WEEK 9: Fantasy EPL REVIEW
Week 9 started off with Brighton’s first road win in the Premiership. Even though West Ham controlled the game, Brighton made good use of their chances, with Izquierdo and Murray (twice) finding the net. The 34-year-old veteran is back and has brought with him a newfound confidence. Propper and Gross had an assist each. Meanwhile, despite playing a fully healthy squad, The Hammers’ struggles continue. I don’t think a Bilic sack is far on the horizon.
Just like in Week 1 against Liverpool, Watford couldn’t hold on to a well-earned lead at Stamford Bridge. They got lucky that time versus The Reds and saved a draw. Luck wasn’t on their side this time around, though, as Batshuayi came in as a substitute and helped turn the game around. Pedro opened the scoring with a brilliant effort, at which point everyone thought it was going to be an easy win for The Blues. A late rebound goal by Doucoure before the half and an open-netter by Roberto Pereyra right after turned the game on its head. Morata came off in the 60th minute, and his replacement, Batshuayi, tied the game in the 70th. Both squads had opportunities, yet Azpilicueta was the one who infused Chelsea fans with joy in the 87th minute. After that, it was all routine, and a defensive mistake led to Batshuayi’s second goal. In general, it was an entertaining contest. I’d single out Richarlison as the most impressive player on the field, as he was a constant threat with his quickness and savvy movement. The Brazilian is for real.
The afternoon games brought a shocker, as Huddersfield defeated Manchester United 2-1. The Red Devils won the time of possession, but chances were few and far in between. Mooy and Depoitre scored the goals for The Terriers in the first half, after two errors by Lindelof (who came in as a substitute in the 20th minute for injured Phil Jones) and Mata, while Rashford cut the lead in the 78th minute. I wouldn’t want to be in the United dressing room after such a poor display.
City took care of business against Burnley, a match that saw Sergio Aguero come back from injury and score a goal from the penalty spot. Otamendi and Sane were the other goal scorers in the clean sheet, yet another great fantasy game for City players. Swansea and Stoke suffered 2-1 home losses to the coach-less Leicester and Bournemouth, respectively. Two quick-hit goals by Surman and Stanislas were enough to see off The Potters, while Okazaki was the difference maker once again in The Foxes’ victory. Mikel Merino grounded Crystal Palace with an 86th-minute winner for Newcastle. The same final score applied to Southampton’s home win against WBA, with Boufal’s game-winner coming a minute earlier (85’). Neither Nathan Redmond nor Matt Phillips started and came late into the game as substitutes, likely disappointing some fantasy owners.
Sunday brought plenty of goals — 12, to be precise. First, Arsenal sent Ronald Koeman packing in a 2-5 thrashing of Everton at Goodison Park. The Toffees looked over-matched, outclassed and showed no desire to defend after they fell behind in the second half. The Gunners kept piling on chance after chance, Everton was lucky to escape with “only” five in the back of the net. Ozil, Sanchez and Ramsey were the best players on the field, and the stat sheet only confirms that.
Then, Tottenham made it look simple against Liverpool. Two Lovren mistakes led to goals by Kane and Son, and in the blink of an eye, The Spurs were in control. Lovren’s display was so terrible that he was substituted in the 31st minute. Salah got one back, and just as it seemed The Reds, who controlled the possession for most of the game, would go into half-time on a high, a poorly defended free kick led to an Alli rebound goal. Kane scored another one in the 56th minute, and the match was all but over after that. The entire affair practically denied Klopp’s notion (he stated before the season that his defense is great and doesn’t need reinforcements) that he’s satisfied with the central defenders he has (Matip, Lovren, Klavan) and made him look silly. After the progress made last season, Liverpool is going in the wrong direction and is back battling for a Europa League spot instead of a Champions League one.
All in all, it was a poor fantasy week for goalkeepers and defenders, with even the highest scorers not accruing a significant number of points.
Week 9 highest fantasy scorers
Goalkeepers: Robert Elliott (Newcastle), Mathew Ryan (Brighton), Ederson (Manchester City), Fraser Forster (Southampton).
Defenders: Nicolas Otamendi (Manchester City), Virgil Van Dijk (Southampton), Bruno (Brighton), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle), Maya Yoshida (Southampton), Alfie Mawson (Swansea).
Midfielders: Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Stanislas (Bournemouth), Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal), Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal), Pedro (Chelsea), Leroy Sane (Manchester City), Riyah Mahrez (Leicester).
Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Glenn Murray (Brighton), Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea), Laurent Depoitre (Huddersfield), Shinji Okazaki (Leicester).
WEEK 10: Fantasy EPL PREVIEW
Manchester United vs. Tottenham
– If you asked me last week to predict this match, I would’ve said a draw. After Manchester’s loss and Kane’s questionable to play injury status, things are leaning United’s way. I don’t expect a high-scoring affair, with moments rather than overall play deciding the outcome.
Arsenal vs. Swansea
– The Gunners looked rejuvenated last weekend, but I believe that was more due to Everton’s impotence than Arsenal’s competence. Regardless, at this point, it’s clear they are not a team you can trust on any given week. Swansea, however, shouldn’t represent much of an obstacle, so you can go ahead and thrust some of Arsenal’s players into your fantasy lineup. From what I’ve seen so far, Ramsey is the key cog in Wenger’s engine. Without him, they’re like an old, blunt, rusty spear. No matter what you do, you throw it and it can’t hit the target. He’s the spear sharpener. When he’s in form and pulling the strings in midfield, Arsenal is more direct and plays with confidence.
Crystal Palace vs. West Ham
– This is a duel of the biggest underachievers this season. Palace should be the more motivated side, although West Ham did eliminate The Spurs in the English Cup midweek. Javier Hernandez and Marko Arnautovic haven’t scored in a while and are the players I’d choose from Bilic’s squad. Zaha is Palace’s main threat. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sakho did something influential as well. Palace’s defense looks much better with his leadership and flair.
Liverpool vs. Huddersfield
– This could be a forgettable game for Huddersfield. The Reds are itching to release their frustrations on someone, and unfortunately for the newcomers, they are visiting Anfield at a bad time. There should be Liverpool players all over the top of the highest scorers chart come next week.
Watford vs. Stoke
– It’s difficult to trust a team with a shaky, unreliable defense such as Watford’s. Yes, they’re very dangerous and can beat anyone, but they can also lose to anyone. On paper, this should be a great fantasy day for Marco Silva’s men. However, I’m hesitant to rush to conclusions, especially against Stoke, who is as unstable as Watford. Deeney and Richarlison are my potential goal scorers.
West Bromwich vs. Manchester City
– The Citizens suffered a hiccup in the cup, as they couldn’t break through Wolverhampton, who took them to penalties. Claudio Bravo’s heroics during the game and during the penalties saved Pep from blushes. WBA represent a similar challenge, so it could have been the perfect training match in preparation for this one. It won’t be easy, but The Baggies are not as good as they appeared to be at the start of the season, and are slowly but surely beginning to fade. It’s just going to be more pick-and-choose who’s going to score than start everyone, most of all regarding Aguero and/or Gabriel Jesus.
Bournemouth vs. Chelsea
– The Cherries finally got one in the win column – a boost of confidence before the champs come to town. Chelsea can ill afford any more slip-ups after what has been a roller coaster couple of weeks. Bournemouth is going to give them a game, yet I doubt it’ll be enough to prevent them from taking home three points. Unless Conte decides to reward Batshuayi with a start after last week’s performance, I fully expect Morata to put his name back on the score sheet.
Brighton vs. Southampton
– As unreal as it sounds, these two teams are relatively even in all aspects at the moment. Unless The Saints improve rapidly, Pellegrino could become the fourth manager after Shakespeare, Koeman and Bilic (he hasn’t been fired yet, but I think it’s just a matter of time) to be fired this season. Despite their technical superiority, they will find it tough against a Brighton bunch that’s really coming together.
Leicester vs. Everton
– Speaking of coaches, Leicester anointed Claude Puel as their new manager. I don’t know how much of an influence he’ll have in his first game in charge, but judging by The Foxes’ two consecutive victories (Swansea in the league and Leeds in the cup), it doesn’t really matter. They face a team that’s in a similar predicament, although my opinion is that Everton is a much more dysfunctional unit. Thus, Vardy and Mahrez should lead the way to a third consecutive win.
Burnley vs. Newcastle
– Monday pits together the two biggest overachievers this season. Burnley suffered somewhat of a blow, as striker Chris Wood left their last game with a hamstring injury and will miss this contest. The hope is that Vokes will be able to recuperate in time for this one. I reckon there will be no fireworks in this tight battle between two evenly matched sides.