With a festive Gameweek 19 all unwrapped, we get straight back into the action with the double Gameweek 20 just around the corner. We cast an eye over the Man of the Match (MoTM) awards and bonus point beneficiaries before taking a look at the Scout team and our future plans.
Gameweek 19 Man of the Match Awards
These were the players that caught the eye of the Sky Sports reporters from last weekend’s fixtures, achieving the Man of the Match award (worth an additional five points).
| Fixture | MoTM |
| Man City vs Crystal Palace | David Silva |
| Aston Villa vs Man United | Jores Okore |
| Hull vs Swansea | Jonjo Shelvey |
| QPR vs West Brom | Charlie Austin |
| Southampton vs Everton | James Ward-Prowse |
| Tottenham vs Burnley | Erik Lamela |
| West Ham vs Leicester | Andy Carroll |
| Newcastle vs Sunderland | Adam Johnson |
| Liverpool vs Arsenal | Martin Skrtel |
| Stoke vs Chelsea | Nemanja Matic |
| Leicester vs Tottenham | Hugo Lloris |
| Crystal Palace vs Southampton | Saido Mane |
| Sunderland vs Hull | Gaston Ramirez |
| Everton vs Stoke | Geoff Cameron |
| West Brom vs Man City | David Silva |
| Burnley vs Liverpool | Raheem Sterling |
| Swansea vs Aston Villa | Gylfi Sigurdsson |
| Man United vs Newcastle | Wayne Rooney |
| Chelsea vs West Ham | Eden Hazard |
| Arsenal vs QPR | Alexis Sanchez |
One goalkeeper, three defenders, 12 midfielders and four forwards collected the awards over the double, with Man City’s David Silva the stand out performer after picking up the gong in both his matches. Eden Hazard added his seventh MoTM of the season to his total and is now just two short of the nine he earned last campaign. Raheem Sterling and Alexis Sanchez both collected their third award in a week that saw the eight highest owned players in the game all earn a decent haul of points.
Gameweek 19 Bonus Points
Eight goalkeepers achieved bonus points from collecting five or more saves. West Ham’s Adrian helped his team’s cause with an impressive 11 over the two matches. Robert Green extended his lead at the top with another two points bringing his total to 16, meaning he’s now six points clear of the chasing pack.
In defence, 15 players grabbed bonus, 13 for tackles and four for passes completed. Marc Muniesa and Jonny Evans were the players to earn bonus twice. Evans managed to complete 132 passes in the Gameweek, again highlighting a shift in style under Louis van Gaal. Dejan Lovren and Martin Skrtel are the top-performing defenders in terms of bonus with 14 additional points so far.
In midfield, there were 28 beneficiaries in total: 16 for tackling and 17 for passes. Five central midfielders snagged double bonus, including Nemanja Matic, Gareth Barry, Santi Cazorla, Lucas and Carlos Sanchez. Cesc Fabregas and Yaya Toure are now hot on Morgan Schneiderlin’s heels and are just two points behind the Frenchman’s trend-setting 28 points so far.
Amongst the forwards, Wayne Rooney was the only player to benefit – his new role in attacking midfield helped him to earn passing bonus.
Fantasy Football Scout members can access all information regarding bonus points using player stats and clicking the Sky Sports tab.
My Team
Fabianski
Bertrand Hutton Robertson
Hazard© Silva Downing Sigurdsson
Rooney Giroud Costa
ITB: 0.3m
Transfers remaining: 22/40
Last week’s points: 160
Overall points: 1103
Rank: 383
Notes
A good week overall, with Wayne Rooney’s 20 points against Newcastle and David Silva’s 32 over both matches the real highlights. Olivier Giroud did his best to sabotage my efforts with his ludicrous red card but I can’t complain after his recent scores.
However, Giroud’s dismissal now provides me with a dilemma in seeking out a replacement. I could finally bite the bullet and bring in points machine Cesc Fabregas, play the fixtures and go with Raheem Sterling again or snap up budget sensation Charlie Austin. I can see the merits of all three but to be honest I’m not sure which way I’m going at this stage. With only a day to think about it, I’ll have to hope I make the right decision.
Another factor playing on my mind is the return of Sergio Aguero in the New Year. Any moves I make now are going to be with half an eye on my budget, ensuring I have the cash available to bring him in as soon as he’s up and running.
Captain plan
My captain plan hinges on whether I bring in Raheem Sterling. If I don’t, I’ll probably use my swap before Sunday’s matches to give the armband to David Silva, meaning I’ll have him as my skipper at home to Burnley and then Sunderland – given his form, that looks a good choice right now.
If I do decide to bring Sterling in, then I’ll leave the captain slot on Eden Hazard for Chelsea’s trip Southampton and then switch it to Sterling for Mondays night’s game against Swansea, meaning I’ll also have the armband on him for when Leicester roll up to Anfield on New Year’s Day.
Two tasty looking captains vs three slightly iffy ones when you consider their form – in the past, quality has often trumped quantity for me but again that’s another last-minute decision to mull over.
The Fantasy Football Scout League
Once again, we’re running our own Fantasy Football Scout League this season and we’re currently topping the Private League rankings. With a £1000 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 and league code: 8009000.
The Fantasy Football Club
The Fantasy Football Club show is on this Friday at 18:30 SkySports One HD, where Fenners and Merse will be discussing the upcoming week’s Fantasy Football and going through their latest guest star’s #One2Eleven.
