The Digest – Gameweek 9

We finally draw a line under Gameweek 9 with our usual look at the player, the team and the main point of note over the previous round of fixtures.

Harry Kane’s ascent to top scoring player in Fantasy Premier League and Arsenal’s form with their big-hitters on board merit our attention.

We also check in on the situation for our three-man forward lines as Pep Guardiola’s rotation continues to blight our best-laid plans.

The Player

It may have taken him until Gameweek 9, but Harry Kane finally delivered on the underlying home numbers to break his Wembley league duck.

Two goals and an assist against Liverpool – his fourth brace in the last six Gameweeks – elevated the Spurs striker to the top of the FPL standings for the first time this term.

And going on current form, he’s going to take some shifting.

At the start of the season, it seemed as if there were too many options to juggle for our three-man frontlines. But as the campaign unfolds, it’s more than apparent that Kane remains a peerless selection.

Over the last four Gameweeks alone, he has fired more than double the number of attempts on goal than any FPL forward.

Compared to last season, where he won the Golden Boot on the back of 29 goals, all his underlying stats have taken a turn for the better.

His numbers are almost off the scale – Kane is firing an effort every 13.9 minutes this time around, significantly better than his 23 minutes per attempt in 2016/17.

That equates to a total of 57 shots on goal – after just nine rounds of fixtures, that’s already 23 more than his nearest challenger, Romelu Lukaku.

The pair now go head-to-head at Old Trafford and United’s home record – they’re the only side yet to concede in front of their own fans – may well derail Kane’s momentum temporarily.

But with home clashes against Palace and West Brom sandwiching a trip to the Emirates in the three Gameweeks to follow, those explosive captaincy credentials suggest it may not be long before the 41%-owned Kane emerges as the most popular player in the FPL game.

The Team

After witnessing Arsenal’s 5-2 demolition of Everton at Goodison Park, many are scratching their heads as to why it took Arsene Wenger so long to unleash his three big-hitters in the same first XI.

Granted, the mooted moves away for Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil have hardly helped in terms of stability.

But the Gunners’ manager finally bit the bullet – perhaps on the back of the 2-1 capitulation at Watford – and unleashed both alongside Alexandre Lacazette on Merseyside.

What we then witnessed was Arsenal’s most impressive display of the season.

Sanchez delivered a first double-figure haul of 2017/18 to serve a reminder of the potential that helped him top the FPL standings last season. Meanwhile, Ozil – back in the line-up for the first time since Gameweek 4 – mirrored the Chilean’s goal and assist to deliver his maiden returns of the campaign.

And Lacazette, who had netted all four of his league goals at home prior to Sunday, immediately broke his scoring duck on the road.

Throw in Aaron Ramsey’s goal and assist, and the turnaround in performance indicates that Arsenal’s attack could be worth a reassessment.

Four clean sheets in six also serves notice of their defensive potential, although Hector Bellerin and Sead Kolasinac have flattered to deceive as wing-backs and only Nacho Monreal continues to defy expectations.

Having scored once in five seasons at the Emirates, his effort on Merseyside was a second goal of the current campaign and took him to third in the defender standings.

Given that Wenger has been playing his second-string in Europa League matches, we’re hoping that the Gunners can now offer us viable options at a time when rotation is becoming more pertinent elsewhere.

It all looks promising ahead of a home clash with Swansea City, but back-to-back encounters with Man City and Spurs directly afterwards should give us a better indication of their ability to maintain that momentum.

The Talking Point

We could arguably spend this section of the article every week discussing how to deal with Pep Guardiola’s rotation policy.

But as we alluded to last week and prior to his benching of Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus, the only thing guaranteed with the Man City manager is that his teamsheets will frustrate us from time to time, particularly in attack.

Both Jesus and Sergio Aguero were among the top six most transferred-in players ahead of Gameweek 9, earning 283,000+ and 156,000 new owners respectively.

A role on the bench at home to Burnley means that Jesus (163,000) is now the most sold player in the Gameweek.

Meanwhile, Aguero (229,000+) is the most popular target since last weekend after starting and scoring against the Clarets.

It seems to be getting to the point where some Fantasy managers are trying to chase starts, as well as points, when assessing Guardiola’s intentions.

Intriguingly, both Aguero and Jesus start in tandem once again tonight in the EFL Cup against Wolves, with Sterling recalled. Leroy Sane, David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne are among those handed rests.

What does that tell us about the Gameweek 10 likely line-up at West Brom? Those rested would seem assured of starts, but our theories on Aguero and Jesus surely remain speculative.

And that heightened frustration may ultimately strengthen the Fantasy appeal of Romelu Lukaku on the other side of Manchester.

One of only two forwards to play every minute of the season, he’s still delivered a respectable seven sets of attacking returns in nine for United.

That’s perhaps all the more reassuring at a time when the rest of the big-hitters up front have struggled to keep pace.

Alvaro Morata was hauled off on the hour-mark with a single point to his name in Chelsea’s 4-2 win over Watford. He’s now scored in only one of his last four league outings.

As mentioned above, Arsenal’s Lacazette has one away goal to his name, and his allure is lessened by Sanchez’s return to form.

Jamie Vardy has blanked in three successive Gameweeks at a time when many felt he’d profit from a favourable schedule, while Roberto Firmino has scored just once since Gameweek 2.

And Guardiola’s tinkering continues to chip away at the appeal of both Aguero and Jesus.

Maybe it’s unfair to compare Lukaku with Kane, who is arguably on a different level to any other frontman.

But the Belgian can lay claim to being the best of the rest – his underlying numbers are second only to Kane, after all.

While back-to-back clashes against Spurs and Chelsea remain somewhat problematic, United’s subsequent three (NEW BRI wat) mean that for many of his 54% ownership, retaining Lukaku may be the most valid option. At least while we attempt to decode Guardiola’s intentions.