With the Fantasy Premier League finally returning to what would be an expected positioning, with of course 2 anomalies being Chelsea and Leicester, many were looking forward to the week after a few sides dropped points last week, and this was the perfect opportunity to start a winning streak heading into a busy Christmas period. So before we head into December, let’s see how the 11th month concluded as the 20 sides battled for an overall tally of 30 goals in gameweek 14, with only one goalless game, so a lot of points up for grabs! Lets see where exactly the FPL points were hiding by checking the dream team!
Goalkeeper
Costel Pantilimon – If I told you Sunderland were going to keep 2 clean sheets in a row a few weeks ago, you would have laughed at me, but with Pantilimon finding the form of his life he has managed to string together 2 Sunderland wins and managed 4 saves in the latest of those wins to keep Stoke from scoring in a quite one sided game. A 3rd clean sheet of the campaign and with Arsenal next week, will this form continue or take an immediate nosedive?
Defenders
Patrick van Aanholt – Another Sunderland player in the name of Van Aanholt who also benefited from Sunderland’s clean sheet streak. He put in a 3 bonus point performance which saw a solid defensive display being rewarded in more ways than 1. A strong performance all round from Sunderland and this will give them confidence, as they move outside of the relegation zone for the first time in a long period.
DeAndre Yedlin – This is getting repetitive now… Another Sunderland player! Yedlin is the final player from the Black Cats this week and we may aswell just add the rest of the squad for good measure! 2 bonus points and an assist meant but points all round for the Sunderland defensive line and the new signing will be happy to get a clean sheet under his belt as he isn’t always the first choice defender for Sunderland.
Alberto Moreno – Finally in this back line we have Moreno who after a dominant performance against City last weekend has a lot to live up to now, setting a standard for the rest of the season. After a win in Europe, Liverpool struggled to break down Swansea but a key performance and a well worked performance lets them take a 1-0 win in the end and a clean sheet which will be key to keeping Liverpool in the race for top 4.
Midfielders
Kevin De Bruyne – To start off this 5 man magical midfield, we have this week’s star man in Kevin De Bruyne who has proved to be such an important signing for City as he can easily replace the magical aspect when Aguero is unavailable and will carry City though both Europe and the league if he keeps this form. 2 assists and a goal saw him end a successful week as City cruised past Palace 3-1.
Yannick Bolasie – Last season, Bolasie had such a big impact on Palace’s success but this year he has been quiet until now where he banged in 2 against struggling Newcastle. They found themselves down and had to claw themselves back into the game and a performance like this made it look simple, which gave him 3 bonus points and the 1st of 2 Palace players to find themselves in this week’s dream team.
Junior Stanislas – Next up though, is a debut in the dream team for Stanislas, and I don’t blame you if you have never heard of him, but apparently he scored twice in quite an eventful game where Everton fans stormed the pitch only to realise that Bournemouth would score in the 8 added minutes due to the delay. Regardless, 2 goals and 2 bonus points saw him climb into the dream team and that’s all that matters for him!
James McArthur – Next up, is the second Palace player in the form of McArthur who again, managed to get 2 goals in the 5-1 domination of Newcastle and put in a strong performance all round. He can finally say that he has opened up his account for the season after a long wait but he’ll be looking forward to the future if he keeps playing in the way he is now!
Ross Barkley – Finally in this stacked midfield, is Barkley who has been consistent all season for Everton and is one of the main reasons they find themselves in a better stage than last season. The club seems to keep faith in their players and managers and it looks like it is paying off with Barkley grabbing himself a goal, an assist and 3 bonus points to make a grand total of 12 points for the week,
Strikers
Odion Ighalo & Troy Deeney – We have a dynamic duo up-front for the first time this season as Watford’s Ighalo and Deeney managed 2 goals and 2 assists between them and took the 3 points against struggling Villa who find themselves at the foot of the Premier League. These 2 have been quite menacing over the last couple of weeks and you can see in the way they play that they could be a threat to any team, with their versatility, pace and clincialness which is making them a nightmare for all Premier League defences. Watford find themselves sitting mid table with Sunderland and Norwich coming up in the next 2 weeks!
So how did the week go for you? Was it a success? Let us know @FPL_updates and keep us updated on any questions you may have!
Written by Morgan Kidson
