This Much We Know – Gameweek 27

We cast an eye back over the previous round of fixtures this Monday lunchtime to assess the lessons learned. Wayne Rooney’s impact up top for United, Jason Puncheon’s central role for Palace, Ronald Koeman’s brief flirtation with a two-man frontline, and the importance of Papiss Cisse and Peter Crouch to Newcastle and Stoke respectively.

Rooney looks back in business…
Stationed up front again in the continued absence of Robin van Persie, the United skipper’s brace took his tally to ten for the season despite mainly being utilised in central midfield. Rooney’s two-goal haul ended an eight-match run where he failed to produce any returns but his display in a more advanced berth surely staked a claim for an extended stay up front, given that fellow forward Radamel Falcao has netted four times this term.

Puncheon’s thriving in the middle…
Alan Pardew’s decision to move to 4-1-4-1 and shift Puncheon off the flank and into a central role is already looking a masterstroke. With Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie handed the wide roles and drawing plenty of fouls from opponents, Puncheon – thanks to set-piece duties – served up trio of assists in the 3-1 win at West Ham to highlight his growing influence on the Eagles’ attack. Since Pardew’s first match in charge in Gameweek 21, Puncheon has created more goal scoring opportunities (22) than any player in the league; quite clearly, then, his creativity from both dead-ball situations and open play have boosted his Fantasy prospects in recent weeks.

Di Maria’s dispensable…
Hauled off at the break after an unimpressive display against Sunderland, it’s clear that the big-money buy can’t just rely on reputation alone to guarantee pitch time. Van Gaal’s ruthless decision to withdraw Di Maria and replace him with Adnan Januzaj helped the Red Devils secure a 2-0 win, as the young Belgian enhanced his own chances by earning an assist. Already, over 43,000 FPL managers have taken their cue from Van Gaal and parted company with the Argentine, who has now gone 14 league outings without a goal.

Van Aanholt isn’t out of the picture just yet…
After being benched against West Brom, the Dutchman’s immediate return to Gus Poyet’s starting XI suggests it’s a little premature to write off his prospects. The Black Cats boss surprisingly dropped Santiago Vergini – who had started every match since Gameweek 2 – in order to switch Anthony Reveillere to the right and bring back Van Aanholt. Saturday’s team sheet may just be enough to persuade the Dutchman’s owners to hold now – with a trip to Hull followed by three home clashes (AVL, NEW, CPL) in the next five, the fixtures are certainly in his favour.

Cisse seems central to Carver’s plans…
The Newcastle front man’s winner against Villa took his tally to 11 goals in just 992 minutes this season, with his average of 90.2 minutes per strike quicker than Sergio Aguero (96.2). Whilst former boss Alan Pardew was cautious with Cisse’s pitch time due to an ongoing knee problem, John Carver is leaning on the Senegal striker far more often – Cisse never started more than two successive league matches for Pardew but has now been named in the Magpies’ first XI in each of the last three Gameweeks.

Crouch is invaluable to Potters…
Most of the pre-Gameweek talk centred around Victor Moses and Jon Walters but, ultimately, it was the big target man who did the damage against Hull. Emerging from the bench with less than half an hour remaining, Crouch netted for the third successive appearance and has now played a part in 50% of his side’s goals when on the pitch this season. Hughes’ decision to use Crouch sparingly (he’s started just one of the last six Gameweeks) may deny Fantasy managers of an option for our third striker slot but his canny substitutions are keeping the Potters’ momentum on course.

Koeman’s willing to tinker…
The Saints boss had hinted at a move to the middle for Sadio Mane and was as good as his word after starting with a 5-3-2 formation for the trip to West Brom. After going a goal down within two minutes, Koeman’s new system had little time to make an impact against the resilient Baggies and by 25 minutes, he’s scrapped the approach, subbing off Florin Gardos and bringing in Eljero Elia as he returned to a 4-2-3-1. With three strong home fixtures in five (CPL, BUR, HUL), Koeman may yet return to a two-man frontline and go on the offensive as he looks to end his side’s woes in the final third – it’s just a single goal in five for the St Mary’s side now.

Sterling and Coutinho are the new “SAS”…
It’s a sign of his side’s flourishing form that Brendan Rodgers could afford to drop Daniel Sturridge to the bench for yesterday’s visit of City and still pick up all three points. Philippe Coutinho took his tally to three goals, five assists and 12 bonus points in 12 appearances since the move to 3-4-2-1 – the Brazilian had previously earned a single goal in the first 15 Gameweeks but his influence is growing by the week as he finally delivers the returns his underlying stats have always threatened. Sterling’s pair of assists means he’s earned points in six of his last eight now, whilst Sturridge was limited to a 15-minute cameo as the Reds extended their unbeaten run to 11 league matches, with Rodgers’ side showing they can thrive without either of last season’s big-hitters on board.

Ozil’s return is suffocating Sanchez…
The Chilean’s season continues to stutter, with a series of four successive blanks persuading many to contemplate a transfer out. It’s no coincidence that Sanchez’ downturn in form has come at a time when Mesut Ozil has returned to the Gunners’ starting XI – the German has served up two goals and five assists since Sanchez last picked up points, whilst Olivier Giroud has delivered four goals and a couple of assists over the same period. With Santi Cazorla mainly reliant on penalties and Theo Walcott once again reduced to the role of a bench-warmer, the Ozil-Giroud combination continues to offer strong alternatives to those willing to look beyond the 31%-owned Sanchez for Arsenal coverage.