This article is part of our The Armband series.
The schedule is about to get a lot busier in the Premier League, which only makes picking your captain that much harder. Throw in the surprise Sergio Aguero start against Huddersfield and Manchester United struggling at home versus Brighton and it's even harder to give the armband away. At the least, last week's suggestion of Antonio Valencia went well as he got the clean sheet, as well as a couple bonus points in a 1-0 win.
For Gameweek 14, which starts Tuesday, the best method to picking a captain is to go with a guy you know will be in the starting XI. All signs point to Gabriel Jesus taking over for Aguero, but I'm not sure we can know for certain what Pep Guardiola will do. Because of that, I'll sway from both guys for captaincy.
There are three home teams that stand out above the others: Arsenal (v. Huddersfield), Chelsea (v. Swansea) and Man City (v. Southampton). Alexis Sanchez will be a popular play for the Gunners, with Aaron Ramsey a sneaky differential as he's posted similar numbers in the last month. Ramsey has two goals and three assists in the last five matches, while Alexis has three goals and three assists in his last seven. Either one can be considered, or even Sead Kolasinac on the back line because Huddersfield have been bad on the road this season with only three goals scored and 11 allowed in six matches.
Eden Hazard has turned up his play for the Blues since a slow start and is producing in almost every match. In fact, Hazard is taking more shots than teammate Alvaro Morata, which explains his production. Hazard has 14 shots on goal and 11 chances created in the last six matches and faces a Swansea squad that is looking for a draw every time out. Chelsea will likely control possession most of the way with Hazard seeing a ton of the ball. That also leaves Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso in good position for a clean sheet.
Manchester City maybe get the toughest match of the three big teams at home, but Southampton have struggled on the road and fell 3-0 at Liverpool a week ago. A similar result is possible, especially with City. Kevin De Bruyne hasn't made the score sheet in the last couple matches, but there's no way I'm going against him despite failing to get a shot off last match. City should be in full attack mode and De Bruyne will get his looks. The question is what the rest of the lineup looks like with Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane both playing 90 minutes Sunday. I'd gamble on Sane before Sterling, only because Sane didn't appear in the UCL match last week so he has a full 90 minutes less of work on him. The main worry is that Sane has no shots on goal in his last four matches, though if City run up the score that could easily change. I thought Jesus would draw the start at Huddersfield over the weekend, but I was wrong, so I'm tentative on picking him as a top captain. He would be a great gamble, though, given that he's scored or assisted in eight of his last nine starts.
That's not it for the best captain options with Spurs at Leicester, Manchester United at Watford and Liverpool at Stoke. The Reds may be the best bet because Stoke haven't played much defense this season, but none of the aforementioned home sides are playing that well. Watford are in the top half of the table but have a negative-4 goal differential at home, though that can be attributed to Man City's 6-0 beat down. Either way, the Red Devils haven't looked all that potent on the attacking end, even with Paul Pogba back in the lineup. There's also the issue on whether Pogba will play or not. Jose Mourinho said Pogba couldn't go more than 70 minutes ahead of last game, yet he played a full 90. I'd be wary of Pogba making the starting XI in this one, especially with a Tuesday match. Romelu Lukaku still got a couple shots on goal against Brighton, but his recent ineffectiveness leaves him behind the other big-name forwards.
I'd be more inclined to go with Harry Kane, even though Spurs are on a bit of a cold streak. It's hard to see Kane not getting more than five shots off against this Leicester back line that hasn't stopped anyone. That's reason enough to at least consider Kane, and he's already shown he can score against bottom-level clubs on the road.
Mohamed Salah gets the call for Liverpool, but there's a decent chance he rests in one of these upcoming matches. Salah's form can't be ignored with six goals and one assist in his last five league starts. In terms of opportunity, he's near the top of the list, averaging two shots on goal and two chances created every match. Against Stoke, he should find the score sheet again simply because he'll get the chances in front of net.
The list is already long for possible captains, but there are still some differentials to look at. Pascal Gross against Crystal Palace and Xherdan Shaqiri against Liverpool make the most sense from midfield. Some will be keen on backing Callum Wilson against Burnley in hopes that he grabs another hat trick at home. In his three starts, he has eight shots, with four of them on goal.
