We cast an eye over some of the main lessons learned from Gameweek 32 this evening, with particular attention paid to those sides with upcoming doubles. There’s no shortage of Fantasy options amongst Arsenal and West Ham’s midfields, City’s big-hitting Belgian is back, Rafa Benitez can’t afford to tinker with his Newcastle strikers, whilst United’s summer signing from Monaco loves his home comforts.
Alexis is finally back in form…
The Arsenal winger has timed his upturn in output to perfection as Fantasy managers reassemble their squads ahead of double Gameweek 34. Whilst Mesut Ozil has failed to produce any points over the last four, Sanchez has earned points on each occasion, with a goal, assist and maximum bonus earning him a 14-point haul at home to Watford. Already subject to a price hike this weekend, the Chilean is poised for a major bandwagon over the run-in, with clashes against Sunderland, Norwich and Villa following also factored in over the final four Gameweeks.
It’s Iwobi’s place to lose…
It’s back-to-back goals for the Arsenal youngster after he followed up his strike at Goodison by finding the net in the home romp over Watford. Iwobi’s immediate impact has surely ensured he remains ahead of Theo Walcott and Joel Campbell for the role out wide and with Ozil toiling, Iwobi, at a mere 4.5, may well be worth the gamble for that pair of home clashes with Palace and West Brom in Gameweek 34.
De Bruyne has hit the ground running…
Handed a central support role behind Sergio Aguero as Manuel Pellegrini rolled out a 4-2-3-1 at Bournemouth, the Belgian wasted no time in serving a reminder of his Fantasy potential. Afforded just 56 minutes on his return from injury, De Bruyne still managed to grab a goal and fire four attempts at Dean Court. Now up to 5.5 points per appearance – equal with Sergio Aguero and fourth amongst midfielders – De Bruyne looks a deadly differential for the doubles, with a mere 5% ownership right now.
Rafa can’t afford to bench Mitrovic…
After grabbing a late leveler against Sunderland in the previous Gameweek, the Serbian was surprisingly dropped to the bench for Newcastle’s trip to Norwich as Rafa Benitez opted for Papiss Cisse up front instead. Whilst his team-mates continued to toil, Mitrovic needed less than half an hour as a second-half sub at Carrow Road to find the net twice, firing six attempts inside the box in the 3-2 loss. Having scored all three of his side’s goals since the new manager’s arrival, the former Anderlecht frontman looks far too vital to his side’s survival bid to be warming the bench again.
Old Trafford suits Martial…
A 1-0 win over Everton keeps United very much in the last for a top-four finish and strengthened Anthony Martial’s claim for consideration. The Frenchman’s winning strike – which also helped secure maximum bonus – means he has now scored or assisted in five of his last seven appearances at Old Trafford. Martial has bagged four goals, three assists and ten bonus points over that period (compared to one away strike since Gameweek 6) and with back-to-back home encounters against Villa and Palace in double Gameweek 34, looks another one to consider for our wildcard plans.
Kane’s consistency may well force a wildcard re-think…
An equaliser at Anfield took the Spurs striker’s tally to six goals and an assist over the last four Gameweeks. Impressively, Kane has therefore played a part in seven of his side’s last eight strikes over that period as he almost single-handedly keeps Tottenham’s title tilt alive. Whereas the likes of Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy are struggling for points as Leicester grind out the results, Kane’s deadly eye for goal could persuade plenty to hold firm despite the lack of a double on his upcoming agenda.
Lanzini could be the pick of the budget bunch…
The West Ham midfielder took his tally to 19 points in the last two Gameweeks courtesy of a goal and maximum bonus in the 2-2 draw with Palace. Despite the availability of James Tomkins, Slaven Bilic’s decision to employ Michail Antonio at right-back dented the former Forest flier’s appeal as we assess our wildcard options At a price of just 4.9, Lanzini – currently owned by less than 1% of FPL managers – looks to have barged his way past Antonio and, as evidenced by Saturday’s showing, could even rival Dimitri Payet as the best route into Bilic’s attack ahead of doubles in Gameweek 34 and 37.
Hiddink will chop and change now…
After hinting at rest and rotation for the trip to Villa, the Chelsea interim manager was as good as his word on Saturday lunchtime. Hiddink named Matt Miazga, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Kenedy in his first XI and also introduced Alexandre Pato and Jake Clarke-Salter off the bench for their Blues debuts in the 4-0 rout. With the champions having little more than pride left to play for, further teamsheet alterations can be expected and may well steer most away from the Stamford Bridge side over the run-in.
Coutinho’s star is on the rise…
With Roberto Firmino still stuck in the treatment room and Daniel Sturridge looking far from fully fit, the former Inter man has emerged as the choice route into Liverpool’s attack. Coutinho’s opener at home to Spurs on Saturday evening took his tally to two goals and three assists in his last four league outings and has earned him over 35,000 new owners so far second only to Ross Barkley in our midfield shake-ups. With five home fixtures allied with trips to Bournemouth, Swansea and West Brom in the final six Gameweeks, that bandwagon looks set to escalate.
Lennon may be immune from Martinez’ tinkering…
The Toffees manager’s decision to reinstall Gerard Deulofeu to the right wing resulted in a surprise new role for the former Leeds man. With Tom Cleverley stationed on the left, Lennon tucked in centrally behind Romelu Lukaku for the first hour or so before moving to the right after Deulofeu was subbed off. With question marks continuing to hover over the Everton rearguard and with Ross Barkley looking out of sorts, Lennon’s appeal is on the rise ahead of those consecutive doubles.
Hughes needs to find a place for Bojan…
With Jon Walters joining Xherdan Shaqiri on the sidelines, the little Spaniard was afforded a rare start for the visit of Swansea. Stationed in “the hole” behind Joselu, Bojan was instrumental throughout and bagged a goal and maximum bonus in the 2-2 stalemate, taking his tally to six strikes and two assists in just 19 league starts. Impressively, Bojan has converted 19.4% of his scoring opportunities this season – that’s the same as Jamie Vardy – and with the Potters desperate to clinch a Europa League slot, his contribution could be key.
