Raheem Sterling is the ideal differential captain for gameweek 9

As the Premier League returns this weekend so does the headache of selecting your Fantasy Premier League captain. A number of managers might be swayed by Harry Kane’s fixture against West Ham United or Aguero’s home game against Burnley. Eden Hazard will also be a popular option given his current form and United’s torrid start to the season.

But all of these players are highly owned assets in the game and will not provide major differential points for the managers who aim to move up the table in their respective leagues. Picking a differential captain requires courage and the ability to make the right call at the right time.

If picked well, a differential captain is also capable of outscoring the usual suspects. A countless number of times, these captains have turned up on the day when the most-captained stars fail to deliver.

Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne

Here we take a look at an ideal differential captain for gameweek 9 – Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling. The English attacker has continued his fine form under Pep Guardiola this season as well and has been explosive on the front foot.

Given that Manchester City are playing at home, Sterling is almost assured to deliver returns. The 23-year-old has delivered points in all of his home starts this season, scoring a goal at least. He has picked up double-digit hauls in 2 of his last 4 home games as well.

The English attacker also scored for his country during the international break and is in brilliant form going into this game. He is priced at £11.1million but that’s still not as high as Eden Hazard, Harry Kane and Sergio Aguero.

Though the Cityzens come up against Tottenham Hotspur next, Sterling then faces a poor Southampton side at home once again. He should deliver returns in both of these games and is a must-have option even if not as a captain. The former Liverpool winger faces Manchester United at home as well after the clash against the Saints.

Read more: Why Man City must sign this teenage midfield gem by hijacking Chelsea’s £20m move

He is still selected only by 5.8% of the managers around the world, which means Sterling is a major differential in the game right now. Those who are willing to take the risk and hand the armband to him could reap the rewards in a few days’ time.

(PS: Player values and stats are based on Fantasy Premier League)

Alexis Sanchez

Three ways Manchester United can line up with Alexis Sanchez

Manchester United pulled off quite an unbelievable coup in the January window by securing a deal for Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal. Although the Chilean star was a Manchester City target for a good majority of the summer window, rumours started linking the Red Devils with Sanchez right before the winter window commenced. Even then, it seemed like a rather far-fetched deal since City seemed quite determined to land the attacker.

However, Jose Mourinho beat Pep Guardiola to bagging the signature of Sanchez in what was a straight swap deal with Arsenal. Henrikh Mkhitaryan was the other player who switched teams. The Armenian failed to get things going at Old Trafford and the move is definitely ideal for him.

Throughout the season, United have lacked attacking intent and with Sanchez in the mix, one can only hope for things to be different, with the remaining half of the season ahead of us. United are still 2nd in the table but in order to finish in the same spot, they need to finish on a strong note. With that in mind, here are 3 ways the Red Devils can line up with £14million-a-year Sanchez in the team.

4-2-3-1 with Sanchez in a wide role

This seems like the most obvious out of all formations. With Romelu Lukaku leading the line, Alexis Sanchez and either Anthony Martial or Marcus Rashford can occupy the wide roles while Mourinho alternates between using Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata as an attacking midfielder. The rest of the team would be pretty much the same with Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic occupying deeper roles.

Although this is Mourinho’s preferred formation, he might be looking for a change after the terrible way Pogba performed in the deeper role against Tottenham. That brings us to our next option.

4-3-3 with Pogba in a central midfield trio and Sanchez on the left-wing

With Sanchez on the left, either Jesse Lingard or Juan Mata could occupy the same role on the right-hand side. Meanwhile, Pogba would be able to receive better freedom to surge forward if he played in a central midfield trio with probably Matic and Marouane Fellaini. That would boost the attacking force for sure but if needed, Mourinho could also use Ander Herrera to push for a more cautious approach. However, this would see Martial and Rashford find their opportunities extremely limited.

3-5-2 with Sanchez partnering Lukaku up front

This might be the most unorthodox and unexpected formation out of the three but it could work on very specific occasions. Mourinho has used a three-man back line quite frequently during his tenure at Old Trafford and with Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia putting in exemplary displays as wing-backs, there is no reason for him to not consider this. Also, Lukaku’s goals seem to have dried up and if he were to have a presence like Sanchez supporting him, that could remarkably improve his displays.

Everton are in a spot of bother this campaign, after selling Romelu Lukaku for a initial £75 million pounds with £15 million in add-on’s coming in the coming seasons Everton had cash to burn. And they did just that with Everton owner Farhad Moshiri granting Koeman a £150 million war chest in order for the former dutch international now turned manager to compete in Europe following their Europa League qualification.

In the transfer market the Toffees completed savvy business they seemed to spend wisely completing dual deals for English prospects Jordan Pickford (from Sunderland) and Michael Keane (Burnley) on 2 £30 million deals. Not to mention enlisting young Spanish Attacker Sandro Ramirez for £5.2 million pipping Atletico Madrid to the signature, all this without mentioning the return of youth academy product Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) on a free transfer, Davy Klaasan (Ajax) for £23.6 million and the Icelandic midfielder Glyfi Sigurdsson (Swansea) for £45 million.

(Everton have spent big this summer with £150 million worth of investment)

But despite these signings Everton have been lacklustre this season and despite a £150 million investment Everton currently sit in the relegation places in 18th and the widely praised Koeman from last season was axed, currently former Everton player and Under-23’s manager David Unsworth is at the helm of the Liverpool based club.

But while many pundits and fans alike want him to stay despite losses against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup and Leicester City in the League with Phil Neville among others backing the former centre-back, but Arsenal Legend Ian Wright is not so convinced.

“If Everton hand him the reins now ahead of time, it could turn out to be the worst move either of them could make. Romanticism is all fine and good but it doesn’t win you points and matches. The Premier League is not like that. If you’re not up to it, if you’re not ready, it chews you up and spits you out, and for Everton it is all about survival.