Gameweek 11 this week, and how did we come into the week? Chelsea struggling still, United and Arsenal surprisingly knocked out of the cup by weaker opposition, and no manager at all who could have guessed this week’s Fantasy Premier League dreamteam. 148 FPL points gave 11 players a worthy accomplishment and with a few differentials and some real surprises, it sounds perfect. So why don’t we see how each one of those 11 found their way into the squad by reviewing this week’s dreamteam?
Goalkeeper
Jack Butland – After performing heroics in a late night penalty shootout midweek to knock out Chelsea, he brought this confidence into the weekend to add another clean sheet to his tally, his third so far! He now has more than he managed last season already and although Stoke would of wanted more than a goalless draw at Newcastle, the keeper deserves credit for staying focused and managing 6 saves to keep the Newcastle strikers quiet.
Defenders
Laurent Koscielny – The Frenchman makes an appearance for the second week in a row as Swansea struggle to break down the Gunners defensive line and were swept aside thanks to a 3-0 scoreline. He also found himself on the scoresheet as he got Arsenal’s 2nd goal, taking him to 2 for the season, and 13 whilst wearing an Arsenal shirt. Arsenal are smashing teams at the moment, and have a very favorable set of fixtures coming up so don’t expect this trend to stop!
Ryan Bertrand – An assist and 2 bonus points really put him up there this week, as the Southampton defender continues to impress.
Nicolas Otamendi – Finally in this 3 man brick wall, is the City defender who grabbed the first goal in their clash against Norwich and bagged himself 3 bonus points for his hard work (and almost a clean sheet). His total would be much higher, if Joe Hart never made an embarrassing mistake which leveled the game up in the 85th minute but luckily they still grabbed all 3 points and this man was instrumental in achieving that.
Midfielders
Riyad Mahrez – He has been quiet recently, but he is back to where he was at the beginning of the season, banging in goals from everywhere for Leicester! 2 goals helps him make his 7th appearance in the dream team this season alone and is in the majority of people’s teams… and so he should be! 7 goals from a midfielder’s point of view is insane at this stage of the season, and he is embarrassing defenders week in, week out! What a start for Leicester!
Philippe Coutinho – The Brazilian wizard did it again this week as Liverpool fought off struggling Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and 2 goals for this man made it a miserable day for Mourinho. A 3rd from Benteke closed the game out, but this man was to thank for Liverpool’s success with 2 well deserved goals from hard positions and has definitely earned himself a spot in this week’s dream team. If he keeps his shooting boots on, he will be here for a while!
Gerard Deulofeu – The Spaniard definitely got involved this week, as he bagged himself the opening goal and followed up with 2 assists taking his tally to 5 for the season. The winger will be looking forward to the future, as Everton have West Ham, Villa and Bournemouth in their next 3 games so 9 points and some high scoring games can easily be made if they keep their form up.
Steven Davis – Finally in this 5 man midfield, is a player who usually stays quiet, but not this week! He found himself on the scoresheet for the second time this season and will want to grow this number as the season carries on. He’s been in the Premier League for 6 seasons now, and hasn’t made a massive impact at either of his clubs but maybe this is all about to change as he found some confidence and produced a clinical finish to help Southampton take all 3 points.
Forwards
Arouna Kone – 3 menacing forwards today, and we start with our star man for this week. A hat-trick against struggling Sunderland saw Everton smash them 6-2 but that wasn’t before they came close to losing their nerves after giving up their 2 goal cushion to allow Sunderland back In the game. Kone’s performance takes him to 5 goals and 51 points for the season, and he is proving to be a nightmare for defenders this season.
Romelu Lukaku – Another beast from Everton, and as well as assisting his strike partner twice, he also got in on the goals by grabbing himself a goal when Sunderland were all down and out. What a strikeforce him and Kone are turning out to be! The unpredictable pair have everything a modern day strike force needs: pace, strength and lethal shooting!
Odion Ighalo – Finally we have Ighalo who returns to the dream team after putting his body on the line, literally, and scoring 2 goals. Unfortunately he did pick up an injury and this could set him back, but he is currently hoping for good fortune as his 7 goals have helped him make a name for himself in the BPL and he will continue to make headlines and the dream team if he continues to bag in goals as frequently as he is currently doing.
So that’s this week over and done with, but how did it end up for you? Was it as successful as you wanted it to be or have you got a lot of work to do before next week? Anyways sit back, enjoy some Champions league football and see you next week!
By Morgan Kidson
