Saturday 21 February 2015 12:43, UK
Our Sky Sports Fantasy Football scout looks at five underachieving strikers who could return to top form in the coming weeks.
Fresh from his three-match ban, Diego Costa looks a no-brainer for the captaincy as Chelsea host lowly Burnley, while fellow favourite Gylfi Sigurdsson is back in action for Swansea’s clash with Manchester United.
You don’t need me to tell you those two will pick up points between now and the end of the season, but there are a few frontmen around right now who are showing signs of regaining top form. Here’s five to consider:
Price: £8.1m
Goals scored: three
More often than not, the arrival of a new manager galvanises a squad and misfiring strikers suddenly rediscover their touch. Christian Benteke certainly falls under the ‘misfiring strikers’ category at the moment, but the Belgian’s talent is clear and he could prove a shrewd pick for Fantasy managers this weekend. Aston Villa’s new manager Tim Sherwood won 59% of his games in charge of Tottenham and his preferred attacking style of play was evident during those 22 outings. No doubt he’ll take the same approach at Villa Park when Stoke visit on Saturday, and Benteke is expected to spearhead the attack, eager to build on his poor tally of two in 16 league games this term. He’s scored in two of his three Premier League games against Stoke in the past and Sky Bet make Benteke 11/8 to continue that trend on Sherwood’s debut.
Price: £8.8m
Goals scored: seven
Opinions were divided when Everton smashed their transfer record to land the promising Belgian striker, but more of Jose Mourinho’s doubts than Roberto Martinez’s dreams have been realised so far this season. The price-tag appliers at Sky Sports Fantasy Football certainly expected big things, making him the 13th most expensive player in the game, just £0.1m cheaper than the game’s leading scorer Eden Hazard. While he’s far from justifying either valuation, an upturn of form has arrived of late, with three in seven in all competitions before bagging a hat-trick in Thursday night’s Europa League win at Young Boys. The 21-year-old has the perfect opportunity to maintain that free-scoring form when bottom side Leicester visit on Super Sunday, although trips to Arsenal and Stoke follow.
Price: £7.3m
Goals scorer: three
It is fair to say Lukaku is not the only record signing to have struggled to make an impact, with West Brom’s £10m man having to wait until Boxing Day to register his first Premier League goal. That goal hardly looked a catalyst to great things as he scored just once more in his next 12 appearances, but we finally seem to be seeing what prompted the Baggies to almost double their record transfer fee. The 26-year-old scored in back-to-back Premier League games before bagging a brace against West Ham in the FA Cup last weekend, justifying his place as the leader of Tony Pulis’ attacking line, with Saido Berahino being asked to operate in a wider role. With Aston Villa (A) and Stoke (H), it could be worth taking a punt on the reasonably-priced Nigeria striker.
Price: £9.2m.
Goals scored: one
When the Italian signed for Liverpool we were seemingly guaranteed goals and controversy in abundance, to great surprise on both fronts, neither arrived. That is until the last couple of weeks, with a potentially crucial winner against Tottenham on Monday Night Football followed by a substitute salvo against Crystal Palace and another decisive strike in the Europa League. However, his latter effort was followed by the anticipated controversy, with the 24-year-old seemingly disobeying orders to take the penalty against Besiktas. It looks unlikely that he’ll be selected to start ahead of fit-again Daniel Sturridge against Southampton on Sunday and even less likely that he’d take the ball off Steven Gerrard if both are present on the pitch. When you factor in that 27 of Balotelli’s career goals have been scored from the spot, acquiring his services looks even less appealing.
Price: £9.4m
Goals scored: eight
Rooney’s role for United has been a point of contention for club and country alike, but for Sky Sports Fantasy Football bosses his deeper role makes him an unappealing option. Rooney had failed to even register a shot on target in the Premier League in 2015 as he endured a seven-match goalless streak. However, Louis van Gaal utilised his captain as a striker again in Monday’s FA Cup tie with Preston and, while he struggled to make an impact for most of the game, he did earn his side a late penalty and made no mistake in slotting home from the spot. Radamel Falcao looked even less effective before being hauled off and it will be interesting to see which strike force the United boss opts for at Swansea on Saturday. If Rooney joins Van Persie in attack then he is worth considering again but if Van Gaal drops him deeper then steer clear.
