The
African Cup of Nations (AFCON) has altered Premier League team-sheets and
performances since the 14th of January, with players representing
their national team at the 31st edition of the biennial tournament. Although
some teams were damaged more than others, the loss of key players has
significantly impacted the performances of teams, and a multitude of FPL
managers were left cursing when their prized assets left FPL behind for a
chance to win silverware for their nation. With the AFCON group stage finished
and the play-offs underway, a host of Premier league players are set to return
as nations are eliminated from the tournament. With players returning, more FPL
decisions and selection problems arise and need to be taken into account, as
AFCON form could transition over into the Premier League for some players.
So,
how did FPL assets perform for their nations during AFCON?
IVORY COAST
Always
tipped as one of the favourites to perform and go the distance at AFCON, Ivory
Coast have had another lacklustre tournament. Gone are the days of the golden
generation of players, but looking at the team set-up there are numerous
notable names, with many coming from top European leagues. Three star players
that Ivory Coast have in their ranks are ever present Premier League players who
find themselves in many FPL squads - Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace), Eric
Bailly (Manchester United) and Wilfried Bony (Stoke). In the group stage, Ivory
Coast only managed 2 draws (Togo, D.R Congo) and 1 loss (Morocco), resulting in
a third placed finish, thus getting knocked out without even recording a win,
scoring a miserly 2 goals while conceding 3.
Wilfried Zaha
Zaha
didn’t show FPL managers anything inspiring to select him upon his return to
league, with very little attacking threat presented in the 3 fixtures (0 goals,
0 assists). Starting all three games, Zaha was subbed off on two occasions
after not giving his side much value down either wing. This is surprising, as
Zaha has been a good differential performer this Premier League season, scoring
4 goals and grabbing 8 assists, getting and assist in every game between
GW9-GW13. Crystal Palace desperately need Zaha back to steady their side and
aid them in getting out of the relegation zone, and Zaha’s poor form at AFCON
might be what the Eagles need, as it might result in Zaha coming back to the
Premier League with a bang. Crystal Palace play Bournemouth, Sunderland, Stoke,
Middlesbrough and West Brom in the upcoming 5 weeks upon Zaha’s return, which
is a very favourable fixture run. Therefore, at a value of £5.5 and with 1.4
shots to go with 4.3 successful take-ons per game, Zaha could be a handy FPL
selection.
Eric Bailly
Bailly
managed to get 1 clean sheet to his name in a 0-0 draw against Togo, thanks to
a good defensive performance. He will most likely slot straight back into the
Man Utd defence upon his return, boosting United’s clean-sheet potential.
Unbeaten since their loss to Chelsea in GW9, Man Utd and FPL managers should
relish the fact that Bailly will be back in the line-up. Bailly was strong on
the ball, in the air and when defending 1v1 situations throughout the 3 AFCON
fixtures. This is something that Man Utd has missed without Bailly in central
defense. At £5.3, Bailly would be a good acquisition for FPL managers looking
to gain points from defence.
Wilfried Bony
Wilfried
Bony received different treatment from his country compared to what he is
experiencing at club side Stoke. Bony made two starts and one bench appearance at
AFCON managing to get on the scoresheet against D.R Congo. Scoring 1 goal from
2 shots Bony ended the tournament with 50% of his nation’s goals. However,
don’t expect this form to carry over to his club upon his return to the Premier
League. Although Bony is a good striker and at a value of £6.9, he is reasonably
cheap for forward options, Mark Hughes rarely utilises Bony in the first team,
opting for Crouch and Diouf instead. Also, with the recent acquisition of Saido
Berahino, expect Bony to continue warming the bench for Stoke.
SENEGAL
One
of the favourites to take out the tournament due to the quality and experience
in their side, Senegal performed up to expectation through the group stage (2
wins, 1 draw). However, they faulted at the first knock-out game, a penalty
shoot-out loss to Cameroon. Senegal boast 4 Premier League players who have
been consistently starting for their clubs. Idrissa Gueye (Everton), Sadio Manè
(Liverpool), Mame Biram Diouf (Stoke) and Cheikhou Kouyatè (West Ham) were all
integral parts of the Senegalese set-up. The involvement of Manè is what FPL
managers are eager to learn about, as he has been an excellent source of FPL
points in the 2016/17 season. Also, Kouyatè is one to look out for as he
possesses solid FPL potential in the budget midfield range.
Sadio Manè
Ever
since moving to Liverpool from Southampton at the beginning of the season, Manè
has been in scintillating form. So far this season, he has scored 9 goals from
2.3 shots per game and has also provided 6 assists from 1.7 key passes per game.
This form directly carried over into AFCON with Manè seemingly being
unstoppable when in possession of the ball. Over the course of the tournament
Manè was the prime attacking threat for Senegal, which the team was built
around. Of the 3 games Manè played in, he scored 2 goals from 6 shots and was a
constant menace to oppositions in the attacking third of the field, being
ranked as one of the best for take-on efficiency among all players. In the
quarter-finals match-up against Cameroon, Manè was exceptional, with 1 shot on
target, 11 fouls won, 4 crosses into the box and an amazing 14 take-ons.
However, the game went to penalties and Manè missed his spot kick, giving
Cameroon the victory. FPL managers should consider that this miss may have affected
Manè’s confidence. However, it could also do the opposite and give Manè a point
to prove upon his return. Even with a tough run of fixtures, facing Chelsea,
Spurs, Arsenal and Man City in the next 7 weeks, FPL managers should look to
get Manè into their squads as soon as possible.
Cheikhou Kouyatè
Kouyatè
was an invaluable asset to Senegal at AFCON. Playing in multiple roles across
the midfield, Kouyatè featured in 3 out of Senegal’s 4 games. He was one of the
lynch-pins that aided in securing 3 clean sheets in the tournament by breaking
up opposing attacks and constructing play in favour of his side. Similar to his
role at West Ham Kouyatè was given the ability to drift up field when
necessary, managing 3 shots on target. This season in FPL, Kouyatè has
registered 1 assist, which is his only scoring involvement so far. This is a
decent drop from the 5 goals and 3 assists he picked up last season, where he
also managed a shot frequency of 1 every 66.8 mins from defensive midfield,
which is very good. However, now that Payet has left the Hammers, Kouyatè could
see a change in roles with him moving further forward, flourishing at the
attacking end of the field. As a result, Kouyatè is a player to be considered
for FPL due to his price of £5.1, but not a first choice go-to budget midfield
option.
ALGERIA
Going
into AFCON, Algeria had a good chance at going the distance, with the style of
play and the star power to back it up. However, Algeria quickly became a big
disappointment, having 2 draws and 1 loss to be gone at the conclusion of the
group stage. The Leicester City duo of Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani couldn’t
prevent Algeria from being knocked-out, even though both put in some very good
performances at the international cup.
Riyad Mahrez
Mahrez
has been in very bad form this season, not being able to continue on from his
stellar 2015/16 campaign. Although Mahrez is still Leicester’s highest FPL
scoring player, he hasn’t scored since GW13 and has not yet produced a double
figure points return for the 8.2% of FPL managers who have selected him. At
AFCON however, his form dramatically changed. In the opening game against
Zimbabwe, Mahrez scored 2 goals from 6 shots and whipped in 4 successful
crosses. Over the 3 fixtures, Mahrez continued to look dangerous in front of goal,
having a total of 10 shots at 3.3 per game, much higher than his average 2.2
shots per game for his club. Even against the toughest opposition in Algeria’s
group (Senegal), Mahrez managed 5 crosses, 3 shots, 8 take-ons and an assist.
This reinforces to FPL managers that Mahrez still has the ability to score
points, especially against weaker oppositions. The four times Mahrez has
provided FPL points returns of 5+ this season has been against Hull (GW1),
Burnley (GW5), Watford (GW12) and Middlesbrough (GW13), all considered weaker
opponents for Leicester. Looking at GW29 onwards, Leicester have a kind run of
fixtures to end the season, meaning Mahrez could build off his AFCON form and
aid in Leicester staying in the Premier league. Nevertheless, at £8.9, Mahrez
needs to start scoring goals regularly to warrant a spot in FPL manager’s
squads ahead of other midfielders.
Islam Slimani
Just
like his club team-mate Mahrez, Slimani finished AFCON with 2 goals and an
assist from the 3 games. Like most good forwards, Slimani’s contributions came
in and around the opposition’s penalty area - 7 total shots with 3 on target (2
goals). This was a showcase of why Slimani became Leicester’s record signing
this season. Although having limited appearances for the foxes since signing, Slimani
has still registered 5 goals and 3 assists to be joint top scorer with Jamie
Vardy at the club. AFCON has given Slimani a platform to prove to Claudio
Ranieri that the money spent by Leicester on him was warranted. Slimani has
picked up a goal or assist in 3 of his last 4 games in all competitions and
with Algeria not getting out of the AFCON group stage, this form can continue
in the Premier league, granted Slimani gets game time. At 1.8 shots per game
this season Slimani has been a goal threat and can become a consistent scorer
for Leicester and FPL managers if trusted. With less than 1%TSB, if Slimani
continues this small patch of form over a longer period of time, it would be
nonsensical for FPL managers not to consider bringing in the £8.2 striker.
MOROCCO
A
courageous effort was shown at AFCON by Morocco, finishing second in their
group, which boasted the likes of DR Congo and Ivory Coast. After losing the
opening fixture against a good DR Congo side (1-0), Morocco went on to claim
two victories which saw them make it out of the group and into the knock-out
playoffs – losing in the quarter-finals. Morocco only has the privilege of two
Premier league players in their ranks, Sofiane Boufal (Southampton) and Nordin
Amrabat (Watford). Both on the fringe of the national squad, Boufal saw no
match-time (due to injury) at the tournament and Amrabat was very limited.
However, there is some positives that can be taken back to their respective
clubs sides.
Nordin Amrabat
Due to a slight ankle injury Amrabat was unable to play any game time at AFCON and is now facing
stiff competition from Niang, Success and Janmaat at Wtaford. It is unclear whether
Amrabat will jump straight back into Watford’s first team when he returns to
league competition. Starting almost every Premier league fixture this season
for Watford, Amrabat has had trouble gaining FPL points as his style of play
does not necessarily suit FPL point scoring. Amrabat’s wing play has only seen
him record 3 assists all season, however, with 1.4 goal scoring chances created
per game and 1.3 shots per game, Amrabat has the potential to have a bigger
impact. Additionally, Watford’s player of the season so far Etienne Capoue has
been the creative force behind all of Watford’s attacks, meaning Amrabat has had
a smaller role to play in the side. But, if Capoue gets injured or suspended in
the remaining league games, Amrabat could become key to Watford scoring goals.
GHANA
Always
one of the stronger African nations at any international tournament, Ghana yet
again found themselves as a contender for the AFCON trophy. However, they
weren’t at their blistering best, just scrapping through the group stage with 2
goals for and 1 against from their 2 wins and 1 loss. Premier League players,
Andre Ayew (West Ham) and Daniel Amartey (Leicester), both contributed to
Ghana’s success. Amartey, playing in a very defensive minded midfield role isn’t
anyone’s FPL necessity with a mere 0.2%TSB. However, Andre Ayew has been an
integral part of FPL squads in the past, and could be once again after
returning from international duty.
Andre Ayew
Starting
all fixtures at AFCON and playing the full 90 minutes in an advanced midfield
role is something that should immediately get FPL managers interested in Andre
Ayew’s stock. Ayew has scored 2 goals from 7 shots at AFCON so far and looks to
have his confidence back in front of goal, which has been missing at West Ham
this season. Formerly, Ayew was a constant goal threat. At Swansea in the
2015/16 season, he registered 12 goals and 5 assists, along with 25 bonus
points for his hard work and effort on and off the ball. This effort and energy
has been evident at AFCON and could very well carry into the Premier League.
With Payet no longer a West Ham player, Ayew will have more emphasis put on his
play and contribution to the team. However, competition for starting spots with
Manuel Lanzini, Sofiane Feghouli, Michail Antonio and recent signing Robert Snodgrass
could jumpstart Ayew’s season to the heights it was at Swansea. With a
favourable run of fixtures from GW25 onwards, West Ham players could become hot
property for FPL managers as many have very underrated values. Ayew could even find
himself partnering Andy Carroll up front, should Slaven Bilic opt for a more
attacking setup, thus giving more potential to increase his goal tally upon
resuming club duty, and at a value of £7.1, is a reasonable midfield selection
if he is a nailed on starter in these positions.
By Luke Scali - Twitter (@LS_Potzi)
