Frisking The Fixtures – Gameweek Fifteen

Clear your slates, pull out your “Season Ticker” and prepare for a whistle stop analysis of those sides that can look forward to calm and choppy waters courtesy of the Premier League fixture computer…

The Highs…

Liverpool
While Roy Hodgson’s side are lacking the considerable drive of Steven Gerrard from midfield, they dominated lowly West Ham on Saturday and will go into their next bank of fixtures with some confidence. Those fixtures look remarkably kind after Gameweek 15’s trip to White Hart Lane. This weekend will be a huge test of Liverpool’s progress but, following that, Anfield clashes with Villa, Fulham and Wolves – all sides currently struggling for form, appear to give Hodgson’s outfit the a platform to make progress and for the likes of Paul Konchesky, Glen Johnson and particularly Fernando Torres, to blink brightly on our Fantasy Radars.

Blackburn
Rovers have won three of their last four and have scored no less than 8 goals in that run, while Sunday’s win over Villa brought a first clean sheet in six. Sam Allardyce’s side have form then and now also have a set of forthcoming fixtures to push on further. They need to get a daunting Old Trafford trip out of the way this coming Gameweek, but can then find comfort in Ewood Park encounters against Wolves, West Ham and Stoke over the four that follow. Watch for Chris Samba, Morten Gamst Pedersen and even David Dunn once Gameweek 15 is out of the way.

Sunderland
For weeks on end Sunderland had to bear the brunt of my aspersions in this article, as they were constantly cast in the midst of an awful spell of fixtures. That ends here. Besides a game away at Old Trafford in a month’s time (a game which Darren Bent scored a brace in last season), opponents really begin to soften up for Steve Bruce’s side. Home games with West Ham, Bolton and Blackpool in the next six promise to bring profits, while trips to Wolves and Fulham also look far from daunting. Darren Bent is finally getting some help with the goalscoring stakes and he and the record signing Asamoah Gyan who will be most appealing to Fantasy Managers, although Danny Welbeck’s brace last night would have raised some eyebrows. Sunderland also have something to offer defensivley however, with Craig Gordon a budget keeper option and Michael Turner in front of him, a reliable lynchpin. The injury to Titus Bramble, announced by Steve Bruce last night, does cast doubt over a reshuffled back four however.

West Brom
Not only are West Brom sliding down the table but they’re in frankly awful form right now – one point from their last five tells the tale. The only bright spark on the horizon is the calendar of games in front of them that gives them a good chance to rectify their recent slump. Their next three home fixtures (NEW, WOL, BLA) will be key matches and Roberto Di Matteo must get results from these. Peter Odemwingie has taken the mantle of chief penalty taker and continues to impress and is a cheap option at only £5.1m. Once fit, Chris Brunt at £5.7m seems to offer the most assurances, while those looking for budget defenders can at least gain regular game-time from Gonzalo Jara and Gabriel Tamas.

Also to consider: Bolton – we mentioned that you needed a Bolton player in last week’s Frisking and so it turned out. The Trotters continue to have an easy time of it in weeks to come so this particular horse has far from bolted. Everton – three home games in the next six against West Brom, Wigan and Birmingham all promise returns. Fulham – struggled against City but Craven Cottage encounters with Birmingham, Sunderland and West Ham offer the platform for a recovery and mid-price returns. Man City – the next two against in-form Stoke and Bolton will be tough but they look the most testing couple of fixtures in the next six for City. Wolves – form is stuttering but the Wanderers do have a rather handy set of fixtures (SUN, bla, BIR, wba, WIG) to give Mick McCarthy the opportunity to turn the ship around.

The Lows…

Chelsea
Carlo Ancelotti’s men have seemed to hit a brick wall of late. The Blues have only won one of their last four fixtures with just a single goal – coming from the scarcely selected combination of Michael Essien and Salomon Kalou. The next five fixtures for the Blues sees them travel to St. James’ Park, White Hart Lane and The Emirates, throw in tough home games against Everton and United and it’s obvious that Chelsea are now feeling the pinch from their easy opening to the season. Heavy investment in the expensive duo of Didier Drogba (£13m) and Florent Malouda (£10.3m) will certainly see plenty of questions raised about value for money, with the likes of Carlos Tevez and Tim Cahill looking tempting alternatives. Likewise, those who own budget busting defender Ashley Cole (£8.4m) off the back of one clean sheet in five, will surely be assessing their options.

Arsenal
The Gunners are in a bit of a pickle right now, form at home seems hard to come by having lost to both Newcastle and Spurs in their most recent fixtures. Successive victories on the road against Wolves and Everton have however, kept them afloat. In theory, Arsene Wenger’s side should dispose of Fulham and Stoke who arrive at the Emirates next, but such is the home form, you can’t necessarily take returns in those games for granted. Forthcoming away fixtures meanwhile, look far more testing. Trips to Villa and United come next and following that run, the Gunners will host Chelsea. Investors need be cautious then, although there’s argument to say that a certain Cesc Fabregas is a fixture proof proposition.

Aston Villa
Gerard Houllier has inherited a side with a truly bright future ahead of them but, unfortunately, the short-term brings a slew of fixtures which can only be described by one word – tricky. Gameweek’s 17 and 18 offer some comfort (WBA and wig) but the opponents around that spell all currently have aspirations near the top of the table (ARS, liv, TOT mcy). Bargain buy Marc Albrighton remains the most selected Villa asset at 8.4% ownership. Given his price, his owners might want to hold firm but there seems little appeal within the rest of Houllier’s squad.

Be wary of: Newcastle – Chris Hughton’s men seem to have taken a mantle that Wigan will happily hand over, they’ve become consistently inconsistent and are hard to nail down. Investors in Carroll won’t be looking to jump ship any time soon, but beyond that tread lightly. Blackpool – much like Carroll before him, Charlie Adam will probably have to do very little for quite a while before people consider offloading, he offers extreme value, but buying into Blackpool looks a risk right now. West Ham – They’re in poor form, they’re bottom of the table and they’re fixtures are not good. It’s as simple as that.