The Digest – Gameweek 19

Arsenal’s playmaker continues to deliver the goods for his ever-growing band of Fantasy owners. Stoke’s options at both ends of the pitch are becoming increasingly difficult to overlook, whilst Tuesday’s goalless draw at the King Power poses a dilemma for Jamie Vardy and Sergio Aguero owners.

The Player

A goal and assist in Monday’s 2-0 win over Bournemouth continued Mesut Ozil’s outstanding Fantasy season.

With maximum bonus also accrued, the Arsenal playmaker served up a 14-point haul for his 53% owners – his highest return of 2015/16 and fifth set of double-figures.

In a year when virtually every premium-priced midfielder or forward has badly let us down, the German has proven one of the most consistent performers around. He’s now delivered returns in 12 of the last 13 Gameweeks and with three goals and 16 assists to his name already, sits second only to Riyad Mahrez in the midfield standings.

Now up to 10.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), Ozil is the runaway leader of this week’s Captain Poll ahead of the Gunners’ home encounter with Newcastle.

Many had initially opted for Ozil as a result of Alexis Sanchez’ stint on the sidelines but his relentless ability to hoover up points will surely make the German a mainstay in most teams from this point onwards. Although Sanchez is closing in on a return to action over the next couple of weeks, the Chilean is no longer the number one Fantasy target at the Emirates and his acquisition will surely now come alongside – rather than instead of – Ozil in our five man midfields as the former Real Madrid man becomes increasingly key to Arsenal’s title tilt in the second half of the campaign.

The Team

Up until recently, Fantasy managers’ interest in Stoke has been mainly limited to their resilient rearguard. A run of seven clean sheets in nine between Gameweek 8-16 highlighted the Potters’ defensive improvement this term, with the addition of Jack Butland and Glen Johnson clearly beneficial to the their clean sheet prospects.

Over the last few matches, though, Mark Hughes’ side have sprung into life in the final third, with Monday’s 4-3 win at Everton earning a third victory in five Gameweeks. Bearing in mind that Stoke also triumphed over both Manchester clubs during that period, it’s becoming apparent that the Britannia side are worthy of our consideration at both ends of the pitch.

Whilst Butland and Johnson sit in the top five places amongst keepers and defenders, Marko Arnautovic’s recent showings have earned the Austrian fourth spot in the midfield standings. Four goals in his last five, and seven for the season – compared to a single strike in 2014/15 – illustrates the improvement, though both Xherdan Shaqiri and Bojan Krkic are also emerging as valid options in the final third.

Hughes’ decision to deploy Bojan as a false nine in recent matches has proven a canny tactic. The Spaniard has served up two goals, a pair of assists and six bonus points in the last three matches, whilst Shaqiri has delivered a brace and two assists in his last four – a significant improvement on his single assist in the first 14 Gameweeks.

Tellingly, those wins over Everton, United and City, in addition to a home victory over Chelsea, have all taken place in the last eight Gameweeks – a sign of Stoke’s improving performances. With West Brom and Norwich up next on their agenda, the Potters have the chance to continue their fine form before the following four (ARS, lei, mun, EVE) afford them the chance to demonstrate their fixture-proof appeal once again.

The Talking Point

Whilst Leicester and Man City’s defenders racked up the points in Tuesday evening’s goalless draw at the King Power, the same couldn’t be said for their star strikers.

Jamie Vardy recovered from illness in time for the head-to-head with Manuel Pellegrini’s men but the Foxes striker’s blanks means he’s now scored in just one of his last five league outings. Sergio Aguero, meanwhile, was afforded just over an hour against the Foxes – despite remaining on the bench for City’s weekend win over Sunderland.

Looking at the fixtures, Vardy now has Spurs, Stoke, Liverpool, City and Arsenal in the next seven and with the vast majority of his owners also holding team-mate Riyad Mahrez, his “essential” status seems to be over, given he has slipped in ownership in the last three Gameweeks.

There’s no doubt that Pellegrini’s decision to court caution with Aguero’s minutes is diminishing his Fantasy potential and with an average of 4.7 points per game so far – compared to Kevin De Bruyne’s 6.1, for example – the Argentine, for all his explosive ability, is struggling to justify that 13.1 price tag.

With Odion Ighalo, Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku all delivering yet again over the festive period, and with Olivier Giroud and the aforementioned Bojan offering relative in-form differential options, the competition for our three-man frontlines remains rife. With Wildcards in play from Gameweek 20 onwards, though, we need a quick response from both Vardy and Aguero to ensure they remain as prominent in our future plans.