Kick-Off: Gameweek 22 Fantasy Preview

Demba Ba made an immediate impact at Chelsea with 2 debut goals.

The transfer window reopens with a few blockbuster signings, including:

• Demba Ba's move from Newcastle to Chelsea with the forward's release clause being activated.
• Daniel Sturridge's transfer from Chelsea to Anfield after a miserable season at Stamford Bridge.
• Joe Cole's return to West Ham to rediscover his best after going through some turbulent years in his career.

GAMEWEEK 21 HIGHLIGHTS

• Robin Van Persie and Javier Hernandez went on rampage again as each of them scored two goals and assisted once to secure a 4-0 victory against Wigan.
• Luis Suarez added two more goals to his tally to make sure that Van Persie has a good contender to battle against for the Golden Boot award.

GAMEWEEK 21 TOP SCORERS

1. Luis Suarez (£10.4m, 16 pts): Scored 4 goals in the last 2 games. The upcoming fixtures look tough but with such form he should be able to score again. And again.
2. Robin Van Persie (£14.1m, 16 pts): He will break 150-point-mark soon — a very impressive record for a forward when Premier League still has 17 games to go.
3. Javier Hernandez (£7.0m, 15 pts): His talent is just so wasted to warm the bench so much at Old Trafford — I wonder where does he stand if Wilfried Zaha joins the family of United's forwards.
4. Pablo Zabaleta (£5.9m, 15 pts): Playing with a great degree of consistency recently.
5. Joey O'Brien (£4.5m, 15 pts): His injury somehow was rewarded with 4 clean sheet points. Not likely to feature this week.

DOUBLE GAMEWEEK: Chelsea and Southampton
In case you still haven't noticed, there is a replacement fixtures between Chelsea and Southampton. You should know who to get (answers can be found in the next sections).

FEATURED: Manchester United v Liverpool @ Old Trafford
The stronger one-man team against the lesser one-man team. The lethal feet against the tricky feet. If you know what I mean.

Despite the gap between them continues to get wider and wider, Manchester United versus Liverpool is still by far one of the most exciting fixtures in the Premier League — the Reds always play at one level higher against their arch-rivals.

Robin Van Persie and Luis Suarez of course will be the diamonds of the battle — the latter has 15 goals in his bag already, yet still trails the even better former by one. Both deserve a place in your fantasy team with their outstanding performance and form.

The first leg of the season between them certainly looked encouraging for Liverpool despite losing, so let's assume that the addition of Daniel Sturridge (£7.3m, - pts) gives them a better conversion rate to prevent a defeat... That's the best they can do I think.

Prediction: MUN 2-2 LIV

TEAM FOCUS: Chelsea
Well, this is a no-brainer. The Blues are playing two games, and they are playing against two lesser oppositions.

Stoke City are the only undefeated team at home and could pose serious problems to Rafa Benitez's squad. But we all know that Chelsea have a lot of technically gifted players like Juan Mata (£9.9m, 1 pt) and Eden Hazard (£9.4m, 1 pt) are capable of doing, and they might just be able to end Stoke City's home undefeated streak.

Against Southampton it will be a much better prospect in terms of offence, but who will lead the line in the two games? The £50m Fernando Torres (£9.7m, 2pts) or the much cheaper but more lethal Demba Ba (£8.8m, - pts)? A tough question to answer, though owners of both should start them in your fantasy team without hesitation.

As for Southampton, Rickie Lambert (£6.3m, 2 pts) has proven his worth and should be the first man in your consideration should you want their exposure for this double gameweek — provided if your line-up if not the trio of Ba-Suarez-Van Persie. Jason Puncheon (£4.9m, 5 pts) deserves a mention too with his entry level price.

Prediction: STO 1-1 CHE, CHE 4-2 SOU

PLAYER FOCUS: Bale
Gareth Bale (£9.8m, - pts) returns from suspension... Ka-boom! And sends QPR from the joy of defeating Chelsea back into misery. Full stop.

GAMEWEEK 22 DREAM TEAM

Lloris

Russell Martin — Baines — Ivanovic

 Bale (VC) — Michu — Mata (C)  — Puncheon

Lambert — Van Persie — Ba

Subs: Federici — Joe Cole —  Harte — Wilkinson

Can't wait to get more? Like FPLZ official Facebook page to get the latest updates regularly!

Brendan Rodgers: The Winners and Losers Under His Management?

Meet the new Liverpool gaffer.

Overview
Clearly Brendan Rodgers has taken the tough road to join Liverpool in his attempt to bring the old brand of football back to where "it's supposed to be". FPLZ analyzes the impact that the new Liverpool manager is going to bring to the players, especially in fantasy terms.

Out of the Topic: Public Relations Management
It's good to see Liverpool is not taking in another Roy Hodgson - a manager who is so poor in handling the players, the fans, and the press. Rodgers gives Fenway Sports Group a complete different package from the current England national team manager - not only the very different style in tactics, but also his much more superior PR management. For example:

“I know there are three types of supporters at every club,” he said. “Number one is those who, no matter who the manager is, they love their club and they will love their manager because Liverpool is their life and their passion. The second group is supporters who will accept you but to earn their real respect you will have to be successful. That’s fine.


"The third group are the critics and you never change them ever. Ever."


"I only want to work with the people who love the club. I have always had good relations with the media and with the supporters. I’m open and honest. I understand that not everybody will want me here. But that’s part of the dance.”


It remains to be seen how well would he cope with the constant high expectations at Merseyside, but at the moment, he has shown good degree of charisma and has definitely earned my respect.

Tactical Analysis
Tiki-taka was the famous brand Rodgers has established at Swansea, and thanks to such style of play he had managed to win against the big teams such as Manchester City, Arsenal and also Liverpool. It was indeed quite surprising that he actually led Swansea to beat Arsenal via an even more "Arsenal" way.

His tiki-taka approach heavily emphasizes on small triangular pass-and-move, where there are always two players sticking around the ball holder to provide support and ensure that the ball is always under their control. This definitely is not expected to blend instantly into Liverpool's current crop of players, though there are some players who can adapt to this style at ease.

The Defence
The back line is perhaps the most prepared ones for Rodgers infusion of tiki-taka play. Reina has always been a good commander and should have no problem adapting to the new tactics; Agger will be more than happy to stick the ball to the ground; Enrique and Johnson are both fast, offensive wing backs and should also cope well. Skrtel may struggle a bit in the beginning, but with all his defensive partners more than ready to adapt, he should be comfortable with the new style soon enough.

The Midfield
In the midfield, Lucas has developed into a great ball distributor - no problem, though I don't see how a DM is going to benefit from this fantasy wise; Gerrard is always the world class player who can take on any challenges - no problem as well; Sigurdsson, if he's joining, should blend readily since he had already flourished under Rodgers at Swansea.

The Offence
Suarez is the type of player you had expect him to blend instantly into the tiki-taka system - playing with Barcelona is always his ambition anyway; I am a little bit skeptical towards Carroll's response to this new system, especially when Ibrahimovic had actually deteriorated Barca's tiki-taka play in the past; Downing, on the other hand, still gets my vote of confidence despite his poor season - his stats wasn't that bad honestly.

The Bench
Henderson will need a good time to adapt in my opinion - he's a good runner, but needs to know his direction; Adam for me is the biggest loser under Brendan Rodgers - he likes to play long balls and that violates the principles of tiki-taka; Maxi, if he stays, should fuse readily with the system as Argentinians are good ground players; while Aquilani, if he returns, may become Rodgers favourite with the flair he's providing; not to be forgotten is the returning Joe Cole who had a successful revival at Lille - he can be the important chess piece of the new gaffer.

Verdict
I believe you have gotten the idea who will become good Liverpool fantasy assets in this coming season. Agger, in my opinion, will definitely be the top gainer under Rodgers' system with increased participation in offence, while players such as Gerrard, Suarez and Downing can expect a better season ahead if the new gaffer can deliver the same thing he had delivered at Swansea in the past.

Read here for a intensive tactical analysis on Liverpool written by TPiMBW on "The Path Is Made By Walking".

Eden Hazard: The Next Chelsea Ace?

Overview
With Roman Abramovich begun the transfer war with a £34m move for Lille's winger Eden Hazard, FPLZ assesses what kind of impact is the Belgian winger is going to provide in EPL and also FPL.

Dribbling
This is perhaps the most striking attribute the new Chelsea attacker has. Hazard's ball control in limited areas is as good as Mata, except that he's much faster. His addition is expected to create lots of hazards (more importantly fouls and cards) to oppositions' defenders.

Passing
While being good in one-on-one battles, Hazard's team play ability is also astonishing. This was clearly exhibited in the resurgence of his ex-teammate Joe Cole who was so poor seasons ago. Hazard's one-two passing and long range crossing and lobbing are definitely something that his opponents should really beware about.

Finishing
Aged 21, Hazard has displayed excellent maturity in shooting, especially on one-on-one attempts against goalkeeper. He is calm, composed and shoots equally well with both feet. Not a man that one can easily mark him off from attempting shots.

Set Pieces
Hazard had frequently taken free kicks and corners at LOSC Lille and was also the primary penalty taker there. With his good accuracy, fantasy managers could really benefit from his set piece service, though it remains to be seen how is it going to be split among Lampard, Mata and him.

Leadership
Being the ace player of Lille previously, I believe Hazard has adequately learnt what it takes to become a good leader. He may not be able to show the same kind of influence so soon in such a different football environment, but I can see a future Chelsea leader here.

Challenges
It's always the same challenge for those who are new to Premier League - physicality. Can he shrug off stocky defenders like Vidic and Vermaelen? Can he remain injury free in a league full of harsh tackles? Time will tell how long will Hazard need to adapt to English football.

Verdict
Being an all-rounder in offence, Hazard could really strike immediate impact in fantasy football. His fantasy valuation, in my opinion, will be around £10.0m. Whether will he worth the price will depend on both his playing time and also his role in set piece duties.

Read here for a detailed analysis on Eden Hazard published one year ago on "the elastico".

The Long List of Casualties Over The Week

Luis Nani
The popular fantasy captain candidate of the week will only feature on his seat.

This must be the injury week of Premier League as numerous big names suffered different degrees of body damages:

• Nani - groin
• Fletcher - ankle
• Van der Vaart - hamstring recurrence
• Joe Cole - hamstring
• Fabregas - hamstring (expected to start this weekend)
• Malouda - ankle (claimed to be able to play this weekend)

Something relieving though, all of them should only out for at most two to three weeks.

Sunday Sparks

Sotirios Kyrgiakos
Fantastic performance at both ends on the pitch.

Congratulations for Manchester United for recording their first away victory this season and Liverpool for securing their second victory of the season. Here are some highlights:

• Javi Hernandez scored both goals of United. The lad is still far from becoming a sure-fire fantasy pick as Rooney will soon be back, but he might be able to squeeze Berbatov out should the latter dips his form.
• Both Nani and Berbatov failed to provide any fantasy returns this week and this frustrates a lot of managers including me.
• Liverpool overpowered a game for the first time this season, against Blackburn. Kyrgiakos has been superb all the while and Hodgson should list him as the first choice centre back of Liverpool as the Greek's reward.
• Liverpool's midfielders has been combining brilliantly during the first half and it was no surprise that Cole and Gerrard were on the assist sheet.
• Torres finally scored his second league goal (and smiled).
• A silly foul by Dedryk Boyata costed Manchester City a possible three points. Joe Hart owners will not be sad though as he caught five points with a precious penalty save.
• Nasri scored again! That is his six out of seven games. Magnificent.
• Tevez limped out with an injury. Stay updated with his status, fantasy managers.

Good night.

Gameweek 5 Fantasy Preview

Carlos Tevez
New hairstyle which symbolizes his determination?

English clubs had a mix of fate in European action, but let's forget that and head into Premier League encounters this weekend - we have an England derby this Sunday! Here is my last gameweek's score - I'm satisfied with it.

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PART I:PREVIEWS

Joe Cole
Will his return provide the much needed creativity in Liverpool's extremely dull midfield?

Manchester United v Liverpool

A little too early for such important encounter, but let's just focus on the game itself. Both have shabby starts in the Premier League this season, with Liverpool the worse as they failed to convince their fans of their performance both home and away.

For the home side, they had just lost Valencia for "a good portion of the season" but that doesn't account for much difference. The Ecuadorian suffered from a dip of form - alongside with Rooney - and Nani is on his highs. The Portuguese is definitely a bigger threat for newcomer Paul Konchesky with his superb speed.

Another man for United that worth mentioning is Dmitar Berbatov. The Bulgarian is too good for Liverpool's shaky defence to guard off and unless Reina gives a top-class performance again, I won't expect a clean sheet for the Merseysiders.

As for Liverpool, Joe Cole showed his importance to the club again as they overpowered Steaua - even the dull Lucas scored! Liverpool maintained a 100% record at Europa League with his presence. He'll finally have the chance to play his first full league game with Liverpool, but how much impact can he make? I'm on doubt with his teamwork with Gerrard and Torres as they have not really have a good pair up yet.

Meanwhile, his new teammate Raul Meireles, who also joined this summer, seems to have a good start in Liverpool. He's certainly better than Lucas and Poulsen in the CM post and should provide at least some threat from the middle as compared to the former two if he starts.

But let's take a look at David N'gog. His second goal last night was such a brilliance! He's getting more and more mature and threatening. Certainly one to watch if he managed to come out from the bench.

Still, I think Manchester United is too strong at home to not win. Berbatov on form, Nani on form, Scholes on form. No reason not to get this one.

Prediction: MANU 3-1 LIV

The Rest

• Stoke City v West Ham (0-0) - This game is hardly predictable.
• Aston Villa v Bolton (2-0) - Villa are yet to fail at home.
• Blackburn v Fulham (0-1) - Hughes' team works perfectly as a unit, which attracts my vote of confidence.
• Everton v Newcastle (3-0) - Everton should get their first victory. A good time to buy Arteta in my opinion.
• Tottenham v Wolves (1-0) - Tottenham is obviously stronger.
• West Brom v Birmingham (2-1) - West Brom should snatch the chance to win against Birmingham who's weak at away.
• Sunderland v Arsenal (1-3) - Gyan made an immediate impact, but Fabregas is just too strong for the Black Cats.
• Wigan v Man City (1-3) - It's time for City to escape from those ridiculous draw and defeat.
• Chelsea v Blackpool (5-0) - Another thrash in the making. Drogba is the obvious captain choice.

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PART II: SQUAD SELECTIONS

Didier Drogba
The monster is ready to get the captain armband again.

Captain Picks

• Drogba/Malouda - There are not much weaker oppositions than Blackpool.
• Tevez - Wigan's attacking football will doom itself in front of Mr Carlito.

Buy-Ins

• Arteta - It's only a matter of time for him to start scoring from set pieces.
• Dembele - Cost-effective striker with Zamora injured.

Sell-Outs

• Valencia - Out for this season.

Squad of XV

GK: Cudicini

DF: Luke Young, Faye, Kaboul

MF: Downing, Bale, Fabregas, Arteta, Dorrans

F: Drogba(C), Tevez

Subs (in order): Robinson, Jones, Dembele, Jara

Captain: Drogba

Emergency Captain: Value

Starting XI Value: £82.2m

Total Team Value: £100.8m

Joe Cole Joins Liverpool

From A Blue to A Red.

A great news for Kopites as the English winger has penned a four-year deal with Liverpool, subject to medical check-up.

Joe Cole had once been one of the undroppables in Chelsea's starting XI, but his career at Stamford Bridge was certainly plagued by his series of injuries.

But now he has gotten himself and the fans of Anfield a new hope. The addition of Joe Cole in Roy Hodgson's squad has certainly provided the Reds a new dimension in offense.

He will be a great fantasy bargain given the fact that he will be the integral part of Liverpool's attack, but how much will he cost? Besides that, can the medics at Anfield provide better protection to Joe Cole's magic feet when they can't even take good care of Fernando Torres' priceless legs?