WEEK 10: Fantasy EPL REVIEW
Last week started with Manchester United squeezing out another tightly contested victory, this time against the Kane-less Spurs. A remarkably simple goal by sub Anthony Martial, uncommon these days for an elite league, was the difference. Then, we had the remaining four members of the “Big 6” collect all three points each. Manchester City’s and Liverpool’s wins were relatively easy, even though City’s 3-2 final score at West Brom suggests otherwise. Fernandinho and Sane collaborated on the first two, while Sterling added the third right after coming in off the bench. Jay Rodriguez (13’) and Matt Phillips (92’) were the scorers for WBA. As for Klopp’s fellows, Sturridge, Firmino and Wijnaldum secured a 3-0 win, after Salah had missed a penalty kick at the end of the first half. All three goals came after the half-time whistle.
Chelsea dominated Bournemouth on the road but had only goal to show for it, courtesy of Eden Hazard. The same can be said for Arsenal, although it had to overcome a 0-1 deficit at half-time. Kolasinac showed once again why he’s seen as one of the summer’s biggest bargains by scoring the first goal and then providing an assist for the second goal, which Aaron Ramsey put into the net. Watford continued its inconsistent ways, suffering an unexpected home defeat to Stoke. A Darren Fletcher early strike was all it took.
Then we had a 2-2 draw between the underachievers. West Ham led 0-2 at the half with goals from Hernandez and Ayew. A Milivojevic penalty and a 97th-minute game-saver by Zaha spared Palace’s blushes. As I mentioned in last week’s article, the encounter between the evenly matched mid-table teams ended in a draw. An early goal by Steven Davis was canceled out by Glenn Murray’s effort in the 52nd minute, as Brighton and Southampton shared the spoils. Leicester recorded its third straight win after Shakespeare got booted. Vardy and Demarai Gray wrote their names on the score sheet, with Mahrez and Fuchs providing the assists. Finally, on Monday, Burnley outhustled Newcastle 1-0 in a rather uneventful match.
Week 10 highest fantasy scorers
Goalkeepers: Nick Pope (Burnley), David de Gea (Manchester United), Jonas Lossl (Huddersfield), and all others who kept clean sheets.
Defenders: Sead Kolasinac (Arsenal), Christian Fuchs (Leicester), James Milner (Liverpool), Ben Mee (Burnley), Phil Jones (Manchester United).
Midfielders: Fernandinho (Manchester City), Leroy Sane (Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Darren Fletcher (Stoke), Demarai Gray (Leicester), Steven Davis (Southampton), Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal), Luka Milivojevic (Crystal Palace).
Forwards: Javier Hernandez (West Ham), Jamie Vardy (Leicester), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool).
WEEK 11: Fantasy EPL PREVIEW
Stoke vs. Leicester
– All I can say is that this smells like a draw. Take your pick as to who you think will grab the goals. It’s worth mentioning that none of Albrighton, Iheanacho and Okazaki started in last round’s game for The Foxes.
Huddersfield vs. West Bromwich
– WBA is free-falling at the moment. Huddersfield is protective of its home field, so they have the upper hand. 2-1, or will Albion spring a surprise?
Newcastle vs. Bournemouth
– This game is Newcastle’s for the taking, and if they play up to standard, they should win. I like Ayoze Perez and Matt Ritchie from this matchup, while my sleeper pick is Isaac Hayden (especially if he starts).
Southampton vs. Burnley
– The Saints have to find their form eventually, don’t they? Or am I just a naive believer? It’ll be tough going against Burnley, but the talent’s there to make it happen. Pellegrino keeps tweaking the lineup in search of the ideal combination. If you agree with what I wrote a few articles ago, he’s getting closer to finding the answer. At long last, Gabbiadini and Ward-Prowse played together from the first whistle. Now, if he would simply replace Romeu with Lemina and Boufal with Redmond, he just might find the answer he has been looking for. I predict Tadic will find the net, and I also believe it’s going to be a good day at the office for their entire defense.
Swansea vs. Brighton
– The Welsh side desperately needs a win here. Brighton is not an easy pill to swallow. I’m finding it difficult to trust Swansea, considering how many times they’ve disappointed me. However, I’m pretty sure they will score. Leroy Fer is possibly a sneaky fantasy contributor, while Gross is the obvious choice from Brighton.
West Ham vs. Liverpool
– Don’t blink, but Liverpool has kept two clean sheets in a row. Actually, The Reds have done it four times in their last five games (albeit two of them came against Maribor). This is the type of match they have to win, although I have a tough time convincing myself they’ll do so. The Hammers tend to show their teeth against the best, therefore I’m not as intrigued by Liverpool’s strike force as usual. Michail Antonio is a player for big matches. Keep an eye on him.
Tottenham vs. Crystal Palace
– It’s been a brutal schedule in recent weeks for Palace. Having played Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea in three of its last five game, now it’s time to take on another “big gun” – Tottenham Hotspur. The Spurs were far from impressive in the last outing as clear-cut favorites at Wembley, which was versus Bournemouth three weekends ago. It’s unlikely, but it could happen again, as Pochettino’s men went all out against Real Madrid in the Champions League, therefore the barrel might be empty. Don’t get me wrong, I still think they’ll win. I’m just not sure whether it’s going to be as festive as the tie suggests it should be. Alli bagged two versus the World Champions and Kane is back after missing the trip to Manchester last week.
Manchester City vs. Arsenal
– Now, we’ve come to the clashes of the titans. First, City takes on Arsenal. The last time The Gunners ran out onto the field against such a rival, they held Chelsea to a draw at Stamford Bridge despite being labeled as underdogs. It’s a similar scenario again. The Citizens are on a roll, making it hard to imagine what Wenger can do to stop them, especially knowing his poor career record when facing Guardiola. As I see it, avoiding humiliation will be a success for the North Londoners. Kyle Walker is playing like one of the top five right backs in Europe right now. He’s the one I like from this matchup, alongside De Bruyne and whoever starts between Jesus and Aguero.
Chelsea vs. Manchester United
– And then we have what can only be described as the game of the season up until now. The reigning champions vs. the title hopefuls. Conte vs. Mourinho. Everything has gone wrong for the Italian, while everything has gone right for the Portuguese so far. Will the trend continue, or will fortune switch sides? One thing is certain: Chelsea’s performance in Rome mid-week was the last straw. Conte’s fury was released and motivation will be high for The Blues. The question is, will it be enough? Even though a tied game is the most likely scenario, I do believe Chelsea just might pull this one out. I don’t anticipate any fireworks, though. Morata has been missing the target right and left. He will find his aim eventually. Manchester can only hope it doesn’t happen on Sunday.
Everton vs. Watford
– Oh my, oh my, oh my, Everton! This is not how this season was supposed to develop. Loss after loss, they have been eliminated from the Europa League after only four rounds and find themselves in the relegation zone in the Premier League. Now comes Watford, a free-flowing team that can cause them all kinds of trouble, yet a team that can also become a springboard toward changes in a positive direction due to their own issues with consistency. It could be an entertaining affair for neutral viewers. From a fantasy perspective, however, I’d avoid defenders and goalkeepers.