Gareth Bale maintains his recent stunning form by grabbing the opener in the north London derby. Aaron Lennon seals victory with the second, as Theo Walcott is left to contribute the assist for Per Mertesacker’s consolation as the Gunners fall seven points behind Andre Villas-Boas’ side.
Bale Keeps Scoring
The Welshman was a huge Fantasy favourite ahead of yesterday’s derby clash. Top of the Captain Poll and transferred in by over 96,000 managers on the back of six strikes in his previous four appearances, Bale was amongst the goals yet again as Spurs stretched their lead over the Gunners to seven points. While Bale’s explosive capabilities have made him such an armband favourite in recent weeks, it’s his consistency that’s impressed the most – he has scored in all of his last five Gameweeks and earned maximum bonus in his last four – equalling Robin Van Persie’s best scoring run this season. He’s leapt in price by 0.6 in the past fortnight but with many Fantasy midfield favourites without a fixture next weekend, another substantial rise looks very much on the cards.
Sigurdsson Stakes a Claim
With Bale flourishing in a central role, Andre Villas-Boas now has a left flank conundrum on his hands. The Welshman’s move to the middle looks crucial to Tottenham’s attacking potential – Emmanuel Adebayor again drew a blank and has notched just twice this season, while Jermain Defoe climbed off the bench to continue a run which has now seen his serve up a single strike in his last 11 appearances. Having notched his first league goal of the season last weekend, Gylfi Sigurdsson was afforded a chance on the left as new boy Lewis Holtby dropped down to the bench and with Clint Dempsey still injured, the Icelandic international gave Villas-Boas plenty to ponder by supplying the assist for Bale’s opener. Sigurdsson has started just seven times this term but may have done enough to retain his place in the first XI as a buoyant Spurs roll up to Anfield next weekend. On the injury front, both Emmanuel Adebayor and Moussa Dembele were forced off but, according to post-match tweets, Villas-Boas is expecting both to be in the frame for Tottenham’s Europa League tie with Inter on Thursday.
Lennon’s Home Form
The right winger broke a four-match barren spell by slotting home a coolly-taken second to help seal victory yesterday. Granted, any Tottenham midfielder other than Bale is finding it difficult to justify any Fantasy interest but Lennon’s displays at the Lane have been pretty consistent – he has now scored or assisted in three of the last four in front of his own fans and continues to offer a decent mid-price differential.
Walcott in the Points Again
After a rare blank in last week’s home win over Villa, the Gunners midfielder produced the Fantasy points again, thanks to an assist for Per Mertesacker’s consolation. Walcott has impressed since cementing a regular starting berth back in Gameweek 11 – particularly on the road. He has now scored or assisted in each of his last seven away trips, though his owners will be a concerned over his lack of goals in recent matches; the winger has now gone four Gameweeks without finding the net. While Walcott has at least kept his points returns ticking over with assists, Olivier Giroud has now gone four league starts without any returns – a real concern for Arsene Wenger’s side. That last quartet of matches has seen Lukas Podolski drop out of the starting XI, with Santi Cazorla preferred to the German on the left and Jack Wilshere nailing down a role in the hole – Wenger may well decide to reshuffle his attacking options as the Gunners’ threat starts to dry up.
Arsenal Defensive Worries
It’s not just up front that Wenger’s side are struggling, though. Yesterday’s 2-1 defeat means they have now conceded in eight of their last 10, with only Stoke and Sunderland failing to score against the Gunners since the end of Gameweek 18. Having said that, before Sunday’s game, the Gunners had conceded just 11 goals on their travels, keeping five shut-outs – the best record in the league. Consistency is the issue, however and with a blank Gameweek on the horizon next weekend and a trip to Swansea to follow, owners of the likes of Wojciech Szczesny and Per Mertesacker may be considering their options. The home clash against Reading in Gameweek 31 and a double Gameweek 33 at home to Norwich and Everton on the horizon, may yet allow Wenger’s men to turn things around and give their defensive assets a stay of execution.
