FANTASY PREMIER LEAGUE GW5 REVIEW – PART 2

Fantasy Premier League, Gameweek analysis

After each gameweek, Joseph Crilley is going to be writing an article reviewing all the Premier League games from a fantasy perspective. He will be providing some stats and a brief summary on the performances and prospects of a few of the players. This is the second part of the GW5 review. Last year, Joseph finished with an overall rank of 13k.

FANTASY PREMIER LEAGUE GW5 REVIEW – PART 2

For each game, I will be providing a stats table containing the following: Goals (G), Assists (A), Shots (S), On Target (OT), Key Passes (KP), Bonus points (BP) and fantasy points (FP). Any statistic highlighted in yellow signifies that the player leads that category for his team. Blue highlight shows the players that registered a fantasy return (goal, assist or clean sheet) and green shows any player that scored 10+ points.

I am introducing a new exciting aspect to the tables this week. They will now include the Expected Goals and Expected Assists for each individual player. This is in addition to the expected goals for each team in brackets within the scoreline. BBC Sport provided a very useful piece to help explain this statistic. All underlying stats are from the brilliant website understat.com.  References to average position come from the twitter site 11tegen11.



WATFORD (0.80) 0-6 (3.92) MAN CITY

fantasy premier league GW5 review

A tough day for Watford who came up against a superior team who were on top form so we shouldn’t read too much into this result.

There were minus points for their defenders as they managed to concede one more goal than the five that they let in during the same fixture last year. They have been resilient so far this season but were simply taken apart on Saturday. Holebas’ delivery was good again and helped him to a decent xA score considering the opposition.

Richarlison had some decent stats again and he missed a good headed chance. He also laid on a great opportunity for Capoue towards the end but the Frenchman couldn’t convert.

It was a very quiet day for Gray up front and he’s yet to showcase himself as a serious FPL possibility yet.

fantasy premier league GW5 review

This was quite the statement of intent from City as they stormed to victory against a team who hadn’t conceded in their last three games. They pressed well and they steamrolled the opposition.

Whisper it quietly but the City defenders are becoming great FPL options. No Kompany didn’t stop them from making it three clean sheets in a row. Mendy and Walker got forward well again with the latter picking up an assist, though I still prefer the Frenchman if you’re looking to bring one in. A goal for Otamendi from a corner highlighted his attacking threat last seen when he scored 6 goals in the 14/15 season for Valencia.

The midfielders found their best form and they all played their part. Sterling came into the starting XI after suspension and played really well. After a small discussion, he took a penalty to claim a deserved goal. The creator-in-chief was Silva, laying on 2 assists and creating 3 other chances as he outshone De Bruyne. The Belgian still registered an assist for himself but I’d expect more from a player costing 9.9mil in a 6-goal rout.

The performance from the strikers has presented the major dilemma for managers this week. A hattrick for Aguero has placed him firmly back on our radar for GW6 and he has already experienced a double price rise. His 3rd goal really stood out for me because it was a classic Kun goal, beating 3 men before a delicate finish past the onrushing keeper. Jesus got his goal but was taken off early again and Pep seems to prefer resting the Brazilian once the game is won.

WEST BROM (0.84) 0-0 (0.24) WEST HAM           

fantasy premier league GW5 review

This was not the best game for the neutral but I’m sure that Pulis will be happy with a point and a clean sheet.

That meant points for Hegazi who started again, possibly due to his height being required to cope with the West Ham aerial threat. Gibbs made his debut at left back and it’s a shame that he wasn’t priced at 4.5mil.

Phillips showed some decent assist potential but his chances couldn’t be converted. The best opportunities were missed by Morrison who started in the no.10 role.

Rodriguez was given the striker role but had a quiet game.

fantasy premier league GW5 review

Despite the xG score, West Ham looked the more likely winner but will be satisfied with the point.

It was a second successive clean sheet as well but they had to cope with the injury of Collins who went off just before the hour mark.

The highlight of the match was an amazing effort from 40 yards by Obiang which clattered into the bar. The pace and power of Antonio was evident again but there was a lack of quality end product.

Carroll managed to start again which meant Hernandez was shifted wide. With Spurs up next, it looks a good time to transfer the Mexican out.

TOTTENHAM (1.15) 0-0 (0.15) SWANSEA

fantasy premier league GW5 review

A lethargic first half set the tone for Spurs and they are still yet to win a league game at Wembley.

Many managers were left disappointed after Davies was benched which Pochettino revealed was due to a knock to his ankle. He did make the bench so I’d be surprised if he wasn’t fit for next weekend.

Son took his place at LWB during the first half but was still his team’s liveliest player. He took an impressive 7 shots and his threat was further increased after moving up front during the second half. Alli had a great chance but inexplicably sent his header back where it came from instead of towards the corner of the net.

Another frustrating day for those who owned and captained Kane as he drew another blank. It was another game where it was difficult to understand how. He hit the bar from close range when he should have scored and had a close-range header well saved. Tottenham were also denied two clear-cut penalties which he surely would have converted.

fantasy premier league GW5 review

This was a great point for Swansea at Wembley and they are yet to concede an away goal this season.

A big haul for Fabianski who returned 3 bonus points after making 8 saves. There was some top notch defending on display in front of him, in particular from Fernandez who put in a man of the match performance.

I was impressed with Carroll’s set-piece delivery and there should be opportunity for points with the Swans’ upcoming fixtures. Sanches got some more minutes as he seeks to return to full match fitness.

It was a lonely game for Abraham but he worked hard and held the ball up well at times without much reward.



CHELSEA (0.80) 0-0 (1.51) ARSENAL

fantasy premier league GW5 review

This was the first league draw at Stamford Bridge during the Antonio Conte era and it was a slightly disappointing performance.

Cahill returned from his suspension to watch a fellow defender suffer the same fate. A horror tackle from Luiz ensured that he will be spending the next two league games in the stands.

Pedro was sent through one-on-one during the first half but couldn’t convert and he later picked up an injury which meant he was withdrawn just after halftime. Hazard got some more minutes and looked lively so surely will be back in the starting XI soon.

There was not much joy for Morata on a weekend where other premium strikers fired so he could be a sacrifice for their transfers.

fantasy premier league GW5 review

A valuable draw for Wenger and his team away from home against a fellow top 6 side which should help them get over their disastrous performance at Anfield before the international break.

It was a solid defensive performance and almost got better for Mustafi but his goal was ruled out for offside. The wing backs were a threat again and Bellerin had a good xA tally after creating two decent chances by getting in behind the Chelsea defence.

There was an impressive performance from Ramsey who put in a more disciplined display. He still found the opportunity to hit the post after a surging run and could be primed for points with some juicy upcoming fixtures. Sanchez was benched again and Ozil was missing with a knock which may have contributed to the more solid look of the team.

After Ramsey hit the post, Lacazette somehow contrived to blaze the follow-up over the bar. He missed another chance from inside the box and the Gunners need him to take these chances in big games. Welbeck picked up a groin injury near the end which looks likely to rule him out for a few weeks.

MAN UTD (3.29) 4-0 (1.06) EVERTON

fantasy premier league GW5 review

There seems to be a theme forming for United games as they have scored 9 of their 16 goals after the 80th minute including 3 on Sunday.

Valencia opened the scoring with an absolute screamer which sent him on the way to 3 bonus points. Before the late onslaught, it’s interesting to note that Jones was looking set to pick up bonus points as well.

The late show was started by Mkhitaryan who scored his first goal of the season. He lined up in the no.10 role in the absence of Pogba which should see him show more goal threat than seen so far this campaign. Mata hit the post from a free-kick and was unlucky not to register an assist. Mourinho revealed that he would have taken the penalty had he still be on the pitch but Martial stepped up instead.

It was a goal and an assist for Lukaku against his old team and he is displaying great consistency this season currently. He did miss a sitter earlier on and it was interesting that he didn’t take the penalty after his miss earlier in the season.

fantasy premier league GW5 review

Something isn’t quite right at Everton at the moment and they put in another slow performance this weekend.

Their defence collapsed towards the end and they were the architects of their own downfall at times. The fixtures are about to turn positive for Everton but it’s difficult to trust their defenders in this current form.

Sigurdsson has a good record against Man Utd in recent seasons and had one good chance but there doesn’t seem to be any FPL value in this side at present.

Having said that, Rooney looked good on his return to Old Trafford and was the main danger for the United defence. He had two good opportunities and his side fell to pieces after he was substituted.

That concludes part 2 of the GW5 review. Part 1 can be found here. Feel free to post any questions or feedback in the comments section or you can find me on Twitter.

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