Scout Notes – Gameweek 16 – Sunday

Robin van Persie and Juan Mata grab a goal and assist apiece as United win for the sixth successive Gameweek. Wayne Rooney also notches in spite of a switch into central midfield against Liverpool. Wilfried Bony is in the goals again, though Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen both net as Spurs seal a late win at Swansea.

Van Persie Delivers Again

The Dutchman’s fine form continued yesterday as he bagged a goal and assist for the second successive Gameweek as United swept aside Liverpool at Old Trafford. Whilst Wayne Rooney kept his points ticking over with another goal, his owners will be somewhat concerned by a shift to central midfield – all the more so given that he started alongside Van Persie at St Mary’s on Monday evening.

Partnered by James Wilson instead, Van Persie’s haul took his tally to four goals and two assists in the last four matches. With three double-figure returns over that period, Van Persie has now overhauled Rooney as the top scoring United forward and, after a disappointing first few months, has now climbed to sixth amongst forwards in the FPL game. Over 116,000 FPL managers snapped him up as a Sergio Aguero replacement last week and with Villa, Newcastle, Spurs and Stoke in the next four, yesterday’s display suggest more suitors will be belatedly queuing up to acquire the in-form Van Persie before the next deadline is upon us.

Mata Stakes a Claim

Handed the role in “the hole” behind the front two, the Spaniard mirrored Van Persie’s goal and assist against Liverpool. Mata has now notched three times in his last five appearances for the Red Devils to suggest he may manage to retain his starting spot even when Angel di Maria is available once again – indeed, the pair both started the Gameweek 13 win over Hull before the Argentine limped off early. Yesterday’s 14-point haul took Mata above Di Maria in the FPL standings and despite flitting in and out of Van Gaal’s side for much of the season, the 7%-owned midfielder has now notched five times – only one less than Rooney.

De Gea the Red Devils’ Hero

The Spaniard’s exploits between the sticks once again proved the difference as Liverpool fired 19 shots without success at Old Trafford. Van Gaal’s side have now conceded just once in their last four home fixtures but in spite of De Gea’s heroics, they’ve managed just a single clean sheet on the road all season – back in Gameweek 3 at Burnley. Bearing in mind that three of their next four are away (avl, NEW, tot, sto), United will have to step up their resilience on the road if they are to justify any investment at the back.

Mignolet Finally Dropped by Rodgers

After a poor run of performances between the sticks, the Belgian has been “dropped indefinitely” by Brendan Rodgers. Mignolet was taken out of the firing line for yesterday’s loss as the Reds boss instead turned to Brad Jones behind his back-four – ironically, this comes at a time where Liverpool were starting to tighten up, with just one goal conceded in the three matches prior to their Old Trafford visit. Rodgers’ side have registered clean sheets in each of their last two at home and now have three Anfield encounter (ARS, SWA, LEI) and a trip to Burnley in the next four – for anyone brave enough to punt on their defence, Jones comes in at just 4.9 in FPL.

Kane Finds his Form

Sold on by over 5,000 FPL managers after scoring just twice in the previous six, the Spurs forward notched an early opener in yesterday’s win at the Liberty. With many Fantasy managers having plenty of spare cash due to Sergio Aguero’s injury, the 5.0-priced Kane has found himself on the periphery once again but now has the perfect chance to kick on from his Swansea display as the north London club prepare for back-to-back clashes against promoted pair Burnley and Leicester next.

Eriksen Steers Spurs to Victory

The Dane’s growing influence on Mauricio Pochettino’s side continues to reap reward after he served up a goal, assist and maximum bonus in yesterday’s narrow win. Since returning to the first-team in Gameweek 12, Eriksen has played every minute of the last five matches and has subsequently racked up 39 points, courtesy of three goals, a pair of assists and nine bonus points. His haul, allied with Gylfi Sigurdsson’s blank, took the former Ajax man up to third for midfielders – after a slow start to the campaign, he now has six strikes to his name, only one less than his total for 2013/14.

Prolific Bony Does it Again

The Ivorian took his tally to eight goals in 10 appearances by bagging the Swans’ only strike in the 2-1 defeat. In spite of that run of form, Bony, at just 8.5, is still only owned by 13% of FPL managers, with many Sigurdsson owners perhaps a little reluctant to double up on a side that has now picked up just four points from their last five fixtures. With the African Cup of Nations set to get underway on January 17, though, Bony’s impending departure is also a factor to consider when eyeing up his acquisition. The next four Gameweeks (hul, AVL, liv, qpr) would take us up to January 1 and offer plenty of chances to maintain his current form, whilst Garry Monk will also be hopeful of keeping Bony for the Swans’ Gameweek 21 home encounter with West Ham – which takes on January 10 – before he departs for Ivory Coast duties.