Sky Sports Focus – Gameweek 22

After back-to-back double Gameweeks it’s time to assess the usual info including Man of the Match (MoTM) awards, bonus point beneficiaries and the current market trends. As always, we also look ahead to the forthcoming fixtures, offering our preferred captain setup, with one eye on Gameweek 23.

Gameweek 20 Man of the Match Awards

Listed below is a match-by-match breakdown of the players that won the plaudits from the Sky Sports reporters last time out, earning five additional points for the Man-of-the-Match award.

Over the double Gameweek, four defenders, eleven midfielders and five forwards shared the awards. Eden Hazard picked up his seventh of the season and has now been awarded more MoTM awards than any other player, one more than Wayne Rooney and Curtis Davies. West Brom’s wonderkid Saido Berahino picked up the award twice over the two matches and comes in at only 5.9 million – for those opting for an expensive five in midfield, he looks a decent enabler.

Gameweek 20 Bonus Points

Five goalkeepers managed five saves or more – Hugo Lloris, Vito Mannone, David Marshall, David Stockdale and Jussi Jaaskelainen were the top shot-stoppers. Jaaskelainen has now joined Brad Guzan and Simon Mignolet at the top of the bonus points table with 10 additional points.

In defence, a total of 13 players gathered bonus, eight for tackles and eight for passes completed – the three players who managed to achieve both were Kyle Naughton, Daniel Agger and Vincent Kompany. Crystal Palace full-back Joel Ward is still the top defender for bonus points overall with an additional 18 points.

In midfield, 30 players earned bonus points – 19 for tackling and 20 for passes. Several players managed to gather both over the two games but a special mention for Cheick Tiote and Steve Sidwell, who both gained six additional points each after a combination of passing and tackling. Liverpool’s Lucas is now the top bonus-point darling in midfield, with 30 additional points earned.

Chelsea’s Andre Schurrle will have impressed his manager Jose Mourinho as he was the only forward to earn bonus for four completed tackles, earning himself an additional two points.

A reminder that Fantasy Football Scout Members can access all the data regarding bonus points using player stats and clicking the Sky Sports tab.

The Transfer Trends

Top Transfers Out

Injury reigns supreme as all of the players mentioned above have found themselves hampered by the festive schedule. Dejan Lovren returned to the first team last week after a bout of illness, whilst Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud are both in contention for Arsenal’s trip to Villa on Monday.

Top Transfers In

The top two transfers in, Eden Hazard and Adam Lallana, look like direct replacements for Arsenal duo Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey as they come in at virtually the same price. Yaya Toure and Seamus Coleman’s form has been too good to ignore and it’s easy to why they are amongst the top five in. Alvaro Negredo looks like something of a stop-gap whilst we await the return of Sergio Aguero.

Gameweek 22 Proposed Captain Strategy

Looking ahead to the captaincy choices for Gameweek 22, there is an opportunity for three armband options if you choose to use a transfer for Monday night’s game.

Our Strategy:
Emmanuel Adebayor (Crystal Palace at Home) → Luis Suarez (Stoke Away) → Mesut Ozil (Aston Villa Away)

For Saturday January 11, Romelu Lukaku is also an option as he plays at home to Norwich. For the fixtures on Sunday 12, we opt for a captain change to Liverpool’s Luis Suarez who squares up to Stoke at the Britannia. Alternatively, a Man City asset is an option.

Arsenal roll up to Villa Park on Monday the 13th and, with Aston Villa’s defence looking shaky in recent weeks, Ozil looks a good option for points – as an added bonus, Arsenal play at home to Fulham on Saturday 18, where again he looks an enticing option.

The Fantasy Football Scout League

Our own Fantasy Football Scout League is on top of the Private League rankings. With a £1,000 prize to the winner, you’d be mad not to get involved. To join, visit Sky Sports Fantasy Football and key in League Name: FFScout, League Code: 8000112.

The Fantasy Football Club

This Friday The Fantasy Football Club show, where you can catch Fenners and Merse at 18:30 Skysports One HD where they will be discussing the previous week’s Fantasy Football events and quizzing Benito Carbone for his #One2Eleven.