A South Coast South American bewilders the Magpies to turn our heads again. Chris Hughton’s battlers go on defying the odds to present a determined barrier and Fantasy managers are left pondering whether less is more…
The Player
Southampton’s record signing arrived with expectations high after he snapped up eight Serie A goals for Bologna in the previous campaign. Gaston Ramirez quickly settled into his stride, producing a goal and assist over his first two league starts before a leg injury saw him fall off Fantasy radars.
As injuries ease up and the Saints become accustomed to life in the Premier League, Nigel Adkins’ side are starting to climb the table, with a consistency of tactics and selection both crucial to their recent unbeaten three-match run. With Jack Cork stabilising central midfield alongside Morgan Schneiderlin and Luke Shaw now preferred to Danny Fox at left-back, Adkins has settled on a 4-2-3-1 formation and his decision to hand Ramirez the role in “the hole” behind Rickie Lambert has proved instrumental in recent matches.
Afforded the freedom to torment the Magpies, Ramirez was superb in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Newcastle, teeing up Adam Lallana for the opener before firing home the second for a 12 point Fantasy Premier League (FPL) haul as the Saints won back-to-back matches for the first time this term. While a record of two goals conceded in their last three is indicative of an upturn in resilience, Adkins’ side’s chances of survival will likely depend on their ability to find the net and, looking at the stats, Ramirez’s presence is crucial. Southampton have notched 11 times in the six games he has started, compared to nine in seven without him in the first XI.
With home clashes against Norwich, Reading and Sunderland on the horizon, the potential for further points looks profitable over the next few. Although Adam Lallana offers a similar mid-price route into Adkins’ midfield and Jason Puncheon is the cut-price option, it’s the 6.0 FPL priced Uruguayan who looks the real flair punt for Fantasy managers; his undoubted class may well prove the catalyst in ensuring the Saints’ recent ascent continues.
The Team
With a total of three clean sheets accrued in the previous campaign under Paul Lambert, Norwich’s defensive prospects were given a wide berth as the season got underway. A 5-0 opening day defeat looked ominous for the Canaries defensive returns but Chris Hughton has slowly turned things around and transformed his side into one of the most resolute backlines in the Premier League.
While John Ruddy remains from last season’s side, Norwich’s defence in recent weeks has been entirely of Hughton’s making, with Steven Whittaker, Michael Turner, Seb Bassong and Javier Garrido all brought to Carrow Road over the summer. Three consecutive 1-0 home wins, including triumphs over Arsenal and United, have afforded Fantasy managers plenty of cut-price options amongst Hughton’s charges, with just two goals conceded in their last six Gameweeks.
The weekend trip to Everton looked a real test. The Toffees had scored at least twice in each of their last four home matches but not only did the visitors restrict their hosts to a single goal, they clinched a late point thanks to Bassong’s late leveller, with Garrido supplying the assist. The latter’s recent exploits earned him 70,000 new suitors last weekend to take his FPL price to 4.7 – the costliest of Hughton’s defensive regulars. While Turner is now sidelined with a few weeks due to a shoulder injury, Bassong (4.5) and Whittaker (4.3) look intriguing alternatives in defence, while Ruddy, at 4.7, has now leapt to the top of the FPL keeper standings.
In a season where United have just two clean sheets to their name and Chelsea kept out their opponents for the first time since Gameweek 5 on Sunday, many Fantasy managers are looking for ways to free up budget in defence. Having scored more than a single goal on just one occasion this term, Hughton’s side may look far from enticing going forward but at the back, the value on offer at Carrow Road is looking harder to ignore as the campaign progresses.
The Talking Point
Gameweek 13 found Fantasy managers pondering their expensive assets in their squads and with good reason. Incredibly, only four players over 8.0 delivered goals or assists this weekend: Wayne Rooney earned his sixth assist of the season in the stuttering win over QPR, whilst Gareth Bale, Clint Dempsey and Andy Carroll all fetched returns in the same match at White Hart Lane on Sunday. Given that the latter pairing have a combined ownership of just over 2% and we can safely say that many Fantasy managers were struggling to extract value for money from Gameweek 13.
To compound matters, it was a strong weekend for the mid-price and budget player, with the aforementioned Southampton starlets shining bright, along with the likes of Charlie Adam, Zoltan Gera, Jordi Gomez and Shane Long.
While plenty reach for the panic button, then, we can afford to take a step back and summarise that the weekend was hardly typical of what has gone before, or what is likely to follow.
With so many heavy-hitters falling short, those quite used to strong weekly returns will currently be licking wounds and perhaps contemplating changes and even “downgrades”. There perhaps should be caution and, with a Gameweek now just 24-hours away, we can afford our established assets a little patience, as the quick turnaround in fixtures hands them an immediate opportunity to restore our faith.
