This Much We Know – Gameweek 7

Our Monday lunchtime look at the Gameweek gone by has plenty of topics to consider. Tactical switches from Hull and Leicester, Tottenham and West Ham’s defences, the pitch time of City’s strikers and Villa’s returning Belgian are all on this afternoon’s menu.

Cisse may just keep Pardew in a job…
Four goals in just 151 minutes’ action underlines the importance of Papiss Cisse to the Newcastle cause. In his first start of the season, the Senegal striker grabbed a second double in three appearances to help snatch a draw at Swansea and appease the away support – bearing in mind the Magpies have only scored seven times, Cisse’s return to action looks vital to not only his side’s prospects but his manager’s chances of remaining in the hot seat. Alan Pardew dropped new boys Emmanuel Riviere and Remy Cabella to the bench at the Liberty and sculpted his attack around Cisse – at 5.9, he may yet arrive back on our radars if he can steer clear of the treatment room.

Aguero’s pitch time is becoming increasingly assured…
Despite played 86 minutes against Roma in midweek, the Argentine lasted from start to finish against Villa on Saturday. Edin Dzeko, by comparison, was subbed off around the hour mark in both matches, whilst fit-again Stevan Jovetic was afforded no more than a six-minute cameo against the Italians last Wednesday. Finally up to full fitness, Aguero looks to be providing a new level of assurance ahead of a strong run of fixtures, with Manuel Pellegrini keen to allow him as much time on the pitch as possible right now – as evidenced by his 88th minute strike at Villa Park.

Bruce is looking to tighten up…
A return to 3-5-2 steadied the ship as Hull registered a first win and first clean sheet since the opening day of the season. Steve Bruce’s side had leaked 10 goals in the four matches prior to Saturday’s win over Palace but it was somewhat telling that, with a very tricky schedule to follow, The Tigers boss was keen to instill a little more resilience to his brittle backline. Hull now face Arsenal, Liverpool, Southampton, Spurs, United and Everton in six of their next seven matches – a run of fixtures that surely no Fantasy manager will be willing to back – but it’s clear that if they are to prevail, Bruce needs to permanently ditch that four-man backline.

Wisdom’s place may be under threat…
Unavailable for the trip to parent club Liverpool, the Baggies loanee will be hoping he can reclaim his starting berth next time around. Despite the 2-1 loss at Anfield, though, Alan Irvine was full of praise for Cristian Gamboa’s performance at right-back after the Costa Rican was finally handed a first league start since arriving in the summer. Owned by almost 12% of FPL managers, Wisdom has quickly become the cut-price fifth defender of choice but his minutes may well be diminished if Irvine affords the impressive Gamboa another place in his XI.

Poyet could have found his formula…
Prior to the weekend win over Stoke, the Black Cats boss discussed the need to find a winning combination after his side failed to triumph in the first six rounds of fixtures. Adam Johnson and Jack Rodwell were the man to make way as Connor Wickham shifted to the flank in order to accommodate Steven Fletcher as the lone striker – the latter pair grabbed three goals between them to finally get the Wearsiders’ season up and running. If Poyet can keep both players fit and firing, they looks essential to his side’s prospects of survival.

Schlupp benefits from Pearson’s reshuffle…
A switch to 4-4-2 afforded the Leicester defender the chance to impress on the left of midfield against Burnley. Dropped from the XI in the previous two Gameweeks as The Foxes opted for a 4-3-3, Schlupp staked a claim as a potential out of position option by netting in the 2-2 draw. Granted, with a single clean sheet all season, investing in Leicester for clean sheets alone doesn’t seem likely to bring in the points but if he can carry that goal threat forward, Schlupp has the upcoming fixtures to prosper.

Tottenham’s rearguard is key to their prospects…
Having de-railed the Southampton bandwagon, Mauricio Pochettino’s side turned in a steely display that suggests their defence is one to monitor. Granted, a trip to City is enough to ensure we steer clear for now but from Gameweek 9 onwards, the north London club are set for an excellent run of fixtures that could easily reap reward. Whilst the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor continues to toil up top, turning to Spurs’ backline may be the safest route when the fixtures clear and skipper Younes Kaboul, at just 5.0, looks the way to go here.

Tomkins is becoming increasingly influential for Big Sam…
The centre-half grabbed his second assist of the season yesterday as the Hammers comfortably swept aside QPR. Tomkins’ aerial ability from set-pieces is continuing to serve up the points, with Stewart Downing’s dead-ball delivery creating chances aplenty for Big Sam’s side. With a first clean sheet of the campaign also accrued, Tomkins is the man most likely to benefit from returns at both ends of the pitch for the ever-improving Upton Park outfit.

Benteke’s return looks timely for Villa…
It’s now three matches without a goal for Paul Lambert’s side as the early-season form quickly tails off. Bearing in mind they’ve just played Arsenal, Chelsea and City, though, it’s perhaps understandable, but the midlands outfit badly lack a presence in the box – Benteke’s introduction off the bench against City could hardly have come at a more crucial time, then. With back-to-back encounters against Everton and QPR’s shaky defences, Paul Lambert will surely be tempted to throw his star striker on from the start at Goodison in two weeks’ time.

The big hitters are starting to shore up in defence…
It wasn’t just Spurs that impressed at the back, though. City restricted Villa to a single shot on target, whilst Chelsea went one better at home to Arsenal, with the Gunners failing to trouble Thibaut Courtois or replacement Petr Cech over the entire 90 minutes. Jose Mourinho’s side have now served up back-to-back clean sheets and are starting to find a balance at both ends of the pitch – whilst it’s early days yet, the premium defences are showing signs of solidity, suggesting that extra outlay at the back could well be worth considering.