Cesc Fabregas grabs a pair of assists as Chelsea overcome Burnley 3-1 at Turf Moor. Diego Costa nets on his league debut, while Branislav Ivanovic and Andre Schurrle are also amongst the goals as the Blues get off to an impressive start.
Chelsea New Boys Dazzle in Burnley Destruction
Positioned in the Blues double-pivot alongside Nemanja Matic, Cesc Fabregas showed that, despite a deep-lying role, he looks poised to play a major part in our Fantasy seasons. The Spaniard pulled the strings for Jose Mourinho’s side in an outstanding first-half display that harvested a pair of assists and the maximum bonus points as he overshadowed the pricier Eden Hazard in the Chelsea midfield.
Up front, Diego Costa continued the momentum that saw him score four times over the summer friendlies. Drafted in by 37% of FPL managers prior to the weekend, the former Atletico Madrid man was second only to Wayne Rooney in last week’s Captain Poll and his predatory instincts will surely persuade more to invest as Mourinho’s men welcome Leicester, Swansea and Villa to the Bridge in the next five.
Schurrle Stakes a Claim
The German’s excellent strike also brings him onto radars as a potential mid-price option. Coming in at just 7.5, Schurrle scored eight times in just over 1400 minutes last season, with an average of 176.4 minutes per goal quicker than any Chelsea player – currently sitting in just 6% of FPL sides, he looks a real prospect if he can retain the role on the right of the attacking midfield three.
Luis and Cech Warm the Blues Bench
Mourinho started last season’s back-four for the Burnley clash as new signing Filipe Luis was named amongst the substitutes, with Cesar Azpilicueta and Branislav Ivanovic fielded as full-backs. Clearly, though, the new boy won’t be expected to sit on the bench every week and it may not be for a number of matches before we get a clear idea of Mourinho’s intentions – there seems little conclusions can be made on last night’s team sheet. Thibaut Courtois got the nod ahead of Petr Cech for the number one jersey, though before the match, the Blues boss added further uncertainty to the situation by stating:
“Thibaut is my number one tonight against Burnley. I don’t make decisions for the season; I make decisions for a match.”
Arfield’s Budget Appeal
The Clarets man was one of only three budget midfielders to get amongst the goals this week, along with Ki Sung-Yeung and Lee Cattermole. Having netted eight times in last year’s Championship, Arfield carries the main scoring threat in the centre of the park in Sean Dyche’s side and, after proving his capabilities against a side that chalked up 18 clean sheets last season, could come into contention as a cheap fifth midfield option.
