Scout Notes – Gameweek 29

Eden Hazard nets his thirteenth of the season as Chelsea hammer Tottenham at the Bridge. Wayne Rooney delivers a goal and assist as United cruise at The Hawthorns. Jay Rodriguez fires Southampton’s winner at Palace, Steven Caulker bags a brace in Cardiff’s vital win over Fulham and Robert Snodgrass’ fine form continues with an assist in Norwich’s home draw against Stoke. Meanwhile, Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Everton fails to tell the true story of their FA Cup Quarter-Final but keeps our Gameweek 31 schedule intact.

Hazard in the Goals as Blues Extend Lead
Jose Mourinho started off with a 4-3-3 for the visit of Tottenham but a tactical tweak at the break proved hugely significant after both sides went in goalless. The Chelsea manager’s decision to switch to a 4-2-3-1 formation saw Frank Lampard replaced by Oscar and, with the veteran off the pitch, Eden Hazard benefitted from spot-kick duties as the home side put four past their London neighbours in the second period. With a single bonus point also awarded, the Belgian – who topped the Gameweek 29 Captain Poll – moved further ahead at the top of the midfield standings – up to 186 points, he is now 27 points ahead of Yaya Toure and just four less than his tally for the entire 2012/13 campaign. Given that Chelsea don’t have a double Gameweek 31 (playing home to Arsenal), many are even considering a transfer out for Hazard but, aside from a games against Liverpool, his remaining fixtures – Villa, Palace, Stoke, Swansea, Sunderland, Norwich and Cardiff – suggest getting rid could backfire.

Yet Another Clean Sheet for Chelsea
With Fernando Torres picking up an injury in the warm-up, Samuel Eto’o and Demba Ba scored once and twice respectively in the 4-0 rout but the continued uncertainty surrounding the line forward position won’t sway Fantasy managers to invest. Instead, Mourinho’s backline was once again in the points as Chelsea took their recent record to just four goals conceded in the last 13 league matches. Whilst Arsenal and West Ham have also served up clean sheets aplenty, both sides are now set for some testing matches, whereas the schedule smiles very favourably on the Blues – doubling up on their defence continues to look a worthy tactic once Gameweek 31 is done and dusted, as Jose’s side go from strength-to-strength for the run-in.

Rodriguez the Saints Hero
Southampton recovered from back-to-back losses against West Ham and Liverpool by edging a tightly-contested encounter at Selhurst Park. Rodriguez went into yesterday’s game on the back of a four-match goal-less streak but took his tally to 11 strikes for the season, with eight of those goals arriving on the road. With maximum bonus also accrued, he’s now moved four points ahead of team-mate Rickie Lambert in the overall standings – a total of 124 points is sixth amongst forwards. Mauricio Pochettino’s side are without a double Gameweek 31 but the upcoming fixtures – home games against Norwich, Newcastle and Cardiff and a trip to Villa in the next six – suggest the Saints’ main assets could be worth holding. It’s also worth noting that Pochettino’s opted to swap Nathaniel Clyne in for Calum Chambers, relegating the 18-year-old to the bench. The 3.9 FPL prospect had previously started the last three league outings. It remains to be seen if rotation continues or if Clyne has jumped above Chambers in the pecking order once again.

Ince on the Palace Periphery
With Jason Puncheon re-installed to the Palace right flank after being rested last weekend, the on-loan winger warmed the bench once again for Tony Pulis’ side. Ince had to wait until the 65th minute before being introduced to the proceedings and it seems that, in spite of his impressive 15-point debut showing against West Brom in Gameweek 25, he’s fallen quickly out of Palace’s starting XI. Given that Pulis’ side had a single shot on target all game, though, it may be a tactical re-think could offer Ince a way back in. Like Southampton, Palace also made a change in the full-back area with Dean Moxey returning at left-back in place of Jonathan Parr. The Norwegian was absent from the matchday squad having started three of the last four: there are no details on an injury as yet.

Caulker at the Double as Solskjaer Keeps Tinkering
With Ole Gunner Solskjaer once again changing formation and personnel, it was left to Cardiff’s reliable centre-half to rise to the occasion and help secure a vital home win over Fulham. Caulker notched twice in the 3-1 triumph to take his tally to four goals for the season – only one less than Seamus Coleman amongst defenders and also just one fewer than Fraizer Campbell for the Welsh outfit. Impressively, in spite of the fact his side have managed just six clean sheets all season, the summer signing has still managed to rack up 101 points in the FPL game; more than the likes of Bacary Sagna and Phil Jagielka, for example. In terms of tactics, Solskjaer’s endless tinkering is proving hugely frustrating for Fantasy managers. Having rolled out a 5-3-2 last week, he moved to 4-1-4-1 this time round, with the likes of Craig Bellamy and Wilfried Zaha on the bench for the entire 90 minutes and Campbell utilised on the left of midfield – uncertainty over selection, allied with back-to-back games against Everton and Liverpool, will surely be enough deterrent for Fantasy managers in spite of yesterday’s impressive showing.

Snodgrass in the Points Again
Having recovered from the wrist injury that forced him off in last week’s loss at Villa, the midfielder continued his recent run of form by providing the assist for Bradley Johnson’s strike against Stoke. With two goals and a pair of assists in his last seven appearances, Snodgrass has now played a part in four of Norwich’s five strikes from Gameweek 22 onwards – highlighting his likelihood of involvement whenever Chris Hughton’s side find the net. With home games against Sunderland and West Brom, in addition to trips to Swansea and Fulham in the next give Gameweeks, Snodgrass certainly has the platform to keep delivering for his growing band of Fantasy owners as Hughton looks to secure his side’s survival before the schedule takes a turn for the worse in Gameweek 35.

Walters On the Spot Before Seeing Red
For the second Gameweek running, Jon Walters took advantage of Charlie Adam’s absence to score from the penalty spot. Last week, the Scot had been subbed off less than five minutes prior to the award against Arsenal – this time round, Adam’s three-match suspension ensured Walters was number one option for penalties from the start of the Carrow Road encounter. The Republic of Ireland international won’t be so lucky next week, though; he now joins his team-mate on the sidelines after seeing red for violent conduct and now misses vital games against West Ham, Villa and Hull, with Mark Hughes admitting post-match an appeal is unlikely.

Rooney Back on Song in United’s Hawthorns Triumph
Drafted in by over 144,000 FPL managers last week, the England international grabbed a goal and assist as United heaped further pressure on Pepe Mel’s side. Rooney had mustered just a single goal in the previous five Gameweeks – coinciding with the arrival of Juan Mata – but, whilst the Spaniard blanked for the third successive match and Robin Van Persie delivered a single assist before being subbed off, Rooney’s return to form is sure to bring him further investment ahead of the upcoming double Gameweek 31. Indeed, once look at the schedule suggest Rooney could be poised for a strong finish to the season – after the double, their remaining four home games (AVL, HUL, NOR, SUN) look potentially profitable if United can find some consistency under Moyes.

Red Devils Resilience
The 3-0 win over the Baggies means United have now registered three successive clean sheets – prior to this run, they had failed to manage back-to-back shut-outs this season. With Moyes admitting he is likely to use the outgoing Nemanja Vidic less over the remainder of the campaign, the likes of Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Jonny Evans are likely to earn greater game time. Jones’ opener and Rafael’s assist highlights their attacking potential and, priced at 5.8 apiece, both offer a cheaper alternative to the 6.5-priced Patrice Evra ahead of United’s above-mentioned run of matches. Rafael’s owners and would-be suitors will need to assess the ankle problem that forced him off late on in yesterday’s win, though.

Gunners Progress With Four Goal Haul
Arsenal’s 4-1 victory over Everton emphatically sealed their progress and killed off any doubts that the double fixtures for both teams in Gameweek 31 would be in jeopardy. Mesut Ozil’s strike was his first for the Gunners since December, offering a reminder to Fantasy managers that he remains a world class prospect – albeit one that has faded from our thinking in recent months after a run of just a single assist since Gamweek 17. Olivier Giroud also boosted his stock with a brace from the bench after replacing Yaya Sanogo on 61 minutes. The Frenchman has now struck four in his last three outings in all competitions and looks set to go into Gameweek 31 as an unlikely double Gameweek differential having suffered heavy sales in recent weeks. Arsene Wenger’s teamsheet saw Laurent Koscielny miss out with a hamstring injury, with the Gunners’s boss remarking that he could yet make a return against Bayern on Tuesday. Having made progress to the semi-finals, Arsenal’s home fixture with West Ham on April 13 will now be postponed – it could, however, remain in the Gameweek and shift to a midweek slot.

Martinez’ Rotation Continues
The Everton boss maintained his recent pattern of rotation by drafting in Kevin Mirallas and Ross Barkley for the Emirates clash, dropping both Steven Naismith and Gerard Deulofeu to the bench. With a double Gameweek looming, Fantasy managers remain uncertain as to the appeal offered by all four players. Certainly Mirallas and Deulofeu would seem set to share the two fixtures against Swansea and Newcastle, leaving Romelu Lukaku as the most likely attacking option to enjoy 180-minutes over Gameweek 31. The Belgian scored his second goal since his return from injury to level matters in North London: his ownership has slipped to just 11% following that spell on the sidelines and, along with Newcastle’s Loic Remy, he looks to be a popular choice for the cheaper third striker going into Gameweek 31’s doubles.