Fixture Analysis Gameweek 22 FPL Fantasy Premier League

FAVOURABLE FIXTURES

SUNDERLAND – Southampton (H), Stoke (H), Newcastle (A), Hull (H)

‘Slowly, slowly catchy monkey’ may be the best way to describe Gus Poyet’s mini revolution at The Black Cats. That was, until last week, when they finally exploded at Fulham and propelled themselves from the foot of the table at long last. It was against Fulham though, as a word of caution, and everyone seems to be having a field day when it’s Fulham time! There has been a definite improvement at Sunderland though since the arrival of the new boss but it has taken time to translate properly into meaningful results. That win may well be the catalyst they needed to push on and make a proper fist of surviving this season which is now a realistic goal. They may well still be second from bottom but in reality they are only one point away from West Ham in 17^th and the next four fixtures offer every opportunity for them to climb the table to safety.

Three home fixtures in the next four are split by a local derby with their nearest and dearest, but that one aside, Sunderland fans will be hoping that their win at Fulham can inspire some belief in the team and they may actually have something to cheer on at home in the next few weeks. The fact that they have a run of games that doesn’t see them having to face any team in the top seven, is in itself, a suggestion that this is a crucial period for Sunderland. Southampton, Stoke and Hull all visit the Stadium of Light in the next four and whilst all three games could be tricky in their own right, home advantage alone should see them as favourites for most of these. Should they make reasonable progress in the next four then they will have a really good chance of staying up this season. A quick glance beyond these four though really tells us why these are so crucial – Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool, all away from home, ouch!

Despite winning the last three in all competitions Sunderland haven’t actually kept a clean sheet since they visited Goodison Park on Boxing Day but that should not deter you completely as they have only conceded six in that run of five games, so the indications are there that they are getting things right defensively, slowly. Vito Mannone and Phil Bardsley look like they both may offer good value for money in the next four then.

Adam Johnson has not been on the fantasy radar for quite some time but a hat-trick last weekend will alert many once more to his potential. Obviously he isn’t going to do that every week but at £6.4m he could be a good budget option as a 4^th or 5^th midfielder should you be looking to spend more on your attack, which many will be shortly with the imminent return of Aguero and also with Sturridge now being fit again. Last weeks haul of a mighty 22 points now makes Johnson Sunderland’s highest overall points scorer so far this season and so with a nice run of fixtures ahead some will be tempted to take a punt of the explosive winger. Talking of budget options, team-mate Ki Sung-Yueng has had a very slow start to his Sunderland career but he has now scored two in the last four and at just £4.8m he may be what you are looking for from a 5th midfielder.

ARSENAL – Fulham (H), Southampton (A), Crystal Palace (H), Liverpool (A)

Arsenal are still top of the table, after a narrow victory on Monday night at Villa Park that they really ought to have wrapped up earlier rather than having to see the game out at the end but that is the sort of result that marks out potential champions. The next three games see them host two local rivals in Fulham and Crystal Palace with a trip to Southampton in-between. The fourth game is a tough one away at Liverpool but certainly the next three are games that Wenger will expect to be picking up maximum points from. The way Fulham have capitulated as of late, they will be fearing the worst this week as Arsenal have been in great form at home and we could well see a cricket score in this one! The trip to the Saints will be no pushover for Arsenal and likewise Crystal Palace have tightened up at the back and are getting some better results lately but in reality they should have enough to see them through these two ahead of a mouth watering clash with Liverpool in game-week 25.

Despite conceding that goal against Villa, Arsenal still boast the joint best defensive record in the league and have only conceded six at home all season. With that in mind take your pick of their backline for the next few games, especially the home ones. Heck, pick two! Wojciech Szczesny is still top of  Goalkeepers points wise overall and while he is one of the more expensive keepers he is obviously producing the goods on a fairly consistent basis for his owners. There are cheaper routes into the Arsenal defence though with Bacary Sagna and Laurent Koscielny both costing less than their keeper and of course also offering the potential for attacking returns.

With Theo Walcott having sadly been stricken by a disastrous knee injury last week which resulted in him being ruled out for the season, many who had just brought him back in will now have to look for an alternative if they choose to still have Arsenal coverage in their midfield. Mesut Ozil seemed like the obvious go-to guy if you could afford him but many are questioning his returns for such a hefty price-tag. It may be worth pointing out though that he is still the 5^th highest scoring midfielder in the game and that is despite missing the first three weeks as well. Aaron Ramsey is reportedly almost fit to make a return and needs little introduction after his dynamite start to the season which actually still sees him sitting above Ozil in the overall rankings for midfielders in 3^rd place despite missing the last three games. At almost £3m cheaper than Ozil many will be hoping to see him back sooner rather than later! Talking of cheaper, Jack Wilshere stole the limelight from all of his more expensive colleagues on Monday night with a goal, an assist and two bonus points. At just £6.2m could Jack prove to be to the second half of the season what Aaron was to the first? No? Oh ok then!

Up top for the Gunners Olivier Giroud’s strike at Villa was his 9^th league goal of the campaign and sees him sitting 4^th in the forwards table behind the big three of Suarez, Rooney and Aguero. At only £8.5m he surely represents great value for money and who would bet against him this week at home to Fulham? It is worth noting that he is ahead of Negredo despite the City man picking up all the plaudits lately and he has far less competition for his shirt. Food for thought if nothing else.

SOUTHAMPTON – Sunderland (A), Arsenal (H), Fulham (A), Stoke (H)

Having had a rocky ride over the Christmas period, Southampton got themselves back on track last week with a narrow victory at home to West Brom following a thrilling 4 – 3 FA Cup victory over Burnley. Sunderland away perhaps looks trickier now than it would have a few weeks ago and Arsenal at home will certainly be but after that it’s Fulham away and a home game against Stoke which should both be more straight forward for them.

Adam Lallana got the only goal of the game last week and is becoming a bit of a must have player this season. At £7.4m he is proving to be excellent value for money as he is 4^th in the overall midfielder’s table behind only Hazard, Yaya and Ramsey. With five goals and six assists this season he is providing great consistency at his price and with a decent run of fixtures he is sure to prove a popular choice in many a team in the next few weeks.

Jay Rodriguez has been touted as a great bargain 3^rd striker option recently and with eight goals so far and priced at just £6.3m you can see why. He hasn’t scored in his last three league games now though and perhaps that interest may wane somewhat should he fail again this week. Should he score though, that bandwagon will regain momentum. It’s like that in fantasy football at times and we feel he is on the precipice of going either way. Sunderland away will tell us which way he will fall, we imagine. We would not be surprised at all if his team-mate Ricky Lambert started to come to the fore as the season wares on. He certainly has not been as consistent as he was last season but with free-kicks and penalties in his locker, a great eye for goal and an even bigger eye on the World Cup squad he could yet push on as he did last season.

The Best of the Rest

Swansea have three home fixtures in the next four and favourable ones at that. We still can’t decide one week from the next with them, such is their patchy form, but Spurs, Fulham and Cardiff all roll up to the Liberty with their one away game being at West Ham. Should they find some consistency then that looks like a decent little run for them.

Manchester United on the other hand cannot be accused of such inconsistency lately. They just keep losing! Surely this cannot continue though, or can it? Chelsea away next suggests it may but beyond that the fixtures ease up somewhat with Cardiff and Fulham at home and a trip to Stoke. Usually they would be routine victories for Utd but given what has happened recently you never know!

Crystal Palace have three home games coming up that they will certainly fancy their chances in and may see them rise up the league having found themselves dumped at the bottom this week. Stoke, Hull and West Brom are the visitors in what is sure to be an absolutely crucial period for them. Their other game in the next four is Arsenal away though so don’t expect too much from that!

LESS FAVOURABLE FIXTURES

FULHAM – Arsenal (A), Swansea (A), Southampton (H), Manchester United (A)

When the Fulham board dispensed of the services of Martin Jol they would presumably have been hoping that ‘new manager syndrome’ would kick in and they would climb the table accordingly. That plan has not quite worked out! An embarrassing hammering by six goals to nil at Hull looked to be the low point as they recovered somewhat with a win at home to West Ham. That may have inspired false hope though as they capitulated again last week conceding four to the then bottom club Sunderland at home. A trip to Arsenal this week then, will not have been what the doctor ordered and the other three fixtures aren’t exactly great for them either having to also travel to Swansea and Man Utd with the only home fixture being Southampton.

Since appointing Rene Meulensteen Fulham have moved to strengthen their backroom staff to give him as much support as possible with the appointments of Ray Wilkins and Alan Curbishley. They may have to make that dugout a bit bigger if they bring in any more but perhaps they are just testing the old adage that it doesn’t matter how many managers you have you simply can’t polish a turd!

We suspect that there will not be many of you with much Fulham coverage at the moment. Good, keep it that way! In years gone by a Darren Bent or a Dimitar Berbatov may have been worth a shot but there are simply too many other striker’s that are delivering the goods to even consider either as a cheap 3rd option. As we alluded to above the defence is out of the question so perhaps the only area you may look at is their midfield and an old fantasy favourite returned to the fold this past week. Clint Dempsey was once the darling of many a fantasy manager’s midfield when he was at Craven Cottage the last time. His price of £7.4m seems a little prohibitive but a couple of goals may see some rush to acquire him but before you get all misty eyed, a word of caution – Dempsey is only here on a two month loan deal so by the time he gets up and running it will probably be time to wave him goodbye again.

CARDIFF – Man City (A), Man United (A), Norwich (H), Swansea (A)

On the plus side for new boss Ole Gunnar Solksjaer the next two games afford him the chance to visit some old friends in Manchester where he resided for many a year until recently. On the downside his Cardiff team have to play two games there against both City and United. Welcome back Ole! Its Norwich at home after that, ahead of the ever eagerly anticipated Swansea riot. Sorry, game. We meant game… Despite an impressive F.A Cup victory over Newcastle it really is the league where Ole needs to weave his magic as a defeat last time out at home to West Ham has seen them slump into the relegation zone. Certainly the next two games will probably see them remain there for a few more weeks. Norwich at home perhaps offers them the best chance of points in this run of games.

From a fantasy perspective their players do boast higher ownership stats than those of Fulham and there are a few players that have still returned some decent point tallys despite their lowly league position. David Marshall, Steven Caulker and Pete Whittingham have all scored over seventy points so far and all three offer decent value for money. Whittingham has scored twice and notched four assists and is on set-pieces so offers a decent return as a 5th midfielder at just £5.4m. Caulker has two goals and two assists to his name and is always a threat from set plays. Marshall has kept five clean sheets so far and interestingly has earned 20 of his points this season from the one point save bonus that keepers get. That may increase this week as they visit the Etihad!

Also be wary of….

Everton may be having a stormer of a season under new boss Martinez and are well in the hunt for the Champions League spots but their progress will be tested in the next four as they have away trips to West Brom, Liverpool and Spurs. The bright spot will see them entertain Villa but certainly the Liverpool and Spurs games could be tough.

Spurs themselves embark on a run that that sees them having to travel to Swansea and Hull – not too bad but then their home games are Man City and as mentioned above, Everton.

Liverpool have had a couple of easy games recently and the run of those concludes this week with a home game against Aston Villa before they then have the Merseyside derby before hosting Arsenal in another toughie. A trip to West Brom is in the middle of those two which should be ok for them.

Chelsea are worthy of a mention here also as they face both the Manchester clubs in the next four. Its United at home and City away for them but their other two may be more straightforward as West Ham and Newcastle both visit Stamford Bridge.

Fixture Fun

Before you jump the gun on any transfers don’t forget that there are FA Cup replays this week. Fulham, Norwich and Man City all feature so look out for any injuries or suspensions that may occur as a result of these games.

The deadline this week is 11.30am on Saturday.

As ever good luck one and all for GW22.

This article was written by inittowinit