Earlier in the week we began our regular look at the upcoming fixtures over the next four to six Gameweeks by highlighting the teams with the most appealing opponents. Today, we sound the warning bells over the teams with the toughest fixtures to come and see that the top two in the Premier League have their work cut out to maintain their lofty perches, while one or two under-performers need to get their acts together quickly.
Aston Villa
A blistering start to the season sees Paul Lambert turn from top seed in the sack race to hero of the midlands as his team sit in second place in the table. Such incredible form has been partly due to the kind opening fixtures, though as last week’s win at Anfield showed, Villa’s burgeoning confidence suggests they are capable of overcoming trickier fixtures – with Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City and Everton in the next four, though, they can’t afford to sit back and bask in the glory for now.
Such fixtures will test what has so far been the Premier League’s top performing defence, with just one goal conceded in the opening four. Owners of budget sensation Alan Hutton will be minded to keep (and presumably bench) but fresh investment doesn’t seem prudent at this point – likewise, Brad Guzan sits atop the FPL goalkeeper list but he’ll likely be relying on save points for the next month. Few of Villa’s midfield assets have delivered enough to warrant a word of warning but Andreas Weimann – who currently sits joint third for strikers after two goals and an assist – may struggle to pick up the attacking returns.
Chelsea
Top of the table with maximum points, Jose Mourinho’s stars have gelled wonderfully, in particular his two new Spaniards. Chelsea are about to have their credentials tested, though, as the next six Gameweeks contains encounters with a trio of title challengers – starting this week with a trip to the Etihad and followed up with showdowns against Arsenal and Man United.
While few would bet against them emerging from these matches still pinned to the summit, it may well be that Mourinho – as he has done before – keeps his attack on a shorter rein for these fixtures. Certainly, the famous Mourinho defence has so far failed to materialize this season, though it may possibly be the case that, perversely, these tougher opponents bring the best out of them and, despite some testing fixtures, Branislav Ivanovic owners may well be confident of further returns. Whilst none of their upcoming big opponents have so far shown any great defensive resolve, these matches do tend to be tight and if Mourinho looks to shut up shop, Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa may struggle to continue their current domination of the Fantasy points landscape.
Hull
A reasonable start has been boosted by a raft of deadline-day arrivals but an early exit from Europe leaves Steve Bruce with a somewhat bloated squad. Hull now braces themselves for a testing run of matches, as they pay visit to Man City and Arsenal as well as hosting Liverpool – such a schedule makes Fantasy points at either end of the pitch look thin on the ground.
An unexpected bench role for James Chester last Monday was disappointing for owners and these fixtures may prove to be the last straw, especially if he fails to make an appearance against Newcastle this weekend. Hatem Ben Arfa (ineligible for this week) will be hoping to reboot his once promising Premier League career and these fixtures give Fantasy managers ample opportunity to monitor his form before once again hitching their fortunes to the French playmaker. Another new signing – Uruguayan striker Abel Hernandez – made a good impression with a well taken goal on his debut but again, investment under these conditions seems rash and it may be better to wait until closer to Christmas when the fixture list begins to look more promising.
BE WARY OF
Tottenham
Life at White Hart Lane has been moderately successful so far for Mauricio Pochettino. Spurs were positively luminous against QPR but have since struggled, picking up just one point from the last two and conceding five times. A predicted upturn in defensive returns from Pochettino’s famous high-pressing methods hasn’t materialised yet, then, while the attack seems very much a work in progress. That progress may possibly be hampered as Spurs face a pair of tough opponents in the next four weeks in the form of visits to Man City and Arsenal. The other fixtures around them aren’t too bad though, and whilst their defence isn’t winning a lot of investment anyway, the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor, Nacer Chadli and Christian Eriksen could still profit if the two big matches don’t disrupt their momentum.
West Brom
To say that Alan Irvine’s first management experience in the top-flight isn’t going well would be something of an understatement. A pair of draws sees them stuck at the bottom with some other poor performers and with just two goals scored, the Baggies are hardly top of any Watchlists. To be fair, their descent into Fantasy irrelevance began some time ago and with their next four fixtures (tot, BUR, liv, MUN) looking rather testing indeed, any remaining holders of Ben Foster or Andre Wisdom are probably eyeing up exit plans.
Everton
Roberto Martinez delivered so much in his first season at the helm: entertaining, attacking football without sacrificing defensive resilience, resulting in fifth place and European football. The Toffees boss is facing up to a “difficult second season”, with just one win from four league outings so far, though in fairness, they have faced Chelsea and Arsenal already. There’s no respite yet as, in addition to their return to Europe on Thursday nights, they have away matches against Liverpool and Man United to come in the next three weeks.
The Everton defence has yet to rediscover last season’s resilience, though Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman have picked up attacking returns already to overcome an overall lack of defensive points. Further up the field, while the attacking mindset is still there, at the back of some Fantasy managers’ minds is Martinez’s propensity to rotate, as evidenced by the tail end of last season. Although Aiden McGeady and Kevin Mirallas have delivered enough to bring them to our attention, two tough fixtures plus the threat of rotation isn’t an enticing prospect. The same could possibly be said of Steven Naismith, and his budget appeal may be set to dry up temporarily. However, from Gameweek 8, it must be noted that the Toffees’ fixtures soften significantly and all those players will come right back onto all our radars.
