2011/12 Fantasy Season Preview - Manchester United

Manchester United FC

Last Season Summary

League ranking: 1st (80 pts, Champ19ns)

Points per game (home: away): 2.89: 1.32

Goals scored per game (home: away): 2.58: 1.53
Goals conceded per game (home: away): 0.63: 1.32

Number of clean sheets: 15

Top league scorer: Dimitar Berbatov (20 goals, joint Golden Boot winner)

Top league assister: Luis Nani (14 assists)

Transfers

In: David De Gea, Phil Jones, Ashley Young

Out: Bebe, Ritchie De Laet, Owen Hargreaves, Paul Scholes, Edwin Van der Sar, Wes Brown, John O'Shea, Gabriel Obertan

Pre-Season Results

4-1 New England Revolution

7-0 Seattle Sounders

3-1 Chicago Fire

4-0 MLS All-Stars

2-1 FC Barcelona

6-0 New York Cosmos
3-2 Manchester City (Community Shield)

Predicted Season Finish: 1st

The next generation of the Red Devils is coming. It remains to be seen how the new bloods adapt themselves at Old Trafford, but the experience of the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson should guide them through again with all their rivals facing different uncertainties. Not much of chewing gum advertisements from the Scot hopefully.

Defence - 9/10

The strength is still there, with Smalling and Jones covering for injury-prone Ferdinand. However, the depth of side-backs is somewhat worrying.

Midfield - 8/10

While United boast the best flanks of the league, little has been done by Ferguson to fill the void of central midfield. Although Fletcher-Carrick or Anderson-Carrick duo are not too bad, they are far from outstanding. Hopefully Wesley Sneijder will come to Old Trafford and solve the problem once and for all.

Attack - 10/10

It's crazy when golden boot Berbatov is only Ferguson's third choice forward. Rooney's work rate has consistently earned him respectable amounts of goals and assists every season, while Chicharito's astounding ability to score from the back part of his head, face and butt has made him a highly dangerous forward. Berbatov might be going to Paris-Saint-Germaine, but there are still Owen and Welbeck backing him up.

Fantasy Ace: Wayne Rooney (£12.0m)

Being the most influential player at Old Trafford, Rooney had a terrible first half of last season due to the scandals revolving around him. But a reignited him has shown great form coming towards the end of last season.

His asking price is quite high, but as long as he maintains his level of play, 200 points is highly possible for the Englishman with his versatility of play and hardworking attitude on the pitch.

Powerhouse Picks: Luis Nani (£10.0m), David de Gea (£6.5m), Ashley Young (£10.0m), Javi Hernandez (£10.0m)

As the best fantasy performer of Manchester United last season, Nani is an unstoppable figure at Old Trafford with his skillful dribbling and good crossings. He will still be a pivotal figure this season, but to a slightly lesser extent due to the arrival of Ashley Young.

Joined from Athletico Madrid, De Gea (pix) represents the cheapest sure-starter in United's defence. His performance at Community Shield has risen some voices of doubt, but I expect his performance to improve as the season progresses.

Ex-Villa's ace, Young, was bought at a good price of £16m from the Birmingham club. He should dominate the left flank position more than Nani and Valencia. Added with his set piece ability and flexibility to play in the hole, he represents a good fantasy bargain.

My king of shooting, Hernandez, has gone through an exceptional year last season, forcing the Golden Boot Dimitar Berbatov out of Ferguson's starting XI. His superb finishing ability will make him a good candidate for Golden Boot this season.

Solid Picks: Rafael Da Silva (£5.5m), Nemanja Vidic (£8.0m)

With O'Shea and Brown leaving, Rafael (pix) represents the best right-back that is now available to Sir Alex Ferguson. He should expect some competitions from Smalling and his fellow twin Fabio, but I am expecting him to play for more than 2300 minutes (out of available 3420 minutes) this season.

Priced as the most expensive defender alongside Baines, Vidic is surely very hard to be afforded. The premium on him is justified though, considering that he is the United defender that comes with the least rotation risk.

Worth Scouting: Antonio Valencia (£8.0m),  Dimitar Berbatov (£9.5m), Tom Cleverly (£5.5m)

Valencia is an adept winger who's particularly good on crosses, but I believe he is the biggest loser following the arrival of Ashley Young.

Berbatov will have limited time this season and you will need to pray that Rooney and Chicharito will take turn injuring themselves for the Bulgarian to shine.

Back from the loan spell at Wigan, Cleverly is fantastic during pre-season matches with Manchester United, especially at the match against Manchester City. He can be the next playmaker of the Red Devils, should the club fails to make a breakthrough for the transfer of Wesley Sneijder. If he gains a starting spot he will be this season's top value player.

2011/12 Fantasy Season Preview - Chelsea

Chelsea FC

Last Season Summary

League ranking: 2nd (71 pts)

Points per game (home: away): 2.37: 1.37

Goals scored per game (home: away): 2.05: 1.58
Goals conceded per game (home: away): 0.68: 1.05

Number of clean sheets: 15

Top league scorer: Florent Malouda (13 goals)

Top league assister: Didier Drogba (13 assists)

Transfers

In: Oriol Romeu, Lucas Piazon, Thibaud Courtois, Romelu Lukaku

Out: Thibaud Courtois, Jeffrey Bruma, Michael Mancienne, Michael Woods

Pre-Season Results

1-0 Portsmouth

1-0 Malaysia XI

4-0 Thailand All Stars

4-0 Kitchee

2-0 Aston Villa

Predicted Season Finish: 2nd

Pretty much the same mould as last year, the Blues now march under the leadership of Andre Villas-Boas. So far the performance by "Mourinho v2" has been good, with Chelsea winning all the pre-seasons. However, with the squad continues the ageing process, and key player Michael Essien out for a big part of the season, there are big mountains for them to climb and reach the summit again.

Defence - 10/10

Unarguably the most complete defence, the Blues' defenders are capable of doing big damages at the front third too. Their best four (A. Cole, Terry, Luiz, Ivanovic) on the back are also relatively much fitter than their closest opponents.

Midfield - 8/10

Chelsea houses one of the most stocky midfielder combinations in the league. Ageing and lack of speedy players are concerning, but they are not expected to surface yet this season.

Attack - 9/10

Drogba and Torres remain the most exciting player to be seen in this line, but their compatibility is worrying. The presence of Anelka and Sturridge keeps the front line deep.

Fantasy Ace: Didier Drogba (£10.5m)

There are plenty of uncertainties that make me hard to decide on which one is the fantasy ace of the Chelsea this season, but I guess I will stick with one of the most fantasy proven player of the team who comes with a good amount of discount. Drogba, currently 33, is still the most important Chelsea player who can strike terror into opponent's defence with his monstrous body strength and clinical finishing. His age doesn't stop him yet; instead, it gives him the maturity to become even more threatening, as shown by his 15 assists last season. Do expect rotation threat for Drogba with the presence of Fernando Torres, but at the moment, it is believed that Andre Villas-Boas will favour him over the Spaniard.

Powerhouse Picks: Florent Malouda (£10.5m), Marinho David Luiz (£6.5m)

Being the only midfielder at Chelsea who's naturally a wide player, Malouda (pix) has shown a lot of consistency in these recent seasons. Double digit goals for two consecutive seasons, coupled with lack of competition on the sideways, should guarantee the Frenchman yet another productive season with Chelsea.

The cheapest of Chelsea's expected starting back four, David Luiz is good at both ends. 56 points in only 953 minutes of league appearance suggests that he can break the 150 target in this coming season. He's currently injured, but is hopeful to make his start at gameweek 1.

Solid Picks: Ashley Cole (£7.5m), Frank Lampard (£12.0m), Branislav Ivanovic (£7.0m)

Dubbed as the best left-back in the Premier League, Cole is renowned for his surging runs to the front. The premium paid for him is quite high compared to Luiz or even Ivanovic, but his position at the left is extremely solid.

Lampard is one of the fantasy legends who has hit the 200-point ceiling for three times in the last five years. He shares free kicks, penalties and corners with Drogba, so scoring fantasy points is not a problem for him as long as he plays. But his age might just make him a little bit overpriced.

Being another member of Chelsea's back four, Ivanovic can play at both right and centre back position. He is a potent threat at corners too, which makes him as productive as Ashley Cole in terms of fantasy points.

Worth Scouting: Fernando Torres (£11.0m), Salomon Kalou (£7.5m), Yossi Benayoun (£7.0m), Romelu Lukaku (£?m)

Torres' price is judged based on his name more than his stats. Still looking a good distant away from his best form, it is still not wise to get him now. But that might change in near future.

Kalou is a decent and cheap fantasy player at Chelsea, but his playing time is not enough to make him a good bargain. He will do good if there's injury crisis around at Stamford Bridge.

Yossi Benayoun has made his name at Liverpool, yet his time at Chelsea is limited. That might change with the arrival of Villas-Boas, especially when he's looking sharp currently.

Lukaku is expected to join Chelsea shortly. Tough competition occurs at Chelsea's strike force, so he will need to wait for his chance.

2011/12 Fantasy Season Preview - Manchester City

Manchester City FC

Last Season Summary

League ranking: 3rd (71 pts)

Points per game (home: away): 2.26: 1.47

Goals scored per game (home: away): 1.79: 1.37
Goals conceded per game (home: away): 0.63: 1.11

Number of clean sheets: 18 (best in league)

Top league scorer: Carlos Tevez (20 goals, joint Golden Boot winner)

Top league assister: David Silva (7 assists)

Transfers

In: Sergio Aguero, Stefan Savic, Gael Clichy

Out: Jo, Shay Given, Jerome Boateng, Michael Johnson, Patrick Vieira, Shaleum Logan, Javan Vidal, Ben Mee, Abdisalam Ibrahim

Pre-Season Results

2-0 Club America

2-1 Vancouver White Caps

1-1 LA Galaxy

3-0 Irish XI

3-0 Inter Milan
2-3 Manchester United (Community Shield)

Predicted Season Finish: 3rd

The top three of last season are expected to move close again for this coming one. Mancini has been solid in shaping the team into a top class title contender, and the superbly solid defending will take them even closer to the Premier League title this season. However, the lack of experience in hunting the league trophy, added with internal conflicts within the club, should keep them away from surpassing their neighbour at least for this year.

Defence - 9/10

City's defenders aren't so strong on the paper, but silently 18 league clean sheets were picked by them last season. With another 2 quality defenders added up until now, you can expect them to continue such impressive feat.

Midfield - 8/10

Here they have the perfect mix of style - Silva providing the flick and flair, Toure making the more practical attacks, Barry linking the front and the back and De Jong doing all the dirty jobs. However, the depth here is rather thin.

Attack - 9/10

There's four five-star forwards here - one always get homesick, one never stops fooling himself in front of the public, one doesn't look very compatible with English football, and one is yet to feature in the Premier League - should get 11/10 if not for these reasons.

Fantasy Ace: David Silva (£9.5m)

Effectively the playmaker of the team, Silva should had scored more than his current fantasy score if his teammates did not waste too many chances out there. Bought from Valencia, he is expected to be even better next season with his fine supplies of passes. He should be taking over the ace position too if Tevez leaves.

Powerhouse Picks: Gnegneri Yaya Toure (£8.0m), Vincent Kompany (£6.0m), Sergio Aguero (£11.0m)

Played at Barcelona at the cover of Xavi and Iniesta, Yaya Toure finally has the chance to take a more offensive role at Manchester. And he didn't disappoint us. - he scored even more fantasy points than David Silva! 6 goals, 6 assists, 15 bonus points and 18 clean sheet points is very much a spectacular performance for a midfielder who's better known defensively. Even at £8.0m, he is still underpriced.

Miscategorized as a midfielder last season, Kompany's (pix) role as a central defender was an absolute success. Ranked 6th in interception, 3rd in passes and 4th in blocks among defenders of Premier League last season, the Belgian should have scored 54 points more than what he had earned last season - 149 points, or 4th in defender's table. And for that reason he is an absolute bargain this season.

Bought expensively from Spain, Aguero is expected to lead the striking role, terrorizing opponents' defences. His records with Athletico Madrid has been impressive so far, and hopefully he can repeat the same kind of performances at the league with faster pace.

Solid Picks: Joe Hart (£7.0m), Gael Clichy (£6.0m), Carlos Tevez (£12.0m)

Undoubtedly the best keeper of Premier League, Hart's (pix) best years are yet to come. His outstanding reflexes has made him one of the most entertaining goalkeeper to watch, and also the most expensive fantasy keeper.

Bought from Arsenal (yet again), Clichy is expected to become Mancini's first choice left back. While he should benefit from City's clean sheets, you should expect some competitions and rotations from Zabaleta and Kolarov.

Tevez might be leaving, but if he stays, he will be as incredible as before with his monstrous work rate and finishing.

Worth Scouting: Mario Balotelli (£9.0m), Adam Johnson (£7.5m)

Being the most eye-catching figure on earth, Balotelli never stops to entertain me - both his skills and attitude. He might have to stay behind both Aguero and Tevez, and is very susceptible to foolish red cards and Mancini's banishes from games. However, he can be very threatening when he plays.

Johnson will have no choice but stay on the bench for most of the time, but he is always been productive coming on from bench. He will play a good role if any of the main attackers are injured, so keep an eye on him.

2011/12 Fantasy Season Preview - Arsenal

Arsenal FC

Last Season Summary

League ranking: 4th (68 pts)

Points per game (home: away): 1.74: 0.79

Goals scored per game (home: away): 2.05: 1.47
Goals conceded per game (home: away):

Number of clean sheets: 13

Top league scorer: Robin Van Persie (18 goals)

Top league assister: Cesc Fabregas (13 assists)

Transfers

In: Gervinho, Carl Jenkinson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Out: Gael Clichy, Denilson, Tom Cruise, Mark Randall, Wellington, Jay-Emmanuel Thomas

Pre-Season Results

4-0 Malaysia XI

1-1 Hangzhou Greentown

2-1 FC Cologne

2-2 Boca Juniors

1-1 New York Red Bulls

Predicted Season Finish: 5th

With Wenger seems increasingly stubborn about his philosophy, the future at Emirates looks gloomy. Lack of critical additions to the squad, coupled with Fabregas and Nasri's desire to leave has elevated fans' frustration for the Gunners' cup drought of six seasons. Their customary Champions League spot could be lost if nothing is done to improve the club's atmosphere.

Defence - 7/10

Much of the problems lie on the mentality of the defenders. The recovery of Vermaelen doesn't help much yet currently.

Midfield - 9/10

The a la Bercolona midfield line houses some of the best stars in the Premier League, but with two most important ace - Fabregas and Nasri - wanting to leave, the line-up for next season remains uncertain. Inadequacy of dirty midfielders is also an element which requires attention.

Attack - 9/10

Van Persie is the king of all when he's fit. Though he may be fragile, the availability of new signing Gervinho will reduced the effect of Van Persie's absence to the minimum.

Fantasy Ace: Robin Van Persie (£12.0m)

Obviously the MVP of the Gunners last season, Van Persie was able to record 157 fantasy points albeit only played for 1770 minutes from a possible figure of 3420. That kind of efficiency the Dutchman provides is just incredible.

The fact that he is so complete as a player - clinical finishing, threatening set pieces, agile speed and clever positioning - makes him the best striker of the league since Thierry Henry's era. I personally need not to think twice to get him when he's fit.

Powerhouse Picks: Samir Nasri (£9.5m), Cesc Fabregas (£12.0m), Gervinho (£9.0m)

Growing steadily over the past few years, Nasri functioned as the key playmaker last season during Fabregas' absence. He is unstoppable when he's on fire, but his price at £9.5m might make him less appealing to fantasy managers.

Priced at a very prohibitive level of £12.0m, Fabregas has been the luxury captain choice for fantasy managers over the past few years. When he's fit he's can be the most productive fantasy player in the game as seen by his points per game figure of 5.1. But on top of that you will need to make sure that he's fit before splashing 12% of your initial budget on him - his playing time per season wanders around 2000 minutes only for the last three years.

Signed from Lille, Gervinho (pix) certainly looks promising during Arsenal's pre-season preparations, receiving good reviews from both the matches against Boca Juniors and NY Red Bulls. At £9.0m he is one of the underpriced players in my opinion - provided he gains the starting position.

Solid Picks: Wojciech Szczesny (£6.0m), Theo Walcott (£9.0m), Jack Wilshere (£6.5m)

Szczesny did his job firmly last season and that has helped him to won Arsenal's #1 position starting spot. Being the cheapest keeper among the teams challenging for the title, he is a pretty reliable source of clean sheet points.

Walcott's price has risen to a not so tempting level, but being a player capable of getting a big bang of points from a single game, getting him at the right time will get you well rewarded.

Dubbed as the future of English football, Wilshere (pix) did his role in the deeper part of the midfield pretty well. Expected to gain more playing time this season, investments on him should be well rewarded.

Worth Scouting: Andrei Arshavin (£9.0m), Thomas Vermaelen (£7.0m), Kieran Gibbs (£5.5m)

Increasingly upset about his lack of playing time, Arshavin will be even unhappy with Gervinho here to steal even more of his playing time. Unlike Walcott, who can be in extreme form at certain times, Arshavin's more consistent fantasy points distribution makes him less appealing than the pacy winger.

Injured for almost one season, Vermaelen's will need to spend some time to regain his football senses, and it is a big risk to spend £7.0m on him despite his attacking prowess.

Thanks to the departure of Clichy, Gibbs is expected to feature as first choice left-back for Arsenal. And being the cheapest starting XI of Arsenal's defence, he has the potential of becoming a cheaper alternative for earning clean sheet points.

No Thanks: Marouane Chamakh (£8.5m)

The Moroccan performed well at the starting stage of last season, but it becomes increasingly difficult for him to get regular games this season with Gervinho around. Your £8.5m can be spent much better elsewhere.

2011/12 Fantasy Season Preview - Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur FC

Last Season Summary

League ranking: 5th (62 pts)

Points per game (home: away): 1.89: 1.37

Goals scored per game (home: away): 1.58: 1.32
Goals conceded per game (home: away): 1.00: 1.42

Number of clean sheets: 8

Top league scorer: Rafael Van der Vaart (13 goals)

Top league assister: Rafael Van der Vaart (8 assists)

Transfers

In: Brad Friedel, Cristian Ceballos, Souleymane, Coulibaly

Out: Jamie O'Hara, Jonathan Woodgate, Bongani Khumalo, Kyle Naughton, Steven Caulker, Ryan Mason, Jonathan Obika

Pre-Season Results

0-1 Kaizer Chiefs

1-1 Orlando Pirates

2-3 Barnet

3-0 Orlando Pirates

5-3 MK Dons

4-1 Leyton Orient

3-2 Brighton and Hove Albion

Predicted Season Finish: 6th

With the owners not willing to break their wage structure, to grab a Champions League ticket becomes an increasingly difficult task for Harry Redknapp. Added with key player Modric trying to force a move away from White Hart Lane, Tottenham's players will feel uneasy to settle this season.

Defence - 7/10

Entertaining football is always Tottenham's priority, so being leaky at times is expected. Perhaps the inclusion of Brad Friedel in the squad will improve the back line by a bit.

Midfield - 9/10

With world class players such as Bale, Van der Vaart and Modric here, Tottenham is unarguably solid in this area. The depth is also pretty adequate for playing across various tournaments.

Attack - 6/10

Jermaine Defoe is the only "clinical" forward Tottenham has, but he's rarely fully fit for one whole season. Weak coverage.

Fantasy Ace: Rafael Van der Vaart (£10.0m)

Priced at £7.5m last summer, Van der Vaart has firmly established himself as the icon of White Hart Lane. Armed with outstanding skills and vision, it's not a surprising fact that the former Real Madrid man contributed a sky-high 165 points during his first spell with the London club.

VdV is also the primary penalty taker of Tottenham, making the club's ace a good deal even though at the price of £10.0m.

Solid Picks: Gareth Bale (£8.0m), Luka Modric (£8.0m), Jermaine Defoe (£8.5m)

Emerged as an flying back, Bale's speed and excellent left foot has always been terrorising for opponents' defence even against top tier clubs like the Milan twins. Unfortunately fitness problems are ghosting him throughout the last season, making him less promising than he should.

Still trying to push a deal to Chelsea, Modric's (pix) contribution on the pitch is fairly rewarded with 34 bonus points. However, as a midfield dynamo, the Croatian makes more assist to the assister rather than the goalscorer - there's no fantasy points for that.

Similar to Bale, Defoe is also a frequent visitor to the red cross army, making him breaking the 150 point benchmark only once throughout his fantasy career despite his excellent speed and finishing.

Worth Scouting: Brad Friedel (£5.5m)

With Gomes a very volatile goalkeeper, the inclusion of Friedel is definitely a big boost to Tottenham's defence. It remains to be seen whether there will be more clean sheets for Tottenham with his arrival.

2011/12 Fantasy Season Preview - Liverpool

Liverpool FC

Last Season Summary

League ranking: 6th (58 pts)

Points per game (home: away): 2.11: 0.95

Goals scored per game (home: away): 1.95: 1.16
Goals conceded per game (home: away): 0.74: 1.58

Number of clean sheets: 14

Top league scorer: Dirk Kuyt (13 goals)

Top league assister: Dirk Kuyt (7 assists)

Transfers

In: Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam, Alexander Doni

Out: Paul Konchesky, Stephen Darby

Pre-Season Results
4-3 Guangdong
6-3 Malaysia XI
0-3 Hull City
0-3 Galatasary
3-3 Valerenga
2-0 Valencia

Predicted Season Finish: 4th

Another disappointing season for the Reds with only local fixtures available for this coming year, but it could be much worse if not for Kenny Dalglish's return. And thanks to the big money splashed by ambitious owner John Henry, the Reds are hopeful of regaining a Champions League spot, if not better.

Defence - 7/10

Recent pre-season results of Liverpool hardly made me believe that they actually got 14 clean sheets last season. Conceding 3 goals in all friendly matches barring Valencia so far is a worrying sign for Kenny Dalglish and Steven Clarke.

Midfield - 10/10

This is the department of Liverpool with extravagant flair and depth. To field a 0-10-0 formation with all recognizable midfielders is certainly not a problem for Liverpool. It remains intriguing to see how Dalglish is going to sort out the overpopulation of midfielders at Anfield.

Attack - 8/10

Undeniably Luis Suarez has been pivotal to Liverpool's offence. Unfortunately Carroll has showing little signs of promise so far - he will need to buck up to take the Reds to a better league position.

Fantasy Ace: Luis Suarez (£9.5m)

The fact that he's not priced at double-digit and is even cheaper than his teammate Andy Carroll made me laugh. The Uruguayan's performance last season was incredible. Although his fantasy points wasn't that good, but you can account a big portion of the reasons to luck. Added with the increased transparency of the new bonus point system, you can expect him to hit at least 150 fantasy points this season.

Powerhouse Picks: Charlie Adam (£9.0m), Stewart Downing (£8.5m)

It's hard to believe that Charlie Adam (pix) will score another whopping 192 fantasy points again this season. Nevertheless, just like how Sir Alex Ferguson suggested that the Scot's set pieces are worth £10m alone, I believe that Adam will give his opponents a hard time with his long range precision passes.

Also renowned for his quality crosses, Stewart Downing will provide the kind of promising wing play that Liverpool had long lost. With Carroll as high main receiver, you can expect a good amount of assists from him.

Solid Picks: Dirk Kuyt (£10.0m), Andy Carroll (£10.0m)

Kuyt has once again become the most consistent and reliable player of Liverpool last season. Unfortunately, several big name signings will foster intense competition in all his comfortable spots. He should become the subject of rotation.

Being the most expensive player bought by Liverpool currently, Dalglish will feel very hard to keep Carroll (pix) on the bench. However, his far from satisfying display during pre-season tour has made me doubt about his performance in the league despite last season's fantastic performance with Newcastle.

Worth Scouting: Glen Johnson (£7.0m), Daniel Agger (£6.0m), Raul Meireles (£7.5m), Alberto Aquilani (£7.0m), Jordan Henderson (£6.5m)

Despite of Johnson's strength in offence, the Englishman's weakness in defence makes his first choice right-back role rather unsecured, especially with the emergence of Martin Kelly and John Flanagan.

Agger is always the best centre-back available at Liverpool, but his frequent injuries has flawed his career at England thus far.

With so many central midfielders available, Meireles looks to be a surplus for Dalglish now, despite being one of the club's saviours last season with his entertaining volleys.

It's the same case like Meireles too for Aquilani, but the Italian's spectacular pre-season with the club might just be good enough to change Dalglish's mind. At the price of £7.0m, he's a wonderful buy if he starts and plays in the hole behind Carroll.

Bought for £16m in reality, it's still highly doubted whether Henderson is bought for immediate impact or future development. But being only £6.5m in fantasy, he also resembles good business if he is Dalglish's first choice right midfield.

No Thanks: Steven Gerrard (£11.0m)

The skipper was once the unstoppable force of Anfield, but things have pretty much changed. Firstly, the captain marvel seems to lost his speed after continuous injuries. And secondly, the abundance of midfielders have made his time at Anfield tougher. Also, Liverpool is no longer a one-man or two-men team.