With an eventful international break now over, we turn our attentions to Gameweek 4. The situations up front for United, Arsenal and Liverpool are all being closely monitored, while a couple of midfield options at Burnley and Palace also have the chance to persuade us of their budget potential.
The Falcao effect…
Let’s have no qualms, the capture of Radamel Falcao is nothing short of sensational but Fantasy managers aren’t alone in wondering just how Louis van Gaal will accommodate his goal-scoring talents. With Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney yet to fire, Falcao’s arrival is expected to provide a catalyst for better things. QPR will turn up at Old Trafford to provide target practice for Van Gaal’s tri-force but, with United having disappointed so far, we can’t take anything for granted. We’ll be monitoring Falcao’s fitness, the formation and, in particular Rooney’s role. The United skipper has suffered heavy sales of late and, should he be deployed out wide to make room for Falcao, that trend would only be exacerbated.
McCarthy’s Budget appeal…
Alex McCarthy will be in the firing line and the scene is set for personal duel with Falcao. QPR laid out £6 million for the 24-year-old shot stopper, reason enough to suggest that he’ll be handed the jersey at Old Trafford and charged with the task of standing up to their waves of attacks. He has the talent to thrive – McCarthy demonstrated in his time in the top-flight with Reading that he is an incredible shot-stopper, capable of improbable saves. Intriguingly, he’s been added to the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) as a 4.0-priced prospect and therefore a start at United will automatically put him on the radar as the only active keeper in that bracket.
The Liverpool cast list…
With fixtures softening for Brendan Rodgers’ side, Fantasy managers have been setting their sights on acquiring at least one of his squad in anticipation of rich returns. Rodgers shifted to 4-3-1-2 for the win at Spurs, sacrificing the talents of Philippe Coutinho and deploying Raheem Sterling up behind the pace of Daniel Sturridge and Mario Balotelli – a fearsome attacking threat. With Sturridge ruled out for Saturday’s clash with Villa, it will be interesting to see if Rodgers tweaks that strategy. Coutinho will be backed for a return, with Sterling deployed almost alongside the Italian striker; alternatively, Rickie Lambert could be drafted in with the 4-3-1-2 retained.
At the back, we’ll be watching with keen interest to see if Liverpool can record back-to-back clean sheets. Dejan Lovren and Alberto Moreno will become prime targets if that’s the case; the latter has emerged as the favoured option having recorded over 90,000 transfers in off the back of his strike at the Lane.
Zaha off the leash…
Back in the comfort zone of Crystal Palace, Wilfried Zaha wasted no time announcing himself to his former supporters, striking the equaliser from the bench at Newcastle to earn Neil Warnock a precious point. With Marouane Chamakh ruled out, we’d expect Zaha to be given a starting berth for the visit of Burnley, a match-up which Warnock will surely be targeting as an essential three points. Zaha fired in four attempts at goal in his 28-minute appearance, registering seven touches in the Newcastle box – those numbers suggest he’ll blow away Jason Puncheon as a goal threat candidate should he be given regular pitch time. If he’s handed a role spearheading the Palace attack with Dwight Gayle, there’s surely huge potential on offer from a 5.4-priced FPL midfield option.
Boyd in the bargain basement…
Burnley have their own value option in midfield, with George Boyd perhaps poised to see off all-comers as a fifth midfielder candidate. Priced at just 4.4 in FPL, Boyd cost the Clarets £3 million and is surely earmarked as regular starter who could be handed an immediate debut at Selhurst Park. We’d back him to start wide on the left, perhaps at the expense of Matt Taylor and, in doing so, present a budget option that possess decent potential for occasional goal and assist returns, with set-plays also in his armoury. He scored twice and earned two assists in just nine starts for Hull last season – extrapolate that over 25+ starts for Burnley and Boyd would be a no-brainer for those looking to free-up funds with their fifth midfielder.
Welbeck takes centre stage…
Arsene Wenger will surely be rubbing his hands at the prospect of fielding Danny Welbeck, fresh from his two midweek strikes for England. Handed a central striker role by Roy Hodgson, he’ll slot into a similar position for the Gunners to replace the injured Olivier Giroud against City. The potential is huge and us Fantasy managers will surely be toying with his acquisition with an FPL price tag lingering at just 6.9. While it’s always difficult to see past a big spend across our three striker slots, Welbeck looks an option that’s difficult to ignore and, should he take his opportunities against the champions, he’s destined rival Diego Costa and Falcao as the big attacking bandwagons in weeks to come.
The Tigers’ new teeth…
It seemed unlikely that we’d be talking about an “array of attacking talent” in the same sentence as Hull City but, after a spectacular transfer deadline day, Steve Bruce suddenly has riches at his disposal. Aside from a likely debut for Abel Hernandez up front, we’re fascinated to see how Bruce uses both Hatem Ben Arfa and Gaston Ramirez. Unlike Hernandez, that pair of midfield talents have obvious potential to offer value if they are given the pitch time to showcase their ability to score goals and earn assists. Ben Arfa has frustrated us as a Fantasy asset for many seasons but, at just 5.8, he could yet turn our heads again. The mercurial Frenchman fired in an effort every 30 minutes for Newcastle last season, while Ramirez bettered that with an effort every 28 minutes. Those stats suggest that they should produce goals if regular starts come their way.
Mane’s Impact at St Mary’s…
Ronald Koeman’s deadline day signing arrives with an eye-catching record at former club Red Bull Salzburg. Mane bagged 45 goals and 32 assists in just 87 appearances in all competitions for the Austrian outfit, and while we’re not expecting a similar sort of output, the flying winger’s arrival could well see the Saints boss shake up his options in the final third. Mane’s blistering pace and keen eye for goal look key weapons for Southampton this season and he could be unleashed against the Magpies’ attacking right-back Daryl Janmaat, with Koeman affording Dusan Tadic the chance to tuck in behind Graziano Pelle against Alan Pardew’s side.
