Shinji Kagawa: United's New Playmaker, Moneymaker, Or Both?

Overview
With Borussia Dortmund agreeing a £12m transfer of its superstar Shinji Kagawa to Manchester United, FPLZ analyzes the Japanese's impact to the both the fantasy and reality football world.

Dribbling
Similar to other players of Asian descent, Kagawa is 1.72 m tall and has a rather slim body build compared to players of other continents. However, this is well compensated by his superior dribbling skills, which at times are comparable to Barca's Lionel Messi. Combined with his footballing intelligence, the Dortmund's star is unplayable at times thanks to his exceptional first touch and ball control.

Positioning
Kagawa enjoys the freeman role, hovering a big area on the pitch. Attacking midfielder would be the best position to execute such a role, as it will unleash his great positioning talent - to appear at the right place at right time and deliver lethal balls to kill off his opponents.

Passing
Creativity is indeed the main reason United signed him. Kagawa's vision is one of the best in the world, as shown in his superb partnership with Poland's goal poacher Robert Lewandowski. One two pass is perhaps Kagawa's greatest asset - his ability to find space for his teammates is simply astonishing. However, as Manchester United practises a more dynamic approach in passing, it remains to be seen whether Kagawa can deliver long passes accurately and consistently.

Finishing
This is what that makes the playmaker a very lethal player compared to his Asian counterpart in United, Ji-Sung Park. Kagawa is able to finish equally well with both feet, and is very confident with powerful volleys. A total of 17 goals at Dortmund last season suggests that he will contribute a good portion of United's goals next season in the club's attempt to become the leader in Manchester and England again.

Marketability
For me I think the initial fee of £12m for Kagawa is a steal - his football ability alone would worth at least this amount of money already. Kagawa's arrival would definitely deepen United's pockets with further attraction of Asian market especially Japan. At least the jersey sales are not expect to experience a sharp decline when Park leaves the club in the next few years.

Verdict
Aged only 23, Kagawa has a bright future with Manchester United as his purchase solves United's biggest weakness for years - the lack of a world class central playmaker. The youngster shall link the front and the back, the left and the right effectively to take United's attack to new heights ever since Roy Keane's era. A £9.0m fantasy valuation, or more, is what you shall expect for a player of his pedigree.

Click here for a comprehensive scouting report of Shinji Kagawa by RangeRooney.

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".

Site Revamp In Progress

Dear readers,

FPLZ will be undergoing some site revamp in order to improve reading experience in this site. Due to that you may experience distorted templates for the next few days. Suggestions are welcomed to improve the quality of this site.

I apologize for any inconvenience caused.

Regards,

Peacemaker-J

Season Summary: FPLZ 2011/12 Fantasy Dream Team

Robin Van Persie: Undisputed captain choice for the season.

Overview
As the season closed its curtain, FPLZ picks its dream team of the season based on both performance and price.

Goalkeeper
Michel Vorm easily closed down this spot thanks to his godlike display throughout the season. One of the major pillars for Swansea's 14 clean sheets last season, the Dutch was never short of acrobatic saves. His save against Glen Johnson's volley against Liverpool on stoppage time was one of the best in my opinion. 158 points with starting value of only £4.0m, Vorm represents excellent investment.

Defenders
City's captain Vincent Kompany was unarguably the best defender of the season. Scoring 145 fantasy points last term, the Belgian skipper was not only pivotal in defence with his superb defensive positioning, but he could also deliver upfront, most notably the winning goal against Manchester United which ultimately sealed City's first Premier League title.

Tottenham's Benoit Assou-Ekkoto had a surprisingly well season. Historically not known for offensive prowess, the left-back recorded a staggering 2 goals and 5 assists this term, along with 12 clean sheets, making him a real deal with a season ending value of £5.8m.

Jonny Evans made a shocking entry into this list. Having labelled as one of the troublemaker in Manchester United's defensive line-up for the past few seasons, the Northern Irish played exceptionally well this season as a replacement for injured captain Nemanja Vidic. His fairly cheaper price compared to his teammates, along with his consistent inclusion in Ferguson's lineup, was the reason why he managed to get into this list.

Meanwhile, Danny Simpson was one of the best-valued defender out there. Benefiting from Newcastle's resolute defence led by Coloccini, the young right-back managed to get 14 clean sheets for the term.

Midfieders
Needless to say, Clint Dempsey was the best fantasy midfielder of the season. Being the only midfielder to break the 200 point mark last season, the American also led the goal table for the midfielders with 17 goals recorded. Nevertheless, his outstanding performance was largely credited to the Cottagers' heavy reliance on him in offence.

Gylfi Sigurdsson was the real fantasy jewel out there who provided maximum per-dollar return among fantasy midfielders. Having played only half of the season in Premier League, the Icelandic was supreme in dictating Swansea's offence. Unfortunately, Sigurdsson's future in Premier League is uncertain after failing to reach an agreement with Swansea, though he has expressed his desire to continue to work with his ex-gaffer Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool.

"Speedy speed boy" Gareth Bale deservedly booked a spot in FPLZ's dream team. 10 goals and 14 assists were sufficient to compensate for his value of £9.5m. Without Champions League duty next season, we can expect the Welsh to improve on his tally in the next FPL season, though his asking price is expected to shoot up higher based on this season's performance.

The list would not be considered complete without David Silva. The Spaniard was the spotlight at the beginning of the season with his all-round performance. While his standards had dropped considerably in the middle of the season due to injury trouble, still he was able to reach third spot in midfielders table, making his second year in the Premier League a success.

Forwards
I believe I would be bashed heavily if Robin Van Persie is absent in FPLZ's dream team. Being the first season the Dutch has played for all 38 league fixtures, we have seen the best from the captain, recording 30 goals and 269 fantasy points - both his highest so far. If he remains injury free next season, Van Persie will definitely bring another "C. Ronaldo phenomona" next season - the automated captain pick.

Similar to Sigurdsson, Papiss Cisse is the true definition of value in the forward lineup. Also played for only half of the season, the Senegalese striker has managed to record 13 goals and 105 fantasy points, not to mention the way he had executed those goals (remember the goal against Chelsea?).

Substitutes
Though Joe Hart is the better keeper in terms of fantasy scores, Tim Krul would represent the better value for money. Benefiting from Newcastle's resolute defence, the Dutch keeper was only two points shy from Vorm, with his ending value of £5.0m proving him a value bargain.

Jose Enrique was one of the very popular defender in FPL last term. His low starting price (£5.0m), coupled with some impressive defensive display by Liverpool earlier last season, was the reason for his surge in popularity. Though his usefulness had slowly deteriorated as Liverpool found itself dropped out of the Champions League race, the Spaniard is still by far one of the best defender to own in the first half of the season.

Widely labelled as the third choice winger among Ferguson's three excellent wide players, Antonio Valencia was never short of impressive displays when he played. His consistent stream of assists had made him become a more superior long term pick compared to Nani and Young, especially when he's also much cheaper than the duo.

Being underpriced, Emmanuel Adebayor represents excellent value, especially when he had such a good track record with Arsenal in the Premier League. 17 goals plus 12 assists were the solid proof of his credentials. His performance was quite streaky though, analogous with Tottenham's roller coaster form throughout the season.

End of Season: Summary

A well deserved trophy.

Overview
A deep apology for lack of posts recently as the Premier League had already closed its curtain weeks ago. A dramatic finale though as we saw City who almost lost their trophy to derby rivals Manchester United somehow managed to get a comeback victory at stoppage time. Deserving enough to become the best season in 20 Premier League years.

Upfront: The Manchesters
The two clubs at the city of Manchester were the only ones who were in real contention for the title throughout the season. United once led City as much as eight points in the last third of the season, but somehow squandered the lead and suffered the consequences. Unexpected for an experienced championship team.

Second-Tier: The Grand Champions League War
Clubs such as Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle, Chelsea and Liverpool were all contesting for Champions League spot for most part of the season, with Liverpool dropping out of the race much earlier than expected.

Tottenham was in a rather safe position and was close to the leading Manchester duo for some period, but an unprecedented run of no wins has took the club down in league rankings. Despite still being able to grab the fourth place in the league, the Champions League victory by Chelsea would mean that the north London club will lose the much lucrative revenue from participating Champions League next season.

Newcastle was quite a big surprise of the season anyway, being able to achieve such a solid league position even after selling a number of stars last season. Senegalese duo, Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse, has shone in first half and second half of the season respectively with their clinical finishers.

Surprise: Promoters' Excellent Display
This is by far one of the finest season for the promoted clubs over the past decade: all three remain in the top tier league, with Norwich and Swansea both secured survival much earlier before the end of the season!

Players from Norwich took turns to become heroes while at Stadium of Liberty, Brendan Rodgers had incorporated Barca-esque style to make his side one of the toughest to beat across the league.

Relegated: Old Brands of Football
While Wolverhampton Wanderers' downfall wasn't that much of surprise due to their historical ranks, the drop of Bolton and Blackburn to the Championship was rather sorry.

Bolton's performance was uninspiring throughout the season with Kevin Davies losing the magic touch he once possessed, while Yakubu's marvel wasn't enough to save the ex-champion from falling into the Championship.

Finale: Gameweek 38 Fantasy Preview

Congratulations Chelsea!

Overview
Title race? Still on. Survival struggles? Still fighting. Champions League spot? Still in contest. All these make a wonderful finale to this season's Premier League. Exciting.

Game of the Week: Manchester City v Queens Park Rangers

Title hopes on his shoulder.

Three points is a must for both sides: the home side is eager to lift the top flight league trophy since 1968, while the away is hoping to maintain its spot at the Premier League to preserve the pride as last season's League Championship winner, especially when the other two promoters (Swansea and Norwich) were freed from relegation threats much earlier this season.

Aguero and Tevez should lead the line as usual to crush QPR's much fragile defence, with supports coming in from Silva and Yaya Toure. Defensively they should continue to be resolute, like how they held off in-form Papiss Cisse last game.

I can't see how QPR is going to go against all odds and crush City's title hopes. A pray for Bolton to not win sounds more realistic to me.

Prediction: MCI 2-0 QPR
Pick and Captain: Aguero
Pick: MCI defence, Silva, Tevez, Yaya Toure


Fantasy Game of the Week: Chelsea v Blackburn

Great ending for El Nino?

Blackburn has already relegated - this means they would play purely for the sake of entertainment. Chelsea, meanwhile, has nothing to fight for in this very last gameweek of the season and will surely play with less seriousness. Expect some big scoreline.

Torres could lead the line and score a hat-trick again just like what he did against QPR weeks before. Looking good for his price of  £9.9m. Yakubu on the other side looks to be a good investment as well, except that he will be facing Terry who needs to put on his best to lock a spot in England's 2012 Euro team sheet.

A big scoreline in the waiting.

Prediction: CHE 4-2 BLA
Pick and Captain: Torres
Pick: Mata, Yakubu
Drop: Defences


Pick and Drop
Pick and Captain
Rooney - Still chasing City.
Van Persie - Needs to lock on third place for Arsenal.

Pick
P Cisse - Always a good choice.
Van der Vaart - Still fighting for Champions League spot.

Gameweek 38 Dream Team

Vorm

Clichy -- Evra -- Walker

Mata -- Silva -- Valencia -- Van der Vaart

Aguero (C) -- Rooney (VC) -- P Cisse

Subs: Sorensen -- Sigurdsson -- Bosingwa -- Skrtel

Kick-Off: Gameweek 37 Fantasy Preview

Suarez and Torres: Hat-trick heroes.

Overview
The gameweek double went wild some crazy performances including hat-tricks by Suarez and Torres as the top fantasy scorer of the week scored 186 fantasy points. Incredible. Van der Vaart, a long silent major fantasy force, was the top scorer of the week with 22 points.

Game of the Week: NEWCASTLE v MANCHESTER CITY

Huge mission on his shoulder.

Livepool against Chelsea might look more interesting in terms of the clubs' fame, but this one has more importance for both clubs. Newcastle, looking for a Champions League spot, will do their best to outperform the leading club, Manchester City, who also desperately need three points to secure their first Premier League title.

Papiss Cisse continued his unstoppable form, firing two goals past Chelsea last midweek (the second one was incredible). He will continue to be the major attacking force, and Kompany and co will need to do more than usual to stop him.

On the other side, all stakes will be put on offence to secure another three points, so expect anyone of Aguero, Tevez and Silva to slot in some goals. It will be a tough one for City, but their determination should carry them forward.

Prediction: NEW 1-2 MCI
Pick: Cisse, Aguero, Tevez, Silva


Fantasy Game of the Week: ARSENAL v NORWICH

Recommended captain
of the week.

Van Persie would be the no-brainer captain of the week as Arsenal host Norwich at home.

The Canaries had been terrible defensively, conceding three from Suarez last game due to some unforgivable defensive errors. Great chance for the Gunners.

Van Persie will need to bridge the gap away from Rooney, so there is no issue of motivation. Quite some good likelihood of hat-trick.

Prediction: ARS 4-0 NOR
Pick and Captain: Van Persie
Pick: Walcott, Rosicky


Pick and Drop
Pick and Captain:
Rooney - Still on pursuit of Golden Boot.

Pick:
Van der Vaart - Showing good form.
Dempsey - The consistent performer.
D Cisse - QPR on fight of their lives.

Gameweek 37 Dream Team

De Gea

Sagna -- Ferdinand -- Walker

Walcott -- Silva -- Van der Vaart -- Dempsey

Van Persie (C) -- Rooney (VC) -- D Cisse

Subs:  Bogdan -- McClean -- Warnock -- A Ferdinand