Sergio Aguero strikes again as City dismantle an insipid Blackburn. Peter Odemwingie continues his recent good form as West Brom hammer Sunderland. Papiss Demba Cisse bags another for Newcastle, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba help Chelsea record a vital victory, while Pavel Pogrebnyak proves the difference as Fulham see off QPR:
Sergio Aguero
The winner of the Gameweek Captain Poll, Aguero grabbed his sixteenth goal of the season and returned 12 points for those Fantasy managers who chose to hand him the armband. With Roberto Mancini promising to make changes for the Blackburn game, some had doubted the Argentine’s starting place after he played against Porto in the Europa League on Wednesday. In yesterday’s Pre-Match Preamble, we assessed the chances of both Aguero and David Silva featuring in Mancini’s first XI. The papers were unanimous in agreeing the pair would and this proved to the case- the City manager drafted in four new faces from midweek, but it was Micah Richards, Gael Clichy, Samir Nasri and Gareth Barry who missed out. With Bolton rolling up to the Etihad next Saturday, Aguero –who leads Silva by 147 to 146 pts in the Fantasy rankings- will be a strong armband option once again.
Aleksandar Kolarov
A couple of assists and a clean sheet in the 3-0 cruise over Blackburn means the left-back has now averaged 5.4 points per game this season. For defenders, this is bettered only by Norwich’s Elliot Ward –who has played a single match- and, for City, only just less than David Silva’s 5.6. Kolarov has now started the last three for City and, while he has returned 1 goal and four assists, fellow left-back Gael Clichy has failed to register any attacking returns at all for City this term, suggesting the Serbian may be edging ahead of the former Gunner as Mancini’s first choice. The City manager’s penchant for rotating full-backs saw Micah Richards’ Fantasy owners yet again, though, and, while Kolarov clearly has the potential of explosive returns, it seems only Vincent Kompany can be assured of regular starts in the back-four.
Peter Odemwingie
The Nigerian continued on from his starring role in the 5-1 win at Wolves as West Brom sent Sunderland back to Wearside with their tails between their legs. As our recent Numbers Game article indicated, the Baggies attack has been flourishing of late, with Odemwingie –having been moved out to the right- the main beneficiary of their increased forward threat. A brace against the Black Cats takes his tally to five in the last couple of gameweeks, compared to four in the previous twenty-four, as Odemwingie begins to finally replicate the form of last season. With games against Chelsea, United and Newcastle in the next four, though, Fantasy managers may yet be reluctant to take a punt on Roy Hodgson’s side, though the form is clearly on their side right now.
James Morrison
The Baggies midfielder justified his selection on the Scout Picks bench with yet another impressive performance. Morrison-who grabbed his side’s second just prior to half time- has now produced attacking returns in four of the last five gameweeks and, priced at just 5.3, is offering a consistency that has been rare in most other cut-price midfield options of late.
Keith Andrews
It’s two goals in two games for the former Blackburn man since moving to the Hawthorns in the January transfer window. Andrews came on as a sub for Paul Scharner in the previous gameweek and bagged a goal and assist and, with the Austrian still sidelined, the new boy was afforded a starting role this time round. Andrews grabbed the Baggies fourth and has now returned 18 points in a couple of appearances for Roy Hodgson’s side- whether his role in the first XI is assured is perhaps another matter, though with another stand-out performance, he may well have moved ahead of Scharner in the queue for a first-team place.
Didier Drogba
A return to domestic duties for the Ivorian helped Chelsea to their first win in five. Drogba bagged a goal and assist in the 3-0 stroll over Bolton to raise further questions over the ability of Fernando Torres to lead the Blues’ frontline. Torres had notched a couple of assists in Drogba’s African Cup of Nations absence but with the latter’s previous league match –in Gameweek 19- also bringing a goal his way, Drogba looks in the driving seat for the lone forward role. Post-match, however, Andre Villas-Boas admitted the player was a doubt for midweek international duty after suffering bruising in a second half challenge, with Drogba now set to be assessed by the club’s medical staff ahead of next week’s trip to West Brom.
Frank Lampard
Much was made of his midweek omission from the starting XI in Napoli, but Lampard returned to the Chelsea lineup with a bang yesterday. The midfielder mirrored Drogba’s goal and assist return and –pre-bonus- is now just a single point behind Juan Mata, with 113 points so far. It’s frustrating for Fantasy managers; when afforded a start, Lampard (who has now scored in three of his last four league starts) is clearly still capable of returning the points but, priced at 11.0, is too much of a risk, given Villas-Boas’ continued midfield tinkering.
David Luiz
The centre-half is slowly coming to the fore after a disappointing first two-thirds of the campaign. Luiz grabbed his second goal in successive home games, notching the opener after a goalless first forty-five minutes and, with a clean sheet also picked up against the toothless Trotters, returned his first double figure haul of the campaign. With John Terry out for around 6-8 weeks, his starts look assured right now and Luiz, priced at 6.3 with a 2% ownership, could prove to be a decent differential in the remaining third of the season if he can continue to step up in performance.
Papiss Demba Cisse
The January signing justified his selection in Friday’s Differentials article with the opener in Newcastle’s 2-2 draw against Wolves. Cisse has now scored in both his home games for Alan Pardew’s side and with Sunderland rolling up to Tyneside on the back of their 4-0 drubbing at West Brom, he’ll no doubt see Fantasy investment after yesterday’s goal. Cisse has wasted no time in adjusting to the Premier League and clearly has the potential to equal or even outperform Demba Ba- costing 7.0 to Ba’s 8.0 and with a 1% ownership compared to 27%, Fantasy managers may be mulling over a straight swap if Cisse continues to produce.
Kevin Doyle
With top scorer Steven Fletcher ruled out due to a virus, the chances of new Wolves boss Terry Connor producing a result at Newcastle seemed slim. When the midlanders went 2-0 down with only 17 minutes on the clock, the omens didn’t look good but Doyle came to the rescue to help salvage an unexpected point. The Irishman played a part in both his side’s goals, scoring and assisting for the second time in three weeks and, costing just 5.7, could be a decent cut-price option if he can nail down a place in the starting XI. Wolves now face Fulham, Blackburn, Norwich and Bolton in the next five and Doyle may well prove a pivotal player in their quest for survival.
Pavel Pogrebnyak
Fulham’s January window signing is proving to be an inspired acquisition by Martin Jol. Pogrebnyak won a place in the hearts of Cottagers fans with the only goal in the derby win at QPR, and has now scored in both his games since moving from Stuttgart. Jol went on the offensive tactically, fielding a 4-4-2 with Andy Johnson alongside the Russian, and his bravery paid off as his side won on the road for only the second time this season. Fulham’s next three home games (WOL, SWA, NOR) will have many Fantasy managers looking at Clint Dempsey but Pogrebnyak –priced at 6.0 and with 0.1% ownership- seems more than capable of racking up the points, too.
Ali Al-Habsi
A first clean sheet since Gameweek 17 vindicated our decision to highlight the Wigan keeper via Thursday’s Watchlist article. With just a couple of clean sheets since Gameweek 3, Al-Habsi’s save points have been crucial to his Fantasy potential and with 95 points on the board, he is now only 10 behind Newcastle’s Tim Krul. The Latics now have (SWAN, nor, WBA) up next, affording Al-Habsi a chance to climb further up the goalkeeper rankings.
