Fantasy Premier League, Gameweek 13 tips: How soon can Jose Mourinho kickstart Tottenham's resurgence; will the Jamie Vardy party ever stop?

Our lord and saviour Jose Mourinho is back. This is not a drill. He is really, truly back. The Sultan of snark, the Baron of banter, the Special One, the Happy One, the Humble One. For too long we’ve been stuck in the insipid rut of the Jurgen Klopp - Pep Guardiola rivalry, a tame affair that has had little to talk about, other than a backhanded compliment or two every other month. For too long we’ve been starved of drama, forced to watch genuinely beautiful football without the handbags that we’ve grown accustomed to in the Premier League’s glory days. All (Read: some) of that is about to change. With the return of Mourinho, expect scandalous sound-bites, expect pitch-side antics aplenty and, perhaps most of all, expect all eyes to be on Tottenham, especially when they take on West Ham United in the first match of Gameweek 13. Could Tottenham spark a massive comeback? Should you snap up Harry Kane before he goes on a goalscoring rampage? Read on to learn everything you need to whip your team into shape ahead of this round of Fantasy Premier League fixtures: [caption id=“attachment_7687831” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Gameweek 13 fixtures for the 2019/20 Premier League season.[/caption] New manager, who dis? There’s a time-honoured trend followed by Premier League clubs of vastly improving form whenever there is a change in management. It happened with Manchester United’s Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, it happened with Chelsea’s Roberto di Matteo, and Daniel Levy will have spent the past week with fingers crossed, hoping that the same will happen with Jose Mourinho. If that were to happen, a match against West Ham is the perfect starting point for Spurs’ resurgence. Though it might not be the juiciest fixture imaginable, it is a London derby, and a win over the Hammers would endear Mourinho to the Spurs faithful. Harry Kane (£10.8m) stands out as an excellent pick from the game, despite having had a relatively slow start to the season. The striker scored four goals in two games for England during the international break, and he could take that goalscoring form into the Premier League. The likes of Son Heung-min (£9.6m) and Dele Alli (£8.4m) provide slightly cheaper, if less convincing, options in attack. Meanwhile, on the defensive side of it, goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga (£4.5m) comes in at an absolute steal. A watertight defence is a key tenet of the Mourinho philosophy and a clean sheet is not unlikely against a West Ham side that lies in 16th place. But will three days be enough for Spurs to imbibe the pragmatic resolve that characterised the best Mourinho teams? Battle of the blues Frank Lampard’s young Chelsea side are the talk of the town after winning six Premier League games on the trot. But their next test comes in the shape of Manchester City at the Etihad. A Manchester City side that is still stinging from the ignominy of a defeat to title rivals Liverpool no less. Chelsea have been excellent going forward, but their defence has had all the structural integrity of pudding, with Kepa Arrizabalaga having kept just three clean sheets in 12 games, none of which have come away from home. It would be a relatively safe bet to include a City attacker in your team, because this one promises goals galore. Raheem Sterling (£12m) is having one of the best seasons of his career and he could punish a frail Chelsea backline with his blistering pace. Sergio Aguero (£12m) is also an option worth looking into, and his record against Chelsea is quite good, having scored 10 times against the Blues in 13 Premier League matches. Top picks for GW 13: Harry Kane (£10.8m): Harry Kane has been having an odd season. The Tottenham striker has been tearing national teams apart in England colours, but when donning a Tottenham kit, he looks like a shadow of his former self. He’s scored just six times so far, a return that is paltry when compared to his peers. Perhaps Mourinho is the answer he needs, a coach who has been known to get the best out of players he deems important to the cause. Jamie Vardy (£9.6m): Is there a striker who’s in better form than Jamie Vardy at the moment? Sure there is Robert Lewandowski at Bayern Munich and Lionel Messi at Barcelona, but with not the slightest hint of offence aimed at Leicester City, the most prolific strikers usually are serviced by world-class midfielders. Vardy, on the other hand, is playing for what was considered to be a mid-table side ahead of the season, and has still been banging them in left, right and centre with nonchalant ease. With 11 goals to his name, the England striker next faces Brighton and Hove Albion, in a game where he could easily score again. Sadio Mane (£12.1m): Sadio Mane is truly breaking into his own as an attacker this season, and Gameweek 13 sees him up against a Crystal Palace side that is not having the best of times at the moment. After beginning the season brightly, Palace have lost three of their last four matches in a spell that has seen them face Manchester City, Arsenal, Leicester City and Chelsea in quick succession. Their hellish run ends with league-leaders Liverpool, and the results are unlikely to take a turn for the better this week. With Mo Salah struggling for fitness, much of Liverpool’s attack will be channelled through Mane, making him a must-have. Risky business: Christian Pulisic (£7.4m): The American has been excellent in recent outings for Chelsea, and his pace makes him very difficult to deal with. Manchester City were hit on the counter repeatedly by Liverpool in their last match, and Chelsea could do the same. However, Pulisic has also been coping with an injury that he picked up against Crystal Palace, which could see him rested or kept on the bench. In his pre-match press conference, however, Frank Lampard stated that Pulisic was training with the rest of the team in the week, so there’s a good chance he’ll start. Ben Chilwell (£5.8m): Ben Chilwell has been a crucial cog in the Leicester machine this season, and their impressive results have seen him bring home bountiful returns. The left-back has three assists to his name this season and five clean-sheets, rivalling the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson, both of whom are much more expensive. However, Leicester are playing away from home, so that might count against the Englishman. Danny Ings (£6m): Yes, Southampton currently look like they couldn’t win a match if their opponents were traffic cones. Yes, they’ve scored just 11 goals, averaging in at less than a goal per game. Yes, Danny Ings plays for Southampton. These are all facts I agree with whole-heartedly. Here’s the kicker though, they’re up against Arsenal. You’ve already made the change, haven’t you? O Captain, my Captain! Most weeks, it’s difficult to really pin down who should be captained, but this time around, the two options are clear as day. Sadio Mane and Jamie Vardy are equally likely to score, and make excellent candidates for the armband. If I were to be held at gunpoint (please don’t do that), I’d pick Vardy, but it’s really close.