Everton manager Roberto Martinez commends Steven Naismith for scoring a perfect hat trick against Premier League champions Chelsea, for a 3-1 defeat.
Five weeks into the ESPN Premier Fantasy season and the natural order of things is finally starting to be shown. The two Manchester clubs and Arsenal occupy Champions League spots, Southampton are keeping clean sheets and Chelsea… okay, so not everything is back to normal just yet.
Here are the movers and shakers from a compelling Gameweek 5.
WEEKLY WONDERS
Steven Naismith (£5.3m) hogged the weekend limelight, and deservedly so. The Everton striker came of the bench after just eight minutes of Saturday’s clash with Chelsea and walked off 82 minutes (plus stoppage time) later with the match ball tucked under his arm.
He is yet to start a Premier League match this season, but his hat trick could change all that. Congratulations to the 1.3 percent of you who own Naismith, but before you give yourselves a massive pat on the back, take a look at Everton’s October fixtures: Liverpool, Man Utd and Arsenal.
Norwich City midfielder Wes Hoolahan (£5.5m) is the gift that keeps on giving. The Republic of Ireland international scored his first goal of the season in the 3-1 win over Bournemouth, throwing in a fourth assist for good measure.
Hoolahan’s 11-point haul elevated him to the eighth best midfielder spot overall and he is easily the cheapest option in the top 10.
In to second spot on the midfielder chart comes West Ham’s Dmitri Payet (£7.1m), who scored both goals in the 2-0 win over Newcastle. Payet now has three goals and an assist this season — a great return for a player new to the Premier League.
Watford striker Odion Ighalo (£5.7m) has scored two of his side’s three goals this season and his strike against Swansea City helped the Hornets secure their first win of the campaign.
In such a defensively tight but goal-shy outfit, Ighalo’s 21 points is an impressive haul and he is the best value striker currently residing in the top 10. Watford’s upcoming fixtures — against the likes of Newcastle and Bournemouth — are kind enough to suggest that Ighalo might stay in such exalted company for a while yet.
TEAMSHEET TALK
Manuel Pellegrini mixed things up in Manchester City’s 1-0 win at Crystal Palace. David Silva (£9.3m) missed the match with an ankle injury, prompting Pellegrini to go 4-4-2 with Wilfried Bony (£6.7m) playing alongside Sergio Aguero (£9.2m) up front.
The formation change was a surprise, given that new signing Kevin De Bruyne (£9.2m) was expected to fill the gap left by Silva’s absence. Twenty four minutes into the match and it was back to Plan A as Aguero limped off with a knee injury and on came De Bruyne.
Neither Aguero nor Silva are expected to be out for long. How Pellegrini fits all his star names in — Raheem Sterling (£8.9m) was rested against Palace — when they’re available remains the major question.
Reports of dressing room unrest at Old Trafford looked rather wide of the mark as Manchester United despatched arch-rivals Liverpool 3-1.
Captain Wayne Rooney (£8.6m) missed the game through injury, with Louis van Gaal opting for Marouane Fellaini (£6.5m) up front instead. The big Belgian fluffed his lines, but the dream debut of deadline day capture Anthony Martial (£7.3m) made up for that.
His goal, in a 26-minute cameo, and the stellar performance of midfelder Ander Herrera (£6.9m) suggests that LVG has plenty of options going forward.
The match also marked the return of keeper David De Gea (£7.0m) to United’s starting line-up, a position he will presumably now fill for much of the new four-year contract he has signed.
The Spaniard’s former Old Trafford understudy, Anders Lindegaard (£5.0m), enjoys no such luxury at West Bromwich Albion. The Dane looks set for another long spell on the bench, thanks to the fine form of Boaz Myhill (£5.7m) for the Baggies.
Myhill kept his third clean sheet in five matches during the 0-0 draw with Southampton and he is now in the top three goalkeepers with 29 points. Ben Foster (£5.6m) hopes for an October return following major knee surgery, but Myhill’s form suggests he’ll have to fight to regain his starting spot as Lindegaard moves even further down the pecking order.
ESPN FC’s Stewart Robson talks about Arsenal’s centre forward problem and the fact that Walcott is should not play up front.
THE NUMBERS GAME
Arsenal’s attacking threat finally produced some goals against Stoke City. They recorded 29 shots in the 2-0 win — eight more than nearest rivals Leicester and Man City — and created 23 chances, also well clear of the same pair.
Theo Walcott (£7.3m) and Alexis Sanchez (£9.4m) topped the table for shots (eight apiece) while Mesut Ozil (£8.0m) and Santi Cazorla (£8.9m) were the Gameweek’s most creative players, with eight and seven chances produced respectively.
Walcott started the match and scored, Olivier Giroud (£7.9m) finished it and scored, so the conundrum of who is Arsene Wenger’s first-choice striker remains unresolved. The former’s status as a midfielder makes him the more attractive ESPN Premier Fantasy option. If he starts again, that is.
The decision of who to buy out of Ozil and Cazorla is equally vexed. The Spaniard has scored one more point than the German, but Ozil’s cheaper price tag could be the deciding factor if the Gunners continue to turn their attacking dominance into goals.
By The Scout from Fantasy Football Scout — the tips, news and views site for Premier League Fantasy Football managers.
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