We assess the lessons learned over the midweek matches in today’s lunchtime article. Chelsea and City’s goal scoring midfielders, Raheem Sterling and Wayne Rooney’s versatility, the flourishing form of a couple of cheap midfielders and Gus Poyet’s left-back dilemma are amongst our topics.
Hazard’s enjoying life on the road…
It took the Belgian until Gameweek 19 to finally score an away goal but since that point, he’s barely looked back. Hazard’s first six strikes of the current campaign arrived at the Bridge, with Fantasy managers frustrated by his lack of impact on the road – indeed, up until that St Mary’s match, he’d managed just a trio of assists on his travels. That Saints encounter has sparked a complete turnaround in fortunes – whilst Hazard has managed just three assists in his last five home displays, his winner at West Ham means he has now scored in four of his previous five away matches. At a time where Diego Costa has netted in just two of his last seven road trips, Hazard’s displays on the road are proving the difference as Jose Mourinho’s men close in on the title.
Silva’s sharper than ever…
The visit of Leicester seemed straightforward but City were made to work before the little Spaniard broke the deadlock. Whilst Sergio Aguero’s home displays continue to frustrate (he’s scored in only four of 11 Etihad appearances), Vincent Kompany dropped to the bench and Yaya Toure disappointed again last night, Silva’s growing importance to the City cause saw him take his tally to ten for the campaign – three more than he’s ever managed since arriving on these shores. With eight strikes and four assists in the last 13, compared to two goals and a pair of assists in 16 previous appearances, Silva’s form is carrying City’s title bid right now as the rest of Manuel Pellegrini’s big-hitters fail to scale the heights of seasons gone by.
Rooney’s place up front seems assured..
With Robin van Persie still unavailable, Louis van Gaal once again demonstrated his ruthless streak by shifting Radamel Falcao to the bench for United’s trip to St James Park. This allowed Wayne Rooney to lead the line – moving even further forward, as Marouane Fellaini occupied the role in “the hole” previously handed to his skipper in the 2-0 weekend win over Sunderland. As Ander Herrera and Daley Blind start to click in the centre of the park, Rooney’s minutes up front continue to look all the more likely given the toiling form of the rest of Van Gaal’s attackers, with Angel di Maria hauled off before the hour mark once again due to another inept display.
Sterling’s versatility can also pose problems…
Daniel Sturridge’s return to the starting XI saw the youngster switch from lone forward to right winger for the visit of Burnley. In light of Jordan Ibe’s injury absence, Brendan Rodgers could have turned to Lazar Markovic but instead opted for Sterling on the flank, as Adam Lallana joined Philippe Coutinho in the central roles behind Sturridge. Whilst Coutinho registered four attempts and created six scoring opportunities, Sterling produced one shot and a single key pass in the 2-0 win and with Ibe out for a month, his owners will be a little worried by last night’s developments.
Moses is finally delivering…
Like Liverpool’s Coutinho, the Stoke winger is one of those players who has struggled to translate his underlying statistics into Fantasy returns. Similar to the Reds’ Brazilian, Moses is finally backing up the numbers and has now notched in two of the last three Gameweeks as the Potters continue their ascent up the table. Granted, one of those goals came courtesy of the spot but it nonetheless means the Nigerian international has now served up points in seven of his last 15 league appearances, with his loan move to the Britannia helping put an end to the inconsistency that has blighted his displays in years gone by.
Phillips is thriving for the R’s…
It’s four assists in as many matches for the QPR winger under Chris Ramsey now. Phillips’ pass for Charlie Austin’s late consolation against Arsenal may not have been enough to earn his side a point but, amongst budget midfielders, he’s staking a real claim for our attentions – impressively, the 4.6-priced Phillips has played a part in every one of his side’s goals since the departure of Harry Redknapp. With Palace, Everton, West Brom and Villa in the next five, he looks a viable contender for our starting XIs, never mind as a cheap bench-warmer.
Sherwood’s diamond could be the way forward …
Villa picked the perfect time to earn a first win under their new manager by getting one over midlands rivals West Brom. Having previously rolled out a 4-3-3 formation, Tim Sherwood’s decision to opt for a midfield diamond proved crucial in breaching a defence that arrived on the back of three straight shut-outs. The new manager fielded Charles N’Zogbia in “the hole” behind front two Gabby Agbonlahor and Christian Benteke and both frontmen benefitted with a goal apiece, with the latter supplying an assist prior to his last-minute spot-kick winner. Villa now have clashes Sunderland, Swansea and QPR in the next five Gameweeks to build on their midweek momentum.
Poyet can’t afford to drop Van Aanholt…
After earning a first-team reprisal in the previous Gameweek, the Dutchman dropped to the bench for the second time in three matches as Sunderland rolled up to Hull. Handed an 18-minute sub appearance late on, Van Aanholt teed up Jack Rodwell for a vital equaliser to take his tally to four assists for the season – joint top with Seb Larsson for the Black Cats. Given that the Swede has one assist in his last 14 league outings and Adam Johnson is currently out of the picture, Gus Poyet’s decision to do without his creativity seems an odd decision. With three crucial home matches in four (ALV, NEW, SPL) up next, Poyet needs to go on the offensive and may well have a re-think as he looks to steer the Wearsiders away from the drop zone.
N’Doye could keep the Tigers up..
It’s three goals in as many starts now for the Hull winter signing after he opened the scoring in Tuesday’s home draw against Sunderland. Steve Bruce benched N’Doye for the weekend trip to Stoke due to fatigue issues but watched his side fail to find a way past the Potters defence in a 1-0 loss. Although the Tigers now have clashes against Leicester and Swansea in the next five, they also square up to Chelsea, Southampton and Liverpool over that period – whilst those latter fixtures should persuade many to look beyond the 5.5-priced striker, he clearly has the form to persevere.
There’s one spare place in the Arsenal attack…
As the season moves into the business end, the Gunners boss seems unwilling to alter his options in the final third too much. Wenger once again kept faith in his favoured quartet of Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud, with the only change being Tomas Rosicky in for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, as the latter, along with Aaron Ramsey, Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott, warmed the bench. With Francis Coquelin stationed in front of the back-four, the role on the right remains the only real source of uncertainty right now – in spite of having a host of options at his disposal, Wenger is clearly reluctant to rotate as he looks to clinch third spot.
Chadli is back on the radar…
Benched for the previous four league matches, the Belgian celebrated his return to the Spurs XI with a strike in last night’s narrow win over Swansea. Chadli’s eight-point haul took his average to 4.8 points per appearance – that’s identical to Christian Eriksen – and if he starts the weekend trip to Loftus Road, Fantasy interest looks set to be reignited ahead of clashes with Leicester, Burnley, Villa and Newcastle in the next five.
