David Moyes’ men are under further scrutiny as United fail to beat basement-dwellers Fulham at Old Trafford, while Emmanuel Adebayor sneaks a winner against Everton to send Spurs above the Toffees in the race for Champions League football.
Van Persie Still Toiling to Justify Price Tag
Robin van Persie’s equaliser at Old Trafford means he has now scored in all three appearances since returning from a thigh injury. Indeed, the Dutchman has found the net in seven of his last eight Premier League games and, whilst he is beginning to show some of the consistency that made him FPL’s most expensive player, he’s produced just two sets of double figures over that run, offering far less security as an armband option. Luis Suarez had left the captain’s door wide open with a nominal contribution to his side’s five goals on Saturday – Eden Hazard’s 21 point-haul set the benchmark sky-high but Van Persie’s six points at home to a struggling side was hugely disappointing for those managers who’d readjusted their squads in order to accommodate the 13.6 forward.
Rooney Stumbles Again as Mata Ticks Over
If van Persie’s performance was underwhelming, Wayne Rooney’s owners will be seriously considering his Fantasy prospects. Having started the game just behind Van Persie, with Ashley Young and Juan Mata either side, Rooney once again played a significant portion of the game in a withdrawn berth. The England forward arguably improved the hosts threat from his deeper role but, at 11.3, he’s now drawn blanks in all three appearances since returning from injury and could well be set for a transfer out of our squads. Mata, on the other hand, shared a near-identical average position with Rooney but had far superior creative outputs. The Spaniard created five chances to Rooney’s one and picked up a third assists in as many games – with a couple of bonus points also accrued, the 9.8-priced midfielder is steadily accumulating the points, in spite of his side’s struggles.
Time to Forget Moyes’ Defence
Fulham’s exposure of United’s defensive fragility will have set alarm bells ringing as the Champions prepare for five weeks on the road across all competitions. Moyes’ men have picked up just two clean sheets away from Old Trafford this season, and face a challenging run of fixtures which afford them home comforts in just two their next six league games – playing host to free-scoring Liverpool and Manchester City in that period. With a blank in Gameweek 28 confirmed, there could surely be no worse a time to invest in the Red Devils’ rearguard.
Sidwell in the Goals Yet Again
Rene Meulensteen rang the changes following Fulham’s dismal home defeat to Southampton. The Cottagers boss opted for a younger, more mobile line-up, with Brede Hangeland, Damien Duff, Scott Parker and Darren Bent dropping to the bench, yet it was an old face who stole the limelight, as Steve Sidwell continued to defy his 5.2 FPL price tag. The industrious midfielder was instrumental in the Cottager’s upset at Old Trafford and, having notched his sixth strike of the season, now sits 13th in the midfield standings – one point above David Silva – and top by position on points per pound. It remains to be seen whether Meulensteen’s invigorated squad will offer up more budget-friendly alternatives as the weeks progress, but with tough games in the short term (LIV, wba, CHE), Fantasy managers will likely remains sceptical for now.
Adebayor the Tottenham Talisman as Eriksen is Hauled off Early
A match-winning goal and couple of bonus points kept Emanuel Adebayor on Fantasy radars yesterday. The Togolese star now boasts six goals and three assists in his nine Premier League starts under Tim Sherwood – a very respectable 6.2 points per game, level with Van Persie and Rooney and bettered only by Suarez, Sergio Aguero and Daniel Sturridge this season. The 7.9-priced forward continues to offers exceptional value ahead of trips to Newcastle and Norwich before Spurs welcome Cardiff to the Lane in Gameweek 28, when the likes of United and City both face blanks.
Christian Eriksen’s owners will be somewhat concerned by yesterday’s turn of events, though. The Dane, who had missed just 23 minutes of Sherwood’s first eight matches in charge, was given just 58 minutes to impress before being replaced by Andros Townsend against Everton. As the injuries start to ease in midfield, it seems his game time is a little less secure than we’d hoped for, with Sherwood willing to sacrifice him early in order to change things around.
Vertonghen’s Return Builds Case for Spurs’ Defence
The 6.9-priced defender immediately registered on the FPL radar on his return to action last week with a couple of bonus points against Hull, despite his side conceding at the KC. With Sunday’s clean sheet against the high-flying Toffees, the Belgian is showing some encouraging Fantasy form ahead of those tidy fixtures over the next three gameweeks. Spurs have kept a clean sheet in 50% of the games in which Vertonghen has played (eight from 16), a figure that dropped to 22% (two from nine) during his absence. His influence will certainly boost the appeal of the Spurs defence, with Kyle Walker perhaps the most likely to reap investment. Walker’s assist from a quickly-taken free-kick sealed three bonus points, as the right back continues to offer attacking threat along with his improved clean sheet potential.
