Making moves on Merseyside.
J-League
There was no moving the top two in the J-League after a weekend where there were plenty of points on offer for managers, particularly for those with Manchester City players in their side.
Scores were solid rather than spectacular at the top of the table, with all of the top five scoring between 63 and 79 points in total, meaning Padraic Flesk’s Dyslexia Untied and Ronan Sherman’s Thespicers stay in first and second place respectively.
Philip Murray’s Philmino are the other survivors from last week’s top five, nestled in fourth place between two new additions to the league’s elite, Paul Clerkin’s Drumgarley Dynamite in third and Jim Monagle’s I Willian Matuidi in fifth.
This week’s leaders: Dyslexia Untied – Padraic Flesk
J-League Top 5
- Dyslexia Untied – Padraic Flesk: 357 points
- Thespicers – Ronan Sherman: 346 points
- Drumgarley Dynamite – Paul Clerkin: 340 points
- Philmino – Philip Murray: 336 points
- I Willian Matuidi – Jim Monagle: 335 points
Gameweek 6
The meeting of Arsenal and Chelsea on Saturday evening is the standout tie on a weekend that starts with Manchester United hosting Leicester City at Old Trafford, a game both sides could badly do with winning after heavy league defeats last time out.
As far as form is concerned, however, it is to league leaders Manchester City and to Merseyside where managers should be casting their gaze.
Liverpool and Everton have each scored six goals in their last two games and have very winnable fixtures against Hull and Bournemouth respectively, while little more needs to be said about Pep Guardiola’s side, who have averaged three goals a game in five wins so far.
Tottenham, meanwhile, might not be firing on all cylinders but deserve credit for conceding just two goals and keeping three clean sheets in five games, handy information to know if you’re shopping for defenders.
This week’s picks
Safe bet: Raheem Sterling (£8.4 million). Kevin De Bruyne justified our recommendation as captain last week, but you can pretty much set your watch by his fellow City wide man doing the business these days as well.
Sterling has three goals, three assists and 38 points to his name so far in this campaign; the over-the-top abuse he suffered on England duty during the summer has long since been forgotten.
Dark horse: Michail Antonio (£7.3 million). West Ham are mired in the relegation zone with just three points from five games, but Antonio is the third highest-ranked midfielder in the league thanks to four goals in his last three games.
Captain’s choice: Roberto Firmino (£8.4 million). With the Reds in such good form we decided to hand the armband to a Liverpool player and were torn between Firmino and fellow Brazilian Philippe Coutinho ahead of the clash against Hull at Anfield.
Firmino missed out against Chelsea last Friday, but looked in good shape during the 3-0 victory over Derby in the EFL Cup during the week so he gets the nod.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ podcast – listen to the latest episode now!
