Gameweek 10 - FPL - EPL

Gameweek 10 proved to be another action packed round of premier league fixtures full of goals, cautions and controversy.  The only thing that seemed to be missing was a decent number of clean sheets! 

Awesome Arsenal

Arsenal against Chelsea was another big clash between two of the premier league’s heavyweights, and once again I was treated to a high scoring match full of attacking end to end football.  I thought I had seen it all when Man United beat Arsenal 8-2 or when Man City defeated Man United 6-1, but this game at Stamford Bridge served up another goal feast as Arsenal humbled Chelsea 5-3!

But what does all this mean for us fantasy football managers?  In my opinion, there are a few key takeaways from this game.  First, Robin van Persie is in superb goal scoring form, and 3 goals, an assist and 3 bonus points in this game confirms his position as a ‘must have’ striker.  RVP has now scored an amazing 7 goals in his last 3 premier league games, and in one of those games he was only on the pitch for 25 minutes!

The second key takeaway from the game is the poor state of the Chelsea defense.  Chelsea are playing great attacking football, but unlike league leaders Man City, Chelsea are not able to combine the attacking play with solid defensive football.  Chelsea’s style of football is too open, and it is leaving them exposed at the back.  The result is a Chelsea team that have kept just one clean sheet in the league all season, which simply isn’t good enough considering the cost of their defenders in the FPL.

My final takeaway will be the impressive form of two of Chelsea’s attacking midfielders.  While the attacking play may be costing them at the back, it is at the same time yielding good attacking points for fantasy football managers. The two players that really caught my eye were Mata and Lampard, who both got a goal and an assist in the game.

Blackburn so close yet so far

Poor old Steve Kean saw his Blackburn team draw with Norwich after they were just minutes away from a much needed morale boosting victory.  Blackburn conceded 2 very unlucky late goals – one from an unlucky deflection and the other a result of a very weak penalty decision.  Until Blackburn’s luck starts to turn, it would seem sensible for fantasy managers to avoid their players for the time being.

Man United Return to ‘Business as Usual’

For Man United, the match away at Everton was a hugely important game to win after the humiliating defeat at the hands of fierce local rivals Man City in Gameweek 9.  After conceding 6 goals against City, Sir Alex Ferguson will have been looking for a clean sheet and 3 points, and that is exactly what his team delivered.

Evra put in a fine display with an assist and 2 bonus points to compliment his clean sheet points.  For fantasy managers, it is worth noting the commanding impact of Vidic on his return to the Man United defense, which could be a signal of more clean sheets to come.

The other big factor to note from this game was that it was another game without a goal from Rooney.  Rooney has not scored a league goal since gameweek 5, which interestingly was the game when he had that horrendous penalty miss against Chelsea after slipping before striking the ball.

While many will be asking whether the miss has affected his confidence, the real question for fantasy managers that own Rooney is whether they can continue to justify owning such an expensive striker when he simply isn’t scoring goals.

Man City Win….Again!

The Man City bandwagon continued on Saturday as Wolves were the latest team to feel the full force of City’s attacking abilities.  Mancini once again rotated his squad around, and many fantasy managers will have been frustrated to see the in-form pair of Milner and Balotelli starting on the bench.  Elsewhere in the game, Kompany was sent off, which means he will miss the trip to QPR in gameweek 11 and return after the international break , so having him is not a good option.

Spurs Go Marching On

Harry Redknapp has continued the positive momentum at Spurs with another victory, which sees the team from White Hart Lane move up to 4th equal in the premier league.  Once again Adebayor looked lively in the game, but the real standout performances from a fantasy perspective were from Gareth Bale and the in-form Dutchman Van der Vaart.

You will no doubt be reading in the press about the massive influence Scott Parker is having at Spurs.  Whilst I agree he is a great player for Spurs, he is a classic example of when a great club player isn’t always a great fantasy player.  Whilst Redknapp may give Parker high praise, in fantasy terms the Spurs midfielder is far from impressive with no goals and just one assist since arriving at White Hart Lane, which are stats worth considering if you were thinking about buying him.

Demba Ba Bags Another Hat-Trick

The Monday night fixture saw Newcastle take on Stoke at the Brittania.  While Stoke has proved to be a tough place to visit this season, you wouldn’t have known it given Demba Ba‘s performance.  Ba scored his second hat-trick of the season, and given his price tag of £6.5m it makes him a clear transfer target.  My only word of caution is related to Newcastle’s upcoming fixture list, as the Magpies have Man City, Man United and Chelsea in successive weeks from gameweek 12 onwards.

Gerrard Injury Blow

Steven Gerrard failed to take to the pitch on Saturday as a result of an ankle infection. Liverpool expect to discover the full extent of Steven Gerrard’s latest injury setback later this week, but signs do not look hopeful after the player was pictured on crutches and in plaster after having hospital treatment on the injury.

Liverpool Keep Their Run Going

On the more positive side for Liverpool, the two nil victory over West Brom meant they have not lost in their last 5 league games. Charlie Adam and Andy Carroll were Liverpool’s two goalscorers in the victory over the Baggies.

The Elusive Clean Sheet

To finish, I am going to point out the obvious, but just how elusive are clean sheets this season in the premier league!  Over the last 3 gameweeks, there have been just 8 clean sheets out of a possible 60!  Surely this shows the attacking strength of the clubs in the premier league, and for fantasy managers it suggests it is simply not worth paying big money for expensive defenders as the chances of them keeping clean sheets are low.  A stat worth considering.