Papiss Cisse made Good Friday an excellent one for his Fantasy owners with yet another brace helping Newcastle to victory. Demba Ba continues to struggle out wide, while Yohan Cabaye was the chief creator as Alan Pardew’s side make it four wins in a row:
Papiss Cisse
Only four minutes were needed at the Liberty Stadium for the January signing to continue his incredible goalscoring form. Cisse added to his opener with a superbly executed lob midway through the second half to take his tally to nine goals in eight games since his move from Bundesliga outfit SC Freiburg and is surely set to pick up maximum bonus for the fourth match in succession. Newcastle have now won their last four with Cisse scoring or assisting every goal in a run that has seen them climb to fifth with six games remaining and, with home games against Bolton and Stoke on either side of a Gameweek 34 blank to follow, Fantasy managers are set to invest in their droves once again. Cisse has risen by 0.7 since Gameweek 30 but, after yesterday’s exhibition in finishing of the highest order, another rise before Monday’s deadline looks inevitable.
Demba Ba
A lacklustre display on the left flank saw the former West Ham man subbed off before the hour mark, with early-season Fantasy squad-filler Shane Ferguson his replacement. Ba looked a shadow of the figure who cut through Premier League defences with an emphatic ease in the first half of the season and, without a goal or assist for eight games, it’s clear just how much his potential has dimmed. With Cisse afforded the platform to shine as the Magpies’ lone forward, a straightforward swap seems the obvious route into Alan Pardew’s on-song outfit, with form and fixtures firmly on their side over the next few Gameweeks.
Yohan Cabaye
The Frenchman’s creativity was a crucial part of Lille’s title-winning season in Ligue 1 last season but, prior to yesterday, he had picked up a mere four assists. Cabaye’s passing proved pivotal for Newcastle at the Liberty, though, with a pair of smart assists for Cisse to feast upon – his first attacking returns since a goal against Man United in Gameweek 19. Similar to Cheick Tiote, he was subbed off after picking up a strain – Cabaye made way for Dan Gosling on 72 minutes but Pardew was optimistic post-match, revealing he is hopeful of both midfielders being available for Monday afternoon’s home clash with Bolton.
Swansea Rotation
Brendan Rodgers produced a couple of surprise changes, dropping his two top scorers as he looked to arrest a recent run of form that had brought back-to-back defeats the Swans’ way. Scott Sinclair and Danny Graham were replaced by Nathan Dyer and Luke Moore respectively but, despite all their possession, the Welsh side clearly lacked a cutting edge. With Swansea hosting Blackburn in Gameweek 34 while eight clubs face blanks, their Fantasy assets are likely to be subject to investment, though yesterday’s team sheet will perhaps have some Fantasy managers thinking twice over their short-term targets.
