Our Saturday morning regular brings a couple of Arsenal and Man City midfielders onto our radars ahead of favourable Gameweek 16 encounters. Stoke’s former Barcelona frontman is also under analysis after Mark Hughes’ tactical tinkering helped the Potters overcome City last time around.
Theo Walcott
Having been sidelined for five matches with a calf injury, Theo Walcott (8.3) earned a 27-minute cameo last Gameweek against Sunderland, before being thrust back into the starting XI for Arsenal’s 3-0 victory over Olympiacos. Although Olivier Giroud has locked down the lone-striker berth with his recent form (five goals in seven league ties), injuries to Alexis Sanchez and Santi Cazorla (shifting Aaron Ramsey centrally) have diminished the Gunners’ depth on the flanks – augmenting Walcott’s starting potential.
Even in the event that the Southampton academy product is eased back into contention with another substitute outing, his searing pace against fatigued legs always renders him a threat in the dying embers. Moreover – for all his injury travails – Walcott is remarkably efficient with the pitch time he is afforded, as evidenced by the fact he’s produced a goal or an assist (43 goals, 40 assists) once every 102.9 minutes since the start of the 2010/11 campaign.
In spite of Arsenal’s depleted squad, Walcott will slot back into a side that fashioned three more big chances (13) than the rest of the field over the last four Gameweeks. Additionally, Arsene Wenger’s troops rank second for goals (16) and top for shots on target (44) in road clashes, which bodes well for their attacking potential against an Aston Villa team that recorded just one clean sheet in their previous 14 match-ups.
Raheem Sterling
Raheem Sterling (8.9) steered Manchester City to victory over Borussia Monchengladbach on Tuesday with a three-minute brace, reaffirming his viability as a mid-priced alternative to Kevin De Bruyne. Although the latter serves as the prime route into the Sky Blues midfield based on current form, De Bruyne’s recent paucity of goal threat (two attempts in four outings) widens the scope for Sterling to creep into contention if he can build upon a eye-catching display in the Champions League.
Over the last four Gameweeks, the former Liverpool starlet charts top among Man City’s roster for attempts (10) and shots inside the box (seven) and joint-top for shots on target (three). This is not just a recent trend either: across the entirety of the campaign, Sterling places second (30) – behind Yaya Toure (38) – for attempts, first for shots inside the box (23) and first for shots on target (13). Furthermore, he’s amassed 54 more penalty-box touches (89 compared to 35) than De Bruyne, which suggests he’s more inclined to drift into dangerous areas.
There will be a determination among the Man City camp to avenge their 2-0 loss at the hands of Stoke City and turn out a potent display at home to Swansea City. Aside from the fact that the Swans are without a manager and tasted victory just once in the last 11 Gameweeks, the Sky Blues will draw encouragement from their table-topping haul of goals (23), attempts (150), big chances (26) and shots on target (59) in home fixtures ahead of this afternoon’s showdown.
Bojan Krkic
In the wake off five league ties that harvested just two goals, Mark Hughes elected to reshuffle Stoke City’s attacking quartet for their home tie against Man City, fielding Ibrahim Afellay at the number ten slot and pushing Bojan Krkic (5.1) up to the lone striker berth. That tactical shift ultimately brought about a 2-0 win and the Potters’ most impressive performance of the campaign, with the incisiveness of their fluid attack causing all manner of problems for the City’s disorganised rearguard.
Although Bojan managed just a solitary attempt last weekend, the proficiency of Stoke’s team play bodes well for his Fantasy prospects ahead of an easier pair of match-ups (why, CRY). Notwithstanding the calibre of their opposition, Mark Hughes’ men carded the joint-most big chances (four) in the previous Gameweek, so they’ll be relishing the opportunity to face off against a Hammers defence that’s managed one clean sheet in ten and is without the qualities and leadership of Winston Reid.
Bojan faces stern competition from Troy Deeney (5.2) in the budget-forward bracket, yet Watford’s schedule beyond a trip to Sunderland this weekend (LIV, che, TOT, MCI) throws up serious question marks regarding his long-term prospects. Now that the Spaniard’s allure isn’t restricted by a deep-lying berth, the stage is set for Bojan to stake a claim as the next budget frontman to come under consideration.
