Leighton Baines rescues a point for Everton away to the Black Cats. Alexis Sanchez’ goal streak continues, Gylfi Sigurdsson notches for the first time since the season opener, Nacer Chadli grabs his sixth of the campaign, whilst Newcastle’s defence bring home the points once again.
Baines Delivers Yet Again
Leighton Baines was amongst the points once more yesterday, with a 76th minute penalty earning Everton a point on the road at Sunderland. The left-back has notched attacking returns in seven of his last nine, and despite teammate Seamus Coleman earning an assist at the Stadium of Light, Baines continues to look the one premium defender worth investing in right now: indeed, only Alexis Sanchez now has more points than the 7.3-priced Toffees’ full-back, even though Roberto Martinez’s outfit have only managed three clean sheets up until this point.
Black Cats Forced into Rearguard Rotation
The big news on the teamsheet yesterday was that Costel Pantilimon kept his place ahead of Vito Mannone between the sticks, and subsequently frustrated the visitors with a total of six saves across the 90 minutes. Elsewhere, with Patrick van Aanholt ruled out for up to three months with a shoulder injury, Gus Poyet opted to shift Anthony Reveillere to left-back, allowing Wes Brown a route back into the centre of defence after being dropped against Crystal Palace last time out. However, the pecking order in the Black Cats’ rearguard remains to be seen once Billy Jones returns and, with four tough fixtures to come after their trip to Leicester (CHE, MCI , liv, WHM), few will be looking at their assets in spite of their recent upturn in form.
Perez Form Continues
Newcastle recorded their fourth straight league win with a 2-0 victory over West Brom at the Hawthorns yesterday. With Alan Pardew continuing to be cautious with Papiss Cisse’s knee problems, the 4.8-valued Ayoze Perez grabbed the headlines yet again after scoring for the third game in a row – the manner of his finish certainly suggest a striker high on confidence right now and with showdowns against QPR, West Ham and Burnley in the next three, it’s difficult to see the youngster being dropped to the bench, given his fine form.
Magpies Rearguard Holds Firm
Newcastle are mainly demanding our attentions at the back, though, with yesterday’s clean sheet ensuring that it’s only one goal conceded in their last four. Daryl Janmaat was the main man in defence after earning assists for both his side’s goals in addition to the maximum bonus points, whilst skipper Fabricio Coloccini arrived on the radar with a goal before being withdrawn late on due to a knock. Intriguingly, Paul Dummett moved to centre-half to cover for the injured Steven Taylor in spite of the availability of Mike Williamson – at 4.1 to Janmaat’s 5.0, the versatile Dummett now seems to be nailed-on and has started each of the last seven.
Chadli Strikes as Kane Stumbles
Mauricio Pochettino handed Harry Kane his first league start after moving back to a 4-2-3-1 formation at home to Stoke yesterday. Whilst the youngster was unable to grab the opportunity and drew a blank, Nacer Chadli again scored for Spurs as he continues to look their one viable option at the moment. The Belgian is now up to third for midfielders after grabbing his sixth of the season in the 2-1 loss and, at a price of just 6.6, continues to prosper in spite of his side’s struggles. With five excellent fixtures in their next seven (hul, CPL, swa, BUR, lei), Chadli is surely set to earn further investment, with only 15% of FPL managers currently owning the in-form Belgian.
Bojan Finding His Feet
Mark Hughes chose to hand summer signing Bojan a second consecutive start, and was rewarded as the Spaniard finally opened his account for the season with a mazy run and finish, suggesting he’s now starting to settle in to his new surroundings. Jon Walters, meanwhile, grabbed Stoke’s second and has now managed a goal or assist in three of his last four. However, though the visit of Burnley to the Britannia in Gameweek 12 could prove prosperous, the Potters then face five tough clashes in their subsequent six (liv, mnu, ARS, CHE, eve) and managers are unlikely to be tempted by their assets for the long-term.
Sanchez Still Firing Despite Gunners’ Form
Alexis Sanchez’s unrivalled vein of form continued as he scored once more as Arsenal stumbled away to Swansea. The Chilean has now totaled six goals in the last four Gameweeks, picking up maximum bonus on each occasion, and with Angel Di Maria struggling over that same period, we could see a big swing in investment over the international break. Danny Welbeck continues to tick over, too, with a goal or assist in three of his last four now after setting up Sanchez in yesterday’s defeat. Though the former Man United man is clearly still being overshadowed by his team-mate, at 7.3 he is looking very good value, with the Gunners’ forthcoming schedule in mind (MUN, wba, SOU, sto, NEW).
Sigurdsson Back in the Goals
Gylfi Sigurdsson is back up to fourth in the Fantasy Premier League midfield standings after his unstoppable free-kick set Swansea on their way to a comeback win over Arsenal. That was the Icelander’s first goal since Gameweek 1, and having been sold by over 90,000 in the last two Gameweeks, the 6.7-priced man served up a timely reminder of his ability to produce regardless of the fixture – a trait that is sure to come in handy when the Swans visit Man City in Gameweek 12. With three home encounters in the next four after the Etihad clash (CPL, QPR, TOT), and Wilfried Bony’s minutes now surely under threat from match-winner Bafetimbi Gomis, owners of Sigurdsson are now likely to scrap their exit route plans as Garry Monk’s side look to take advantage of those kind Liberty fixtures.
