Scout Notes – Gameweek 38

Samir Nasri helps fire City to the title. Steven Gerrard provides a pair of assists as Liverpool finish second. Wilfried Bony grabs a goal and assist as Swansea end Sunderland’s winning streak, Andre Schurrle emerges from the bench to steer Chelsea to victory, Aaron Ramsey and Juan Mata are in the goals, whilst Dwight Gayle bags another brace as Palace draw at Fulham:

Nasri Form Continues as City Seal the Title
Whilst the likes of David Silva and Sergio Aguero drew blanks and Yaya Toure mustered an assist against West Ham, the Frenchman maintained his strong recent showing by firing the opener. Nasri’s strike means he has now scored or assisted in six of his side’s final eight matches and indicates that he could come into contention as a valid option in 2014/15. Certainly, Toure’s stunning season means he will move to the premium price bracket along with Silva, and if Nasri continues around the same 8.0 price level, he could prove a real value option as a route into Manuel Pellegrini’s midfield.

Gerrard Steers Reds to Victory
Whilst Luis Suarez’ blank proved hugely frustrating for those who handed the Uruguayan the armband, the Liverpool skipper turned in an inspirational display in the comeback win over Newcastle. Yet again, Gerrard’s set-piece duties came to the rescue as he teed up Daniel Agger and Daniel Sturridge as Brendan Rodgers’ side clinched second spot behind City – indeed, with Eden Hazard blanking against Cardiff, Gerrard’s maximum bonus points ensured he climbed above the Belgian and finished second only to Yaya Toure amongst midfielders on 205 points. Liverpool supplied three of the top five players in this year’s Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, though with European duties on the horizon next time round, it remains to be seen whether Rodgers’ main men can offer us the same consistency of domestic game time.

Bony Tames the Black Cats
The Ivorian brought Sunderland back down to earth with a bump after turning in another clinical display for Garry Monk’s side. Bony served up a goal and assist in a 3-1 win at the Stadium of Light as the Wearsiders’ four-match winning run came to an end – in his debut season in the top-flight, the summer signing’s 17 strikes was the equal of Sergio Aguero and Wayne Rooney and bettered only by three players. If he can remain around the mid-price level, Bony will surely be targeted by a vast number of Fantasy managers, with a lack of European duties also likely to boost his game time.

Borini in the Goals Again
Mainly overshadowed by the exploits of Connor Wickham in recent matches, the Italian has proven to be Sunderland’s most consistent performer for the final few fixtures. Borini grabbed the hosts’ consolation against the Swans and has now notched in four of his final five appearances for Gus Poyet’s side – like Lukaku, a move back to his parent club may kill his appeal next term, though, with Fantasy managers hoping Poyet can snap Borini up permanently and keep him in the frame.

Mata’s Set-Piece Duties Deliver
After being rested to the bench in midweek, the Spaniard returned to the United first-team for the second time in four matches under Ryan Giggs. Tucked in behind Robin van Persie, Mata’s free-kick ensured the Old Trafford outfit picked up a point at St Mary’s and helped him to a nine-point haul – since arriving at the club back in January, he has produced six goals, five assists and 14 bonus points over 15 appearances; an average of 6.3 points per game.

Schurrle Cameo Downs Cardiff
The Bluebirds looked in line for a morale-boosting win over Chelsea after going ahead through Craig Bellamy but the introduction of Andre Schurrle proved key for the visitors. Whilst Eden Hazard’s poor end to the season continued, the German justified his selection as our “Spot the Differential” headliner by emerging from the bench to fire a goal and assist within nine minutes. Eight goals in just 1,328 minutes highlight Schurrle’s attacking potential, and if he can nail down a regular role next time, he could definitely be worth considering, with Hazard set to continue in the very premium bracket amongst the Blues midfielders.

Gayle at the Double Again
After climbing off the bench to score twice against Liverpool last Monday, the forward was rewarded with a rare start by Tony Pulis. Gayle more than justified his manager’s decision by bagging a brace for the second successive match to stake a claim for a regular role for the Eagles next time around. Granted, our main interest will be in Palace’s defence and, potentially, Jason Puncheon but Gayle could force his way into our plans as a cheap third forward if Pulis keeps the faith in 2014/15.

Lukaku Signs off with a Goal
The big Belgian fired a fifteenth strike of the season in his final loan appearance for Everton. With nine assists also to his name this term, Lukaku ended up as sixth top-scoring forward in the FPL game but a return to parent club Chelsea now ensures his Fantasy future is very much up in the air. Jose Mourinho has emphasised his need to sign a first-choice frontman, which suggests that Lukaku will need to move away from the Bridge to make any sort of impact on any Fantasy plans again – we can only hope Roberto Martinez can find the budget to bring him to Goodison permanently. Steven Naismith’s assist continued his recent rise to Fantasy prominence and indicates he could be set to step up next term – the Scot has now produced attacking returns in five of the final eight Gameweeks.

Contrasting Fortunes for Eriksen and Adebayor in Spurs Cruise
With three sets of double-figures in his previous trio of home games, Christian Eriksen was strongly fancied ahead of the visit of Villa. The Dane disappointed his owners with a rare White Hart Lane blank in a 3-0 win, though still finished the campaign as their highest scoring outfield player in the FPL game. Emmanuel Adebayor ended a four-game goal drought with a converted penalty for the hosts, taking his tally to 11 goals and six assists since being drafted into the first-team by Tim Sherwood back in Gameweek 17. Indeed, since his return to the fold, the Togo international has averaged 5.6 ppg – a level exceeded by only five forwards this season.

Fit-Again Ramsey Notches at Norwich
Having missed the previous league encounter due to a minor injury, the Welshman had been sold by over 60,000 FPL managers ahead of yesterday’s deadline. Given that the Gunners have an FA Cup Final just around the corner, there were concerns that Arsene Wenger would rest many of his main men for the Carrow Road encounter, but Ramsey was afforded 62 minutes against the Canaries and responded with his tenth goal of the season. With a couple of bonus points also earned, Ramsey has delivered 32 points in his final four fixtures since returning from long-term injury – a sign of his intent for next term and one that is set to keep him firmly in our summer plans.

Lambert the Saints’ Top Man
A goal and maximum bonus helped the striker to a total of 179 points for the season – fifth top amongst forwards – thanks to an impressive 13 goals and 11 assists. Lambert’s haul also helped him eclipse Adam Lallana as Southampton’s top scoring FPL player – the latter’s season has tailed off in recent weeks, and whilst Lambert has produced five goals and four assists in the final nine Gameweeks, his skipper has delivered just two goals and a single assist in the previous 12 as his Fantasy campaign stuttered to a close. Lambert is one of only six players – Luis Suarez, Sergio Aguero, Wayne Rooney, Eden Hazard and Steven Gerrard are the others – to have registered 10+ for both goals and assists this term and has proven excellent value for a starting price of 7.5.

Arnautovic Key for Potters Again
Once again, the Austrian picked up the points as Stoke got the better of West Brom at the Hawthorns. Arnautovic’s assist in the 2-1 win continued the form that has now seen him produce attacking returns in four of the final five Gameweeks – a clear sign that he’s now thriving under Mark Hughes after a slow start. Since the turn of the year, he’s produced three goals and eight assists, compared to a goal and two assists in his first five months at the Britannia.