Thursday, September 27, 2012

Kick-Off: Gameweek 6 Fantasy Preview

John Terry quits England national team as a means of protest towards FA racism hearing.

John Terry quits England, Nuri Sahin (£6.7m) scored a brace with a very young Liverpool squadRooney returns in fine form and Manchester City got eliminated in League Cup surprisingly. What a week as we proceed to gameweek 6 of our favourite Fantasy Premier League.

GAMEWEEK 5 TOP SCORERS
  1. Ashley Cole (£6.6m, 15 pts): Responded to Branislav Ivanovic's (£7.0m, 6 pts) supremacy as the gap between them is closed down into just 3 points. He is the cheapest among Chelsea's regular starting defenders and should really be your first consideration should you decide to get one of the Blues' guard.
  2. Rickie Lambert (£6.1m, 13 pts): The man of ultimate influence at St. Mary's Stadium as he becomes one of the joint runner-ups for Golden Boot after scoring 2 goals last gameweek. The first man to pick if you are interested to invest in Southampton.
  3. Marouane Fellaini (£7.2m, 12 pts): So Mr. Afro continued to dominate in offence even under the 4-4-2 system. The Belgian is simply a magnificent figure for the Toffees
  4. Rafael Da Silva (£5.7m, 11 pts): The right-back in on a goal streak at the moment. Good offensive potential, only to be flawed by United's rather porous defence.
  5. Joleon Lescott (£6.4m, 11 pts): Strong display, but I see no value in any City defenders yet as they are yet to collect their first clean sheet of the season.
  6. Leighton Baines (£7.2m, 11 pts): Fine form for the left-back, who scored 7 points or more in 4 of his first 5 games of the season. But is that sustainable in the long run?

FEATURED: Arsenal v Chelsea @ Emirates
Confident Gunners will face Chelsea at home as they hope to continue their unbeaten streak in the expense of their derby rivals.

Laurent Kosciely (£5.4m, 9 pts) replaced sicked Thomas Vermaelen (£7.1m, 0 pts) on last game and performed brilliantly against Manchester City. Not so sure he will start though with Vermaelen expected to return, though it is quite probable that he will replace Per Mertesacker (£5.1m, 2 pts) in the starting line-up.

Upfront it will be all up to Santi Cazorla (£9.2m, 7 pts) and Lukas Podolski (£8.6m, 2 pts) to threaten Chelsea's defence. As for the Blues, both Eden Hazard (£10.3m) and Fernando Torres (£10.0m) are both out of form since returning from international break. They did play well against Wolves in League Cup though, with 6 players scoring 6 goals against them. Juan Mata (£9.3m, 6 pts) deserves a mention as he was the hero for both the League Cup tie and the league victory against Stoke City on last gameweek. Definitely a man to watch.

Not to underestimate Roberto Di Matteo's squad but Arsenal currently are on their highs and don't look like they will be beaten. My vote of confidence goes to the Gunners.

Prediction: ARS 2-1 CHE

TEAM FOCUS: Everton
Sure, Southampton won their first league game in style last week, but to play Everton still seems like a very tough task for them.

Nikica Jelavic (£8.4m, 0 pts) should return for this game after showing up in their defeat against Leeds United and is one of the favourite to perform alongside Steven Pienaar (£6.7m, 6 pts), Baines, Mirallas and also the unstoppable Fellaini. You should definitely own at least one of them for this fixture as Southampton are one of the sides who concede the most, averaging 3 goals per game.

PLAYER FOCUS: Fletcher
Steven Fletcher (£7.2m, 9 pts) is gaining serious interest from fantasy managers after scoring 4 goals in as many games. A home game against Wigan gives him yet another great chance to reinforce his reputation as a clinical finisher.

Demba Ba (£7.8m, 9 pts) continues to gain my preference as he will play against leaky Reading this Saturday.

GAMEWEEK 6 DREAM TEAM
Howard
Johnson — Rafael — Baines
Cazorla — Fellaini  — Nolan — Ben Arfa
Fletcher (VC) —  Van Persie (C) — Ba 
Subs: Jaaskelainen  Sterling  Bramble — Demel

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Monday, September 24, 2012

Sunday Aftermath: The 12th Man

Mark Halsey: The game spoiler.
Poor officiating had once again spoiled the game as Manchester United won controversially at Anfield. Here are some highlights:
  • If Mark Halsey is listed in Fantasy, he should have gotten all the points that Robin Van Persie (£13.5m, 6pts) and Antonio Valencia (£8.8m, 5 pts) got this gameweek. Controversial judgement by him in my opinion as he awarded United for such a soft penalty but denied Liverpool's more legitimate penalty claim earlier.
  • Rafael da Silva (£5.6m, 11 pts) scored a unbeatable goal at Anfield and is the man you should closely monitor from the Red Devils as he scored a sky high 6.75 points per game.
  • Anders Lindegaard (£5.4m, 3 pts) performed superbly well yesterday and with that kind of performance, expect David de Gea (£5.8m, 0 pts) to rot longer on the bench.
  • Steven Gerrard (£9.4m, 9 pts) scored the only goal for Liverpool but  I still don't see any value from Liverpool players yet, though the next few fixtures can be the time for them to start performing.
  • Meanwhile at Etihad Stadium, Manchester City squandered their lead to share a point with Arsenal. Defenders Joleon Lescott (£6.4m, 11 pts) and Laurent Koscielny (£5.4m, 9 pts) scored one each for respective teams.
  • Santi Cazorla (£9.2m, 7 pts) delivered yet another assist as he shows that he is really not far away from Eden Hazard (£10.3m) in terms of class.
  • Sergio Aguero (£11.0m, 2 pts) made his return and pushed Carlos Tevez (£9.9m, 1 pt) back on the bench. Tevez's potential could get severely dented as Mario Balotelli (£8.8m, 1 pt) is also back in action to compete for a starting spot.
  • At Sports Direct Arena Demba Ba (£7.8m, 9 pts) combined with Hatem Ben Arfa (£7.8m, 8 pts) to score the only goal of the game. Ba is definitely on fire and is one of the best forward to get in £7-8m band.
  • On the contrary, Ba's compatriot, Papiss Cisse (£9.2m, 0 pts), missed a penalty and is out of form at the moment. Stay away from him indefinitely.
  • Gareth Bale (£9.3m, 8 pts) carried forward his stunning form as Tottenham won at home against Queens Park Rangers. The same applies on Jermaine Defoe (£7.7m, 8 pts), who scored yet another goal to extend his fine goal run.
  • Steven Fletcher (£7.2m, 9 pts) scored in all games he had played for Sunderland this season after yet another goal against West Ham this time. Scoring on the other end is Kevin Nolan (£6.2m, 7 pts) as both represent good offensive acquisitions from respective teams.
  • Dimitar Berbatov (£7.2m, 8 pts) is unstoppable at the moment as he delivered a 1 assist plus 3 bonus points performance in Fulham's victory over Wigan. Damien Duff (£6.2m, 8 pts) is doing pretty well currently with 33 points already this season.
  • Romelu Lukaku (£6.5m, 9 pts) scored as expected as West Brom recorded a narrow win against Reading. A man to monitor.
  • Southampton recorded their first victory of the season as Rickie Lambert (£6.1m, 13 pts) scored  2 goals. One superb striker in the budget category.
  • At Stamford Bridge Chelsea almost lost 2 points to Stoke City but Ashley Cole (£6.5m, 15 pts) prevented that with a last minute goal. Finally he is responding to Branislav Ivanovic's (£7.0m, 6 pts) dominance on the right.
  • Marouane Fellaini (£7.1m, 12 pts) and Leighton Baines (£7.2m, 11 pts) led the show at Liberty Stadium as Swansea sufferred a terrible 0-3 defeat to the Toffees.

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Friday, September 21, 2012

Kick-Off: Gameweek 5 Fantasy Preview

Michael Carrick celebrated the only goal against Galatasaray.
European fixtures took place this midweek and players who played will certainly face stamina problems. Be prepared for unanticipated squad rotations.

GAMEWEEK 4 TOP SCORERS
  1. Alexander Buttner (£5.5m, 17 pts): Great game by the Dutch as Patrice Evra's (£7.0m, 0 pts) position is threatened much earlier than expected. One of the man to scout but it is quite risky to own him at the moment.
  2. Yao Gervinho (£7.3m, 15 pts): A sudden bombastic performance by the Ivorian. Doesn't look like a good fantasy prospect yet, especially when he only did averagely last season.
  3. Matthew Lowton (£4.5m, 14 pts): Another erratic score like Gervinho. I do not recommend any Aston Villa defenders  at this moment unless they can tighten up the back line a bit.
  4. Dimitar Berbatov (£7.1m, 13 pts): The new ace at Craven Cottage. One of the best third fantasy man up front at the moment.
  5. Demba Ba (£7.7m, 12 pts): Man in fury. His potential will pretty much depend on Alan Pardew's tactical plan though.

FEATURED: Liverpool v Manchester United @ Anfield
Liverpool aim to get their first victory of the season as they await Manchester United's challenge at Anfield.

Justice seems to reach the doorsteps of Hillsborough victims finally after latest release of evidence last Wednesday, claiming that part of the deaths could be avoided if the police and emergency services authorities were more efficient. Definitely a very emotional moment for the players and supporters.

Jonjo Shelvey (£5.3m) scored a brace in Liverpool's 5-3 victory over Young Boys and could push for a start against Manchester United but Luis Suarez (£9.4m) and Raheem Sterling (£4.6m) should be the main threat of Liverpool again. The back-line seriously needs to be tightened up though if they are to sustain United's extravagant offence led by Robin Van Persie (£13.5m) and co. Big, big challenge.

Alexander Buttner (£5.5m) may start ahead of Patrice Evra (£7.0m) — who did poorly in Champions League — again. He certainly needs to do more to get good fantasy points again though. Shinji Kagawa (£8.6m) assisted Michael Carrick (£5.9m) in the Red Devils' Champions League win against Galatasaray — a man to watch.

As exciting as always despite the increased gap between them. Nonetheless, I don't think United can grab a win here as Liverpool always play at higher levels against greater oppositions.

Prediction: LIV 1-1 MUN

TEAM FOCUS: Tottenham
Tottenham will be hoping to get start their winning streak after breaking their victory duck against Reading, and a home game against Queens Park Rangers presents a great opportunity to do so.

Jermaine Defoe (£7.6m) should be the first pick against with Emmanuel Adebayor (£9.4m) suffering an injury. Great chance for a brace of goals again for the English. Another man who is expected to perform is Gareth Bale (£9.3m), who finally opened his goal account last gameweek against Reading.

Defensive wise they are also quite probable to get their first clean sheet of the season, so while I am not encouraging you to get their defenders (especially when they face Manchester United next gameweek), you should play them this gameweek if you have any of them in your fantasy team.

PLAYER FOCUS: Ba
Demba Ba (£7.7m) is certainly the man to watch, having scored both goals in the Magpies draw against Everton. A little bit risky with him missing the Europa League tie against Maritimo possibly due to recent disputes, but nonetheless a risk worth to be taken in my opinion.

Also on my radar is West Brom's Romelu Lukaku (£6.5m), who should start following Peter Odemwingie's suspension. He definitely has the quality to shine, just like what he had shown against Liverpool.

GAMEWEEK 5 DREAM TEAM
Foster
Walker — Ivanovic — Demel
Hazard (C) — Morrison — Ben Arfa — Bale
Torres — Defoe (VC) — Berbatov
Subs: Jaaskelainen  Puncheon   McAuley — Santon

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Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Monday Mirror: Ba's Brilliance

Demba Ba on fire with 2 goals in just 45 minutes of action.
Interesting game at Goodison Park as we saw Demba Ba equalised twice to earn a point for Newcastle. Here are some of my notes:

  • Demba Ba (£7.7m, 12 pts) blasted both goals for Newcastle and responded perfectly to Alan Pardew's decision to bench him. The striker is clearly furious though with his agent threatened to take Ba away from Newcastle if he continues to sit on the bench.
  • On the other hand, Papiss Cisse (£9.3m, 2pts) continued his goalless streak, and made Alan Pardew's decision to start him instead of Ba a ridicule.
  • Meanwhile, Leighton Baines (£7.1m, 9 pts) scored his second goal of the season and accumulated 7 bonus points already this season, as he highlighted to us the benefits of owning a high-end fantasy defender. Solid.
  • Also on the scoresheet was Steven Pienaar (£6.6m, 7 pts), who shows good value to money so far and is capable to provide consistently in offence.
  • Marouane Fellaini (£6.9m, 1 pt) on the other hand has reduced fantasy potential as predicted with Kevin Mirallas (£7.4m, 2pts) started alongside Nikica Jelavic (£8.5m, 1 pt) on yesterday night. Jelavic was subbed out with an injury nonetheless, so Fellaini could still play in an advanced role for a few gameweeks more.
  • On Sunday we saw Gareth Bale (£9.3m, 11 pts) went on full throttle as Tottenham claimed their first victory of the season, crushing Reading 3-1.
  • Jermaine Defoe (£7.6m, 9 pts) got the nod to start again ahead of Emmanuel Adebayor (£9.4m, 0 pts) and repaid Andre Villas-Boas' faith handsomely with 2 goals. Does Adebayor still have value fantasy wise? Pretty negative at the moment.
  • Brad Friedel (£5.5m, 2 pts) continued to start ahead of Hugo Lloris (£6.0m, 0 pts), and it surely left us wondering why the French keeper was being bought at the first place.


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Sunday, September 16, 2012

Saturday Screamers: BerbaTOP at London

Berbatov hitting the second goal from the spot in Fulham's 3-0 victory against West Brom.
20 goals were produced in 8 Premier League games yesterday! Here are some highlights:

  • BerbaTOP. Former Golden Boot winner Dimitar Berbatov (£7.0m, 10 pts) was the man in Fulham's comprehensive victory over West Brom, scoring the first 2 goals for the team. Looks like a great value buy with as his price is certainly much lower than what his ability suggests. Good to go if you are low on budget.
  • Also providing super value returns is budget midfielder Alex Kacaniklic (£4.6m, 9 pts), who provided 2 assists. Certainly one of the best fifth midfielder across FPL at the moment.
  • Meanwhile, Arsenal recorded a whopping 6-1 victory over Southampton, with Yao Gervinho (£7.3m, 12 pts) the top scorer with 2 goals. Not so sure about his prospect yet, as I believe he is quite susceptible to rotation.
  • Lukas Podolski (£8.5m, 6 pts) is the man that you should go for instead as he scored a direct free kick goal and was the main reason for Southampton's first own goal of the match. The German certainly played well as a centre forward and left Olivier Giroud (£8.8m, 1pt) pondering on the bench.
  • Kieran Gibbs (£5.8m, 8 pts) provided 2 assists, while Santi Cazorla (£9.2m, 5 pts) carried forward his fine form with another assist. The only poor performer was Wojciech Szcznesny (£5.5m, 2pts) who made a silly mistake and costed the whole defensive line precious clean sheet points.
  • At Old Trafford we saw Manchester United thrashed Wigan 4-0, with Alexander Buttner (£5.5m, 14 pts) providing a superb penalty box dribble plus narrow angle goal.
  • "Chicharito" Javier Hernandez (£7.5m, 7 pts) missed a penalty but compensated with a goal and an assist later, while Paul Scholes (£5.3m, 8 pts) scored yet another goal in this 700th game as a Red Devil.
  • Owners of Robin Van Persie (£13.5m, 1 pt) will surely be disappointed, as the Dutch only featured as a substitute and provided nothing for the day, which is definitely an unacceptable return for his price.
  • Meanwhile, Asmir Begovic (£5.0m, 4 pts) made numerous fantastic saves as defending champions Manchester City had to satisfy with a draw at Britannia Stadium.
  • Newcomer Javi Garcia (£5.5m, 6 pts) has shown fine aerial ability with a header goal plus another near header goal, but in long-term Yaya Toure (£8.2m, 2pts) continues to be the best pick among City midfielders after yet another superb display.
  • Poor finishing and calamitous defence continues to haunt Liverpool as the Reds are yet to enjoy their first victory this season after a 1-1 draw with Sunderland. Raheem Sterling (£4.5m, 5 pts) delivered fantasy points finally after some fantastic displays.
  • Luis Suarez (£9.4m, 5 pts) scored the equaliser for Liverpool, but Steven Fletcher (£7.0m, 6 pts) is the better man to own at the moment with 3 goals already in 2 games for Sunderland.
  • Swansea were back on earth as they succumbed a 0-2 defeat to Aston Villa. Matthew Lowton (£4.5m, 11 pts) and Christian Benteke (£6.5m, 5 pts) provided the 2 goals, but one should take more time to assess their fantasy potential before deciding whether or not to get them.
  • West Ham enjoyed their third clean sheet of the season in only four games after a goalless draw with Norwich, while Chelsea's attacking elites failed to get the ball pass Julio Cesar (£5.0m, 7 pts) in an intense derby at Loftus Road.


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Friday, September 14, 2012

Kick-Off: Gameweek 4 Fantasy Preview

How long will Van Persie be out?
The Premier League was absent last week with international fixtures taking over, with fantasy favourite Robin Van Persie limping off for Netherlands. Louis Van Gaal said it was only a precautionary measure, but we shall wait and see.

GAMEWEEK 3 TOP SCORERS
  1. Robin Van Persie (£13.4m, 15 pts): A dramatic hat-trick from the Dutch had helped United to turn defeat into victory. People at Old Trafford have no reason to miss Wayne Rooney (£11.7m) for the time being.
  2. Carlos Tevez (£9.8m, 15 pts): 3 goals and 3 assists already so far for the Argentine. A cheaper version of Van Persie, yet as productive as him.
  3. Gareth McAuley (£5.1m, 15 pts): The defender is producing RVP-esque return so far, but that is hardly sustainable in my opinion in the long run.
  4. Winston Reid (£4.6m, 15 pts): 5 bonus points already this season. Perhaps he will be the Shawcross of the season — super-budget defender who is good at both ends.
  5. Santi Cazorla (£9.0m, 13 pts): Superb play which finally got converted into fantasy points. Great work.
  6. Matthew Taylor (£4.9m, 13 pts): Might still has the ace quality he once got at Bolton, but nonetheless it's too risky to get him now unless he can confirm a firm starting spot at West Ham.
  7. Steven Fletcher (£7.0m, 13 pts): Great debut as the forward netted both goals against Swansea. Still a long way to tell though whether he can become the Papiss Cisse of this season.

FEATURED: Everton v Newcastle @ Goodison Park
Arguably the most balanced match-up of the week as in form Everton face Newcastle at home after a long international break.

The Toffees are without any injuries currently, so one would expect Nikica Jelavic (£8.5m), Steven Pienaar (£6.6m) and Marouane Fellaini (£6.9m) to continue to star in offence. I doubt Fellaini's long-term prospect though with Kevin Mirallas (£7.5m) expected to gain more playing time, pushing the Belgian backward.

On the other side, both Demba Ba (£7.7m) and Papiss Cisse (£9.4m) are struggling to find their spectacular form last season, with only one league scored by them in total currently. Hatem Ben Arfa (£7.7m) led Newcastle's scoresheet instead, with 2 goals in his bag already and is ready to give more. It does seem that the French is a better pick than the former duo at the moment. Both right-backs of the Magpies — Danny Simpson (£5.0m) and Ryan Taylor (£5.3m) — are injured, so don't be hopeful that they will get a clean sheet away from home.

Not an easy game to predict, but I think Everton have the slight advantage to get 3 points at home.

Prediction: EVE 1-0 NEW

TEAM FOCUS: Arsenal
Yes, Southampton had been scaring both Manchester City and Manchester United a big time, but that does not stop me from giving my vote of confidence to Arsenal.

Arsenal is currently the only club that are yet to concede a goal across four divisions in England, with Thomas Vermaelen (£7.0m) and Carl Jenkinson (£4.8m) both performed stunningly well. One must really own at least one of them.

On the offence, Santi Cazorla (£9.1m) and Lukas Podolski (£8.4m) are the obvious picks after both of them broke their duck on their last fixture. Olivier Giroud (£8.8m) is still struggling to find his first goal, but his poor finishing should really end sooner rather than later with so many supplies going to him.

Arsenal should really win this one and start pushing themselves to the leading pack.

Prediction: ARS 2-0 SOU

PLAYER FOCUS: Torres and Hazard
With Robin Van Persie (£13.4m) seems to have a minor injury doubt, Fernando Torres (£10.1m) and Eden Hazard (£10.1m) seems to be the safer option. Queens Park Rangers have been conceding 9 goals already, and with Mark Hughes still figuring his best XI, I do not expect leakages to end soon. You can do much worse than picking (and captaining) the duo, especially when Torres had hat-tricked against the Rangers last season.

With Manchester United at home against Wigan, one just cannot simply ignore players from Old Trafford. But with Van Persie and Shinji Kagawa (£8.6m) both having an injury, Antonio Valencia (£8.9m) seems like the safest bet at the moment.

GAMEWEEK 4 DREAM TEAM
Szczesny
Rafael — Hangeland — Jenkinson
Hazard — Valencia — Cazorla — Nolan
Torres (C) — Van Persie (VC) — Tevez
Subs: Schwarzer  Duff  Bertrand  Demel

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Monday, September 3, 2012

Sunday Aftermath: Arsenal's Anfield Annihilation

Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski combined to score both of Arsenal's goals against Liverpool.
Great performance by Arsenal at Anfield as we saw Liverpool stuck deep in bottom part of the table. Here are some highlights:
  • Lukas Podolski (£8.4m, 12 pts) and Santi Cazorla (£9.0m, 13 pts) combined for the victory at Anfield. Superb teamwork between the duo and you can expect them to continue to lead the club in offence.
  • Meanwhile, Olivier Giroud (£8.9m, 2 pts) continues to struggle, failing to deliver any obvious threat to Liverpool's fragile defence.
  • Carl Jenkinson (£4.7m, 6 pts) continued his class act, and was able to contain Raheem Sterling (£4.5, 2 pts) well. Sterling started and played exceptionally well again, and is on the way to become the best budget fantasy midfielder around.
  • For one moment I thought Sterling and Joe Allen (£5.4m, 2 pts) are the Suarez and Gerrard of Liverpool. Allen was indeed the only other Liverpool player who played well, with exceptional pass completion percentage. He played too deep to be valuable fantasy wise.
  • The rest of the Liverpool players are on a long road to adapt to tiki-taka play as of the moment, so stay away from them until the situation changes.
  • At St. Mary Stadium, we saw Manchester United came back from a big scare, with Robin Van Persie (£13.3m, 15 pts) scored Premier League's first hat-trick this season. You have better take him in sooner rather than later as a pain reduction strategy.
  • Anders Lindegaard (£5.4m, 1 pt) started ahead of David de Gea (£6.0m) this time, which effectively means that goalkeeper rotation is still pretty much happening at Manchester United. Stay away from the duo.
  • As for Southampton, Rickie Lambert (£6.0m, 9 pts) was the man again as he scores against Manchester clubs since 2012. The man to pick from the Saints, though Gaston Ramirez could change the situation.
  • On the other venue, Aston Villa snatched their first league point this season with Ciaran Clark (£4.4m, 11 pts) scored the only goal for away team. Hatem Ben Arfa (£7.7m, 9 pts) scored for the other side.
  • On late Saturday game, we saw Carlos Tevez (£9.7m, 15 pts) on his way to become the fantasy most wanted player, as he participated in all 3 goals that City scored against Queens Park Rangers.
  • Yaya Toure (£8.1m, 9 pts) also scored once again as he continues to prove that he is more valuable than David Silva (£9.9m, 2pts).

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Sunday, September 2, 2012

Saturday Screamers: Cottagers Got Hammered

Kevin Nolan scored the first of the 3 goals against Fulham.
A not so expected Saturday match day with numerous surprising results. Here are some highlights:
  • West Ham 3-0 Fulham. Big shock, as Fulham has shown great offensive prowess in the last 2 games but failed to score any goals this time.
  • As for the Hammers, Matthew Taylor (£4.9m, 11 pts) and Kevin Nolan (£6.0m, 8 pts) led the show upfront, with Winston Reid (£4.5m, 12 pts) scoring one from behind.
  • Andy Carroll (£8.4m, 2 pts) made an instant impact for the Hammers, but did not contribute any fantasy points other than playing minutes and limped off with an injury.
  • Stoke City came from behind twice to salvage one point from DW Stadium. Jonathan Walters (£6.4m, 10 pts) and Peter Crouch (£6.0m, 9 pts) led the show with 1 goal and 1 assist.
  • Michu (£7.1m, 7 pts) stroke a goal for Swansea yet again, but it was new signing Steven Fletcher (£7.0, 10 pts) who starred the match, scoring 2 goals for Sunderland to snatch 1 point away from Liberty Stadium.
  • Everton failed to maintain their momentum as they lost 0-2 to West Brom. Gareth McAuley (£5.0m, 12 pts) scored a goal and maintained a clean sheet, which was great.
  • On a side note, it's seems like Shane Long (£6.0m, 6 pts) will continue to lead West Brom's forward line despite Romelu Lukaku's (£6.5m) presence.
  • Meanwhile, Andre Villas-Boas continues to disappoint as his side squandered yet another lead at White Hart Lane. New arrival Moussa Dembele (£6.0m, 6 pts) impressed the home crowd with a debut goal, only to be leveled by Robert Snodgrass' (£5.9m, 7pts) marvellous equaliser.
  • Emmanuel Adebayor (£9.6m, 1 pt) did not start again, but I expect that to end sooner rather than later as he is a more complete package than Jermaine Defoe (£7.6m, 5 pts) despite the fact that Defoe delivered one assist today.

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Saturday, September 1, 2012

Deadline Day Deals

Gaston Ramirez doubled Southampton's record transfer fee.
The transfer window has officially closed and numerous deadline day signings are made. Here are some of the moves that can shake up the fantasy game:
  • Andy Carroll (Liverpool to West Ham, loan): This deal was done on the night before deadline day actually. Perhaps the pony-tail can reignite his form there, but I don't really think he can score over 15 goals and justify his high price tag.
  • Charlie Adam (Liverpool to Stoke): I don't know how he can fit into Stoke's system. The lad is too bad to function as a defensive/holding midfielder, while Jonathan Walters should continue to take the offensive midfielder spot.
  • Yossi Benayoun (Chelsea to West Ham, loan): The Israeli returns to his former club after five years. His addition complicates the Hammers midfield line-up, reducing the value of the whole midfield unit due to rotation fears.
  • Christian Benteke (Genk to Aston Villa): Scored 19 goals in 37 games for Genk last season. Not too bad and should be a good back-up forward for the Villans. He has little value fantasy wise unless Paul Lambert decides to play 4-4-2 and the forward duo — Gabriel Agbonlahor and Darren Bent — injure more often than not.
  • Dimitar Berbatov (Manchester United to Fulham): Great business. He is unlikely to become a sub, so Mladen Petric's playing time could be sacrificed.
  • Clint Dempsey (Fulham to Tottenham): Surprise it is. Liverpool were unwilling to add £2m to their £4m valuation to get the striker's service, which subsequently sent the American to White Hart Lane. Poor decision by Liverpool, though it isn't a good move by Tottenham either by sending out Van der Vaart and getting a less impressive replacement.
  • Ashkan Dejagah (Wolfsburg to Fulham): A replacement for Dempsey. He had once scored 8 league goals in one season, but that was five seasons ago.
  • Javi Garcia (Benfica to Manchester City): A replacement for Nigel de Jong. Not much fantasy value here though, despite his high transfer fee.
  • Pablo Hernandez (Valencia to Swansea): This could be interesting. Bought as a replacement for Scott Sinclair, the lad has consistent goal and assist records at Valencia.
  • Hugo Lloris (Lyon to Tottenham): Great capture which effectively means the end of Brad Friedel's fantasy usefulness.
  • Maicon (Inter Milan to Manchester City): An experienced right-back they've gotten. If he's price £6.5m or below he would be the best place to look at City's defence.
  • Stephane M'bia (Marseille to QPR): Can play both as a defender and midfielder. Perhaps he can strengthen the Rangers' porous defence.
  • Bryan Oviedo (Copenhagen to Everton): A young guy with little productiveness on offence. Will become a benchwarmer most likely.
  • Gaston Ramirez (Bologna to Southampton): The Saints are going all in by doubling their transfer record fee on him. Definitely will lead the attacking line-up, but it remains to be seen how effective can he become in a club with limited talents to feed him the supplies.
  • Scott Sinclair (Swansea to Manchester City): Do not see his value here yet, unless Roberto Mancini somehow believes he is better than Samir Nasri or David Silva.

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