Just when we think it’s safe to move on from the disappointments of Gameweek 22, its chief failure goes and starts scoring again for Spurs, while West Ham stagger to a replay and FA Cup holders Arsenal crash out.
Whatever you might think about Harry Kane – and even after his Double Gameweek 22 misfire, most musings will still be positive – Fantasy timing is clearly not his strong point.
Three days on from his damaging Fantasy Premier League (FPL) blank against the Hammers, the striker started and scored twice in Spurs’ 3-0 win over AFC Wimbledon in the FA Cup.
That will have left the many who captained him, and in particular, the 121,000+ who played their Triple Captain chip on him last week, more than a touch aggrieved.
But on the bright side, his double yesterday (thanks to Moussa Sissoko and Kyle Walker-Peters assists) will mean that Kane has revived his goal scoring form heading into Saturday evening’s visit from Everton before a trip to Southampton.
After that, Spurs’ schedule (MUN liv ARS) will demand a re-evaluation of their assets.
For now, however, Kane’s stock looks secure, and the transfer market agrees, with 141,000+ FPL managers making him Gameweek 23’s third most purchased player.
Jan Vertonghen scored Spurs’ third yesterday, the Belgian defender one of the few regular starters given a full run-out by coach Mauricio Pochettino.
Kieran Trippier was another as he continues to be locked in rotation with Serge Aurier, while Erik Lamela stepped up his return from injury with a first full 90 minutes of the season.
Kane was withdrawn after 79 minutes, Dele Alli and Son Heung-min were handed second-half cameos and other key Fantasy assets Ben Davies and Christian Eriksen were unused subs.
Hammers blunted by Shrewsbury
West Ham will have to try again next week after being held to a goalless draw away at League One Shrewsbury.
David Moyes made only four changes to the team that drew at Spurs on Thursday, but his strong side were woeful, managing only four touches in the opposition penalty area and creating just two chances all match.
That means a replay on Tuesday, January 16, which falls between a trip to Huddersfield and a visit from Bournemouth – two matches against fellow bottom-half teams that Moyes will surely consider far more important than the conclusion of the cup tie.
Moyes handed goalkeeper Adrian a rest, albeit on the bench, while the club’s most popular FPL asset, Marko Arnautovic (8.4%), didn’t even make the squad as he continues to recover from a minor hamstring injury.
But four players – Angelo Ogbonna, Arthur Masuaku, Cheikhou Kouyate and Winston Reid – ended up slogging through their third match in just six days, with the latter having to be taken off after 86 minutes with a groin issue.
The New Zealand international is now an early doubt for the Huddersfield match, adding to a growing list of defensive casualties that doesn’t exactly boost the clean sheet prospects of Ogbonna (6.3%), Adrian (3.0%) and Masuaku (2.2%).
FPL managers who brought in those Hammers’ assets for Double Gameweek 22, and their fine schedule after it, will be hoping Moyes keeps his regulars well away from the replay.
A Gameweek 28 trip to Liverpool is the one major test for West Ham through to mid-March – unless fixture congestion adds another, unwanted, variable to the mix to lessen their chances of delivering defensive returns.
Gunners lost in a forest
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger fielded a second-string XI at Nottingham Forest and paid for it with a 4-2 defeat that sent the FA Cup holders out at the first hurdle.
He made nine changes from the side that had drawn with Chelsea in midweek, with probably more than one of his eyes on Wednesday’s EFL Cup semi-final tie with the Blues.
As a result, yesterday’s match had minimal Fantasy relevance as the only Premier League regulars to take the field were Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Alex Iwobi – assets with just 0.1% and 0.5% FPL ownership respectively.
Per Mertesacker notched the Gunners’ first, while Danny Welbeck was also on the scoresheet to boost his claims for more first-team action should Alexis Sanchez move on in the January transfer window.
But, that aside, the tie was a day to forget for the Gunners and a forgettable one for FPL managers, with the only potential positive being that Arsenal could now be part of our plans for Gameweeks 31 and 35 when the latter rounds cause Premier League postponements.
