Our last look back at Gameweek 15 casts an eye over the Hammers’ target man, Villa’s ascent up the table and the Fantasy fall-out set to be triggered by Sergio Aguero’s likely knee injury.
The Player
A commanding performance from Andy Carroll swept West Ham into the top four as the hosts came from behind to overcome visitors Swansea. Sam Allardyce chose to hand fit-again Diafra Sakho a role on the bench as the big target man bullied Garry Monk’s side throughout, bagging a brace and assist in the 3-1 win.
Sidelined until early November with a heel injury, there were fears that Carroll would be no more than a peripheral figure in the Hammers’ new-look side – a Plan B to throw on late in matches when the going got tough. Sunday’s display suggests otherwise, though, and Allardyce will certainly be reluctant to tinker too much with a team that’s now won three on the bounce.
After emerging from the bench, Sakho’s link-up play with Carroll bodes well for the Hammers, as the Senegal striker fired a seventh goal in eight Premier League starts. With Sakho set to leave for next month’s Africa Cup of Nations, though, Allardyce will need Carroll to maintain his match sharpness into the New Year, and with Sunderland, Leicester and West Brom in the next five, the Geordie could be poised for a prosperous upcoming few Gameweeks.
The Team
Sunday’s home win over Leicester continued an impressive turnaround in fortunes which has seen Aston Villa embark on a five-match unbeaten stretch.
An atrocious run of form and fixtures from Gameweeks 5-10 saw Villa rack up six straight losses, and with just a single goal scored, Fantasy managers quickly parted company. Devoid of injured skipper Ron Vlaar for the last four Gameweeks, Paul Lambert’s side had looked destined to toil, but with the likes of Ciaran Clark and Jores Okore proving more than able deputies in the heart of the back-four, Villa have conceded just three goals over their last five fixtures.
Given that they face West Brom, Swansea, Sunderland, Palace and Leicester in the next six, there’s further reason for optimism right now. At the back, Brad Guzan and Alan Hutton have returned to our radars – the former’s save-point potential keeps him nine points clear of any defensive team-mate, whilst the 4.2-priced Scot’s weekend strike underlines his superb budget appeal.
With Christian Benteke now back in the fold and serving up a goal and assist over the last two, Villa look like the perfect combination of form and fixtures right now – the ideal gift for out festive planning as Lambert steers his side to the safety of mid-table.
The Talking Point
There’s no question that Sergio Aguero’s knee injury could be a season-changing event for Fantasy managers. Whilst we await further news on an expected time of absence, many fear the worst for a player whose penchant for picking up injuries limited him to 20 and 22 first XI appearances in the previous two seasons respectively.
Already, Aguero has started 13 times for City this term – you could argue that he’s simply unaccustomed to such a busy schedule and the weekly grind has finally taken its inevitable toll.
If – as expected – he’s set for a stint on the sidelines, his absence opens up a number of dilemmas. Can City offer us alternative coverage? Yaya Toure benefitted from spot-kick duties with Aguero off the pitch on Saturday and is an option for those with cash to splash in the event of an Aguero transfer out. Edin Dzeko is edging back towards full fitness – can the big Bosnian replicate last year’s 16-goal heroics if David Silva returns to fitness to provide the guile in Aguero’s absence?
Whilst Diego Costa and Robin van Persie offer like-for-like replacements in terms of outlay, there are a handful of options in the mid-price and budget brackets all vying for our consideration here. Wilfried Bony’s seven strikes in nine make the Swansea forward the man in form, though the likes of Wayne Rooney, Romelu Lukaku, Christian Benteke, Diafra Sakho and Charlie Austin – once he serves next weekend’s one-match suspension – are in-form options that would free up budget to strengthen elsewhere and allow us to bring more big-hitting midfielders on board.
Arguably, the biggest headache caused by Aguero’s likely absence will be the captaincy call. Granted, he’d not quite reached Luis Suarez’s levels of 2013/14, but Aguero’s consistency and, crucially, explosive potential made it easier to simply hand him the armband in any given Gameweek. For all their exploits, for example, Bony has managed double figures once this season, whilst Costa’s top score since Gameweek 5 has been seven points – it’s a sign of Aguero’s supremacy that he sits 26 points ahead of any forward right now.
Having scored or assisted 65% of City’s goals when on the pitch, the Argentine’s knee injury is set to hit Pellegrini’s title tilt hard, just as they are finding their form. Granted, Fantasy managers have the luxury of calling upon a December replacement but, going on the proceedings so far, finding someone suitably reliable looks an equally tough task.
