ARSENAL F.C.
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| The new Arsenal home kit for 2012/13 season. Do you notice the stripes on the sleeves? |
You can download the full analyzed squad data here.
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Last Season: Dramatic Comeback
The Gunners had started their season terribly, which included a humiliating 2-8 defeat to their rivals Manchester United. Fortunately, a fantastic run starting at the middle of the season helped them to move all the way up to claim yet another UEFA Champions League qualification next season. Van Persie, who remained injury free for the first time in his career for one whole season, deserved to take a huge credit for that.
It was good news that arrived the Emirates first with German international Lukas Podolski joining. This seems to be a great signing, as Podolski does carry some sort of "ace" quality - which will share some of the burden away from captain Robin Van Persie. However, shock later arrived with the skipper announced to not sign a new contract with Arsenal on his website. It is still an unknown myth whether Olivier Giroud is bought to increase the squad's depth or to replace the captain.
Upcoming Season: Huge Uncertainty
Clearly RVP's decision to stay or go will have a large influence on Arsenal's course in this coming season. I am more inclined to believe that having a Van Persie is better than having both Podolski and Giroud - they won't be able to better last season's record without the captain in my opinion. But if he stays, then Arsenal should be one of the favourites for Premier League title.
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| Van Persie's score distribution last season. |
It's a no-brainer definitely, if Robin Van Persie (£13.0) stays. RVP's 269 points last season is one of the best in fantasy history. As he finally went through an injury-free season in his Arsenal's career, you can expect him to be more resistant to injury in the future and score consistent fantasy points. The only downside of the £13.0m rated forward is the partial diversion of offence from him to Podolski (and possibly Giroud).
Powerhouse Picks: Vermaelen (FI:0.652), Walcott (FI: 0.526), Podolski (FI: N/A)
Ever since joining, Thomas Vermaelen (£7.0m) has been a very important player in Arsene Wenger's formation. Being a defender who is capable of moving forward and score goals, the defender resembles a great fantasy investment despite his high price tag. Although being plagued by injuries last season, the Belgian still managed to score 6 goals in only 2477 minutes last season, which was a very high figure among defenders.
Meanwhile, Theo Walcott (£9.0m) continues to exhibit the maturity he has obtained last season. He is now more calm and composed, and delivers better consistency than before. Fantasy managers can expect him to improve and improve - his best times are still some distance away.
Lukas Podolski (£8.5m) is always a prolific goalscorer, both in club and country level. The German international scores about 1 goal in every 2.5 games - a pretty good figure for a hybrid left-wing/forward. Priced only £8.5m (even cheaper than Walcott), the lad is capable of producing some super-value performance, and might even step up as the team's ace should RVP leaves.
Rising Star: Chamberlain (FI: 0.293)
Bought from Southampton, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (£7.5m) has exhibited great potential last season as he featured regularly in the second half of the season. His most notable performance, of course, was the 7-1 demolition against Blackburn, where he scored 2 goals.
Although it is expected that his playing time to be as limited as last season thanks to Podolski's arrival, but if the German or Walcott somehow get sidelined for a long time, fantasy managers can rely on him to deliver some explosive performance (PI: 1.129, tops Arsenal's list). His price hike this season may limit his value though.
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