Each week when Shotsontarget publish their stats for MatchCenter, I'll pick the match's "best players" and highlight their most outstanding stats to decide whether they will make the Watchlist.
Two metrics are used here, the first being Key Passes (a pass that creates a shooting chance) and Shots on Target in the Box. Players that stand out on either stat will be called Creators and Shooters respectively, while players who have both are coined All-Rounders.
Watchlist Guidelines:
Players that go on the Watchlist are Tier 1 all rounders, and some of the top 3/4 Tier 2 All-Rounders. Tier 1 All-Rounders are the most important, pinpointing potential "Gems" for the coming weeks.
The Tier 1 All-Rounders are "Gems" that will be worth PICKING UP if the maintain their stats (and tactical positioning) for 2-3 weeks in a row, and will certainly be the ones that are "worth a punt".
The Tier 2 All Rounders are also potential gems, but they are more of the "shining lights" in a weak team performance and are more likely to be picked up when their team hits form.
If there is no value there then I'll look through some top Shooters and top Creators. I'll also do a quick note on how these top Shooters' and Creators' chances are created in their respective systems, and make a quick verdict on whether to include them in the Watchlist or not.
I'll probably make a "Second Tier" Watchlist as well to accommodate players that are "coming into form", perhaps due to a new system or a new-found confidence.
Finally, I'll have a "Wishlist" for personal reasons: These are Tier 1 Watchlist players that I don't have that I wish to have, which is something I'll use for my upcoming transfer-in decisions.
Here we go. Watchlist last week (GW18):
Wishlist: Gerrard
Watchlist 1: Baines
Watchlist 2: Aguero, Pablo Hernandez, Marveaux
Player
|
Price
|
Minutes
|
Key Passes
|
Shots
|
Shots in Box
|
Shots on Target
|
Assists
|
Goals
|
Stoke 0 Chelsea 4
| ||||||||
Etherington
|
5.9
|
86
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Lampard
|
8.4
|
94
|
1
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
1
|
Ba
|
8.9
|
71
|
3
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
QPR 0 Tottenham 0
| ||||||||
SWP
|
4.9
|
93
|
0
|
3
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Bale
|
9.8
|
93
|
1
|
4
|
1
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
Defoe
|
8.4
|
93
|
0
|
3
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
Man United 2 Liverpool 1
| ||||||||
RVP
|
14.1
|
95
|
2
|
8
|
5
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
Sturridge
|
7.3
|
50
|
3
|
4
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
Suarez
|
10.4
|
95
|
3
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
Gerrard
|
9.4
|
95
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
Everton 0 Swansea 0
| ||||||||
Jelavic
|
8.1
|
95
|
0
|
5
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Pienaar
|
6.8
|
95
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Fellaini
|
7.5
|
95
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
Baines
|
7.5
|
95
|
7
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Norwich 0 Newcastle 0
| ||||||||
Player
|
Price
|
Minutes
|
K.Pass
|
Shots
|
S.i.Box
|
Target
|
Assists
|
Goals
|
Pilkington
|
5.8
|
93
|
0
|
4
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
Obertan
|
4.2
|
57
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
Snodgrass
|
6.3
|
77
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
Arsenal 0 Man City 2
| ||||||||
Giroud
|
7.8
|
39
|
0
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
Milner
|
6.1
|
96
|
4
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
Silva
|
9.4
|
93
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Dzeko
|
7.4
|
89
|
2
|
5
|
5
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
Tevez
|
8.9
|
96
|
2
|
3
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
Sunderland 3 West Ham 0
| ||||||||
Jarvis
|
5.6
|
94
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
Cole (Joe)
|
5.6
|
94
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Johnson (A)
|
6.7
|
84
|
1
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
McClean
|
5.7
|
94
|
2
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
1
|
Sessegnon
|
7.1
|
89
|
5
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Fletcher
|
7.0
|
79
|
0
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
Aston Villa 0 Southampton 1
| ||||||||
Benteke
|
7.1
|
6.7
|
2
|
7
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
Puncheon
|
5.4
|
5.0
|
3
|
5
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Lambert
|
5.4
|
6.4
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
Reading 3 West Brom 2
| ||||||||
Morrison
|
5.9
|
95
|
5
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
Lukaku
|
6.4
|
95
|
3
|
6
|
4
|
2
|
0
|
2
|
Fulham 1 Wigan 1
| ||||||||
Di Santo
|
5.3
|
97
|
2
|
7
|
5
|
4
|
0
|
1
|
Maloney
|
4.8
|
97
|
2
|
3
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
Top Shooters:
Lampard, Baines
This may look a little strange at first, but it's fascinating to see that a lot of last week's shooters move up to the All-Rounders. More on that later, but I will look at Lamps' stats anyway. Baines' appearance combined with his clean sheet is also very, very encouraging.
Top Creators:
Morrison, Sessegnon, Pienaar, Etherington
Nothing new, prospects surfacing and being cast back to the ocean of playmakers in the BPL...
The elite options
Now with an average score of 52 last week, I'm actually quite surprised that the average was only 57 this week despite A LOT of chelsea players delivering. Bale, Fellaini even pulled 3 bonus points out of their insurance policies I assume, but those who banked on 3 Chelsea and 3 Southampton were really rewarded. Kudos to them and their big hairy balls.
The Emerging Defenders
An Everton Clean Sheet. Ooh La La. Not much beyond that though, BUT lots of new players in and out are already ruffling the feathers of the high flyers and their high profile defenders. This section will be more elaborate come end of the transfer window.
Top All Rounders:
Tier 1: Sturridge, Benteke, Lukaku, McClean, RVP, Di Santo
Tier 2: Bale, Tevez, Maloney
To be Given Verdict:
All-Rounders: Sturridge, Benteke, Lukaku, McClean, Maloney, Di Santo
Shooters/Creators: Fat Frank, Blue Elephant
Sturridge
In 30 minutes, Sturridge created more than trigger happy Suarez. What's intriguing here is that Liverpool kept their shape despite a tactical change, and I wouldn't pick the Studge up until Brendan Rodgers shows us how Suarez and Sturridge play in the same side, if they do at all. We don't another Adebayor-Defoe situation on our hands. Not On Watchlist
Benteke
Home game against West Brom. Benteke did well, but didn't manage to jizz all over Southampton, but it's encouraging to see that Benteke is at least trying. Pick him up if you're going with a heavy midfield/defence. He's in my sights if Villa improve by February. Watchlist 2
Lukaku
Lukaku's case is simple: All stats are good except for minutes played. With Shane Long apparently due to be back this week, he's a "monitor" but if you're going for a 1 week punt he should be first choice. Watchlist 2
McClean
Sunderland are a curious case because they are expected to improve over the second half of the season. Given that both their offense and defence haven't exactly been churning out good stats, I'm very intrigued to see where Sunderland will improve. Thankfully I will have 2 games to monitor this, but I wouldn't be so hasty to jump on the Sunderland bandwagon, especially with the Black Cats getting 2 new acquisitions in defence. 1 more good game though and all Sunderland stock gets the eyeball from me. Not on Watchlist
Maloney
Wigan are in the same situation as Sunderland, and other teams expected to improve such as Newcastle and Liverpool. Waiting for the classic Houdini act to start, but for now Maloney's still inferior to choices in the same bracket range, most notably Puncheon and even Taarabt. Not on Watchlist
"Fat Frank" Lampard
The last hurrah before moving to MURIKA? is raising questions on whether Lamps can be considered a real differential to the rotation prone Mata and Hazard. I am aware that Lampard on lasted 79 minutes against Southampton, and it was because Chelsea were level in the dying stages of the game and Torres was the only option, which only looks good in Football Manager.
Lampard's productivity, however, is dependent on Chelsea's attitude. Against Stoke, Lampard played A LOT of long passes from deep and against Southampton, his passes were less ambitious, which is strange considering Chelsea were playing at home against Southampton and away to Stoke. Lampard's shooting chances were also in the box against Stoke and outside against Southampton. Possible conclusions from these patterns are (a) A unique gameplan against Stoke or (b) Lampard's simple more dangerous away from home. Next 2 games will determine how effective he is compared to Mata and Hazard. In the mean time, he's a standby option. Watchlist 2
Leighton "Blue Elephant" Baines
Last week's recommendation managed to get the clean sheet, but ultimately only got 5 points and no bonus despite having 7 key passes. Firstly, while Baines had 0 attempts at goal, he did have a decent partnership with Pienaar on the left, Pienaar putting in 8 open play crosses while Baines had 9 himself. Baines did have additional key passes off corners though, 3 of his 7 key passes coming off those set pieces from both sides.
Jelavic's wastefulness and Vorm's heroics ultimately saved Swansea a point, but it's important to note that Baines and Pienaar only had 1 shot between them. Conclusion is that you get him if you can, but there are better alternatives at the moment for you to justify not having him. Watchlist 1, I can afford him :-P
Di Santo (FDS)
Franco Di Santo, priced at 5.3 at the moment, had his first decent game since Kone's departure for AFCON. What's interesting is that FDS took most of his shots in the box, but very few off key passes. Wigan do implement a unique 3-4-3 which involves pressing quite high up the pitch, and against a not-so-possesion based Fulham side it might have worked. (10 out of 12 successful tackles in Fulham's half, astonishing).
As for FDS's prospects, I'd have him on monitor just in case Wigan are going through a false dawn. I mean there are more pressing issues this week anyway, I'll remind you guys if FDS pops up on the radrar again in a couple of weeks' time. Watchlist 2
Conclusion:
Wishlist: -
Watchlist 1: Baines, Gerrard
Watchlist 2: Lampard, Lukaku, Benteke, Di Santo
Watchlist Changes: Baines cemented in Watchlist 1. Him and Gerrard seem like permanent fixtures. Lukaku + Benteke combo also looking likely for pre-25 plans, might try and revolve around that. Di Santo is the budget option if i decide to go 2 big strikers.
This week's DGW is annoying because I'm working with counter-inflated data with Arsenal players. So recommendations for this week are Benteke and Lukaku (but if you get either you're fine) and it really comes down to how long you're keeping the candidates. Long term Benteke, Short Term Lukaku. Simple. All the best guys.
Lampard, Baines
This may look a little strange at first, but it's fascinating to see that a lot of last week's shooters move up to the All-Rounders. More on that later, but I will look at Lamps' stats anyway. Baines' appearance combined with his clean sheet is also very, very encouraging.
Top Creators:
Morrison, Sessegnon, Pienaar, Etherington
Nothing new, prospects surfacing and being cast back to the ocean of playmakers in the BPL...
The elite options
Now with an average score of 52 last week, I'm actually quite surprised that the average was only 57 this week despite A LOT of chelsea players delivering. Bale, Fellaini even pulled 3 bonus points out of their insurance policies I assume, but those who banked on 3 Chelsea and 3 Southampton were really rewarded. Kudos to them and their big hairy balls.
The Emerging Defenders
An Everton Clean Sheet. Ooh La La. Not much beyond that though, BUT lots of new players in and out are already ruffling the feathers of the high flyers and their high profile defenders. This section will be more elaborate come end of the transfer window.
Top All Rounders:
Tier 1: Sturridge, Benteke, Lukaku, McClean, RVP, Di Santo
Tier 2: Bale, Tevez, Maloney
To be Given Verdict:
All-Rounders: Sturridge, Benteke, Lukaku, McClean, Maloney, Di Santo
Shooters/Creators: Fat Frank, Blue Elephant
Sturridge
In 30 minutes, Sturridge created more than trigger happy Suarez. What's intriguing here is that Liverpool kept their shape despite a tactical change, and I wouldn't pick the Studge up until Brendan Rodgers shows us how Suarez and Sturridge play in the same side, if they do at all. We don't another Adebayor-Defoe situation on our hands. Not On Watchlist
Benteke
Home game against West Brom. Benteke did well, but didn't manage to jizz all over Southampton, but it's encouraging to see that Benteke is at least trying. Pick him up if you're going with a heavy midfield/defence. He's in my sights if Villa improve by February. Watchlist 2
Lukaku
Lukaku's case is simple: All stats are good except for minutes played. With Shane Long apparently due to be back this week, he's a "monitor" but if you're going for a 1 week punt he should be first choice. Watchlist 2
McClean
Sunderland are a curious case because they are expected to improve over the second half of the season. Given that both their offense and defence haven't exactly been churning out good stats, I'm very intrigued to see where Sunderland will improve. Thankfully I will have 2 games to monitor this, but I wouldn't be so hasty to jump on the Sunderland bandwagon, especially with the Black Cats getting 2 new acquisitions in defence. 1 more good game though and all Sunderland stock gets the eyeball from me. Not on Watchlist
Maloney
Wigan are in the same situation as Sunderland, and other teams expected to improve such as Newcastle and Liverpool. Waiting for the classic Houdini act to start, but for now Maloney's still inferior to choices in the same bracket range, most notably Puncheon and even Taarabt. Not on Watchlist
"Fat Frank" Lampard
The last hurrah before moving to MURIKA? is raising questions on whether Lamps can be considered a real differential to the rotation prone Mata and Hazard. I am aware that Lampard on lasted 79 minutes against Southampton, and it was because Chelsea were level in the dying stages of the game and Torres was the only option, which only looks good in Football Manager.
Lampard's productivity, however, is dependent on Chelsea's attitude. Against Stoke, Lampard played A LOT of long passes from deep and against Southampton, his passes were less ambitious, which is strange considering Chelsea were playing at home against Southampton and away to Stoke. Lampard's shooting chances were also in the box against Stoke and outside against Southampton. Possible conclusions from these patterns are (a) A unique gameplan against Stoke or (b) Lampard's simple more dangerous away from home. Next 2 games will determine how effective he is compared to Mata and Hazard. In the mean time, he's a standby option. Watchlist 2
Leighton "Blue Elephant" Baines
Last week's recommendation managed to get the clean sheet, but ultimately only got 5 points and no bonus despite having 7 key passes. Firstly, while Baines had 0 attempts at goal, he did have a decent partnership with Pienaar on the left, Pienaar putting in 8 open play crosses while Baines had 9 himself. Baines did have additional key passes off corners though, 3 of his 7 key passes coming off those set pieces from both sides.
Jelavic's wastefulness and Vorm's heroics ultimately saved Swansea a point, but it's important to note that Baines and Pienaar only had 1 shot between them. Conclusion is that you get him if you can, but there are better alternatives at the moment for you to justify not having him. Watchlist 1, I can afford him :-P
Di Santo (FDS)
Franco Di Santo, priced at 5.3 at the moment, had his first decent game since Kone's departure for AFCON. What's interesting is that FDS took most of his shots in the box, but very few off key passes. Wigan do implement a unique 3-4-3 which involves pressing quite high up the pitch, and against a not-so-possesion based Fulham side it might have worked. (10 out of 12 successful tackles in Fulham's half, astonishing).
As for FDS's prospects, I'd have him on monitor just in case Wigan are going through a false dawn. I mean there are more pressing issues this week anyway, I'll remind you guys if FDS pops up on the radrar again in a couple of weeks' time. Watchlist 2
Conclusion:
Wishlist: -
Watchlist 1: Baines, Gerrard
Watchlist 2: Lampard, Lukaku, Benteke, Di Santo
Watchlist Changes: Baines cemented in Watchlist 1. Him and Gerrard seem like permanent fixtures. Lukaku + Benteke combo also looking likely for pre-25 plans, might try and revolve around that. Di Santo is the budget option if i decide to go 2 big strikers.
This week's DGW is annoying because I'm working with counter-inflated data with Arsenal players. So recommendations for this week are Benteke and Lukaku (but if you get either you're fine) and it really comes down to how long you're keeping the candidates. Long term Benteke, Short Term Lukaku. Simple. All the best guys.
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