With Crystal Palace and Sunderland set to play out the Gameweek later this evening, we cast an eye over the matches so far. Chelsea’s improving playmaker, Tottenham’s young forward, the Swans’ backline and Arsene Wenger’s tactical tweak are all amongst our lunchtime menu.
We can add Oscar to the Chelsea midfield mix..
The only player to earn his manager’s praise after a stuttering 2-1 home win over QPR, the Brazilian is starting to rival Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard for our affections in the Blues midfield. Oscar managed just a single assist in the first five Gameweeks but took his tally to three goals, two assists and seven bonus points in the subsequent five – at 8.3 and owned by just 3% of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers, he seems an ideal differential route into the champions’ attack right now.
Kane merits more minutes…
The youngster’s impact off the bench was key to salvaging the three points for Tottenham at Villa yesterday. Whilst Kane’s deflected free-kick ultimately earned the visitors a victory, his energy up front provided Mauricio Pochettino’s side a much-needed spark after front two Roberto Soldado and Emmanuel Adebayor failed to impress. It’s seven goals in as many matches in all competitions now for the youngster, who has still yet to start a league match – that, surely, is set to change as Spurs welcome Stoke to the Lane next Sunday.
The Swans are made of stern stuff..
Whilst Southampton have mainly hogged the headlines for defensive returns, Garry Monk’s side are showing plenty of resilience, too. A goalless draw against Everton drew criticism from Toffees boss Roberto Martinez but, despite playing with 10 men for almost half of the second period, the visitors emerged from Goodison as the first side to stop Everton from scoring this season. Now up to five clean sheets for the campaign – just one fewer than the Saints – Monk’s more pragmatic approach is clearly paying off for the sixth-placed side this term.
Sanchez is a force of nature through the middle…
Over the last couple of Gameweeks, Arsene Wenger seems to have found the perfect role for his summer signing from Barcelona. Previously fielded on the right or left flanks, Sanchez has thrived through the middle alongside Danny Welbeck, with his manager’s decision to opt for a 4-4-2 proving hugely beneficial to Fantasy managers. The Chilean’s stats and returns in recent matches reflect his out-of-position potential and have taken him to the top of the FPL standings – still only owned by 22% of managers, that figure is set to rise considerably, with 120,000 already taking the plunge since the weekend.
Downing works better in the centre…
The absence of Diafra Sakho forced the West Ham midfielder onto the right in a tactical reshuffle by Sam Allardyce at Stoke on Saturday. The Hammers boss started the match with a 4-3-3, but with his side a goal down at the break, realized his error and shifted Downing back to the top of a midfield diamond for the second period. A goal and assist inspired the visitors to a draw and cemented Downing’s place in our thoughts ahead of a kind-looking run of matches for Allardyce’s side, which is sure to bring more investors his way.
Irvine’s the anti-tinkerman…
A 1-0 win at Leicester handed the Foxes their first home defeat of the season and continued Alan Irvine’s recent good work at the West Brom helm. The Baggies have now earned three victories and two draws in the last six Gameweeks and fundamental to this has been a lack of rotation which makes their starting XI one of the easiest for Fantasy managers to predict. Irvine has made one change to his XI over that period – the enforced absence of on-loan Andre Wisdom against parent club Liverpool, tellingly the only defeat over that run – and it’s clear that a consistency of selection is reaping reward.
Sterling’s a victim of his own versatility…
Prior to the weekend trip to Newcastle, Brendan Rodgers had hinted at a change in tactics as Liverpool continue to struggle without the stricken Daniel Sturridge. Given that the Reds boss had also talked up Fabio Borini’s chances of a starting berth, there were hopes of a move to a midfield diamond, with Sterling at the tip, but instead the Italian was benched and the youngster shuttled out to the right flank in a 3-5-2 formation. Sterling failed to register a single attempt in the 1-0 loss and now has one goal in seven appearances without Sturridge in the XI – we need him in the middle to flourish as a Fantasy prospect, but with Sturridge expected to be out until after the international break, that scenario seems unlikely, and as Liverpool prepare for the visit of Chelsea, the transfers out are gaining momentum.
Fellaini and Januzaj remain in the United mix…
Granted, neither of the Belgians produced the goods in yesterday’s derby defeat at City but it was telling that both kept their places in spite of Wayne Rooney’s return from suspension. Instead, Juan Mata was the fall guy as Louis van Gaal retained Fellaini’s physicality in the middle and Januzaj’s trickery out wide in a 4-2-3-1 formation for the Etihad trip. Both players seem to have nudged their way up the pecking order in recent weeks, with the likes of Ander Herrera also demoted to the bench, and with three very kind home fixtures in the next four, the mid-price pair may even force their way onto Fantasy radars if Van Gaal maintains the same tactical set-up. Despite the absence of Radamel Falcao, Rooney’s role in “the hole” highlights the fact that Van Gaal is clearly happier with his captain tucked in behind Robin van Persie, perhaps diminishing his appeal in some managers’ eyes ahead of United’s kind schedule.
Harry’s hopes of staying up may rely on Austin…
The R’s rolled up to Stamford Bridge with many expecting a goal glut from the home side. Whilst fit-again Diego Costa failed to find the net for the first time in front of his own supporters this term, Charlie Austin was the form forward on show, breaching the Blues backline to take his tally to four goals and an assist in the last five Gameweeks. When on the pitch, Austin has now played a part in 66.7% of QPR’s goals this season – given that’s the same percentage as Sergio Aguero for City, albeit on a lesser level, it’s fair to say that the 5.7-priced Austin could be the difference between survival and a drop into the Championship for Redknapp’s side.
