Kevin De Bruyne grabs a goal and assist as City sweep aside Palace at the Etihad. Jurgen Klopp is afforded his first win as Liverpool boss courtesy of a Nathaniel Clyne strike against Bournemouth, Graziano Pelle helps steer Southampton through, though United tumble out on spot-kicks after failing to score against Middlesbrough:
City Run Riot at the Etihad
Manchester City thumped Crystal Palace 5-1 to seal their passage into the quarter-finals of the League Cup, as Manuel Pellegrini opted to deploy a strong starting XI. Wilfried Bony, Kevin De Bruyne, Yaya Toure, Kelechi Iheanacho and Garcia Alonso all netted for the Sky Blues, while De Bruyne, Iheanacho (two) and Aleksandar Kolarov claimed the assists. Raheem Sterling missed out with a minor hamstring strain but is expected to be fit for the weekend.
After the match, Pellegrini praised the display of his front two in the continued absence of Sergio Aguero:
“I think this moment it’s important for the team to have Kelechi and Bony as options without Kun. They can play both together as they did tonight. Bony played well tonight. Of course Kelechi was very impressive but Wilfried is quiet as he knows he has my trust and his teammates’ trust. Kun is impossible to replace but we know we have another option in attack.”
A fresh injury concern for Pablo Zabaleta took the gloss off the scoreline, with the Argentine right-back requiring a stretcher for an apparent knee problem following a collision with Wilfried Zaha. Pellegrini faces an anxious wait after conceding the Argentine has suffered a recurrence of the problem that kept him out of action earlier in the season:
“Pablo has the same problem as two months ago – it’s the same knee. We won’t know until tomorrow [the extent]. It’s the medial ligament on the right knee.”
The Scout Says: Goals for Bony and De Bruyne will be music to the ears of their respective ownerships ahead of the Sky Blues’ tantalising home tie against Norwich City on Saturday. Over the last four Gameweeks, only two sides have shipped more goals than the Canaries (13), while they ranked top for shots inside the box conceded (62). Those two form players look best placed to profit from Norwich’s defensive frailty, yet Yaya Toure remains on our radar as the most frequent shooter (one every 23. 1minutes) among Man City’s midfield contingent. At the back, Bacary Sagna’s 17% ownership would stand to benefit if Zabaleta is forced into a spell on the sidelines, ensuring that the French right-back is guaranteed pitch time. Kolarov’s assist illustrated why he remains the prime route into Man City’s back line; the marauding Serb charts second for shots (12) and key passes (16) across the entire season, although the imminent return of Gael Clichy still places question marks over his security of starts in the long term.
Injuries Mount Up for Palace
Damien Delaney nodded home a consolation goal for the Eagles from a Yannick Bolasie cross as the Eagles were humbled at the Etihad. Joel Ward got an 11-minute run-out on his return from injury, but Pape Souare (knock), Yohan Cabaye (knock), Jason Puncheon (illness) and James McArthur (family matters) were all unavailable for selection. Alan Pardew offered an update on the health of his squad after the encounter:
“We now get ourselves focused on the game on Saturday and need to make sure we get a few bodies back for the game. We need to put our strongest team out against them, we had a few back tonight with Joel Ward getting some minutes and Dwight Gayle back from suspension. We have some problems with a few as Jason Puncheon has been ill and Yohan Cabaye has a knock but fingers crossed they will be back for the weekend. Connor Wickham and Marouane Chamakh are training plus we have our fingers crossed for Pape Souaré being back on Saturday.”
The Scout Says: Palace started the season strongly – carding three wins in four matches – but chalked up four defeats in his side’s subsequent six fixtures. Pardew’s primary concern will be their barren spell on the goal front – no side has scored fewer than the Eagles (four) in the last six Gameweeks. The London club are clearly suffering from the lack of a dominant centre-forward, with Bolasie, Dwight Gayle and Fraizer Campbell all failing to hit the mark at the lone-striker berth this season. As things stand this weekend, Palace might struggle to breach a Manchester United defence that’s notched three clean sheets in four outings, which serves as encouragement for those Fantasy managers in possession of Red Devils defenders. Cabaye owners, meanwhile, will be hoping the midfielder recovers in time after he produced three goals and an assist in the last four. With back-to-back home encounters against Sunderland and Newcastle in Gameweek 13-14, the 15%-owned Frenchman could be poised for further returns should he recover in time.
Clyne Fires Reds to Victory
Liverpool ran out 1-0 victors over Bournemouth, with Nathaniel Clyne tapping in at the back post after 17 minutes. Jurgen Klopp fielded a side predominantly comprised of second-string players, but he did hand starts to Clyne, Firmino and Divock Origi. Kolo Toure sustained a hamstring injury and had to be taken off in the first half.
After the match, Klopp issued an update on his strikers’ fitness. The German admitted he’s keen to be cautious with Daniel Sturridge’s knee problem, though expects Christian Benteke to return for the weekend trip to Chelsea:
“With Daniel, we have to talk about him when he can train and then he will need, I don’t know, two, three, four, five, six or seven days training. That is normal. Each footballer needs it and it’s not important how good you are unless you have enough strength to play in this really intensive league. There is no pressure from me – I can’t put pressure on him or the doctor or the physiotherapist, I have to wait. And when he is back, he has to train. I think Christian will be fit on Saturday. He had little problems and with our ‘striker situation’ we can’t take a risk. Divock played again [tonight] and he did well – he worked really hard. But I think Christian will be back.”
The Scout Says: Although he currently boasts a 30% ownership, Clyne looks overpriced at 5.5, given that he has delivered no attacking returns through the opening 10 Gameweeks and Liverpool have kept just one clean sheet in their last seven matches. With Joe Gomez in the treatment room, the 4.7-priced Alberto Moreno is a sure-fire starter and has displayed much greater potential for attacking returns than Clyne since his return to the first team. Despite clocking just 556 minutes this term, the Spanish left-back ranks top among the Reds’ rearguard for attempts and – incredibly – top among all defenders for key passes (17). Beyond a challenging trip to Chelsea this Gameweek, the Merseysiders embark on a relatively favourable run through to the New Year (CRY, mci, SWA, new, WBA, wat, LEI, sun), which strengthens the case for investment in the likes of Moreno. With so many in-form options available for Fantasy managers up front, Benteke and Sturridge’s injury issues have ensured they remain peripheral to our plans for the time being.
Cherries Slip Out After Anfield Loss
Bournemouth lost for the fourth time in five matches, failing to score for just the third time this campaign. Eddie Howe opted to play the likes of Simon Francis, Charlie Daniels, Matt Ritchie and Marc Pugh, while Harry Arter earned his first start of the season.
The Scout Says: In the wake of long-term injuries to Callum Wilson, Max Gradel and Tommy Elphick, the Cherries have struggled to replicate the identity they forged at the beginning of the campaign. Howe’s troops are winless in four matches and rank top for goals conceded (13) and big chances conceded (18) over that stretch. In light of their generous defence, Glenn Murray (5.6) is arguably their most attractive asset at present. Aside from bagging two goals in his previous three starts, the former Crystal Palace frontman tallied the third most shots on target (eight) of any forward in the last four Gameweeks, underlining his value as a budget third striker.
Pelle in the Goals Again
Southampton extended their unbeaten streak to eight matches courtesy of a 2-1 home victory over Aston Villa. Ronald Koeman named a strong side, with Sadio Mane the only notable absentee due to a one-match suspension. Graziano Pelle and Maya Yoshida graced the scoresheet, while Dusan Tadic and James Ward-Prowse picked up the assists.
The Scout Says: Pelle’s 32% ownership will be delighted to witness the Saints marksman scoring ahead of their mouthwatering home clash against Bournemouth on Sunday. The 8.4-priced forward drew blanks in his previous two league starts but still ranked fifth among his counterparts for attempts (seven) and shots inside the box (six) over that stretch. The Cherries have conceded more goals (14) than any other side on their travels and place second for big chances conceded (18) in road matches, which should convince a fair portion of Pelle and Mane owners to assign them to captaincy duty.
Another Defeat for Villa
Caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald led the Villains into battle as they registered their fifth successive defeat. Scott Sinclair converted a penalty in injury time after Jordan Ayew was felled in the box. Full-backs Jordan Amavi and Leandro Bacuna were deployed on the wings, which MacDonald revealed was an attempt to better harness their crossing proficiency and play to Rudy Gestede’s aerial strength. Joleon Lescott and Micah Richards were both ruled out with slight knocks, but the interim boss expects them to recover before their trip to Tottenham:
“[On Amavi’s advanced role] It’s probably the same reason I put Leo Bacuna further forward. Those two are the two best crossers at the club. We were playing Rudy Gestede with Gabby Agbonlahor up top. We wanted as many crosses into the box. Micah Richards was injured, he’s got a little niggle. Joleon Lescott was injured. Micah’s might depend on what happens with the FA disciplinary. If nothing happens, hopefully they’ll both be available for Monday.”
The Scout Says: It will be interesting to see whether MacDonald chooses to deploy Amavi and Bacuna on the flanks against Spurs, given that both are classified as defenders by the Fantasy Premier League. The former has already showcased his attacking potential following a £9 million transfer from Nice in the summer – tallying three assists in his last five starts – but was conspicuously absent from Villa’s last two starting line-ups in the league. A sustained run on the left flank would certainly pique our interest in the 5.0-priced Frenchman beyond a tough upcoming trio of match-ups (tot, MCI, eve), though with a new manager still to be installed, Fantasy managers are perhaps best advised to steer clear of the Midlands club for now.
United’s Drought Continues
Despite calling upon the services of a raft of first-team players, Manchester United were unable to breach Middlesbrough’s defence after 120 minutes and eventually lost 3-1 on penalties. Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial started on the bench, but the former was introduced at the break for the injured James Wilson and the latter entered the fray at the 71-minute mark.
After seeing his side exit the cup, Louis van Gaal conceded their lack of composure in front of goal is becoming a concern:
”We have to solve this problem. Against Manchester City, we had more chances than City and we have to finish one of those chances. We didn’t create so much against City as we did today but we have to finish. A lot of players were in finishing circumstances and didn’t do it. Not one player but more players so that’s a little bit frustrating. But it’s like that and we have to continue”.
The Scout Says: Aside from a 3-0 win over Everton in Gameweek 9, Van Gaal’s decision to move Anthony Martial to the left and install Wayne Rooney up front has failed to pay off – United have now scored just one goal in their subsequent three fixtures in all competitions since their manager changed his attack. Martial threatened to be a top pick in the mid-priced bracket but his recent shift onto the flank has raised question marks over his capacity for regular attacking returns – a reservation bolstered by the fact he’s managed just eight attempts in six appearances. Although the upcoming fixtures are in their favour, United’s toils up top may persuade would-be suitors to look elsewhere, though their resilience at the back suggests that investment in their defence could prove profitable.
