This Much We Know – Gameweek 1

Spot-kicks boost two heavy-hitter midfielders, Liverpool’s midfield is already proving a tease and while Zlatan Ibrahimovic is living up to his reputation, the early indication is that Harry Kane is struggling to revive his. Here’s some early learning courtesy of Gameweek 1.

Kane’s slow start is worrying…
The Spurs striker has started slowly before. He failed to notch in the opening six matches last season before aligning his sights and notching 25 goals in total. Kane’s display and numbers at Goodison on Saturday indicated that we may need to show patience again. Starved of the ball and opportunity, he failed to muster a single attempt on goal and, with the introduction of Vincent Janssen, appeared to drift into deeper areas. That’s already a major concern and makes Saturday’s White Hart Lane clash with Palace all the more crucial for Kane and his owners.

We need Koeman to keep his 3-4-2-1…
Everton’s defence should perhaps take some credit for snuffing out the threat from Kane. Ronald Koeman tinkered with a three-man backline in pre-season and immediately turned to that setup for the visit of Spurs. He deployed a similar system to great effect at Southampton but it remains to be seen if the formation is locked in or just an option tailored to the opposition. Given that it could eventually feature both Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman as enterprising wing-backs, we have to hope that the three-man defence is here to stay.

It’s advantage Mahrez…
When Demarai Gray was clumsily felled by Tom Huddlestone, Jamie Vardy owners would have presumed that their man would be given the opportunity to open his account. Instead spot-kick duties returned to Riyad Mahrez and, in doing so, decided a major swing in the appeal of Leicester City’s attacking assets. Vardy suffered a frustrating afternoon – he received a pass every 7.1 minutes compared to an average of 4.9 last season; he also wasted a couple of opportunities to score from open play. In contrast, Mahrez got his tally ticking and his touches and passes received were well up on last season.

Klopp’s midfield could taunt us all season…
Philippe Coutinho may have stood out in Gameweek 1 but there was enough talent on show at the Emirates to convince us that Liverpool’s midfield will go on frustrating us. We know that Coutinho is capable of what he produced against Arsenal – we also know that, on another day, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino will outscore him. We should prepare ourselves for that scenario – while it would be desirable to see Coutinho emerge as the clear weapon of choice in Jurgen Klopp’s attacking line-up, that seems unlikely. We should anticipate that another will take their turn to come to the fore in the Gameweek 2 encounter with Burnley.

Like it or not, Milner is now a left-back…
While we have choice in Klopp’s midfield, we’re about to be shut-out at left-back. Alberto Moreno’s showing against Arsenal was surely enough evidence to seal his fate and ensure that James Milner will spend his season as a full-back. Moreno created more chances for team-mates than any other defender last season – it seems unlikely that he’ll get that opportunity this time around.

Ibrahimovic will always find a way…
The “charismatic” Swede went into the trip to Bournemouth boasting 40% ownership and carrying the hopes of 21% who chose him as captain. Having touched the ball just once in the Cherries penalty area, Ibrahimovic still managed to find a route to goal, firing one of his two efforts from outside the box into the corner of Artur Boruc’s net. Both Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial were far busier and more threatening and yet Zlatan found a way to score. He did the same in the FA Community Shield having struggled to make an impression. We’d wager he’ll repeat the pattern again when Southampton pay visit on Friday.

…but Rooney won’t be put in the corner…
The United skipper buzzed around Ibrahimovic throughout, receiving a pass every 1.5 minutes compared to his match average of 2.3 minutes last season. He had more touches, more shots and made more passes than he averaged in 2015/16 and also got his goal. This was a hugely positive display from Rooney and one that suggests that he could even yet push Ibrahimovic as an FPL asset. We’re presuming that he has surrendered penalties to the new signing – if Rooney retains them, things would be a whole lot more interesting.

There’s no Shaw thing with Valencia about…
We’ve high hopes for the United full-backs. Both Antonio Valencia and Luke Shaw have the attacking instincts to supplement clean sheet returns with assists and a sprinkling of goals. So far, it’s Valencia that’s clearly emerged as the stronger. His assist in the Community Shield first suggested he had the advantage and, again at Bournemouth, it was the right-back who was allowed to raid forward and supply crossed balls. Shaw is being pegged back by Anthony Martial hugging the left-flank, while Valencia is able to pour into the gaps vacated by both Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard as they look to tuck inside. It’s clearly advantage Valencia and it seems only a matter of time before that translates into a points swing.

Redmond will blind us to Tadic potential…
Deployed as a striker in pre-season by Claude Puel, we were well aware of the potential on offer by Nathan Redmond as a 6.0 option. His goal and underlying numbers from the 1-1 draw with Watford only confirmed that he is a target which just can’t be ignored whilst his starting role in the Saints’ attack is assured. Nonetheless, Dusan Tadic also sparkled against Watford – he was the most creative player on show in Gameweek 1 and demonstrated that he will be a major factor again under Puel. It’s perhaps too ambitious to consider both for our midfields but, having taken up the Redmond offer, we should prepare ourselves to be tempted by Tadic.

Snodgrass is the key Tiger…
Frustrated by injury throughout the 2014/15 season, we never got the opportunity to witness Robert Snodgrass’ attempts to keep Hull City afloat. That hopefully won’t be the case this time around. The Tigers’ spirited display and victory over Leicester suggested that they have more about them – that they are capable of achieving survival and more. It also confirmed Snodgrass as their key player – a creator of goals and a master of dead-ball scenarios. His sweetly struck winner demonstrated an end product and put us on alert to his appeal as a 5.5 option. For now, the schedule remains too demanding and the squad around him too limited but Snodgrass could become a factor.

We’re beginning to believe in Rondon…
We might just have found an attacking option amongst the West Brom line-up. Salomon Rondon is starting to demonstrate the output and the level of performance that suggests that he can deliver for Tony Pulis and FPL managers alike. The Venezuelan striker is hinting at consistency with his goals and performances and with Matt Phillips delivering crosses, Pulis has improved the supply line. Middlesbrough’s Alvaro Negredo has drawn the most interest in the crowded 6.5 striker bracket so far but it’s Rondon who could have the staying power.

Townsend’s shoot on sight policy is still active…
Andros Townsend has always loved a speculative effort and, to be fair, he has the spectacular in his locker. Having notched four goals for Newcastle from 13 appearances, we were watching his Crystal Palace debut with some interest to see if Alan Pardew will harness that goal threat. Desperate for a cutting edge in attack, Palace had little choice but to turn to the flanks to at least attempt to trouble Ben Foster in the West Brom goal. Townsend duly fired in six efforts, more than any other midfielder in the Gameweek. Five of these attempts came from range as he again demonstrated a penchant for a pot-shot. Even so, if that’s allowed to continue, the winger may just mirror his output on Tyneside.

Karanka gets the best from Ramirez…
Having scored seven goals from 18 appearances to help elevate Middlesbrough back to the top flight, it was imperative that Aitor Karanka pursued a permanent deal for Gaston Ramirez. The Uruguayan appears to fit like a glove in the Spaniard’s system, inspiring creativity and bristling goal threat from the number ten role. It’s the Ramirez we hoped for when he arrived at Southampton, even when he was turning out for Hull City, and it seems that only Karanka has been able to extract this level of performance. Already Ramirez showed enough in the stalemate with Stoke to suggest that he will remain a consideration in the 5.5 midfield bracket.

Capoue is the go-to budget option…
Lowering our sights, there is a clear current winner at the 4.5 price point. Etienne Capoue took little time to deliver on his pre-season promise that saw him notch twice over the summer. His goal at Southampton confirmed the fact that he’s been unleashed by Walter Mazarri – allowed to lend his significant physical presence to the attack and feed off knockdowns from the willing Troy Deeney. Many benched him this week to look forlornly at his 10-point return but that could be a common occurrence this season – it’s perhaps unlikely that we will play a Watford midfielder over more illustrious names but Capoue is certainly a viable option when we call for him.

Pep might just revive Sterling…
Pep Guardiola will doubtless have a far-reaching impact on Manchester City this season. The revival of Raheem Sterling could be amongst his biggest achievements. Edging into the heavy-hitter bracket with Liverpool, Sterling has dropped into slumber as a Fantasy asset since his departure from Anfield. Saturday’s showing against Sunderland and the noises of support from his manager since have provided early evidence that there’s promise on offer. If Pep has made Sterling his project, Fantasy managers need to pay attention.

The Hazard option is real….
Despite his form at the end of last season and an impressive summer with club and country, we still had some doubts on Hazard’s potential to return value for his 10.0 price tag. To some extent his appeal rested not only on his level of performance but also whether he could wrestle back spot-kicks from Oscar. The Brazilian had converted a penalty with Hazard on the field against AC Milan in pre-season but just minutes into the second-half against West Ham last night, it was Hazard who seized the ball and stroked it past Adrian. Just three of Hazard’s 14 goals in 2014/15 arrived from the spot and yet this was the major reassurance we needed to convince us that the Belgian could find his way back into the elite midfield bracket.