a tricky trip to Everto. Their faith was vindicated as Garrido supplied a an assist for the Canaries’ late equaliser. Pre-bonus, he has averaged eight points per game over the last three and priced at 4.7, his popularity looks set to climb further. Seb Bassong also seems set to pick up ownership – his goal at Goodison means he has produced at least six points in five of the last six Gameweeks – Bassong is available for 4.5 in the FPL.
Back-to-Back Blanks for Van Persie
A home showdown with QPR is the type of game Fantasy managers pay whatever price necessary to have Robin Van Persie in their line-ups. The Dutchman’s non-owners would have been peeking through their fingers as the scores came in but they emerged unscathed as the Dutchman produced his second blank in succession. While Sir Alex Ferguson’s side maintained their average of three goals per home game, Van Persie was the only United forward not to pick up the points; Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck provided an assist apiece and Javier Hernandez climbed off the bench to notch yet again. Games against West Ham and Reading will surely afford him plenty chance to rectify his brief drought and ease his owners’ fears; another blank or two, however, and questions over his value will no doubt creep up again. Intriguingly, Van Persie has started three home games with Wayne Rooney and both have returned 21 FPL points.
Valencia Absence Explained
Post-match, Sir Alex Ferguson took time out to explain the absence of Antonio Valencia from the squad for the QPR clash. The winger has apparently been suffering from a hip problem for several weeks and would now seem set to miss out on Wednesday’s Old Trafford meeting with West Ham…
“He had a hip injury, just towards his back. He’s had a bit of pain there for the last couple of weeks but he’s been playing with it. That’s the type of guy he is. He never mentioned it and plays on. All of a sudden, you ask him and he says: ‘Yes, it’s sore. It won’t be too long and he should be ready for maybe next week.”
Gunners Backline Rotation
Arsene Wenger’s side had conceded seven times in the last three heading into last night’s match at Villa but a goalless draw helped them to a second clean sheet since Gameweek 3. The Arsenal boss made two changes to the back-four; fit-again Kieran Gibbs returned at the expense of Thomas Vermaelen at left-back, while Bacary Sagna was rested on the opposite flank, as Carl Jenkinson started for the first time since Gameweek 8. Despite a strong run of fixtures to follow, it seems Wenger is keen to rest and rotate in defence over the busy festive period; with plenty of options amongst his defence, it may well be that Wojciech Szczesny looks the most nailed-on for anyone eyeing up the Arsenal defence in light of their upcoming schedule.
