A good day for the Merseysiders sees Luis Suarez grab three goals and an assist for Liverpool, while Nikica Jelavic is at the double as Everton move to second. Demba Ba bags a brace for Newcastle, Juan Mata has a hand in both Chelsea’s goals at Arsenal, Peter Crouch scores both Stoke’s goals against Swansea, Gareth Bale runs amok at Old Trafford and Steven Fletcher’s scoring streak shows no sign of slowing down:
Luis Suarez
It’s bandwagon time for the Uruguayan after yesterday’s sensational Carrow Road hat-trick and assist. Subject of a Watchlist piece earlier this week, Suarez hit Norwich for three for the second season running on the road and with home games against Stoke and Reading up next, he looks in the mood once again. While City and United forwards are subject to rotation, Liverpool’s threadbare first-team squad and current injury situation means there is no chance he will be rested for the league matches. Now up to five goals for the season – equal with Robin Van Persie – there’s no doubt he’ll tempt many; put simply, Suarez sees so much of the ball in the opposition box he will be afforded chances aplenty over the next couple of matches and has the perfect platform to continue his form as Brendan Rodgers’ side looks to register their first home win of the season.
Nikica Jelavic
Sent on as a sub late on in the Capital One Cup defeat at Leeds in midweek, it was far from certain whether Jelavic would start yesterday but the Croatian’s return to the Everton starting XI saw him grab a double against Southampton. While Marouane Fellaini, Steven Pienaar and Leighton Baines have picked up most of the Fantasy interest on the back of the Toffees’ brilliant start, Jelavic – with a single goal in the opening five Gameweeks – had dropped off the radar. Yesterday’s showing put him firmly back in our sights with a strong run of fixtures still to follow. The next seven Gameweeks all look hugely prosperous for David Moyes’ men and with Jelavic back amongst the goals, investment looks likely to pick up once again. His potential could now force the hand of many already holding the coveted Everton trio, with perhaps Steven Pienaar the most likely to be sacrificed by those looking to take up the option of Jelavic up front.
Demba Ba
It’s five goals in the last three Gameweeks for the Newcastle man as he moved to the top of the FPL scoring charts on 47 points and ahead of Robin Van Persie in the race for the Golden Boot. His recent displays have shown Alan Pardew just what he’s capable of if kept in a central role – the disappointing second half to last term is already a distant memory. Almost 200,000 FPL managers have snapped up the Senegal forward in the past couple of Gameweeks but even at 8.0, he looks a real bargain. Up next is a home clash with United and given the visitors’ inability to register clean sheets, plenty will continue to draft him in for the Red Devils’ showdown.
Steven Taylor
Newcastle’s run of injuries at the back continue with Taylor forced off on 56 minutes, a forced change which saw James Tavernier enter the fray. Pardew brought us this on the Taylor injury…
“He had a little bit of a strain in there and that’s his bad leg, so we didn’t want to chance it. That disruption cost us two goals if I’m honest. We looked comfortable up until then, but hopefully he will be okay for (Manchester) United.”
Juan Mata
Roberto Di Matteo once again fielded Mata alongside Eden Hazard and Oscar and the Spaniard thrived in a more attacking role at the Emirates. Mata supplied the assist for Ashley Cole’s winner last week against Stoke and produced a goal and two assists in the midweek Capital One Cup win over Wolves – with his fitness improving with every passing fixture, he was instrumental in ending Arsenal’s unbeaten start to the season. Di Matteo made no qualms in stressing the improvement in Mata in his post-match comments…
“Mata seems to be back in very good shape having had that little break we gave him. Since then he has been very good.”
Mata’s goal and assist in the lunchtime kick-off’s 2-1 win saw him maintain his recent form and with Eden Hazard returning a blank for the third game running, he certainly looks a strong alternative to the Belgian. Priced at a mere 8.8 in FPL in comparison to Hazard’s 10.3, many will be eyeing up a straight switch as a means of freeing up budget.
Peter Crouch
We handed him top billing in this week’s Spot the Differentials article and the Stoke forward delivered on his promise. Crouch bagged a brace in the 2-0 triumph as the Potters picked up their first win of the season to heap further misery on an out-of-sorts Swansea. Crouch has now moved ahead of Robin Van Persie in the FPL rankings on 42 points, with yet another maximum bonus haul as his boss, Tony Pulis, described him as “unplayable”. At the heart of virtually all his side’s attacking endeavours, Crouch has played a part in five of their six strikes, with four goals and an assist already to his name. While trips to Liverpool and United may deter many, he then has (SUN, nor, QPR, whm, FUL, NEW) in the following six fixtures, affording him plenty opportunity to add to his strong start to the campaign.
Steven Fletcher
There’s simply no stopping the Sunderland man right now. Fletcher maintained a scoring record that has seen him notch in every game for the Black Cats since moving to Wearside from Wolves this summer – indeed, he has scored every one of his side’s goals since making his debut at Swansea in Gameweek 3. Next up is a trip to City but with the champions failing to keep out any one of their six opponents thus far, Fletcher’s eye for goal could well see their backline breached once again at the Etihad next Saturday.
Gareth Bale
Having drawn blanks in his opening three fixtures, the Welshman was transferred out by huge amounts of Fantasy managers as Spurs struggled for form under Andre Villas-Boas. A goal and two assists in yesterday’s 3-2 thriller at Old Trafford means he has now averaged over 10 points per game from Gameweek 4 onwards as the London outfit finally begin to gel. Bale now has three home fixtures in the next four (AVL, CHE, sot, WIG) and looks irresistible right now – the bandwagon is up and running as we scramble to get back on board. While Bale has already attracted more transfers in than any other midfielder, it’s significant that the top two being sold are Eden Hazard and Michu – both players who were likely acquired at the expense of Bale due to their early season form.
City’s Forwards
After all the uncertainty, Carlos Tevez was handed a starting role alongside Sergio Aguero for the trip to Fulham. Unfortunately for his 50% owners, he was the only City striker not to get amongst the points as the champions came from behind to pick up a much-needed win. Aguero grabbed his first goal of the campaign, while Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko – both on as second-half subs – combined for the winner, with the former setting up the Serbian to fire home. With the Champions League schedule now kicking in and Aguero looking an outstanding differential, the Tevez sales could be set to continue as we reassess our frontline options. Looking at the fixture list, City have arguably one difficult fixture in the next nine Gameweeks – the potential for points looks hugely enticing for Roberto Mancini’s side but only Aguero managed the full 90 minutes yesterday; a sign, perhaps, of his manager’s reliance on the Argentine as the club’s number one forward.
The United Defence
Another Gameweek without a clean sheet as United were undone by Spurs at Old Trafford. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side seem incapable of keeping out their opponents right now and their defensive assets look far from enticing options, with Newcastle, Chelsea and Arsenal to follow in the next four. The frailties at the back, however, mean United are likely to go on the attack in order to win games – while Spurs’ speed on the counter proved their undoing, it still offers hope for owners of the likes of Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney further up the field. The hosts looked far superior in the second-half after Rooney’s introduction, though whether Ferguson will keep him out wide is perhaps debatable; a move to a central position, tucked in behind Van Persie could be on the cards next week and is worrying news for Shinji Kagawa’s owners, despite the Japanese playmaker’s goal yesterday. Kagawa tends to be utilised on the left for his country and could well be moved to the flank, though bearing in mind that Rooney and Van Persie have yet to start a game together, Ferguson has a tough decision to make ahead of next weekend’s difficult trip to the Sports Direct Arena.
Danny Guthrie
The former Newcastle midfielder was kept on the bench by Brian McDermott for the clash with Newcastle, missing his first league game of the season. As a dependable 4.4 option in midfield, Guthrie had attracted almost 5% ownership but now clearly faces a battle to regain his midfield starting berth. Guthrie’s comments, made via twitter post-match, perhaps reveal more on just why he’s struggling to cement his starting role.
“Great point today and performance from the boys – for those asking I’m bitterly disappointed not to play. I’m trying to fit into the direct style of play the manager wants and I pass to [sic] much at the minute which is my best asset I understand what the manger wants but stopping habits like going and getting the ball of the back 4 is difficult. I will adapt to what is asked of me…. The most important thing is the team!!!!”
