Last week’s Premier League action threw up some real curveballs as Manchester City’s bad run of form continued as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Southampton and North London teams Arsenal and Spurs also failed to get a win and drew their respective matches.
The league is becoming extremely competitive and the top 5 teams are only separated by a gap of 1 point. The last gameweek was not a great outing for strikers in general, as a lot of teams ended up keeping clean sheets. However, this is something that happens rarely and it is imperative to have a solid bunch of forwards who consistently score.
Gameweek 10 features Tottenham Hotspur against defending Champions Leicester City at White Hart Lane. Spurs really need the 3 points after drawing back to back games in the league.
Arsenal go up against Sunderland who are clearly a lost cause at the moment while Manchester City will also need to bounce back after going three games without a win. The onus is on the forwards to propel their team to the top of the table.
#5 Diego Costa
The Spaniard is without a doubt one of Antonio Conte’s most important players. He has gone the extra mile by converting losses to draws and draws into wins thanks to his 7 goals, which leads the goal scorers tally. His improved fitness under the new manager is largely responsible for his new found form after a dismal season last time around.
Chelsea will be playing against Claude Puel’s Southampton who have turned out to be a tough nut to crack. The Blues will rely heavily on Costa’s form if they want to get all three points away from home as Southampton have shown a real defensive maturity in the last few games, but if there is one man who could hassle their defenders, it is definitely Diego Costa.
However, managers should remember that Costa is one yellow card away from getting a ban.
Next 3 fixtures: Southampton(A), Everton(H), Middlesbrough(A)
#4 Troy Deeney
The Watford captain hasn’t really had a lot of impact statistically, scoring only twice in the league. However, upon closer inspection, you realise that he has definitely been Watford’s lynchpin. The Englishman is a strong and physical player who can bully his way around the tough defenders who play in the Premier League.
Deeney also takes penalties for his team, which is an added advantage when you pick him in your team. Watford will play against Hull City who’ve conceded an astonishing 19 goals in their last 5 games in the league. The forward will be important for Watford if they want to take this game by the scruff of the neck and get all three points at home.
Next 3 fixtures: Hull City(H), Liverpool(A), Leicester(H)
#3 Christian Benteke
The Belgian forward had a tumultuous time at Liverpool and could never truly adapt at Liverpool under both Brendan Rodgers and Jurgen Klopp. However, things look different at Crystal Palace and the player has cemented his position as the starting striker under Alan Pardew.
Palace rely heavily on wing play and crossing, thus playing to Benteke’s strengths. His physicality coupled with his wonderful aerial ability also makes him a real threat in the air. The South London club host Benteke’s former team Liverpool this week and Benteke will be looking to prove a point.
The Red’s have shown weakness when it comes to defending set pieces and this is something that Crystal Palace should definitely target with Benteke at the helm of things.
Next 3 fixtures: Liverpool(H), Burnley(A), Manchester City(H)
#2 Sergio Aguero
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have been stopped right in their tracks as they have gone winless in their last three games. The pressure is not only on the manager but also on the City frontline who’ve failed to fire convincingly. This brings us to the most expensive player in the game, Sergio Aguero who is priced at a premium 13.0m.
The Argentine has been binned by several teams, however, this decision might be hurried as Manchester City have a fixture difficulty rating of 2,1,2,2 for the upcoming games. Considering the fixtures and the kind of ability Aguero possesses, it might be a bad decision to let go of the player.
This week, Aguero faces West Brom and the Baggies have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 6 games. We’ve also seen the kind of points tally Aguero can amass if he clicks and keeping that in mind, managers should put their faith in the player.
Next 3 fixtures: West Brom(A), Middlesbrough(H),Crystal Palace(A)
#1 Romelu Lukaku
Everton’s star striker is in blistering form right now after a long slump. Under Ronald Koeman, he has found his goalscoring boots once again and looks a completely different player to the struggling Lukaku of last season.
The player has scored 7 goals and assisted twice in the 9 games he has played for the Merseysiders this season. Backed by a decently creative midfield, it’ll be a big mistake to ignore Lukaku who is on song right now. The Belgian who was initially priced at 9m, has seen his stock skyrocket and can now be included in your team for a figure of 9.7m.
Everton’s next game is against West Ham United, who have had a terrible start to the season. There is strong likelihood that the big striker will influence the game and could deliver a bucket load of points.
Next 3 fixtures:West Ham(H), Chelsea(A), Swansea(H)
