Sergio Aguero drags Man City to a share of the spoils as Fantasy Football managers scramble to seal the services of the Argentine. Roberto Firmino does his best to upstage the City man, contributing an 18-point haul in Liverpool’s extraordinary win at Carrow Road. Meanwhile, with Harry Kane, Odion Ighalo and Jamie Vardy firing goals, it’s a strong day for attacking returns – unless you’re Louis van Gaal. Here’s the notes on Saturday’s matches…
Aguero & Hart Earn City A Point
Sergio Aguero again punished doubters and those slow to get on board, following up his brace against Crystal Palace with another two goals at Upton Park.
In truth, Aguero was City’s standout attacking performer in an otherwise abject City display as Manuel Pellegrini’s side demonstrated fragility at the back, whilst struggling to maintain superiority in midfield.
Aguero looked sharp, however, and took his opportunities – creating the first himself having been carelessly felled by Carl Jenkinson in the area.
The Argentine has now amassed five goals in four starts since his return, registering two more shots inside the box (16) than any forward across the last four Gameweeks. His form has put Fantasy Premier League (FPL) non-owners on red alert and unsurprisingly we’re seeing plenty of transfer traffic heading his way. Aguero enjoyed a further price rise to 13.4 overnight, as his form threatens to make the weekly captaincy decision a mere formality from this point on.
In contrast, faith in Kevin de Bruyne is on the slide following another blank from the Belgian. De Bruyne now boasts just a single assist in his last five league outings and dropped to 10.7 overnight.
His 16-point haul against Sunderland in Gameweek 18 is an outlier: De Bruyne has returned just a single assist in eight outings outside that 4-1 win. Significantly, his last points away from the Etihad were back in Gameweek 7 – a goal in the 4-1 defeat to Spurs.
Meanwhile, at the back, Pellegrini’s men were exposed on numerous occasions and were indebted to Joe Hart as the England stopper made several crucial saves. City’s rearguard had kept three clean sheets in four heading to East London but, with rotation biting in the full-back areas, we are likely to see both Bacary Sagna and Aleks Kolarov continue to reduce in ownership and price.
City next travel to struggling Sunderland but will then take on both Leicester and Spurs in testing home encounters. Currently, Vincent Kompany seems unlikely to return for those match-ups which, if anything, increases the appeal of Aguero and City’s attacking players. As we witnessed at Upton Park, Pellegrini’s men must seek out goals if they are to remain in matches and keep pace in the title race.
Dazzling Payet Goes Unrewarded
West Ham United twice relinquished their lead at Upton Park but battled to hold onto a 2-2 scoreline. Enner Valencia (5.8) inflicted the damage for the Hammers, notching his second brace in three starts. The Ecuador international was hamstrung by injuries during the first half of the campaign but now harbours real differential potential ahead of a favourable quartet of fixtures (AVL, sou, nor, SUN). The same could be said of Michail Antonio (5.2), who delivered attacking returns (assist) for the fifth Gameweek in six. The former Forest man is, however, under direct threat from the bench now that Victor Moses is fit and pushing for starts.
In contrast, Dimitri Payet (8.1) looks untouchable in the West Ham midfield. The Frenchman produced another imperious performance that, in Fantasy terms, went unrewarded. A sublime first half free-kick, clawed away by a sprawling Joe Hart, was the nearest that Payet came to returns but his form throughout the encounter underlined his potential in the coming weeks – not least for West Ham’s next fixture at home to bottom club Aston Villa.
New signing Sam Byram – who came on for the injured Carl Jenkinson at the 13-minute mark – acquitted himself well on his debut, which serves as encouragement for Slaven Bilic to grant the 5.0-priced full-back a run of starts. Byram’s price point is a major issue, however, in the light of James Collins’ continued run of starts in the back four. Collins (4.3) retained his starting berth, despite Bilic re-introducing Winston Reid to the his defence: it was Angelo Ogbonna who dropped to the bench on this occasion.
Firmino Runs Riot
Liverpool emerged as 5-4 winners over Norwich City in a frenetic, end-to-end encounter at Carrow Road. Scout Pick Roberto Firmino rewarded Jurgen Klopp’s faith with his second brace in three outings as the focal point of the Reds’ attack.
Boasting out-of-position potential and an alluring price tag, the Brazilian midfielder has emerged as a prime differential (5% ownership) ahead of a strong trio of match-ups (lei, SUN, avl). He has enjoyed a further price rise to 7.9 overnight, but still remains a major temptation for those who have already re-structured to settle Aguero in their lineup.
Defensively, Klopp’s men continue to disappoint and have now allowed ten goals in their last four, without a clean sheet. Nathaniel Clyne’s 22% ownership dwindles week-on-week, while faith in Alberto Moreno (4.9) is also faltering having witnessed the Spaniard turn in an abject defensive display, conceding a careless second half penalty. Klopp could even be tempted to take Moreno out of the firing line, with Jon Flanagan’s (4.4) return to fitness offering the Liverpool manager an option in weeks to come.
Naismith Impresses on Debut
Having lead by two goals at one stage, Norwich City fell to a damaging defeat by way of a 95th-minute decider. Dieumerci Mbokani and Steven Naismith gave Norwich reason for cheer in the first period, with the former bagging his second goal in five outings and the latter scoring and assisting on his debut for the Norfolk outfit.
Wes Hoolahan grabbed a goal and an assist in the second half. Pitched at 4.7 and on spot-kicks, the playmaker has tallied three goals and seven assists and continues to pique our interest as a fifth midfielder. Neil has demonstrated that he will manage his minutes match-to-match, although Hoolahan has started the last five league matches. As the Canaries battle for points, it would seem likely that he’ll continue to earn starts and offer a greater degree of security.
As for Naismith, he was deployed in the number ten role as part of an attacking midfield three in a 4-2-3-1 setup and took his opportunity for a debut goal with aplomb. While the Scot will be crucial to Norwich’s survival hopes, his prospects as a Fantasy option remained restricted by his classification as a 5.0 forward.
Alli Sparkles In Spurs Win
Trailing at the break, Tottenham Hotspur rallied in the second half and went on to secure their fifth win in seven. Dele Alli won the plaudits with a strike that offers an early contender for goal of the season, before assisting Spurs’ third. Valued at just 5.6, Alli offers exceptional value for a midfielder that’s chalked up six goals and assists and tallied a staggering 20 attempts across the previous four Gameweeks. In the light of Aguero’s return to the fray, the Ali option looks almost irresistible.
Harry Kane complemented his penalty against Sunderland with a towering header at Selhurst Park. The 10.0-priced forward faces stern competition in his price bracket but remains a potent selection prior to a largely favourable quartet of fixtures (nor, WAT, mci, SWA).
Following his brace against the Black Cats, Christian Eriksen continued his return to form with an assist in South London. Nacer Chadli was subbed on in the 56th minute and carded a goal and an assist, bolstering his case for a return to the starting line-up in the wake of an injury layoff.
On the defensive front, Jan Vertonghen was forced off in the 75th minute due to a knee injury. Considering that his central-defensive partnership with Toby Alderweireld is a key reason why Spurs rank bottom for goals conceded (19), we may now be forced to reassess Spurs’ shut-outs prospects.
It remains to be seen how Mauricio Pochettino will shuffle his pack in light of any absence for Vertonghen. It could be that Eric Dier shifts alongside Alderweireld, although Kevin Wimmer (4.6) is another, albeit untested, option. Should Dier be re-deployed, we would have to hope that either Tom Carroll or Nabil Bentaleb will be asked to anchor the midfield. There is just a chance that Ali will be moved back to a deeper role alongside Moussa Dembele given that the Spurs boss has other candidates in the number ten role – namely Chadli and Erik Lamela: the Argentine was dropped to the bench at Selhurst Park.
Eagles Find The Net
Crystal Palace’s five-match scoreless streak was broken by virtue of a Vertonghen own goal. Wilfried Zaha recorded the assist and looked the most likely of the Eagles’ attacking quartet to spark a home victory, yet the former Manchester United recruit still lacks the end product to make a mark in Fantasy terms.
The Palace defence has now shipped 11 goals in its last four outings, without a clean sheet, having returned three shut-outs in four prior to that run.
Although Alan Pardew’s men are now without a win in six outings, their schedule (BOU, saw, WAT, wba) presents a series of match-ups that could provide the platform for a return to form.
Pardew may have to work without the services of Connor Wickham, however: the striker may well face retrospective disciplinary action having swung an elbow into the face of Vertonghen, the incident that caused the Belgian’s knee injury.
Vardy Returns To the Scoresheet
Having scored just twice in five matches, Leicester City returned to their free-scoring ways with a 3-0 win over Stoke. Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez were both back among the points, with the former netting his first strike since Gameweek 16 and Mahrez snapping a run of five blanks with his sixth assist of the campaign.
While few will risk selling Mahrez just yet given his huge 64% ownership, Aguero’s rise has made Vardy an expendable asset ahead of three challenging match-ups (LIV, mci, ars). His 39% ownership continues to decline as FPL managers look to retain both Kane and Romelu Lukaku.
Danny Drinkwater (4.5) popped up with his maiden goal of the season and an assist, granting him his best points haul (11) of the campaign and promoting him as a viable fifth midfielder option.
Leicester’s recent defensive resolve remained, despite their renewed attacking verve, as the Foxes registered their fourth clean sheet in five outings. Although their rearguard recruits are among the most enticing in the budget bracket, prospective investors may look to hold fire until Claudio Ranieri’s men have navigated their trio of tricky encounters.
Powder Puff Potters Slip to Defeat
Stoke’s abject display at the King Power Stadium is illuminated by the fact they mustered just three attempts and two shots on target. Mark Hughes’ men clearly suffered from the absence of Marko Arnautovic – who was ruled out with a hamstring knock – yet it’s an injury to Ryan Shawcross that will be of more concern. That being said, Hughes was optimistic about the centre-back’s chances of being fit for their League Cup encounter with Liverpool on Tuesday.
Jack Butland’s 24% ownership may not be selling the outstanding stopper but will be keen to explore options to work in rotation with the Potters man. Butland has now shipped two or more goals in four of his previous five road clashes and has earned just two save points over his last five fixtures.
Austin Opens Account
Charlie Austin made the perfect start to his Southampton career, heading home an expertly flighted James Ward-Prowse free-kick.
Having entered the fray at the 79-minute mark, the former Queens Park Rangers marksman could now make his first start away to Arsenal next Gameweek. Beyond that head-to-head, Southampton embark on a quintet of fixtures (WHU, swa, CHE, bou, SUN) that look ripe for attacking returns, rendering the 7.0-priced Austin an intriguing differential.
Much to the delight of Matt Targett’s 8% ownership, the south-coast club have recorded three successive clean sheets since Fraser Forster returned between the sticks. The 3.8-priced full-back has excelled (two assists in three) as a wing-back following Southampton’s switch to a 3-5-2 set-up and, with Koeman suggesting that he’ll retain the formation, Targett’s potential and popularity looks set to grow further.
United Continue To Toil
Manchester United’s four-match unbeaten streak came to an end in a pitiable fashion at Old Trafford, with the home side racking up just one shot inside the box, one shot on target and zero big chances.
To further compound Louis van Gaal’s travails, Matteo Darmian (their only fit full-back) sustained chest injuries following a collision with Shane Long and was subsequently escorted to the hospital.
United now face a mixed bag of fixtures (STK che sun ARS) which will fail to promote any renewed interest in their Fantasy assets. Given United’s continuing toils in attack, Wayne Rooney’s brief dalliance as a profitable Fantasy option looks to have come to an abrupt end in the light of Aguero’s form.
Van Aanholt Strikes Again
Belying his job description as a full-back, Patrick van Aanholt helped Sunderland to a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth with his fourth goal (Fabio Borini assist) in as many starts. The 4.7-priced defender has scored two more goals (five) than any other defender this term, yet would seem unlikely to benefit from many shut-out points over the next four Gameweeks (MCI, liv, MUN, whu). Nonetheless, the Dutchman enjoyed a price rise overnight, no doubt benefiting as a makeweight for freeing up funds for the acquisition of Aguero.
Ighalo Revives Hornet’s Sting
Odion Ighalo recorded his first goal in four matches as Watford brought an end to their recent barren spell. To the consternation of 80,000 managers that sold him this week, the Nigerian also carded an assist en route to a 12-point haul. Troy Deeney assisted his strike partner for the sixth time this campaign, breaking his own slump of three starts without any attacking returns.
Despite this return to form, Watford’s testing pair of upcoming fixtures (CHE, tot) may deter any upturn in investment. Both Deeney and Ighalo are also likely casualties as a result of the escalating scramble for Aguero.
Travel Sick Wijnaldum Blanks Again
Newcastle suffered their third successive road defeat, having managed just two shots on target throughout the Vicarage Road showdown.
Having commanded more acquisitions than any other player heading into the Gameweek, Georgino Wijnaldum (7.0) suffered yet another blank away from home. Despite scoring nine goals at St James’ Park, the Dutchman is still without a goal on the road from 11 appearances and 14 goal attempts.
Wijnaldum and Newcastle will now look to get back on track as they travel to face an Everton outfit that charts top for goals conceded in home matches (20).
Foster Returns For Baggies Shut-out
Ben Foster made his first league start since March as West Bromwich Albion’s home tie against Aston Villa predictably ended as a drab goalless draw.
Foster’s return in goal will have come as a huge disappointment for Boaz Myhill and his 9% ownership who must now seek out an active replacement. Priced at 4.9, Foster could yet tempt investment, although West Brom’s erratic defensive form is currently a deterrent.
The Baggies – who chalked up just four attempts and zero shots on target at The Hawthorns – offer little of interest from an attacking perspective but could furnish Craig Dawson’s 5% ownership with additional shut-outs as they go into encounters with Swansea, Newcastle and Palace in the coming weeks (SWA, new, CRY).
Unlike Foster, Dawson offers significant goal threat from set-pieces: he ranks third for defenders for touches in the opponents box this season and earned maximum bonus from Saturday’s stalemate.
