Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud continue their fine form as Arsenal hammer Villa at the Emirates. Mesut Ozil and Theo Walcott also get amongst the goals as the Gunners recover from the loss of Alexis Sanchez to injury. Jonjo Shelvey fires Swansea to victory at St Mary’s, while Ryan Bertrand’s dismissal earns the left-back a three-match ban.
Gunners Attack in the Points
Despite the absence of star player Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal registered their most emphatic win of the season against a toothless Aston Villa yesterday afternoon. The Gunners’ strength in depth was in evidence as Arsene Wenger handed Mesut Ozil his first start since Gameweek 7 on the left, whilst Theo Walcott was named in the first XI for the first time this season after building up his fitness with a handful of sub appearances.
Both bagged a goal apiece, with the German also serving up an assist, as Arsenal’s main men ran riot. Olivier Giroud replicated Ozil’s returns and now has five goals and an assist in his last six league appearances, whilst Santi Cazorla turned in yet another superb showing and delivered a goal, two assists and maximum bonus, with his growing band of owners treated to a 17-point haul.
Post-match, Wenger conceded Sanchez was ”not very close” after failing a fitness test yesterday but with a trip to London neighbours Spurs next weekend, the Chilean will surely return to the XI if he can prove his fitness in time.
Bellerin Stakes a Claim
After dropping to the bench for last weekend’s FA Cup win over Brighton, the youngster replaced Calum Chambers to earn his third successive league start. With Mathieu Debuchy sidelined for months, Bellerin’s last-minute goal merely heightened his chances of remaining ahead of Chambers in the right-back pecking order, with a bargain-basement 4.4 price tag set to spark the bandwagon into life. Arsenal have now registered a shut-out in all three outings since Wenger opted to hand Bellerin and David Ospina (4.8) starting roles and with showdowns against Leicester, Palace, Everton and QPR following their trip to White Hart Lane, they continue to look a likely source of clean sheets.
Bertrand Set for Suspension
The Southampton left-back’s second-half dismissal for violent conduct is set to kick the transfer market into overdrive this week. Bertrand – just like Chelsea’s Diego Costa – was the most popular player in his classification in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game and sat in over 31% of teams prior to his red card. He’ll now miss the upcoming league clashes against QPR, West Ham and Liverpool before returning in time to face West Brom in Gameweek 27 but bearing in mind the on-loan defender cannot play against parent club Chelsea in Gameweek 29, this means he’s available for just two of the next six rounds of fixtures. Ronald Koeman may well turn to youngster Matt Targett – at just 3.9 in FPL – as a replacement for Bertrand in light of yesterday’s events.
Shelvey Shocks St Mary’s
An under-strength Swansea defied the odds to end Southampton’s six-match unbeaten run yesterday. With Gylfi Sigurdsson serving the first of a three-match ban, Garry Monk’s decision to hand Jonjo Shelvey the support role behind Bafetimbi Gomis paid off after the midfielder’s long-range effort sealed the points. Available for 5.2, Shelvey looks likely to retain the role for back-to-back clashes with Sunderland and West Brom, though with new boy Jack Cork and Ki Sung-yeung available from next week and Sigurdsson returning in Gameweek 26, Shelvey’s acquisition looks no more than a short-term punt. At the back, Kyle Naughton helped his new side to a ninth clean sheet of the season in his first start and, at 4.3, could be worth considering ahead of those aforementioned fixtures.
Bony Fires Ivory Coast into Last Four
City’s new striker bagged a brace as Ivory Coast overcame Algeria in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final last night. The 3-1 win means Bony, along with Yaya Toure, Kolo Toure and Cheick Tiote will square up to Yannick Bolasie’s DR Congo on Wednesday evening, and with the third/fourth place play-off and final taking place on Saturday and Sunday, all five are essentially ruled out of this weekend’s Gameweek 24 schedule. Bearing in mind Gameweek 25 takes place over Tuesday and Wednesday next week, it remains to be seen if they’ll be back in time and fully recovered to participate.
Last night’s result means Leicester’s Riyad Mahrez and Tottenham’s Nabil Bentaleb look set to return for domestic duties next weekend as a result of Algeria’s elimination. Mahrez’ return, in particular, looks key here – the 4.9-priced wide man managed a goal and two assists in his last three appearances prior to heading off on international duties.
