As the dust settles on City’s narrow win at Villa, we assess the contribution of Liverpool’s main man up front, the flourishing form offered up by one half of north London and the impending headache that constitutes Gameweek 29:
The Player
A hat-trick at Wigan on Saturday evening saw Luis Suarez serve up a 17 point Fantasy Premier League (FPL) haul as Liverpool swept aside the lacklustre Latics to move to seventh in the table. With Daniel Sturridge absent due to a knock, the Uruguayan returned to the lone forward role as Brendan Rodgers switched back to 4-3-3, allowing Philippe Coutinho the chance to continue his recent impressive form on the Reds’ left flank.
Initially, Sturridge’s arrival from Chelsea had many worrying over Suarez’s Fantasy returns – with Rodgers keen to play his star striker behind Sturridge in a 4-2-3-1, could be maintain his previous impressive level of consistency? So far, the answer has been a resounding “yes”. The duo have started four games together and Suarez has not only outperformed his strike partner by 31 points to 26 in FPL, he has beaten Sturridge’s score in three of those four occasions – an indication of his week-to-week consistency. Granted, Sturridge has scored or assisted in all five of his league appearances so far, though, and with a price difference of almost 3.0 in FPL, the difference in comparative value was substantial, despite Suarez’s endeavours.
Sturridge’s recent injury problems have now added a new spin on how we assess the duo, though. That’s twice in the past three Gameweeks he has missed out – although Sturridge has amassed 31 points since arriving on Merseyside in January, Suarez has accrued that tally in his past two appearances alone, racking up 51 points since Sturridge packed his bags and left the Bridge. That’s a 20 point difference, or 40 points with an armband attached. With Rodgers clearly willing to take no chances with his new acquisition, the debate is starting to lessen as Fantasy managers flood back to Suarez ahead of a superb run of fixtures.
Now just 14 points behind Robin Van Persie in the FPL standings, the Uruguayan has overtaken the United forward in the race for the Golden Boot. That three-goal haul at the DW boosted his tally to the season to 21 – two more than the Dutchman’s 19. Given the two clubs’ rivalry and Suarez’s recent “history” regarding United. Van Persie owners will be hoping Sir Alex Ferguson will stop at nothing in his quest for silverware, though – it’s possibly just speculation but it could well be that even if the title is won, Ferguson could keep the Dutchman in his first XI and afford him the chance to outgun Suarez and seal the Golden Boot for himself.
The Team
Unbeaten in 12 league matches and sitting third in the table after Sunday’s north London derby, life is sweet right now for Tottenham. Andre Villas-Boas’ decision to shift Gareth Bale into the centre has not just resolved Spurs’ scoring problems, it’s handed Fantasy managers an outstanding midfield prospect, with the Welshman rocketing up the FPL standings after producing seven goals and 59 points in his last five Gameweeks.
Bale’s recent displays are simply staggering. With double figures and maximum bonus points in each of his last four, his appeal as a captaincy contender has risen substantially – he has now equalled Van Persie’s run of a goal in five successive Gameweeks and has accrued 36 bonus points so far; more than any other player in the game. Having risen 0.7 over the last two Gameweeks, the bandwagon shows no sign of slowing down and with many premium priced midfielders without a fixture this weekend, Bale can surely expect another weekly jump of 0.3 in price before Saturday morning’s deadline.
It’s not just Bale who has impressed, though. Tottenham have registered five clean sheets over that unbeaten run and, more significantly, have conceded more than a single goal just once in the last 12. While Villas-Boas has proven canny enough to alter his back-four according to opponent (moving Jan Vertonghen to left-back to deal with West Ham’s height in Gameweek 27, for example), Michael Dawson has proved a constant in the last nine league matches and has afforded Fantasy managers a reliable cut-price option at 4.6, while Hugo Lloris’ installation as the number one has ensured the north London outfit are more comfortable with their manager’s preferred high line.
While their exploits on the pitch have caught the eye, recent reports suggest a change in training has been key to Tottenham’s turnaround. Having seen his side lose 2-1 away to City and Everton in Gameweeks 11 and 16 respectively due to last-minute goals from Edin Dzeko and Nikica Jelavic, Villas-Boas looked to address Tottenham’s propensity for conceding late goals by making the last part of training the most intense in order to increase focus. Intriguingly, that game at Goodison was the last time his side tasted defeat, though with Liverpool, Everton, Chelsea and City to follow in the next six, Spurs impressive form will be put firmly to the test.
The Talking Point
As we edge ever-closer to the Gameweek 29 deadline with still no sign of any decision regarding the City and United matches, it seems that the current schedule of six fixtures is likely to be as good as it gets. With Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton and Fulham definitely without a league game, though, many of the more popular Fantasy assets will be absent – no doubt, plenty midfields will be devoid of all three of Juan Mata, Theo Walcott and Marouane Fellaini in the Gameweek, while Robin Van Persie’s owners will wait until the last minute if necessary; just in case the Premier League spring into action with a new date later this week.
One factor worth remembering before going transfer crazy is that the situation will affect virtually everyone without a wildcard left to wield – very few managers will have a full quota for the weekend. Is Mata worth getting rid of when he has three home fixtures (WHM, sot, SUN, TOT) in the following four? Similarly, Walcott has three home games in three from Gameweek 31 onwards, with a double (NOR, EVE) also included – given his outstanding consistency, is he really worth sacrificing for a week? Plenty seem to think so, though; those two are top for transfers out this week, with 41,000 and 40,000 owners parting company with the pair.
Looking at the top five teams in the overall standings, it’s intriguing to see just how the situation affects pretty much every side. World number one Julian Ziparro has nine players in the mix, which includes Sylvain Marveaux and Daniel Sturridge – neither are certain to start or, in Sturridge’s case, feature at all this weekend, given Brendan Rodgers’ caution. Second placed Michael Rubelli has seven, which includes Fabio – he was afforded a single minutes sub appearance last weekend. In third, spot, Kelvin Travers has nine, including Reading keeper Adam Federici, who is currently doubtful with an ankle injury. In fourth and fifth place respectively are Matt Martyniak and Tomas Pall Thorvaldsson – both have eight players available, though neither has a keeper to call upon.
In the case of the latter two, the keeper situation is perhaps understandable when considering a hit. If the replacement manages to at least return the standard two points, the four point hit is halved – certainly, a viable tactic when assessing the long-term schedules as we considering tinkering with our squads. Taking a hit without considering the long-term implications is heightening the chances that any decision could go wrong, though it could, nevertheless, pay off.
Many Fantasy managers have been stalling on a transfer for Newcastle’s in-form Moussa Sissoko but, given his current level of performance and upcoming fixtures, there barely seems a better time to justify the hit. Similarly, Luis Suarez may prove impossible to ignore – granted a home clash with Spurs is far from straightforward but beyond that, he has the potential to explode. Christian Benteke is another who could prove worthwhile – a trip to Reading precedes three home games in four which are likely to be pivotal to his side’s chances to survival. Then again, the Premier League could yet turn the whole situation on its head by handing City and United rescheduled dates next week and force us to revisit our best laid plans. In the meantime, though, keeping a cool head and looking beyond this weekend when assessing our transfer options could well turn a potential headache into an advantageous situation.
