Scout Notes – Gameweek 11 – Saturday

Luis Suarez dazzles again as Liverpool hit another Anfield four. Eden Hazard returns to the Chelsea starting lineup to deliver a goal and assist as the Blues are held at the Bridge. Stephane Sessegnon shines for the Baggies, Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert both return double figures at home to Hull, Christian Benteke and Romelu Lukaku continue to struggle for form, while Robert Snodgrass finally gets his Fantasy season up and running as Norwich come from behind to see off the Hammers…

Suarez Plunders the Points
Yet again, the Uruguayan delivered the Fantasy points as his sensational return to the fold continues. Last weekend’s blank was quickly forgotten as Suarez chipped in with two goals and a rather tenuous assist in yesterday 4-0 rout of Fulham, with the maximum bonus points also coming his way. A 16-point haul was his fourth double figure score in six games since returning from suspension and takes him to 64 points – just seven behind Daniel Sturridge, despite being banned for the first five fixtures.

While Sturridge had initially held his own upon the Uruguayan’s return, he is simply being blown away by his strike partner’s displays as the season unfolds. Sturridge suffered Fantasy Premier League (FPL) ownership losses last week and, already, has been sold more than any other player overnight as the scramble for Suarez intensifies.

Nonetheless, with Hull, Norwich and West Ham in the next four, the fixtures still offer plenty of reason for optimism for those holding Sturridge. Despite his inevitable price rise, it’s also wise to show caution with Suarez. His owners must now wait on their man as he departs to star in Uruguay’s World Cup two-leg play-off with Jordan. Suarez is set to return just 48-hours before Gameweek 12’s early kick-off at Goodison.

Rodgers Retains a Back-Four
After starting the last five league games with a three-man backline, the Reds boss kept the four-man defence rolled out in the second-half of last week’s defeat at Arsenal. With Kolo Toure missing out due to ”a slight tweak”, Daniel Agger returned to the XI and partnered Martin Skrtel in the heart of the back-four. While Glen Johnson owners may be disappointed with his shift back to defence, yesterday’s result was the first time Liverpool registered a clean sheet since Gameweek 3 – with the team producing at both ends of the pitch, and Philippe Coutinho impressing wide left, Rodgers could well maintain the same shape in light of yesterday’s events. That’s likely to see both Toure and Mamadou Sakho struggle to regain starting roles, with Rodgers surely likely to keep the faith with yesterday’s starting lineup at Everton in Gameweek 12.

Hazard Makes Amends
Re-installed by Jose Mourinho after last week’s missed training debacle, the Belgian lined up with Oscar and Willian behind Samuel Eto’o against West Brom. Hazard vindicated his manager’s decision with a goal and assist in the 2-2 draw, though there’s no doubt that his last gasp converted spot-kick was somewhat fortuitous – not only was the award itself questionable but Hazard also benefitted from Mourinho’s decision to withdraw first-choice taker Frank Lampard midway through the second period. Nonetheless, with double figure hauls in two of his last three home games now, the Belgian has climbed to fourth in the midfield rankings on 60 points – eight points clear of Oscar in the Blues midfield and top scorer for Mourinho’s side. After the game, the Chelsea manager praised the recent displays of Cesar Azpilicueta – the Spaniard has now started each of the last two at left-back ahead of Ashley Cole and seems to be in the driving seat on current form – he is priced at 5.3 in FPL, though with no clean sheets in six, Mourinho’s side have struggled to convince defensively.

Sessegnon’s Influence On Show Once More
A goal from the West Brom midfielder, following on the back of last week’s assist against Palace, hints at a strand of consistency. We’d highlighted Sessegnon in a recent members article to suggest he was a little unlucky with just a single strike in his first five appearances – as our members can attest to, his attacking threat in the box has been particularly impressive since arriving at the Hawthorns. With four home games in the next six (visitors include Villa, Norwich and Hull) and trips to Newcastle and Cardiff, the 6.6 priced midfielder remains a real under-the-radar option, with just a 2% ownership.

Benteke Blanks Again
It’s four games without a goal for the big Belgian since his return from a hip injury last month. With Andreas Weimann and Gabby Agbonlahor failing to recover from injury, Paul Lambert rolled out a 4-3-1-2 and partnered Benteke with Libor Kozak, allowing Aleksandar Tonev the role in “the hole” behind the front two – Kozak grabbed the hosts’ second as Villa’s four-game drought came to an end, while the 2-0 win was Villa’s fourth clean sheet in the last seven Gameweeks. Benteke owners will be understandably worried by his faltering form but, like Sturridge, the fixtures continue to look favourable, with West Brom, Sunderland and Fulham in the next four offering the opportunity to remedy his recent struggles.

Eagles Keep Lukaku Grounded
Everton’s on-loan forward looked a real captaincy contender heading into yesterday’s trip to Selhurst Park. With Palace having failed to register a single clean sheet all season and Lukaku scoring in all three of his away appearances for the Merseysiders, attacking returns looked on the menu. The goalless draw, however, means that Lukaku has now scored once in the last four, compared to four times in his opening three fixtures for the Toffees. While Lukaku continues to struggle up top, Roberto Martinez will at least be delighted with the consistency being shown by his defence – it’s three successive clean sheets now but with Liverpool, United and Arsenal in the next four, would-be suitors may well decide to show caution.

Barkley Doubts Grow
Benched last weekend for the stalemate with Spurs, a lively appearance from the bench failed to win the 18-year-old a starting role at Palace. His legion of Fantasy owners are now left to ponder the future for Barkley, who, to this point, had looked assured of starts to present strong value for his modest price tag. Only Sturridge has suffered more FPL sales overnight than the Everton man, as Fantasy managers look to cash in on Barkley’s price inflation before the decline sets in. With Liverpool at Goodison next, it’s questionable whether Roberto Martinez will turn to Barkley with the likes of James McCarthy, Leon Osman and Gareth Barry perhaps providing greater midfield solidity for the derby clash.

Lallana and Lambert Fire Saints to Third
While the Saints backline was breached at St Mary’s for the first time since Gameweek 2, their skipper continued his sensational season with a goal and assist in an emphatic 4-1 home win over Hull. Lallana’s 12-point haul against the Tigers was his third double figure return in the last five Gameweeks alone – rewarding the 84,000+ Fantasy managers who drafted him in prior to yesterday’s deadline. In a season where the vast majority of midfielders have struggled to find a semblance of consistency, he has now scored or assisted in five of the last seven but with Arsenal, Chelsea and City in the next four, Mauricio Pochettino’s side are about to face a real test of their top six credentials. Lallana is now up to third in the midfield rankings, while Rickie Lambert also continued his recent climb in the forward rankings. With Pablo Osvaldo fit enough only for the bench, Lambert racked up 15 points, thanks to a goal, two assists and maximum bonus – after a slow start, he has now scored in three of the Saints’ last four home fixtures and has accrued 55 points; joint-sixth for strikers with Robin Van Persie.

Snodgrass Breaks His Duck
The Norwich playmaker finally opened his account for the season with a superb long-range effort helping his side register a vital victory over West Ham. Snodgrass’ stats have suggested he’s been unfortunate to draw blanks in the opening 10 Gameweeks, with plenty of shots and chances created for team-mates failing to bring home the points – back in the starting XI after recovering from a head knock, he belatedly got his campaign started in sensational style and with Newcastle and Palace in the next two, his contribution will be key for Chris Hughton’s side. Given that Norwich had scored just three times in the previous seven Gameweeks, yesterday’s result was all the more impressive, though there’s no doubt Winston Reid’s absence hindered the visitors; they had conceded once in five road trips with the Kiwi at the heart of defence. Hughton’s teamsheet contained a real surprise yesterday as Seb Bassong dropped to the bench – the Cameroon international made way from Ryan Bennett as his manager addressed the frailties that saw his side ship seven to City in the previous Gameweek.

Fantasy Managers Shop For Morrison
A first-half opener took the youngster’s tally to three for the season – making him West Ham’s top scorer so far. With Andy Carroll still sidelined due to a heel injury, Morrison’s attacking contribution has been vital for Sam Allardyce’s side- the Hammers have notched just seven times from Gameweek 2 onwards and, with an assist also accrued, the 4.7 priced midfielder has played a part in four of those goals. The former United man has now started each of the last eight under Allardyce and with Fulham, Palace and Sunderland in the next five, is handed a kind-looking schedule to boost his points potential. With Ross Barkley benched again by Everton and Robbie Brady still struggling with a hernia problem, Morrison is proving one of the most reliable cut-price options around right now.