To start reading from PART ONE, click here.
As a reminder, for this pit stop I am going to write about:
- Some major news/events related to the team;
- Predicted season finish; and
- Top three rated fantasy players along with their ratings.
The arrangement of teams will be according to current league rankings, in reverse order.
Currently in 5th
Tottenham Hotspur
News - N/A
Predicted Season Finish: 5th
We all predict that Tottenham will be much better with the addition of Rafael Van der Vaart, but in reality Tottenham still doesn't reach the new level yet. While Van der Vaart has been stylishly brilliant, his new club's form is very shaky. They won Wolves easily and yet they lost to West Ham the next week without any proper explanation.
Nevertheless, we just can't deny how great is Van der Vaart to the team. He adapted the club at god speed and has now replaced Gareth Bale as the most important player in the Tottenham. This is obviously seen in Bale's recent fantasy scores - 2, 5, 2, 2 and 1. One of the most important reason for this is the position of Bale with VDV's presence. Sometimes he has to play as left back - and that effectively reduces his fantasy potential.
Still, with Van der Vaart and Bale combining, Tottenham will remain their status as the black horse, but they will most probably miss the Champions League qualifying next season as the clubs in front are much more superior and experienced.
Nevertheless, we just can't deny how great is Van der Vaart to the team. He adapted the club at god speed and has now replaced Gareth Bale as the most important player in the Tottenham. This is obviously seen in Bale's recent fantasy scores - 2, 5, 2, 2 and 1. One of the most important reason for this is the position of Bale with VDV's presence. Sometimes he has to play as left back - and that effectively reduces his fantasy potential.
Still, with Van der Vaart and Bale combining, Tottenham will remain their status as the black horse, but they will most probably miss the Champions League qualifying next season as the clubs in front are much more superior and experienced.
Top Three Fantasy Players:
- Rafael Van der Vaart (9/10) - A no-brain pick that is so terrific in offence.
- Gareth Bale (7.5/10) - A dominant force in Tottenham's left flank. Also a dominant bonus magnet.
- Jermaine Defoe (7/10) - The chief scorer of Tottenham last season is expected to have some reduction in fantasy score due to the existence of Van der Vaart.
Currently in 4th
Arsenal
News - N/A
Predicted Season Finish: 4th
Wenger is indeed the most successful manager in overall, but in terms of performance on the pitch, he still has much more to do. Their head to head meetings against all the title contenders had been weak, and that's the reason why the Gunners were far away from title for so many years.
Another reason for their absence of title is the frequent injury of key players. This is especially true for Fabregas where the absence of him will make Arsenal a very much different team. With him around, every Arsenal attackers is a fantasy stud.
On a side note, I love how Chamakh added a new dimension to the team, but he really has to increase his shot accuracy to convince me to buy him.
Another reason for their absence of title is the frequent injury of key players. This is especially true for Fabregas where the absence of him will make Arsenal a very much different team. With him around, every Arsenal attackers is a fantasy stud.
On a side note, I love how Chamakh added a new dimension to the team, but he really has to increase his shot accuracy to convince me to buy him.
Top Three Fantasy Players:
- Francesc Fabregas (9.5/10) - A superb captain with superb vision but flawed with fragility.
- Theo Walcott (8.5/10) - The little tiger has emerged from slumber to become one of the most dominant fantasy force.
- Andrey Arshavin (7.5/10) - The big-game type player who has a much better body than most of his team mates.
Currently in 3rd
Manchester United
News
Coca Cola takes Rooney off cans after allegations - A good reminder to the public to keep your private life clean. Rooney's career at United is in danger because of this.
Predicted Season Finish: 2nd
United needs to thank Ferguson for maintaining the competitiveness of them. With clubs like Manchester City and Chelsea keep ploughing their money in, it's a great achievement for Ferguson to keep United in the first tier of Premier League.
While Rooney is in his career low, it's a relief for the Red Devils to see both Scholes, Nani and Berbatov step forward and maintain United's threat in attack. In terms of defence, Evans is a big problem at the back but fortunately Ferdinand is back now. The rule in fantasy for United's defence is simple - you can buy any of their back four when Vidic is pairing Ferdinand in the middle, but if there's Evans, none of them should be bought.
In my opinion, Manchester United will have a close fight with Manchester City all the way for the second place, but the Red Devils will eventually win.
While Rooney is in his career low, it's a relief for the Red Devils to see both Scholes, Nani and Berbatov step forward and maintain United's threat in attack. In terms of defence, Evans is a big problem at the back but fortunately Ferdinand is back now. The rule in fantasy for United's defence is simple - you can buy any of their back four when Vidic is pairing Ferdinand in the middle, but if there's Evans, none of them should be bought.
In my opinion, Manchester United will have a close fight with Manchester City all the way for the second place, but the Red Devils will eventually win.
Top Three Fantasy Players:
- Luis Nani (9/10) - The Portuguese is stunning in both club and country matches and is slowly closing the gap with Christiano Ronaldo.
- Dimitar Berbatov (9/10) - With he's as effective as Nani (sometimes even better), he's more susceptible to competition at United.
- John O'Shea (7/10) - The cheapest defender in United.
Currently in 2nd
Manchester City
News
The dressing room bust-up - Mancini has been taking a lot of pressure both internally and externally.
Predicted Season Finish: 3rd
City has a lot to prove this season after Al Murbarak's big splash. The multi billion club has more than enough talent to grab a spot to the Champions League, especially when you see the likes like Santa Cruz can only bully the reserves this season.
The club indeed has much potential to challenge for the summit. They have, in my opinion, the best goalkeeper in the world currently - Joe Hart. Their captain, Carlos Tevez, is on his peak since he arrived City last season. Adam Johnson, one of the England's best left footer over the years, has much more to provide than his playing time suggested.
While the kind of players that matches that of a champion team, the cohesion between them is still far from champion and thus I am not expecting them to win the league this season. But they surely will in the years coming.
The club indeed has much potential to challenge for the summit. They have, in my opinion, the best goalkeeper in the world currently - Joe Hart. Their captain, Carlos Tevez, is on his peak since he arrived City last season. Adam Johnson, one of the England's best left footer over the years, has much more to provide than his playing time suggested.
While the kind of players that matches that of a champion team, the cohesion between them is still far from champion and thus I am not expecting them to win the league this season. But they surely will in the years coming.
Top Three Fantasy Players:
- Carlos Tevez (9/10) - The dominant figure in Manchester. He's fast, he's hardworking, and most importantly, he's lethal.
- Joe Hart (8/10) - Watch the highlights of him against Tottenham this season and you will realise how great he is.
- Adam Johnson (7/10) - His superbness is greatly limited by his playing time.
Currently in 1st
Chelsea
News - N/A
Predicted Season Finish: 1st
You don't often see clubs to score 21 goals in their first five matches. It's considered a tough task even for clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid, whereby La Liga has been pretty much a two horse race.
But Chelsea did it. Malouda and Drogba are the joint league top goal scorer with six goals apiece - the latter even provided five assists. The top five fantasy players from Chelsea have totalled a incredible score of 239 points, which averaged 47.8 points per player!
That pretty much summarises the performance of Chelsea. Superb, terrific and effective. They will lose surprisingly at times, but that won't stop them from crowning the champion again.
But Chelsea did it. Malouda and Drogba are the joint league top goal scorer with six goals apiece - the latter even provided five assists. The top five fantasy players from Chelsea have totalled a incredible score of 239 points, which averaged 47.8 points per player!
That pretty much summarises the performance of Chelsea. Superb, terrific and effective. They will lose surprisingly at times, but that won't stop them from crowning the champion again.
Top Three Fantasy Players:
- Didier Drogba (10/10) - He scores a lot, assists a lot, takes a lot of bonus, and is from a top class team. What else can you hope for?
- Florent Malouda (9/10) - The French is playing happily at Chelsea with his great touch of goal.
- Ashley Cole (8.5/10) - The only first class fantasy defender that worthes his price.
Fantasy Pit Stop 1's Best XI
Hart
Elmohamady - Alex - Ashley Cole
Nani - Van der Vaart - Adam - Malouda
Berbatov - Drogba - Odemwingie
That's all for the quick review. Hope you enjoy it. Goodbye.
HOw can you have 4 players from Chelsea?
ReplyDeleteAlex , A,Cole , Malouda,Drogba? :O
and also if you are mentioning about the top scorers i think you are still missing few names likes of Tevez,Arshavin etc
and i am still wondering how come your team doesn't have anyone from Arsenal.Arsenal is a top class team and they have top class achievers.And also Odemwingie is a good player but still i think he is not as good as to be in best XI team.
Your team is good but i think you still need to think more about it.I mean you'll be screwed any week in which United and chelsea loose.
Well it's just a summary for the first seven gameweeks.
ReplyDeleteThe way I judge players is based on various factors such as performance, price and their importance to the team. Of course Tevez is great but when compared to Drogba (who is far superb), Berbatov (who comes cheaper with similar influence) and Odemwingie (superbly cheap) he losses.
Again, this is only a summary and not a recommendation.