As the minutes tick down until the transfer window closes, we assess the lessons learned from the weekend’s action this Monday lunchtime. Daniel Sturridge’s return to action, Sergio Aguero’s stuttering form and Arsenal’s growing number of Fantasy options are amongst a number of topics on today’s menu.
Sturridge doesn’t look rusty…
After months on the sidelines through injury, we expected the Liverpool striker would need time to rediscover his match sharpness as he emerged from the bench against West Ham. Instead, Sturridge turned in a lively display and needed just 12 minutes to amongst the goals as the Reds secured 2-0 triumph over Sam Allardyce’s side – by the looks of things, Brendan Rodgers has given him plenty of time to build up his fitness behind the scenes in order to avoid another setback. Granted, his treatment room history means there will always be a worry over injuries but Sturridge’s instant impact has surely turned heads as Wildcards are wielded and Diego Costa’s remaining 41% owners scour the market for a replacement.
Aguero does…
Over at the Etihad, meanwhile, it’s four appearances without a goal now for the City striker – his longest barren streak of the season. Right now, Aguero looks a far cry from the player who racked up four goals and three assists in four appearances prior to the Gameweek 15 match that saw him limp off early against Everton. With home clashes against Hull, Newcastle and Leicester in the next five, though, it’s difficult to overlook him as a captaincy contender – indeed, over 60,000 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers have already drafted him in this week, with Costa owners turning to him in their droves. If Manuel Pellegrini’s side are to haul back Chelsea at the summit, they need their talisman fit and firing but, at the moment, his displays are a definite cause for concern.
The honeymoon is over…
Home defeats to Spurs and Everton gave Tony Pulis and Alan Pardew plenty to ponder last weekend. The “Pulis effect” helped the Baggies rack up back-to-back clean sheets and persuaded many to invest in their defence but Saturday’s home capitulation sums up the task at hand. Pulis has four decent fixtures in five (bur, SWA, sun, avl) to get his side back on track but the weekend result will certainly have many thinking twice over investing. Over at Palace, Jason Puncheon and Dwight Gayle were drafted in by plenty last week but the home loss slowed their momentum – back-to-back clashes with Leicester and Newcastle give them the chance to regroup but our faith has certainly been dented in light of their weekend showing.
Shelvey can hit them…
With Gylfi Sigurdsson suspended, Garry Monk’s decision to hand Jonjo Shelvey the role in “the hole” proved instrumental to Swansea’s surprise win at St Mary’s. Shelvey’s long-range strike helped secure the points and with Siggy still sidelined for two more Gameweeks and Bafetimbi Gomis continuing to misfire up front, his position looks secure for back-to-back showdowns with Sunderland and West Brom. Monk’s side badly need goals right now, and having served a reminder of the attacking intentions that saw him notch six times in the season gone by, Shelvey’s contribution may well keep him in the frame.
We need four slots for Arsenal…
The 5-0 win over Villa highlighted the growing number of options at the Emirates. With most of his main men now injury-free, Arsene Wenger’s side seem poised for their customary strong finish to the season and Fantasy managers are scrambling to get a piece of the action. Three successive clean sheets brings their defence into contention, with Hector Bellerin’s kind price tag making him the main man for most, whilst their numerous options in midfield were underlined after Santi Cazorla, Mesut Ozil and Theo Walcott ran riot in Alexis Sanchez’ absence. With Olivier Giroud looking nailed-on up top and David Ospina’s sub-5.0 price tag turning heads, we’re spoilt for choice right across the board at present.
Martinez might just be turning the corner…
The 1-0 win over Palace steadied the ship and earned Everton a second successive clean sheet last weekend. Given that they’d conceded in each of their previous 11 league outings, our faith in the Toffees defence was at a season-low but Roberto Martinez seems to have finally struck upon a new formula of late. The improved resilience has not only helped the Merseysiders climb the table but has somewhat reassured Leighton Baines’ owners – the left-back has now earned points in four of the last five and looks back in business.
Rooney is going to give the FPL a summer headache…
Louis van Gaal’s decision to roll out a diamond against Leicester made little difference to his skipper’s Fantasy fortunes. Yet again, Rooney was mired in central midfield as the Dutchman opted for Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao up front, with Angel Di Maria tucked in behind in the 3-1 win. Judging by his manager’s tactical tinkering, Rooney surely needs to be classified as a midfielder across the Fantasy games from next season onwards – without any returns in his last five, he might not even be a heavy-hitter as he falls out of the Fantasy frame as a consequence.
It’s Walters, Not Moses…
With Bojan sidelined for the season, Mark Hughes needed a new talisman as travel-sick QPR rolled up to the Britnnia. Step forward Jon Walters, who proved the unlikely hero by netting a hat-trick in the 3-1 win to leap onto our radars as a budget midfield option. Walters and Victor Moses are both priced at 5.2 ahead of some kind fixtures, and whilst the latter is a constant menace to opponents, Walters was ruthless when presented with his opportunities against ‘Arry’s side – Moses has rarely, if ever, shown such icy composure when handed a goalscoring chance.
Full-backs are the new fallback…
We’re seeing a surge of double-figure returns from full-backs in recent weeks, with Sunderland’s Patrick van Aanholt and Arsenal’s Bellerin the latest to join a club founded by the like of Baines, Branislav Ivanovic and Nathaniel Clyne. Very handy for Fantasy managers, although sadly, Ryan Bertrand let this new rampaging full-back union down with his reckless red. Seven of the top ten defenders in the FPL game are full-backs, highlighting the threat from defence as Bertrand’s owners reconsider in light of his three-match suspension.
It’s Pelle with two “L’s”…
A blank at home to Swansea means the Saints lone forward has mustered a mere two goals in his last 15 league starts. The Italian’s physical presence and hold-up play is an ideal fit for Ronald Koeman’s system but his early-season goalscoring threat has diminished to pitiful levels of late. In fairness, the service to the big target man is, in the main, lacking, and Koeman’s big concern is surely how to provide Pelle with the chances to revive his goal-getting powers. Fantasy managers will steer clear while he works on that, regardless of the favourable fixtures.
