With the midweek programme settled, we look back on the explosion from a Toffees tour de force, the new broom sweeping through St James’ Park and get all fidgety over our template midfields…
The Player
Having revived his fortunes with back-to-back clean sheets prior to last night’s clash with West Brom, Leighton Baines duly delivered his biggest haul of the season with a salvo of goals to earn David Moyes’ side the points. With Fantasy Premier League bonus points inevitably following, Baines’ haul of 17 points was his biggest of the season and rocketed him to the top of the defender rankings – a position that we’d always reserved for him since the start of the season.
There’s no question that the lively left-back has frustrated for the majority of this team. His price tag, set at 7.0 at the start of the season had seemed lofty and yet he ended last term on 7.7 and the previous season on 8.1 – if anything, Baines looked a pre-season bargain. However, with budget defenders the fashionable fit and Everton struggling for defensive returns, Baines has been one of Fantasy football’s luxury items, perhaps a treat indulged for select periods of the season, rather than a long-term fixture in our squads.
There’s no doubt that, from Gameweek 22, Baines entered a period where returns looked likely: three home games in four with a trip to Southampton in the sandwich. A slight injury doubt curbed the initial enthusiasm, but we always backed the former Latics man to come good over this spell and, with last night’s bonanza, he’s at last delivered on his promise.
The question now, is whether Baines should be kept in our squads for the long haul, or perhaps become victim to the cull in preparation for the forthcoming double Gameweek. That very weekend has Baines travel to Old Trafford, while Glen Johnson faces both West Brom and Swansea at home – the trade is an obvious one but one which will be made with some reluctance after last night’s showing. With a trip to Arsenal and a home clash with City to come in the next six, it’s clear that Baines may need to fall back on further attacking returns if he is to go on justifying our faith. For now though, we can marvel in a belated delivery that has seen Baines earn the Fantasy interest that his performances this season have deserved.
The Team
We shouldn’t get carried away by Newcastle’s three points at Villa Park. In the first half they swept aside a team that was woefully short on confidence and form – Tuesday night’s victory is perhaps not a barometer for what is to come from Alan Pardew’s men.
Even so, it’s the improvement in Papiss Cisse’s output, plus the blossoming form of Yohan Cabaye that caught the eye from Tuesday’s clash. Add a scattering of new signings, including a superb debut performance from Moussa Sissoko – deployed in a midfield support role just behind Cisse – and suddenly the Magpies appear to be presenting Fantasy managers with options.
Cabaye looks the most intriguing: at 6.6 he sits firmly in the mid-price and, from Gameweek 27 onwards, should warrant keen interest. Pardew’s side embark on a kind run of games in this window (SOT swa STO wig) – a four match spell which could see them scramble to mid-table safety, whilst thrusting their players forward as handy differentials.
The Talking Point
The allure of new targets like Cabaye, together with new January window arrivals and the shuffle of heavy-hitters with David Silva threatening form, will have many Fantasy managers focusing on the midfield area. There has been much written on these pages on the “template” team, much discussed on the board around the “Power Five” midfield.
While the form of both Theo Walcott and Juan Mata looks unshakable right now, and with Gareth Bale threatening an explosion of Villa proportions, whilst keeping things simmering with a fine goal at Norwich, our attention turns instead to the ailing pair of Michu and Marouane Fellaini.
I’ve personally endorsed the pair as season keepers but recent form has found this viewpoint come under scrutiny. Since Gameweek 17, the duo have offered just a single goal and two assists between them in 12 combined appearances. It’s hard to ignore that decline in the light of growing options vying for our attention.
Early adopters of the free-scoring couple will have significant funds tied up in them: that may breed a reluctance to risk shipping either, particularly Michu. As we’ve said before, however, that factor could play into the hands of the mini-league chasers who are forced to take risks and perhaps don’t stand to lose transfer funds should they decide to dump the Swansea man.
The double Gameweek will surely be enough to preserve Michu and even see his popularity rise again. Despite the blank looming in Gameweek 27, with three home fixtures in four to follow, logic suggests that keeping faith with the 13-goal midfielder is a wise path to take. Our Watchlist rankings go on reflecting that – we have faith that Swansea and Michu will come good again: in the light of Danny Graham’s sale confirmed today, the Swans look to be even more reliant on his goals.
Fellaini is perhaps more easily disposed of – there will be plenty who sold on for his recent three-match ban who may have returned to acquire him for Everton’s recent run of favourable fixtures. With ties against United, Arsenal and City on the horizon, there’s now reason to re-examine the options and decide whether Fellaini can return to his free-scoring ways and prove himself fixture-proof off the back of a hugely disappointing run of blanks.
This weekend’s potentially profitable Goodison clash with Villa will be a big factor on how that particular dilemma shapes up.
