The futile resistance to Hazard, the irresistible Samba twins, further Guardiola gripes, Zlatan clutching defeat from victory and the “unplayable” Victor Anichebe – these are the basis of our learnings from Gameweek 11.
Hazard just has too much going for him…
We’ve already written plenty of words on Eden Hazard, and there’s doubtless more to come.
The impact of his performance against a bewildered Everton resonated throughout the Fantasy Football community and ripped up any plans that dared to ignore the Chelsea playmaker.
Hazard’s ownership is soaring off the back of four in as many Gameweeks.
Naysayers will doubtless consider that chasing points already lost is futile but, such is the form being shown by Hazard and Chelsea, that seems a churlish stance that’s doomed to failure.
He has form, he has fixtures, he has set-piece duties, he has penalties, he has no European distractions and the idea of Antonio Conte resting him seems unthinkable.
There are just so many factors in his favour, those resisting the move can only be clinging to arguments, data and theories currently beyond our feeble minds.
Once again, it’s Coutinho and Firmino…
As if we needed further evidence that one Brazilian wasn’t enough, the pair combined again to rout Watford at Anfield and underline their importance to our cause.
We can flirt with Sadio Mane and Adam Lallana as alternatives but, for all-round potential and consistency, it’s almost impossible to deny that Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho are the preferred route.
There are some concerns that one or even both will return for Gameweek 12 lagged and leggy following exertions on the international stage but, given their current form and opposition (Southampton), it’s difficult to see Klopp being content to deploy an XI without them.
While Hazard has decided our current transfer priority, there’s urgency to react to the Coutinho/Firmino double act given the destruction they’re inflicting.
Sunderland may offer two third striker solutions…
We’re well and truly sold on the Jermain Defoe option.
When Sunderland score, it’s a good bet that the 7.3 striker will be involved. In fact, the statistics back it up – Defore has scored or assisted 77% of the Black Cats goals this season.
After a blip of three blanks, Defoe’s ownership is back on the rise with Hull City due to drop in on the Stadium of Light in Gameweek 12.
While Defoe is a solution for those clinging to a three-man forward line, his Gameweek 11 partner, Victor Anichebe, is a new possibility for those happy to bench their third striker.
Every season we here that Anichebe is “unplayable” – 90% of the time that’s the case but for all the wrong reasons – he’s normally crocked.
But his performance at Bournemouth in Gameweek 11 fell into the other category – the Cherries couldn’t tame his power as he muscled his way to goal and assist returns.
Smarting from a cracked rib, it’s uncertain if Anichebe will face the Tigers defence come Gameweek 12. If he does and links effectively with Defoe once again, suddenly his stock will rise and more will shift to invest in their fifth midfielder.
It’s Vokes not Gray…
Burnley are another to offer budget options up front, although it’s become clear that our sights have previously been set on the wrong option.
With returns of three goals and an assist over the last four Gameweeks, Vokes has blinked on the radar. More significantly, Sean Dyche’s decision to deploy him in the 4-5-1 and bench Andre Gray on Saturday confirmed the Welshman’s place in the Clarets’ pecking order.
Burnley’s fixtures and the confidence instilled by Dyche offers encouragement, as Vokes emerges as a potential solution for those looking to adopt a more cautious 3-5-2 with an third active striker.
Clean sheets remain an endangered species….
While we’re intent on shuffling funds between attack and midfield, our five-man defences are set to remain ignored – for now at least.
Gameweek 11 offered little evidence for the need to switch tact, with Chelsea the only defence to offer returns.
Clearly, they are a different animal. Having provided five consecutive shut-outs, we should all be coveting Antonio Conte’s revived defensive unit and Marcos Alonso in particular.
Beyond the Blues, we need to show caution.
Liverpool and Manchester City are currently written off as erratic, frustratingly calamitous options – we even begrudge the relatively modest outlay for John Stones and Dejan Lovren.
But the heavyweights in north London are also letting us down.
Blighted by recent injuries, neither Arsenal nor Spurs are offering a stable source of points, postponing any switch to re-consider the likes of Hector Bellerin or Toby Alderweireld.
Since the flood of interest in Laurent Koscielny following his Gameweek 7 goal, he’s returned a single clean sheet and 12 points.
Jose Holebas has offered 25 points and George Friend 24 over the same period.
Until we get a sniff of greater consistency in settled and stable rearguards, our strategies are likely to remain centred on optimising our midfield and forwards.
We need Kane just as much as Spurs….
How we’d love to see Harry Kane re-produce the form of his last two seasons.
With the current landscape settled on the form of Diego Costa and Romelu Lukaku, coupled with the resistance to kick the Sergio Aguero habit, we really could do with Kane tossing a feline into our comfy pigeon coop.
The reaction to his appearance at the Emirates and his spot-kick goal have understandably been tempered by his obvious lack of match fitness. But a sharp and confident Harry Kane would change matters.
Then we’d see Aguero owners tempted by a powerful differential, and a new recruit to reinforce the forwards as they struggle to hold the Gameweek armband in the face of free-scoring midfielders.
Pep’s Christmas card is very much still in doubt…
The Aguero tremor upset us enough. Now Pep Guardiola’s next act is to step up his rotation policy and start picking off some previously assured targets.
I for one was shocked by the omission of Raheem Sterling against Middlesbrough.
Taken off on 70 minutes after terrorising Barcelona in midweek, that decision now seems very odd given that Guardiola presumably had no intention of fielding him four days later.
It demonstrates that this is a manager who is almost impossible to read and anticipate.
Clearly, I should never be so arrogant as to believe I can second guess his intentions – what we’ve learned and know from the habits of other managers can be dismissed. Guardiola has his own rulebook, and we’re at the mercy of decisions that are destined to frustrate us further.
Those of us who own Aguero and/or Ilkay Gundogan are potentially in for a rollercoaster over Christmas.
Ibrahimovic is just not meant to be…
So he breaks a dry spell of six matches with a brace at Swansea, only to earn a fifth booking and de-rail any momentum for Gameweek 12.
Seemingly, Zlatan Ibrahimovic wants us to go on selling him, and thousands continue to oblige.
Perhaps he wants to eventually inflict maximum damage to as many of his former owners as possible.
He’ll wait until his price has floored at 10.0 then hit the five Gameweek goals and reward the zealots and “ghostship” managers who took eyes off their squads back in September.
Either way, we’re still giving up on Ibrahimovic, and now that Kane is edging back on the menu, there are increasing doubts on how big a factor he can be in our seasons.
