The Digest – Gameweek 14

Yannick Bolasie’s brace against Newcastle brings the Palace midfielder under our Digest analysis this Tuesday lunchtime. We also assess Sunderland’s progress under Big Sam and wonder whether Arsenal can overcome their latest batch of injuries to maintain their Fantasy appeal at both ends of the pitch.

The Player

Having seen his side fail to score in three of the previous four Gameweeks, Alan Pardew’s tactical tweak earned Palace an emphatic 5-1 home win over his former club Newcastle.

Key to the Eagles’ rampant performance was Pardew’s decision to bring Yannick Bolasie into a central support role behind Connor Wickham. With Jason Puncheon moved to the left flank, Bolasie’s pace through the middle, allied with Wickham’s strength and aerial ability, proved too much for the lacklustre visitors as the DR Congo international scored twice to take the Selhurst Park side into seventh spot.

There’s no doubt that Bolasie is a frustrating Fantasy asset to own. In 2013/14, he produced the most shots by any player (48) who failed to find the net, for example. Last season, he had scored just once in the first 20 Gameweeks before Pardew was appointed – he then finished the campaign with four strikes and 12 assists to his name.

Impressively, Bolasie has already equalled last term’s tally in light of his weekend double. It’s clear that, under Pardew, he will remain a viable candidate in the mid-price bracket across the Fantasy games, though a series of erratic displays – just three sets of returns in 13 appearances – indicates how much he will test our patience.

Encouragingly for Palace and Fantasy managers alike, though, Bolasie’s brace means he’s scored four times in the last seven Gameweeks – over that period, he’s had more attempts on target than any midfielder in the Premier League. With Everton, Southampton, Stoke, Bournemouth and Swansea in the next five, Bolasie has the chance to develop a consistency that may yet afford him a place in our five-man midfields before long.

The Team

A 2-0 home triumph over in-form Stoke earned Sunderland a third win in six matches under Sam Allardyce as the Black Cats clawed their way out of the drop zone.

When he took charge in Gameweek 8, Big Sam looked to have his work cut out. Having failed to win or keep out their opponents in the first eight under Dick Advocaat, the Wearsiders picked up three points in the process and were in danger of being left behind in the battle to beat the drop.

The speed of Allardyce’s impact has been impressive. Brave enough to continue with a 3-5-2 despite a 6-2 thrashing at Everton, the new manager has been rewarded with back-to-back victories that have steered his charges seven points clear of basement-dwellers Villa.
With Allardyce focusing on clean sheets as key to his side’s progress, the Sunderland defence have belatedly found their way back onto our radars. Between the posts, Costel Pantilimon has averaged over five points per appearance since the change of manager, whilst Patrick van Aanholt and Billy Jones’ raids from wing-back have earned both players a goal and assist with Big Sam at the helm.

In midfield, Allardyce’s wing-back system leaves us little to scout for, though, with the likes of Jeremain Lens and Adam Johnson handed bench-warming duties. Front pair Jermain Defoe and Steven Fletcher have netted twice in the last six and whilst both offer options in the sub-6.0 bracket, Allardyce’s focus on tightening up in defence means that, like last season, any Fantasy interest is likely to be limited to the Black Cats’ backline.

Looking at the schedule, though, clashes with Arsenal, Chelsea, City and Liverpool in the next five hands the Wearsiders a tough task to maintain momentum. The fixtures smile a little kinder around Gameweek 20 onwards, though, suggesting Big Sam’s men could be worth a flutter once the second half of the season kicks in.

The Talking Point

After limping out of Arsenal’s draw at Norwich with a hamstring problem, Alexis Sanchez has placed Fantasy managers on red alert.

Already, the Chilean has been transferred out of 120,000 FPL sides amid fears of a spell on the sidelines. Sanchez’ form – a single assist in five – allied with Mesut Ozil’s stunning run of returns, has seen the German’s ownership soar to 35% after he moved to second in the midfield standings.

There’s no question that an absence for Sanchez will dent the Gunners’ ability to hurt opponents in the final third and there’s a fear that this could prove detrimental to Ozil. With Aaron Ramsey and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain just emerging from the treatment room, and Theo Walcott still injured, the Gunners only have Olivier Giroud and Joel Campbell as full fit options for Ozil to feed in attack right now.

Given that they’ve scored just three times in as many league outings and also have concerns over Santi Cazorla in the centre of the park, it remains to be seen whether Arsenal’s attack can offer us the same potential.

The same can be said for their prospects at the back if Laurent Koscielny is ruled out with a hip problem sustained at Carrow Road. With Francis Coquelin sidelined for up to three months, Arsenal’s title tilt is threatening to derail as we head into the busy festive period – they’ve now mustered just one clean sheet in five in light of Sunday’s disappointing draw.

If our worst fears are realised, Arsenal’s capacity to absorb their injuries will certainly be put to the test in the next few weeks. Their ability to prevail is likely to have a significant impact not only on the title race but the prospects of many Fantasy managers over the packed festive period.