Premier League: Best 11 Players from the Weekend: Week 25

Liverpool won again and surely they have won the league now because Manchester City lost at Tottenham. The Reds are now an incredible 22 points in front, and no one is going to catch them. The good news for Tottenham’s win is that it reignited their hopes for Champions League football and they have closed the gap on Chelsea who could only draw. West Ham blew a 2 goal lead against Brighton to draw 3-3 and they are now in the relegation zone.

Below is the team of the weekend and their fantasy points, did your players make the cut?

Formation: 4-4-2

Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris- Tottenham 7pts

Whilst a few goalkeepers picked up 7 points due to clean sheets, the nod will go to Hugo Lloris. He made some superb saves against the champions Manchester City especially from Sergio Aguero as Tottenham went on to win the game 2-0 and he kept a clean sheet in the process.

Defender: Yerry Mina- Everton 6pts

Yerry Mina was outstanding even though Everton conceded 2 goals, the defender made amends for that by scoring 2 goals in 60 seconds to bring his team right back into the game against Watford, so he did lose points for conceding goals but also scored two himself.

Defender: Antonio Rudiger- Chelsea 7pts

Antonio Rudiger saved Chelsea’s skins as he scored both of their goals in a 2-2 draw away to Leicester. Obviously he was part of a defence that conceded, but his goals brought home a point at the end of the day and kept Frank Lampard’s side 4th.

Defender: Eric Dier- Tottenham 5pts

Eric Dier has not had many games for Tottenham and to be brought in against the champions Manchester City and keep a clean sheet was very impressive.

Defender: Enda Stevens- Sheffield United 5pts

Enda Stevens has really impressed for Sheffield United and they won again beating Crystal Palace away and keeping a clean sheet that is no mean feat. Stevens has now helped his side keep 9 clean sheets and they have climbed up to 6th place in the league.

Midfielder: Mohamed Salah-Liverpool 10pts

Salah earned a fantastic 10 points as he got on the score sheet yet again as Liverpool easily beat Southampton 4-0 at Anfield. Salah now has 14 goals and 6 assists in another impressive season for him.

Midfielder: Roberto Firmino- Liverpool 8pts

Roberto Firmino just keeps on impressing and the brilliant Brazilian was a nightmare for Southampton to keep in check. He earned 8 points in a season where in the fantasy rankings he has scored 68 points so far.

Midfielder: Jordan Henderson- Liverpool 8pts

It feels like a clean sweep of midfielders for Liverpool and Jordan Henderson is now being favoured to win the player of the year in the Premier League and for good reason. He now has a total of 41 points.

Midfielder: Steven Bergwijn- Tottenham 6pts

What is the best way to start your career at Tottenham, how about scoring a cracking goal at home v Manchester City? And that is what Bergwijn did after his January transfer window, and he earned 6 points for it. He could be one to look out for.

Striker: Robert Snodgrass- West Ham 10pts

Robert Snodgrass scored 2 of West Ham’s goals and earned a huge 10 points but it still wasn’t enough to win West Ham the game as they drew 3-3 with Brighton. The goals have brought Snodgrass to 5 this season.

Striker: Glenn Murray- Brighton 4pts

Apart from Snodgrass the strikers were quiet at the weekend. Heung-Min Son was the other player to earn 4 points, but his goal did take a deflection from Fernandinho so we give this one to Glenn Murray. With the heat on and his side losing 3-2 to West Ham Murray grabbed the equaliser which would have felt like a cup final winner for the striker.

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West Ham look likely for relegation after implosion against Brighton

Beating Brighton was the bear minimum requirement for West Ham and for the majority of their game on Saturday it looked like David Moyes team were cruising. But there would be a deadly sting in the tail.

Issa Diop opened the scoring after half an hour much to the relief of Hammer fans, when Robert Snodgrass made it 2-0 just before half time, for many that was game over. It has been proven time and again scoring just before the break can kill and change the opposition’s mindset. All looked well.

But two minutes after the break Brighton pressure led to an own goal scored by Angelo Ogbonna. The Hammers now could slowly collapse under their own pressure or march on. Ten minutes later the game looked wrapped up and it was Snodgrass again, emerging as the unlikely hero to make it 3-1 to the home side. With fifteen minutes remaining the fans were singing despite Brighton creating wave after wave of attacks, 3-1 just looked too good to be overhauled. But then again this is West Ham a club who have repeatedly blown decent leads in the past.

Pascal Grob is his name but it was Pascal ‘Grab’ on Saturday, when he scored for the away side to make it 3-2 and now there was a belief that 3-3 seemed more likely than a Snodgrass hat trick. West Ham thought they had 3 points and were now not blowing bubbles, but blowing this match. Glenn Murray, the type of striker any Italian team would love in their squad, one that isn’t consistent but will get the goal you need scored to make it 3-3 and the London Stadium turned into the biggest gob smack you could ever want to witness. VAR played out yet again, what is a game without it? Because Brighton’s goal had to be delayed and debated on for a possible hand ball, VAR decided against it and Brighton got their goal which only rubbed the salt into the wounds for the home side.

Somehow West Ham had blown it again- they hadn’t lost but being 3-1 up at home with 15 minutes left and finishing 3-3 certainly felt like it. Suddenly you were looking at a team who could well be playing in the Championship next season. The draw confirmed West Ham’s slip into the bottom three, in 18th place. Though they are just 2 wins from 14th and 3 wins from 10th.

West Ham have lost 13 games and manager David Moyes comments when he joined the club of ”I win” have certainly come back to haunt him. In the league his record reads like this: Played 6, won 1, drawn 2 and lost 3.

There is talk of relegation even though the tables show the teams in the bottom half being so close for West Ham because of their upcoming fixtures. This month will see the Hammers having to play Manchester City and Liverpool- both away games. They end the month at home to Southampton. Arsenal and Tottenham follow in March and there is a real chance that West Ham could be relegated with such tough fixtures ahead.

The Brighton game was being highlighted by fans as the one match they had to win to give them some breathing space at least, but if form continues like it has this season without any improvement then they are looking to finish the season with about 36 points, that total may not be good enough to stay up.

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EPL Best XI – Week 37

townsend

The curtain is almost down. The business is almost done. With just a single round of games remaining in the Premier League, the relegation battle is finished but the title race remains very much alive. With the final game of the season being the time that this year’s Premier League champions will be identified, there is still plenty to play for at the summit of England’s top flight. With that said, let’s adopt a 4-3-3 formation this week and see which players performed the best for their clubs this past weekend.

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EPL Weekend Picks – Round 14

Dele Alli

The 14th week of the 2018-19 Premier League season sees Liverpool host Everton, while Tottenham make the short trip across north London to face Arsenal. Let’s take a look at 11 players who you should consider for your EPL Fantasy team this weekend…

GK – Jordan Pickford (Everton)
We’re going to look specifically at players who have gone under the radar in EPL Fantasy this season, starting with Jordan Pickford. Everton’s 7.00m-rated No.1 has picked up 15 points in 2018-19 — only five goalkeepers have a better record.

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EPL Weekend Picks – Round 12

alvaro morata chelsea

The 12th week of the 2018-19 Premier League season sees Manchester City take on Manchester United, while Liverpool host Fulham and Chelsea welcome Everton to Stamford Bridge. Let’s take a look at 11 players who you should consider for your EPL Fantasy team this weekend…

GK – Alisson (Liverpool)
Alisson is an expensive addition at 10.00m but he’s worth every last million. The Liverpool goalkeeper has 42 points this season and he’s likely to add to that tally against Fulham on Sunday.

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West Ham’s unbeaten run comes to an end

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West Ham’s unbeaten run of four games came to an end last night against Brighton and Hove Albion. Glenn Murray’s 25th minute goal from inside the six-yard box was the only goal of the game as the Hammers lost 1-0 at the Amex.

The result was disappointing for West Ham, but the performance was even more so considering previous showings from the Hammers. Despite having plenty of the ball and 16 shots on goal the Hammers were unable to get on the score sheet, with Fabian Balbuena and Marko Arnautovic missing clear chances.

During the first half the side looked lethargic and unmotivated. The side didn’t threaten often enough going forward, taking far too long on the ball. Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko, who had been so effective in recent weeks, were on the fringes throughout the game and failed to create much real danger.

They were also poor defensively, as was epitomised by Murray’s goal. A simple ball to Beram Kayal had been enough to send him down the wing. Balbuena wasn’t decisive enough regarding whether to shut down the Israeli or defend in the box and was consequentially caught in no man’s land. Issa Diop attempted to sort out the mess as he shuffled across and instructed Arthur Masuaku to come over and mark Murray. The left back didn’t do that though, leaving the Englishman to convert with ease without any pressure being put on him.

The performance did improve in the second half, but the Hammers were unable to carve out a goal. There was a real lack of cutting edge from the men in claret and blue, something which Manuel Pellegrini clearly attempted to address with his substitutions. The Chilean brought Michail Antonio, Lucas Perez and Robert Snodgrass on for Pedro Obiang, Yarmolenko and Mark Noble at different points in the second half.

With five attacking minded players on the pitch it would have been expected that the away side could score, especially considering the amount of the ball they were seeing and how deep Brighton had dropped. However, there was still a lack of fluidity in their play at points and there was nobody who was able to show the quality needed to bring the sides level. If anything, the number of players in the attacking areas were more of a hindrance, as Perez was ineffective after coming on, while Antonio’s decision making was poor and he failed to make a positive impact.

Overall, it was a frustrating night for the Hammers and one that they’ll want to put behind them quickly. They’ll have to wait for their chance to put things right though, due to the upcoming international break. Their first game after the break is at home against Tottenham Hotspur, the perfect game in which to put things right.

West Ham have dropped into 15th following this result ahead of the Premier League fixtures to be played over the weekend, with Southampton and Fulham the only sides who can overtake them. This result may have been disappointing, but having gone into the last international table bottom without a single point to their name, being out of the relegation zone reminds supporters the club has been in worse positions this season.

 

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EPL Weekend Picks – Round 6

Leroy Sane

Players from Manchester City, Wolves and Crystal Palace were among the high-scorers from Round 5, while Chelsea’s Eden Hazard topped the points chart following his hat-trick against Cardiff. Let’s take a look at some players you should consider in your EPL Fantasy team this weekend.

GK – Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester)
Admittedly, this is a risky selection. Kasper Schmeichel is on -4 points after five games and he conceded four goals last week. However, Leicester play Huddersfield – the Premier League’s lowest scorers – next before matches against Newcastle and Everton. At 7.00m, he’s worth considering.

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Glenn Murray: Great for Brighton, not up to it for Southgate

Under another manager, in a different era, Glenn Murray would have been in England’s World Cup squad. On form alone last season, it would have been hard to argue with such a decision.

Murray scored 12 Premier League goals in 2017/18. That’s more than Alvaro Morata, Marcus Rashford and Dele Alli and just one fewer than Gabriel Jesus. Brighton’s impressive campaign leant on Murray.

Chris Hughton’s side was not just reliant on his end product, though. Murray’s contribution is much greater, acting as a focal point and general nuisance.  Continue reading

EPL Best XI – Romelu Lukaku leads the line

Romelu Lukaku

The fourth weekend of the 2018-19 Premier League season saw Liverpool, Chelsea and Watford maintain their winning starts, while Manchester United responded to their 3-0 loss against Tottenham by beating Burnley 2-0 at Turf Moor. But which players stood out to make the EPL Best XI of the Weekend?

GK: Rui Patricio, Wolves – seven points
Summer signing Rui Patricio picked up his first clean sheet as a Premier League goalkeeper in Wolves’ 1-0 win at West Ham on Saturday. The Portugal international earned seven points, moving him on to three points for the season.

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Best Strikers in the Premier League – Week 11

Burnley-Vokes

Strikers in the Premier League may not have had a particularly lethal weekend, but there were plenty with enough clinical awareness to find themselves on the scoresheet. Continue reading