The Digest – Gameweek 21

Our final glance back at Gameweek 21 casts an eye over Alexis Sanchez’ one-man show against Stoke, Palace’s new emphasis on attack and the knock-on effect of Sergio Aguero’s return to fitness on our winter Wildcard plans.

The Player

Heading into Sunday’s home match with Stoke on the back of a single goal in six league outings, Alexis Sanchez was, for some, a potentially dispensable option when it came to pressing the winter Wildcard button. Two goals, an assist and a trio of bonus points later, the Chilean soared to the top of the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) standings by single-handedly dismantling Stoke at the Emirates.

From a Fantasy perspective, Sanchez’ display emphatically answered questions over his ability to deliver explosive returns from out wide. With Olivier Giroud free from injury and suspension, there were fears that, at a price of 11.4, the South American would simply fail to offer the same value for money as he does when played through the centre.

The summer signing has now served up six double-figure hauls, with his 19-point tally against the Potters equalling Sergio Aguero’s highest haul for the season and underlining his captaincy credentials as the schedule prepares to smile kindly on the Gunners. From Gameweek 23 onwards, Arsene Wenger’s side have home clashes with Aston Villa, Leicester, Everton and West Ham, allied with trips to Palace, QPR and Newcastle over a run of eight matches.

Certainly, as the treatment room empties, there’s no shortage of cheaper attacking options to choose from. Theo Walcott, Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey, along with Giroud and Santi Cazorla, offer high quality competition but after his weekend showing, it seems they’ll be vying for a slot alongside Sanchez in our 15-man squads, rather than taking a place at the 12-goal hero’s expense.

The Team

A home clash with Tottenham looked a real baptism of fire for Alan Pardew in his first match in charge at Palace. With the Eagles’ two in-form players, Mile Jedinak and Yannick Bolasie, off on international duties, their chances of overcoming a Spurs side that had just hit five past Chelsea seemed slim – all the more so after Harry Kane had fired the visitors ahead.

Back came Palace, though, and thanks to goals from Dwight Gayle and Jason Puncheon, Pardew’s side earned the points to raise hopes of replicating last season’s great escape. Whilst Tony Pulis’s installation in 2013/14 saw the London side grind out gritty wins, Pardew is looking to charm the home faithful and fire his way to safety by going on the offensive, thus improving the prospects of a side that had scored just twice in the previous seven league outings.

Certainly, the signs are good. Palace fired 21 shots on Saturday evening, with 15 inside the box – up markedly on their Gameweek 1-20 averages of 10.6 (third lowest in the league) and 5.7 (second lowest) respectively. With four excellent upcoming fixtures (bur, EVE, lei, NEW), Pardew now has the chance to build momentum.

It remains to be seen whether Palace have return to their resilient ways of old but judging by Pardew’s philosophy, our targets are perhaps best focused further up the field. Whilst Jedinak and Bolasie remain out of the picture, Gayle could be a short-term option, though there’s no doubt his prospects are dented by the form of a number of fellow budget frontmen. Puncheon, on the other hand, will be hoping to kick on from here and resurrect the form that served up seven goals and a trio of assists last time around – at 5.5, he looks the pick of the bunch for those on the lookout for a Wildcard differential.

The Talking Point

For the sake of our winter Wildcard planning, it would have been so much easier if Sergio Aguero had remained injured for another couple of weeks. Instead, the Argentine’s return off the bench at Everton has sparked a stampede for his signature over the last few days – drafted in by over 54,000 prior to last weekend’s deadline, he’s the most sought after Fantasy player this week and has already risen by 0.1 to 12.4.

Frustratingly for non-owners, the increasing interest in Aguero is threatening to drive his price up at a time when City host Arsenal and travel to Chelsea in back-to-back matches. Typically, those without the Argentine would be happy to wait until Gameweek 24, when the schedule turns very much in the champions’ favour, but there’s a real possibility that he could be sitting at 12.9 by that point if the current rate of interest is maintained. For many, that point alone is enough to acquire Aguero now.

This weekend’s home clash with the Gunners merely strengthens the case for his inclusion – Manuel Pellegrini’s side hit six past Arsenal in the equivalent fixture in 2013/14. On the other hand, expectations are collectively low for the following weekend at Stamford Bridge, given that the City striker blanked at home to the Blues earlier this season.

Whilst opting to court caution with a player who has racked up 14 goals and three assists in 16 league appearances is a danger, the outcome of these next two weeks may ultimately be determined by Aguero’s fitness. Pellegrini handed him just 24 minutes at Goodison on Saturday – suggesting he’s yet to convince his manager of his match sharpness – but with another week’s training behind him, Aguero, who has averaged 7.9 points per start this term, could well be unleashed from the first whistle as City look to recover from their weekend stumble.