Gregg's Gameweek 12 Preview
Gameweek 12 is almost upon us and with nearly a third of the season gone it’s been an interesting season thus far. Chelsea remain top with surprise package Southampton just behind them. Arsenal, Man Utd, Everton, Liverpool and Spurs have all been underachieving and the 3 newly promoted teams occupy the relegation zone.
Needless to say, I’m doing terribly again. My highest scoring team has a mediocre 570 points. My reason for doing so badly is my ability to pick a captain who can’t do anything. It really is a gift. Since Luis Suarez left for pastures new, I’m at a loss of who to pick each week to get me double points. Obviously I always pick the quietest player on the pitch.
Sergio Aguero is currently the top point’s scorer in the EPL with 77, closely followed by 3 new summer arrivals, Costa, Sanchez and Pelle. Some players are yet to hit top form this season like Van Persie, Rooney, Toure and Cazorla but I still believe this could be the week Mario Balotelli does something if he would just put that banjo down!
Chelsea go into this game 4 points clear at the top of the league against a West Brom side currently in 13th place. Chelsea remain the only unbeaten team in the league and they will be firm favourites for this clash. West Broms Saido Berahino has been a revelation this season and is currently the highest scoring English forward in FiT with 60 points. 7 goals and an assist in 11 games makes his 6.8 price tag very appealing. Chelsea though have been very impressive from the off and in Diego Costa have their own form striker. Many managers will go for Costa as captain this GW, or maybe Sergio Aguero. Chelsea should be too much for West Brom in this one and it could be a big scorer for your iteams. Costa should be a must and a Chelsea defender or 2 could get you off to a good start in this GW. Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard have also been in terrific form this season. Both will cost a bit of money in midfield but are well worth their price. Nemanja Matic at 6.5 has also had a great season. A goal and 2 assists in 11 games isn’t spectacular but for a defensive midfielder is reasonable. Plus Jose Mourinho has said Matic has been Chelsea’s best player so far this season and an ever present so that maybe worth thinking about if you’re looking for a quality player at a decent price who should play every game.
KEY 3 CHELSEA - Costa/Fabregas/Hazard
KEY 3 WEST BROM – Berahino/Brunt/Sessegnon
Everton have had a slow start to the season and are currently mid table. West Ham are unbeaten in 5 games and are enjoying 4th in the league at present. West Hams front 2 of Sakho and Valencia are viable options if you’re looking to save money to spend elsewhere in your team. Sakho has 5 goals and 2 assists in 7 games and will set you back a mere 6.1 million. Valencia is still a bargain at 6.9 and with a return of 3 goals and 4 assists in 8 games is very good value for money. Everton have recently welcomed back star player Ross Barkley and they will be hoping he can help kick start their season. With 3 goals in 4 games, Samuel Eto’o maybe worth a punt at 6.9 million. I still fancy Everton for this one due to home advantage.
KEY 3 EVERTON – Barkley/Baines/Eto’o
KEY 3 WEST HAM – Sakho/Valencia/Downing
Leicester will want to make home advantage count in their bid to pull out of the relegation zone. 14th placed Sunderland have also had a poor start to the season but have only lost 3 games. 6 draws in 11 is the most in the league so far this season and I can see a draw in this one too. With Leonardo Ulloa scoring 5 of Leicester’s 11 goals this season, he remains the main man for the Foxes. However, Jamie Vardy has a goal and 5 assists in 6 games and at 5.2 million is a bargain. Leicester have lost 4 in a row and will want to stop the rot and its games like this one against the teams around them where they stand the best chance of picking up points. With Steven Fletcher and Conor Wickham though, Sunderland have 2 strikers who, if they turn up, are capable of getting goals on the day.
KEY 3 LEICESTER - Ulloa/Vardy/Cambiasso
KEY 3 SUNDERLAND – Larsson/Fletcher/Wickham
Already 8 points behind Chelsea, Man City can’t afford to lose any more ground, especially at home. Sergio Aguero is bang on form and as I said, will be a popular choice as captain in many teams this GW. 12 goals in 9 games makes Aguero top points scorer so far this season with 77. Swansea are doing well in 5th place thanks largely to the brilliant form of Gylfi Sigurdsson who has 2 goals and 8 assists in 11 games. The Icelander has recaptured his best form after his move back to Wales from Spurs and 7.2 million is still a really good price for the form midfielder. Man City still haven’t reached top gear and with Yaya Toure still not showing his best form, I can see Swansea getting something from this game. Man City have David Silva injured and will miss his creativity in midfield but will certainly have adequate cover in his absence.
KEY 3 MAN CITY - Aguero/Toure/Lampard
KEY 3 SWANSEA – Sigurdsson/Bony/Dyer
Form team Newcastle have won 4 in a row in the league to fire them up to 8th place. QPR however, remain one off the bottom and in big trouble. They have shown signs of improvement though recently and earned a draw against Man City last time out. QPR have conceded the most goals in the league so far this season with 22 so avoid a defender. Having said that, they are home to Leicester and Burnley in the coming weeks so stand as good a chance as any at keeping a clean sheet or 2. QPR do have a couple of form strikers though. Charlie Austin is valued at just 5.7 and has 6 goals and 2 assists in 10 games. Eduardo Vargas has been terrific in the games he’s played and with 2 goals and 2 assists in 5 games, his 5.6 million price tag is very cheap. Newcastle’s resurgence has in part been down to Spaniard Ayoze Perez’ current form. 3 in 3 for him and at 4.9 million is sensational value.
KEY 3 NEWCASTLE - Perez/Sissoko/Cisse
KEY 3 QPR - Austin/Vargas/Kranjar
Burnley remain rooted to the bottom of the table and have found goals hard to come by so far this season. Can any of the Clarets do it on a ‘rainy night in Stoke’……doubt it. Having said that, they are coming off the back of their first win this season and will want to carry that momentum into the game at the Britannia. Stoke remain in the comfort of mid table and they too are coming of the back of a victory. A 2 - 1 win at White Hart Lane over Tottenham last time out, saw Bojan finally score after I predicted he would be a revelation this season! Stoke are renowned for being tight at the back but with only 2 clean sheets this season, it seems like they have missed Robert Huth who hasn’t played this season due to a long term knee injury. I fancy Stoke for this one, but only just.
KEY 3 STOKE – Moses/Diouf/Crouch
KEY 3 BURNLEY – Ings/Arfield/Jutkiewicz
Both Arsenal and Man Utd have been disappointing so far this season. Both had aspirations of challenging for the title and although we are not yet a third of the way through the season, both seem way off the pace. United have spent big and a 7th place league position does not reflect the investment they have splashed out. With new signings Falcao, Blind and Rojo all injured, things haven’t quite gone to plan for Louis Van Gaal. On the plus side, Angel di Maria has been a revelation since his move from Real Madrid. 3 goals and 5 assists in 9 games justifies his 9.5 million price tag and he is the most expensive midfielder in FiT. Robin Van Persie is yet to hit the form we all know he is capable of, this could be the game against his former employers when he starts to turn it on. It’s the same old story for Arsenal. High expectations at the start of the season but they have been less than impressive. Once again they have been unlucky with injuries and can count Giroud, Ozil, Arteta and Debuchy amongst their squad on the treatment table. The return of Theo Walcott after long term injury is great news though for the red half of north London. Alexis Sanchez has been a high point for the Gunners and 8 goals, 2 assists in 9 games reflects the great start he’s had to his career in England.
KEY 3 ARSENAL – Sanchez/Walcott/Chambers
KEY 3 MAN UTD – Di Maria/RVP/Mata
CRYSTAL PALACE V LIVERPOOL
Palace remain in real trouble, one place above the relegation zone currently occupied by the 3 promoted teams from last season. Without a win in 5 games they will fancy their chances of stopping the rot against a Liverpool side lacking confidence. Palace captain Mile Jedinak is having a great season and 3 goals and an assist in 10 games is a good return for his 5 million price tag. Liverpool haven’t won in 3 and their last victory was the thriller against QPR on 19th October. 2 clean sheets in 11 have cost Liverpool this term and combined with a lack of goals, has amounted to a poor campaign after hopes were so high at the start of the season. Daniel Sturridge has been a massive loss and Mario Balotelli has not stepped up to the plate. 8 games and no goals has seen him linked with a move away from Anfield in the next transfer window. Balotelli isn’t the only player to underperform this season, a number of Liverpool players will need to raise their game to try and salvage what’s left of the season.
KEY 3 CRYSTAL PALACE – Jedinak/Bolaise/Campbell
KEY 3 LIVERPOOL – Sterling/Gerrard/Balotelli (why not?!)
Hull haven’t won in 5 games and remain in 15th place. They entertain a Spurs team who have been disappointing and find themselves well off the pace in 12th. I was impressed with Hulls business in the summer, bringing in the likes of Ben Arfa, Ramirez, Ince and Snodgrass. With the exception of Robert Snodgrass who has been injured, I’ve been a bit disappointed with a lot of Hulls summer buys. One new arrival who has been impressive is Mohamed Diame. The summer arrival from West Ham has 4 goals in 8 games from midfield and is a snip at 5.4. Tottenham have been poor but a high point for them has been the form of Belgian midfielder Nacer Chadli. 6 goals and an assist in 10 games gives him a FiT point’s total of 59. His value of 6.6 makes him a cheaper alternative if you’re looking to keep your money to use in another area of your team.
KEY 3 HULL – Diame/Hernandez/Elmohamady
KEY 3 TOTTENHAM – Chadli/Lamela/Townsend
ASTON VILLA V SOUTHAMPTON
A lot of people thought Southampton would struggle this season after the summer’s fire sale, me included. Lallana, Lambert, Shaw and Lovren all moved on and have looked poor since they left the south coast. Their replacements though have stepped up and guided the Saints to 2nd in the league. Bertrand, Alderweireld, Tadic and Pelle have all been in top form since arriving. Southampton have some tough games coming up against the likes of Man City, Arsenal and Man Utd, but with confidence high I think Southampton can certainly get something from those games. I like the continuity at Southampton, they tend to stick with the same team where they can and that’s now paying dividends for Ronald Koemans men. Aston Villa are having a torrid season and their biggest problem this season has been scoring goals. 5 goals in 11 games is woeful and that’s relegation form. With no one else in the Villa squad scoring in the league except for Weimann and Agbonlahor, they really need to find goals from somewhere and they’ll hope to get Christian Benteke firing again after his suspension.
KEY 3 ASTON VILLA – Weimann/Richardson/Agbonlahor
KEY 3 SOUTHAMPTON – Pelle/Tadic/Wanyama
Well that’s it dudes, thanks for reading and good luck to you all.
Remember to pick your captain wisely….or alternatively just see who I pick and go for someone else!
