Here’s the Saturday fantasy premier league match analysis for game week 11 part 1.  Games include Villa v Man U, Arsenal v Fulham, Everton v Sunderland and Wigan v WBA.  I’ve done it in a bit more of a structured way so its a bit easier to read.

Villa 2 Man Utd 3

scorers and assists:

Goals scored
Weimann (2)
Assists
Agbonlahor
Benteke

Goals scored

Hernandez (2)
Assists
Scholes
Van Persie
Hernandez

Line up commentary:  Villa lined up with cheapie Stevens in for the banned Lichaj and Bennett at LB.  Westwood was preferred to El Ahamdi.  Utd started with Smalling in for the injured Evans.  Young and Valencia were on the flanks.  Scholes came in for Cleverly

brief match comments:  the first half saw Villa sit and let Utd have possession and then look to break.  They did this effectively and Utd barely had a chance in the first half whereas villa looked dangerous. Scholes and Carrick just aren’t athletic enough to stop this.  Smalling did himself no favours the whole game and in particular the first goal when the excellent Benteke shrugged him off the ball. De Gea fantasy premier league owners will be nervous after the first goal which he should have saved. SAF wasted no time changing things at half time.  Young went off for Hernandez and Rooney moved to the left. After that it was a Hernandez finishing master class coupled with a Stevens nightmare as he lost him for the winner and played him on side for the first.

posession: 64% Utd

match shots: 10/7 to 16/7

Defensive stats commentary: strong for Utd Ok for Villa considering the oppostion

best shooting stats:  Weiman, Hernandez, RVP

most chances created:  RVP by miles, Benteke

most forward midfielders for each team:  Ireland, Valencia

most involved players in attacking areas for each team: Valencia/Rooney and Benteke

player commentary:  Hernandez is the obvious talking point.  SAF said he would start the next game and at £7.5m he’s relatively cheap but do you want one of your precious fantasy premier league forward slots taken up by him.  Even with the good Utd fixtures not for me.  Interestingly, he did push RVP slightly deeper which was a worry even though RVP had the better chances in the 2nd half.   They weren’t in his normal way, 1 being from a corner the other an outside the box shot.  RVP owners would prefer Hernandez on the bench after that game.  Nothing from Rooney again, even though he was excellent drifting in from the left.  He just isn’t an option in this deeper position even with the time he has on the ball.  He’s now only owned by 8% of fantasy premier league managers.

Fantasy premier league mangers who gave RVP the captains armband would have been very worried given his first half invisibility and only  a last minute free kick assist gave him a return.  He continues his run of returning in every start but he just isn’t the statistical player of last year.  However Utd have a great run of fixtures and he is the most reliable attacking force unless you want to rely on the assists of Valencia so he’s going no where as far as my fantasy premier league team is concerned.  The 24% of fantasy premier league managers who own Rafael shouldn’t be worried about Smalling after his dreadful performance.  Jones will return to training this week apparently and with Cleverly providing the althleticism in the middle of the park I suspect Jones will compete there rather than midfield.  Don’t look at Stevens as a cheapie option for Villa.  Lichaj and Bennet will start ahead of him after this performance.  Villa’s fixtures are terrible as well. Weiman becomes a cheap option at£5.2m for those wanting to rotate a forward rather  than a midfielder.  Personally Villas fixtures are very poor, Lambert is too unreliable lineup wise and I wouldn’t use one of my precious forward slots in this way.  Benteke is your real option for a Villa attacker with Ireland the pick of the midfielders and Clark at £4.4m for the defenders.  For Utd it’s RVP all the way as the attacking option.

Arsenal 3 Fulham 3

scorers and assists

Goals scored
Podolski
Giroud (2)
Assists
Walcott (2)
Arteta

Goals scored
Kacaniklic
Berbatov (2)
Assists
Ruiz (2)
Berbatov

Line up commentary:  Arsenal in their usual 4-2-3-1 saw Walcott come in for Ramsey and Coque;in in for the suspended Wilshire. Fulham stuck with Ruiz behind Berba instead of Rodallega and Richardson was preferred to Kacaniklic.  Dejagah surprisingly was on instead of Duff

brief match comments:  I managed to catch the 2nd half of this live in the pub and what a game it was.  Its started although Arsenal were going to walk it until they conceded another silly set piece goal to Berba of all people.  Fulham were excellent and pressed Arsenal all over the pitch sometimes greeting them on the half way line with 6 players.  The last half hour of the 2nd half was like a boxing slugfest with each side trying to out sore each other.  The game culminated in a missed pen for arsenal with the last kick of the game.

posession: 55% Arsenal

match shots:  15/9 to 9/5

defensive stats:  neither side covered themselves in defensive glory

best shooting stats:  Giroud by a country mile followed by Berba

most chances created:  Arteta

most forward midfielders for each team:  Walcott and Dejagah

most involved players in attacking areas for each team: Cazorla for Arsenal Berba for Fulham

player commentary:  Giroud has featured in and around the best forward shooting stats so really its not that big a surprise he finally came good. He’s only owned by 1% of fantasy premier league managers.  After another frustrating afternoon for fantasy premier league managers of Cazorla drawing a blank, he becomes an option as an alternative. Arsenal have good fixtures and he’s reasonable value at £8.4m.  Cazorla was a total disaster playing far deeper than usual and with no shots in the box and barely putting his head above the parapet on chances created.  After this he definitely cant be a captain option so he’s in solely as Arsenal coverage for their good fixtures.  Walcott got the 2 assists and was constantly high up the pitch but the underlying stats didn’t scream out at you.  From an Arsenal perspective Giroud came off the best from this game.  Im still holding out that over this good patch of fixtures the Arsenal defence is worth holding with Sagna the best option at £5.4m.  Their underlying stats are good.

For Fulham what can you say about Berba.  He’s been quiet of late and has drifted out of the last 6 shooting stats but his underlying stats as well as returns today were very good.  He’s also excellent value at £7.2m.  Although its Sunderland at home next the fixtures aren’t easy (although this in theory definitely wasn’t) and I cant help thinking there are better options with better fixtures to give one of your 3 forward places to.  Cheapie Kacaniklic should get some game time after Richardsons injury.  The Fulham defence is just hopeless.  Sell! (I’ve got 2??)

Everton 2 Sunderland 1

Line up commentary:   Everton were predictable in their line up with the only points of note being Heitinga winning the CB hokey kokey over Distin and Coleman continuing at RB.  No surprises with Sunderland apart from McLean returning

scorers and assists:

Goals scored
Fellaini
Jelavic
Assists
Osman
Fellaini

Goals scored
Johnson
Assists
Gardner

brief match comments:   Sunderland started well attacking Coleman in particular but then Everton came back with Mirallas Pienaar and Baines causing havoc on the left flank.  Why O’Neill continues with an attacking midfielder at RB I don’t know and especially in this of all games.  Sunderland scored first however.  Sunderland continued to hold on to their lead until 2 bits of Fellaini magic with a goal and assist for a clinical finish by Jelavic getting the run on Gardner.  Fantasy premier league owners of Fellaini were relieved when the ref should have booked him for a late block on Rose which would have led to a suspension but instead got Rose a booking for “diving”.  Unbelievable

possession:  60% Everton

match shots:   16/10 to 6/4

defensive stats:   Despite the brave effort the Sunderland defence was statistically dreadful.  Everton’s was nothing to write home about either

best shooting stats:   Jelavic followed by Fellaini then Heitinga

most chances created:  Baines and Pienaar no surprise.

most forward midfielders for each team:   Mirallas (then Pienaar followed by Fellaini?) Sessegnon

most involved players in attacking areas for each team:  Pienaar, Fellaini and Baines. Sessegnon/Fletcher

player commentary:  Although his underlying stats were a little quiet by his own unbelievable standards this game showed that maybe he is a legitimate captain option when the RVP risk is too high.  It took a while but he delivered   Jelavic again has been in the shooting stats top 10 consistently and this week showed his clinical finishing   these 2 are now the options of choice for Everton with Reading and Norwich to come.  Piennaar just isn’t performing by comparison. Baines is worth holding at least for the next 2 games.  Clean sheets are thin on the ground for Everton but although not today the underlying stats are there.

What can you say about Sunderland.  The only player worth having during this good run of fixtures is Cuellar in what is a tough but statistically awful defence.  There really is no midfield option and Fletcher as a forward just doesn’t shoot enough

Wigan 1 WBA 2

Scorers and assists:

Goals scored
Kone
Assists
Beausejour

Goals scored
Morrison
Assists
Jones
Brunt

Line up commentary:  Martinez is the reverse of Lambert putting out very predictable sides and there were no surprises today.  WBA are predictable everywhere apart from up front and the 1 midfield position.  Brunt got the nod over Dorrans and Gera and Lukaku and Long started instead of, inexplicably, the 2 goal hero of last week Odemwingie.  Myhill started for the injured Foster.

brief match comments:  Wigan started well creating chances but WBA scored with a headed goal from James Morrison? that really Al Habsi and the defence will be very disappointed with.   The 2nd which was an own goal after poor tracking of the RB Jones wasn’t great either.  Both teams could have scored in the 2nd half although wigan had the best chances and the better of the play but there were no further goals

possession: 56% Wigan

match shots: 14/6 to 7/4

defensive stats:  both teams had reasonable defensive stats

best shooting stats:  Lukaku had the best shooting stats although they were nothing to write home about.

most chances created: Morrison

most forward midfielders for each team:  Maloney and Brunt/Morrison

most involved players in attacking areas for each team: Beausejour.  Brunt

player commentary:  To me Wigan are a team as a fantasy premier league manager that really you only want when you have a very good run of fixtures which isn’t now.  to me  Maloney is the only player you would want in the midfield and Figueroa in defence.  Boyce has the attacking stats but is just too expensive at £5.0m

For WBA the defence has returned but the underlying stats aren’t that good. Jones at £4.4m represents good value but the fixtures need to be better for me and will he hold his place if Reid ever returns to fitness.  Morrison is probably the best option in midfield with Dorrans, Brunt  and Gera rotatable but although he is the most advanced player his shooting stats just don’t hold up for me and again only in a very tempting run of fixtures.  I think everyone who comes to the site knows what a Lukaku fan I am and only an amazing save prevented him scoring today but if you’re not certain of him playing then you’re not going to waste a striking slot.