Sky Sports Focus – Gameweek 20

With the festive double Gameweek behind us it’s time to assess the usual info. We cast an eye over the Man of the Match (MoTM) awards and the bonus point beneficiaries and, as always, look ahead to the forthcoming fixtures, offering our preferred captain setup, with one eye on Gameweek 21.

Gameweek 19 Man of the Match Awards

Listed below is a match-by-match breakdown of the players who won the plaudits from the Sky Sports reporters last time out, earning five additional points for the Man-of-the-Match award.

Over the double Gameweek, two goalkeepers, three defenders, nine midfielders and six forwards shared the awards. Lots of high ownership players stood out over this period with Wayne Rooney getting a special mention as the only player to gain MoTM in both his games. Rooney now joins Curtis Davies on six MoTM awards overall.

Gameweek 19 Bonus Points

Five goalkeepers managed five saves or more – Brad Guzan, Adrian, Maarten Stekelenburg, Gerhard Tremmel and Vito Mannone were the top shot stoppers. Mannone managed a stunning 15 saves over both games netting him saves bonus twice – at just 4.2 million he looks a good budget option if he can keep his place under Gus Poyet.

In defence, a total of 11 players gathered bonus, seven for tackles and five for passes completed – over the two games, Liverpool centre-back Mamadou Sakho managed to pick up passing bonus twice after racking up an impressive 148 completed passes in total. Crystal Palace full-back Joel Ward is still the top defender for bonus points overall with an additional 18 points.

In midfield, 26 players earned bonus points – 14 for tackling and 16 for passes. Deep-lying playmakers Yaya Toure, Lucas and Mikel Arteta all delivered passing bonus twice whilst Arteta also managed to gain tackling once, bringing him a total of six extra points. Aaron Ramsey still sits on top of the pile overall with 28 additional bonus points earned.

A few forwards also found themselves amongst the bonus points this week – both Johan Elmander and Jay Rodriguez were defending from the front as they earned tackling bonus with a total of six tackles each. Wayne Rooney was the only forward to gather passing bonus after sitting deeper than usual in the game against Aston Villa and racking up 69 passes.

A reminder that Fantasy Football Scout Members can access all the data regarding bonus points using player stats and clicking the Sky Sports tab.

Gameweek 20 Proposed Captain Strategy

Looking ahead to the captaincy choices for Gameweek 20 there is an opportunity for three captains, using only a single armband change due to a full schedule of fixtures on New Year’s Day.

Our Strategy:
Yaya Toure (Crystal Palace at Home) → Luis Suarez (Chelsea Away) → Luis Suarez (Hull at Home)

For Saturday December 28, targeting a Man City asset looks profitable as they square up to Crystal Palace at home – with rotation expected to play a part here, the Ivorian’s guaranteed starts could be key. The other outstanding option is to play safe somewhat and opt for Man United front man Wayne Rooney who is also less likely to find himself ‘rested’ away to Norwich.

For Sunday December 29, we opt for a captain change to Liverpool’s Luis Suarez – although he plays away to Chelsea in a tough match at the Bridge, he then plays again on January 1 at home to Hull, where points look a certainty.

The Fantasy Football Scout League

Our own Fantasy Football Scout League is on top of the Private League rankings. With a £1,000 prize to the winner, you’d be mad not to get involved. To join, visit Sky Sports Fantasy Football and key in League Name: FFScout, League Code: 8000112.

The Fantasy Football Club

This Friday The Fantasy Football Club show, where you can catch Fenners and Merse at 18:30 Sky Sports One HD where they will be discussing the previous week’s Fantasy Football events and quizzing Craig Bellamy for his #One2Eleven.