Fernando Torres is amongst the goals again as Chelsea demolish Villa at the Bridge. Six Blues players earn double figure Fantasy Premier League (FPL) points hauls as the London outfit continue to impress under Rafa Benitez, while Michu takes his tally to the season to 13 goals after notching Swansea’s equaliser against United…
Chelsea’s Flourishing Attack
Back-to-back goalless draws in their opening pair of fixtures under Rafa Benitez had many Fantasy managers worried over the appeal of Chelsea’s main offensive assets. Having fired five past Leeds in the Capital One Cup last Wednesday, however, the London outfit maintained their offensive form with an eight-goal demolition of a Villa side that had conceded just twice in the previous five Gameweeks. Fernando Torres netted yet again and has scored seven in the last six in all competitions, while Eden Hazard’s goal, assist and couple of bonus points returned a haul of 13; his first set of double figures since Gameweek 2 – the fact that Juan Mata picked up just one assist from yesterday’s mauling sums up their overall team performance.
Benitez Utilising Squad
Perhaps surprisingly – given his famed rotation policy – Benitez made just three changes from the side that squared up to Leeds in midweek, with Oscar, Marko Marin and Ryan Bertrand all dropping out. While Torres and Mata were both withdrawn midway through the second-half, Hazard’s owners will be anxious over his game time in the Boxing Day trip to Norwich after he played the full 90 minutes. Certainly, the displays of the Chelsea substitutes gave Benitez food for thought and vindicated his decision to rest and rotate certain individuals – substitutes Oscar and Ramires both required less than half an hour to register their highest FPL points hauls of the season by some distance. Between them, the hosts’ 14 players racked up an outstanding 120 FPL points, with as many as six producing double figures.
Blues Defence Resilience
Yesterday’s result continued an upturn in defensive potential for the Blues, with a third clean sheet now returned in five Gameweek under Benitez. Bearing in mind they had conceded in each of the last seven matches of Roberto Di Matteo’s reign and had produced four from 12 under the Italian, and the impact at the back is obvious. The attacking potential on offer amongst the Blues defenders saw three of their back-four produce a goal or assist, while David Luiz’s move to an out-of-position role in the double-pivot was also helped by his share of set-pieces duties, after the Brazilian fired home a superb free-kick for the hosts’ second. It remains to be seen if Luiz can cement that role – Mikel has now served his three-match ban and is available to Benitez for the Carrow Road trip.
Michu In the Goals Again
Swansea’s main man continued his relentless quest for goals with a thirteenth of the season taking him ahead of Robin Van Persie at the top of the scoring charts. It’s now six strikes in the last five Gameweeks and, particularly at the Liberty, Michu has been exceptional – he has scored in seven of Swansea’s 10 home games this term. He’s up to 117 FPL points – just one less than Robin Van Persie at the summit and, despite being moved from his favoured role in “the hole” to the lone forward berth, he looks a real armband contender over the next trio of fixtures. Swansea now face Reading, Fulham and Villa – three of the worst backlines in the league right now – suggesting Michu could be set for further joy over the festive period, providing he can continue to avoid a caution in the next two matches which would earn an automatic one-match ban.
Rooney and Van Persie on the Tightrope
A disappointing trip to Swansea saw United fail to take advantage of a side that shipped four to Norwich in their previous match at the Liberty. While Van Persie continued his incredible consistency with an assist, after Patrice Evra nodded home the Dutchman’s corner, Wayne Rooney was subbed off after a poor showing. Both also picked up a caution, meaning they have accumulated four yellow apiece – similar to Michu, they must avoid the referee’s wrath over the next two or they trigger an automatic ban. With Ferguson promising to rotate up top over the festive period, though, Rooney’s owners will be anxious over his starting role at home to Newcastle on Boxing Day after yesterday’s ineffective display.
Evra on the Radar
The top scoring defender in last season’s FPL, the Frenchman registered his third double figure return of the season, despite United conceding for the fifteenth time in the first 18 Gameweeks. Evra’s 10 point return saw him overhaul Rafael for United to sit on 68 points, with three goals and a pair of assists atoning for a mere three clean sheets. With Nemanja Vidic returning to offer further competition in the middle and plenty of options for Ferguson at right-back, Evra’s security of starts and continued attacking form may see his 7% FPL ownership begin to rise – the 6.8 priced defender has outperformed all but Van Persie and Rooney for the league leaders so far.
