The holiday season was extremely busy with Premier League fixtures and we were lucky enough to see four sets of matches in less than two weeks.  Instead of reviewing the weekend, I’ll try to look at some important trends we saw through the holiday season and give my two cents on what that means going forward.
 1. Tottenham might not be out of a Champions League spot contention, but Manchester United probably are
Tottenham and Manchester United were having similar struggles up to this point in the season, but Wednesday’s match between the two showed the difference.  Lets look at Tottenham first.  Spurs fired André Villas-Boas and put Tim Sherwood in his place.  I was not a big fan of the hire and I’m still not completely sold on Sherwood but we have definitely seen improvements in Tottenham’s play.  Christian Eriksen recently said Sherwood gives them “more freedom” and makes it sound like Villas-Boas tried to do too much.  Freedom can sometimes be a good thing and the win over Manchester was certainly a step in the right direction.  It will be very tough to beat out one of the current top four teams for a spot in the Champions League, but Tottenham can certainly challenge for it or at the least earn a top six finish, which should be acceptable considering a mid-season change of manager and the lack of Gareth Bale.

Manchester United’s struggles are being attributed to David Moyes and I think with good reason (partially).  The club is still struggling against good opposition (their four game winning streak was against teams in 10^th, 11^th, 15^th, and 19^th place) and they are making mistakes they shouldn’t be.  Jonny Evans attributed the fact that they were “too open” at home for the two Tottenham goals on Wednesday and that’s something that should be fixed by Moyes.  Do I think Moyes should go?  No.  Moyes came from a smaller club where strategy is a bit different and is still adjusting to being in charge of such a big club, but Manchester fans will just have to accept they probably aren’t getting a top four spot this year.  There is also a lot of blame to be put on their sub-par roster.  They’ve missed their arguably best player, Robin van Persie, and his return could spark something, but I think sixth or seventh place will be in the books for United unless they sign some major talent in January.

 2. Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester City have one big thing in common – depth
These three teams had a very good stretch over the holidays despite missing some important players.  Arsenal missed Mesut Ozil, Olivier Giroud, and Aaron Ramsey for some games, City missed Sergio Aguero, and Chelsea missed David Luiz, Frank Lampard, and Branislav Ivanovic.  Neither of them missed a beat as they separated themselves from the pack and there is now a four point gap between third place Chelsea and fourth place Liverpool.  The difference came from roster depth, as Liverpool missed Daniel Sturridge and Steven Gerrard while the other clubs didn’t flinch.  The depth will continue to play a huge role in the title race and it seems Arsenal are trying to add another striker to make sure they have enough fire power to stay ahead of Chelsea and City.

 3. Southampton’s squad just isn’t deep enough
The Saints started the season red hot and were in the top four several weeks into the season.   In this article, I said one of the main reasons for their success was their consistency and lack of injuries.  As injuries started piling up, the Saints started losing.  They’ve only earned five points in their last nine games, but have missed Artur Boruc, Dejan Lovren, Victor Wanyama, Jose Fonte, Nathaniel Clyne, Dani Osvaldo among others for at least one of those nine games.  The only scenarios I see where Southampton get a top six finish is if:

• They get and keep all their starters healthy soon (extremely unlikely) or
• They purchase some more talent in January

 4. Depth is not only important in the Premier League
Depth seemed to be so important during the tight schedule in the Premier League but it was also important for our fantasy squads.  With the heavy rotation and heavy injury rate, having deep fantasy teams proved to be important.  I took two different zero pointers because I didn’t have enough valuable players on my bench.  The Premier League schedule gets easier, but there will be European and FA Cup matches that will also cause some unexpected rests. Many people have been taking advantage of the huge budget to get the best 11 players possible, but during tight windows, make sure to have at least one or two viable bench options on your squad. 

The holiday season was extremely busy with Premier League fixtures and we were lucky enough to see four sets of matches in less than two weeks.  Instead of reviewing the weekend, I’ll try to look at some important trends we saw through the holiday season and give my two cents on what that means going forward.
 1. Tottenham might not be out of a Champions League spot contention, but Manchester United probably are
Tottenham and Manchester United were having similar struggles up to this point in the season, but Wednesday’s match between the two showed the difference.  Lets look at Tottenham first.  Spurs fired André Villas-Boas and put Tim Sherwood in his place.  I was not a big fan of the hire and I’m still not completely sold on Sherwood but we have definitely seen improvements in Tottenham’s play.  Christian Eriksen recently said Sherwood gives them “more freedom” and makes it sound like Villas-Boas tried to do too much.  Freedom can sometimes be a good thing and the win over Manchester was certainly a step in the right direction.  It will be very tough to beat out one of the current top four teams for a spot in the Champions League, but Tottenham can certainly challenge for it or at the least earn a top six finish, which should be acceptable considering a mid-season change of manager and the lack of Gareth Bale.

Manchester United’s struggles are being attributed to David Moyes and I think with good reason (partially).  The club is still struggling against good opposition (their four game winning streak was against teams in 10^th, 11^th, 15^th, and 19^th place) and they are making mistakes they shouldn’t be.  Jonny Evans attributed the fact that they were “too open” at home for the two Tottenham goals on Wednesday and that’s something that should be fixed by Moyes.  Do I think Moyes should go?  No.  Moyes came from a smaller club where strategy is a bit different and is still adjusting to being in charge of such a big club, but Manchester fans will just have to accept they probably aren’t getting a top four spot this year.  There is also a lot of blame to be put on their sub-par roster.  They’ve missed their arguably best player, Robin van Persie, and his return could spark something, but I think sixth or seventh place will be in the books for United unless they sign some major talent in January.

 2. Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester City have one big thing in common – depth
These three teams had a very good stretch over the holidays despite missing some important players.  Arsenal missed Mesut Ozil, Olivier Giroud, and Aaron Ramsey for some games, City missed Sergio Aguero, and Chelsea missed David Luiz, Frank Lampard, and Branislav Ivanovic.  Neither of them missed a beat as they separated themselves from the pack and there is now a four point gap between third place Chelsea and fourth place Liverpool.  The difference came from roster depth, as Liverpool missed Daniel Sturridge and Steven Gerrard while the other clubs didn’t flinch.  The depth will continue to play a huge role in the title race and it seems Arsenal are trying to add another striker to make sure they have enough fire power to stay ahead of Chelsea and City.

 3. Southampton’s squad just isn’t deep enough
The Saints started the season red hot and were in the top four several weeks into the season.   In this article, I said one of the main reasons for their success was their consistency and lack of injuries.  As injuries started piling up, the Saints started losing.  They’ve only earned five points in their last nine games, but have missed Artur Boruc, Dejan Lovren, Victor Wanyama, Jose Fonte, Nathaniel Clyne, Dani Osvaldo among others for at least one of those nine games.  The only scenarios I see where Southampton get a top six finish is if:

• They get and keep all their starters healthy soon (extremely unlikely) or
• They purchase some more talent in January

 4. Depth is not only important in the Premier League
Depth seemed to be so important during the tight schedule in the Premier League but it was also important for our fantasy squads.  With the heavy rotation and heavy injury rate, having deep fantasy teams proved to be important.  I took two different zero pointers because I didn’t have enough valuable players on my bench.  The Premier League schedule gets easier, but there will be European and FA Cup matches that will also cause some unexpected rests. Many people have been taking advantage of the huge budget to get the best 11 players possible, but during tight windows, make sure to have at least one or two viable bench options on your squad. 

Things are busy around the Premier League and here at Rotoworld at this time of the year and we’re doing everything we can to keep you ready for every game.  We just finished the third set of games in just over a week’s worth of time and we have another gameweek on New Years Day.  I’ll keep this wrap up short and just try to mention most scores and some fantasy relevant information from the matches.

West Ham and West Brom opened up the weekend with a 3-3 shootout that saw a lot of fantasy contributions.  West Ham are missing some defenders and have a goalkeeper controversy at the moment so Dimitar Berbatov might be an interesting option on Wednesday if healthy(interesting but very, very risky option).  Aston Villa and Swansea tied 1-1 and no one really impressed too much.  Villa’s Christian Benteke could be returning when Villa visit Sunderland on Wednesday but he’s in really poor form and it would be extremely risky to play him in fantasy.

Hull City destroyed Fulham 6-0 and once again showed they are much better at home than on the road.  The Tigers visit Liverpool next so the fantasy appeal there is very little.  Fulham are struggling mightily right now and there aren’t any reliable fantasy options on their team right now.  Manchester City continued to play well at home with a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace and I would consider a few of their players for their next match at Swansea.  Yaya Toure was rested and is very likely to return to the lineup, making him an appealing choice.

The other Manchester club also continued their winning ways with a 1-0 victory at Norwich.  Manchester United are on a winning streak right now and get a big test against Tottenham next.  Wayne Rooney missed the game yesterday; he status is 50/50 for the Spurs clash but I think he’ll end up playing.  Check our player news before Wednesday for an update and get him in your squad if he’s likely to play.  Cardiff and Sunderland had a fantastic game at Cardiff City Stadium that saw plenty of action going both ways.  Cardiff seemed to have the game under control but Sunderland made a late comeback to tie the game 2-2.  That was the final score and both teams shared a point that didn’t help them too much in the relegation battle.

Sunday’s action was even better.  Everton beat Southampton 2-1 and find themselves back in the top four.  Romelu Lukaku scored his first goal in six games and considering he is very streaky, I wouldn’t mind using him next week at Stoke City.  Ross Barkley was great again and is also up for consideration next time out.  The Saints have a tough match against Chelsea and I would avoid them right now.
Arsenal defeated Newcastle 1-0 at St James’ Park and showed a lot of composure in winning a scrappy game on the road.  They missed Aaron Ramsey and will hope he returns sooner rather than later.  Mesut Ozil also missed the game and will probably miss out on Wednesday with a shoulder problem.

The two late Sunday games were just as entertaining as the first two.  Chelsea edged out Liverpool in a tightly contested game.  Liverpool took the early lead but Chelsea had things turned around by halftime and defended for their lives in the second half.  Suarez was kept scoreless for the second game in a row but he’s too good to not use when Liverpool host Hull City next week.  Frank Lampard left with an injury and will miss some time.  Branislav Ivanovic also left injured but will miss very little time if any.  In another part of London, Tottenham beat Stoke City in comfortable fashion.  The team is improving under new manager Tim Sherwood but have a long way to go if they want to challenge for a top four spot.  Next week’s match at Old Trafford will be a good test but it’ll be a game in which I would want no part in fantasy wise.  I wouldn’t feel comfortable using anyone not named Wayne Rooney.

We’ll have a player picks post and an injuries and suspensions column for you in the next two days so make sure to check in and get ready before Wednesday.  In the meantime, Follow the RotoWorld_PL team on Twitter: Galin | Jeremy | Neal | Nik | Steve as you get ready for the next set of matches.

I hope everyone is having a good time over the holiday period and that everyone enjoyed the matches on Boxing Day.  Bottom of the table teams were on fire this week and many of them picked up valuable points to get out of the relegation zone.  There were some great upsets today along with some unfamiliar fantasy stars and we have a lot to cover.

Don’t forget the next set of matches begins on Saturday so you only have a couple of days to set your fantasy lineup for week 19.  I’ll throw in a few suggestions in here if you are trying to change things up.

Hull City 2 – 3 Manchester United
What a game to start off the day.  Manchester United started off in horrible fashion and quickly went down 2-0 on goals from James Chester and David Meyler.  Manchester showed the kind of composure they had under Sir Alex Ferguson in a great comeback led by Wayne Rooney.  Rooney was the man of the match for me in this one as he was once again involved in everything Manchester did.  His efforts showed up on the stat sheet with a goal and an assist and he has become a premium fantasy option.  I recommend him going ahead and I think he is matchup proof.

Follow the RotoWorld_PL team on Twitter: Galin | Jeremy | Neal | Nik | Steve

Aston Villa 0 – 1 Crystal Palace
Both teams came off defeats and were desperate to win points here.  The game was shaping up a lot like a 0-0 draw when Dwight Gayle gave Palace a stoppage time winner to steal all the points from Aston Villa.  After beating his man, Gayle scored with an incredible 20-yard strike that left Brad Guzan helpless.  Before that shot, Guzan had shown off his skills with a number of incredible saves and made another strong case for taking over United States goalkeeping duties ahead of next year’s World Cup.  I will consider using him in goal for my fantasy team over the weekend when Villa face Swansea at home.  I would avoid all Palace players except maybe Joel Ward because they have an extremely tough away match at Manchester City next.

Cardiff City 0 – 3 Southampton
Both teams had been out of form before the start of the match but Southampton turned their luck around and were winning 3-0 by the 27^th minute.  Jay Rodriguez, Rickie Lambert, and Adam Lallana were all phenomenal and picked Cardiff apart in the first half hour.  After going up 3-0, the Saints slowed the game down and controlled it comfortably.  Cardiff couldn’t get anything going and despite improving in the second half, couldn’t even get one back.  This was the first clean sheet for Southampton in nine games but it seems the Saints may finally be overcoming their injuries and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them challenge Everton for at least a point at Goodison Park on Sunday.  Morgan Schneiderlin picked up a fifth yellow on the season and will miss the weekend match.

Chelsea 1 – 0 Swansea City
The game started with Chelsea being the better team and they rightly went up 1-0 in the 29^th minute.  Ashley Cole intercepted a pass and played the ball to Eden Hazard, who took it down the left side, cut back on his right foot, and put the ball past Gerhard Tremmel.  Tremmel had a few saves later in the game to keep Swansea within striking distance as Chelsea once again failed to capitalize on their chances.  Samuel Eto’o started at striker for the Blues for wasted a few chances and will probably be replaced for the game against Liverpool.  Despite Chelsea not being able to double their lead, Swansea didn’t cause Petr Cech any worries as they failed to create any chances and that left Jose Mourinho a happy man after the game.  Ramires will miss the next match due to getting his fifth yellow today and that means Frank Lampard is almost certain to start against Liverpool.

Everton 0 – 1 Sunderland
Everton were in fourth place before today and had looked like a real top four contender; Sunderland were dead last.  23 minutes in, Everton keeper Tim Howard was sent off for bringing down Ki Sung-yueng in the box.  Everton went down 1-0 on the penalty that followed and couldn’t get a goal back with 10 men.  The Toffees pushed Sunderland back in the closing minutes, but Vito Mannone was in fine form and wouldn’t allow a goal.  Everton only go down to fifth place but they need to find a way to beat relegation zone teams even with 10 men if they are to fight for a Champions League place.  Sunderland, on the other hand, looked better and are now only three points away from getting out of the relegation zone.  They face struggling Cardiff City next.

Newcastle United 5 – 1 Stoke City
Lots of things happened in this game but lets start with the red cards.  Glenn Whelan, Marc Wilson and even manager Mark Hughes were all sent off in the first half and those three decisions shaped the game.  Stoke were up 1-0 on a beautiful Oussama Assaidi goal but Newcastle were able to dominate the second half with their two man advantage.  The result could have been different were it for a different referee.  With that said, Newcastle are in sixth place and will need to continue their strong results if they are to stay ahead of in form Manchester United.  Yohan Cabaye was once again in form and scored a goal to make fantasy managers happy; I would consider playing him next week.

Norwich City 1 – 2 Fulham
These two bottom of the table teams were headed for a draw but just like in the Aston Villa – Crystal Palace game, the away team scored a fantastic late goal to steal the points.  Fulham’s Scott Parker scored a superb winning goal in the 87^th minute and gave Fulham enough points to avoid being tied for last place.  Gary Hooper scored the goal for Norwich and he has been in good form lately, making for an interesting fantasy choice at a fair price.

Tottenham 1 – 1 West Brom
Tottenham were coming in hot after beating Southampton in a shootout last weekend but things were different against West Brom.  Spurs took the lead from a Christian Eriksen free kick but West Brom’s Jonas Olsson equalized before Tottenham could regroup.  New Spurs boss Tim Sherwood failed to give fans what they wanted and his team struggled in creating and finishing chances just like they have all season long.  I’m not sure Sherwood deserved to be named manager after just one win and now I’m even more skeptical after seeing his team struggle against West Brom at home.

West Ham 1 – 3 Arsenal
West Ham started the game hot and kept Arsenal scoreless in the first half.  At the beginning of the second, Carlton Cole surprised the Gunners and gave West Ham the lead.  That didn’t last very long as Arsenal regrouped well and scored three goals in 11 minutes to put the game away.  Theo Walcott scored two and Lucas Podolski added the third.  Both of them looked healthy and once again give Arsenal a potent attack from the wings.  I would feel good using Walcott in fantasy.  One man to avoid in the next few weeks is Aaron Ramsey; the midfielder limped off and was deemed unfit for the next few games by Arsene Wenger.

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Manchester City 2 – 1 Liverpool
The most entertaining match of the day ended with a narrow win by the home side.  Manchester City continued their great run at the Etihad by seeing off Liverpool.  Phillippe Coutinho opened up the scoring in the 24^th minute after a great move by the Reds.  Vincent Kompany tied things up soon after and Alvaro Negredo’s shot found the back of the net right before halftime.  Simon Mignolet should have saved Negrodo’s effort but the Belgian goalkeeper’s error ended up being the deciding factor.  City are now in second place and Liverpool go down to fourth.  The top of the table is extremely tight and games like these will end up deciding who takes home the trophy.

Make sure to tune in tomorrow because we will have a lot of content to get you ready for Week 19.