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Archive for June, 2011|Monthly archive page

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Will He? Won’t He? Nani? Nasri?

In Pre-Season on June 30, 2011 at 2:35 pm

The Manchester United midfield requires more than a passing glance this season. While Luis Nani has been a virtuoso in the midfield and top of the heap for fantasy managers with a few extra $ to spend – the health, form, and newest potential arrivals all threaten to strengthen United but weaken your fantasy side.

United go into next year having seen Nani get the full 90′ only 4 times in the final 12 matches. He was memorably left on the substitutes bench to start the Champions League Final, and he failed to score or assist on a goal over the final 6 matches (Official Premier League game stats).  If he stays with United, and there’s little evidence currently that he’s moving, he will have to compete with Antonio Valencia and the ageless Ryan Giggs for minutes. While Nani was seeing less pitch-time Valencia got the full 90′ 5 times in the final 9 matches and the Champions League Final.

Nani has already seen the arrival of one direct competitor with Ashley Young’s transfer from Aston Villa. With Young in the fold the Manchester midfield has 4 midfielders who play best deployed to the wing and who specialize in providing service to the talented trio of strikers.  Last season Young was 9th among midfielders in the OPL game, just one assist behind his former teammate Downing. While Nani lead the Prem in assists with 18, Young contributed 11 to a team that scored barely half of United’s return. With additional competition not only for playing time, but also in the attacking half of the pitch – Nani can already be expected to see a decline in his fantasy performance.  Read the rest of this entry »

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Buy 2010/11′s Promoted Stars?

In Pre-Season on June 30, 2011 at 12:28 am

Last years promoted sides, Newcastle, West Brom and Blackpool, enjoyed a bit of success collectively with West Brom and NUFC finishing 11th and 12th respectively.  Individually a number of players saw successful campaigns that put their names at the top of the charts but these three proved the best investment.

Jose Enrique finished the Official Premier League game joint 19th (G. Cahill) on 105 pts. Playing 3124 min he was a consistent week to week performer who outperformed his preseason value of 4.5 (OPL value). Though he failed to score, he did add 3 assists and 11 bonus points.  With so many great buys at the back its unlikely many managers utilized Jose Enrique frequently, but his excellent play has earned him a spot here and in the rumor mill linked to Liverpool and others. A move to a top side may limit his playing time, but would see better potential for clean sheets and increased scoring.  Depending on price Jose Enrique is a nice bench option early with Newcastle’s first two months seeing matches with Sunderland, Fulham, QPR, Villa and Rovers after an opening day (h) Arsenal.

In midfield it was the year of the glamour winger stocky and the slow. Charlie Adam had a season for the ages as he notched 12 goals and 9 assists while leading the OPL game with 45 bonus points.  In the ESPN.com game he finished a bit lower in the rankings (5th) and had a price (6.6) a bit more in line with his production but still a fantastic return on investment.  A fixture in the midfield as Blackpool battled relegation, Adam played 35 times.  With a transfer to Liverpool or Aston Villa looking likely by the end of the week, Adam fans may be rooting for the Reds but fantasy managers would be much happier to see him in claret and sky blue.  A move to Liverpool will see Adam’s value increase while his scoring is likely to decline whereas the Villa fire sale all but guarantees Adam a staring role. Of course, should no transfer materialize this is all academic as The Tangerines made the drop.

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Can Arsenal Keep a Midfield?

In Pre-Season on June 28, 2011 at 9:46 pm

In 2010/11 5 Arsenal midfielders scored at least 100 points in the Offical Premier League game.  Arshavin(138), Nasri(134), Walcot(133), Fabregas(128), and Song (102) each breached the century. That special boy, Jack Wilshire, nearly eclipsed the 100 point mark as well, settling for 93.

While these are solid returns for the top three (Arshavin, Nasri and Walcott finshed the season 13th, 14th and 15th respectively amoungst all midfield eligible players) none of these players provided consistent week to week return.  The fantasy frustration was compounded by the oft-injured Cesc, finshed the season joint 21st with Raul Meireles, and lack of scoring by Wilshire.  Though Wilshire played 2640 minutes including 17 full matches, he scored only once and added just 3 assists and 14 bonus points.  His temper and agression were also on display with 7 cautions and a dismissal.  He was a bit unlucky with substitutions, having been pulled after 59, 58 and 56 minutes, but was the beneficiary of 12 Arsenal clean sheets.  However, with Cesc and Nasri still rumored to be seeing the end of their time at Highbury the Emirates, Wilshire and Walcott may be benefit.

In breaking down of the Arsenal midfield, it is obvious that injury and rotation limited each of the players. Given their cost and the unknown returns, fantasy managers would be well advised to stear clear of Arsene and his team until they successfully navigate their opening three matches: (a) NUFC, (h) Liverpool, (a) Man Utd.  Keep in mind last season the starting price tag of these six were: Cesc 12.0, Arshavin 9.5, Nasri, 7.5, Walcott 7.0, Song 5.5, Wilshire 5.0. 

Cesc - A thigh injury saw him miss the final 4 gameweeks, but he wasn’t a fixture in many manager’s side prior to that.  Quite what all the fuss is about over a player who got only 14 full matches in anyone’s guess – until they note that he still managed 3 goals and 13 assists. In 1880 minutes he is credited with 13 assists in the OPL game – while ESPN and others have him joint first in the team with 11 (Arshavin). He missed both matches against Fulham, Villa and West Brom, played just 13 minutes against Stoke and 28 against Sunderland. It’s impossible not to think a healthy Cesc may be one of the few players in the game worth a price of 12.

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Who Leads the Chelsea Attack?

In Pre-Season on June 28, 2011 at 5:41 pm

With the appointment of Andre Villas-Boas, replacing Carlo Ancelotti, the front line of Chelsea may be reconfigured in the mold of Boas’ successful Porto side.  In his last term with Porto, Villas-Boas relied heavily on the goal scoring form of the wonderfully nicknamed Hulk.  Givanildo Bierira de Souza made 25 starts, returning 23 goals and 4 assists. Often deployed alongside two other attacking players, Radamel Falcao and Joao Moutinho, in a three-pronged attack, the trio led Porto to an undefeated season and 73 goals scored in just 30 league matches.

Given Chelsea’s current squad and the rumours of Didier Drogba’s imminent departure, Villas-Boas may elect to utilize a similar tactic in the EPL with the diminutive Torres spearing the attack.  Torres struggled mightily after his move from Liverpool but with health on hs side, and service from a healthy Frank Lampard and Florent Malouda, he may prosper.  Chelsea themselves scored 69 times last season, but those goals were spread over 13 players, with Malouda (13), Drogba (11), Lampard (10), Kalou (10) and Anelka (6) leading the charts.  Solidifcation at the top of the clubs scoring table would guarantee fantasy managers a better return on what will undoubtedly be costly investment in either Drogba (last season starting value 12.5) or Torres (11.5).

Drogba started the 2010/11 season on fire with 55 fantasy points through the first 5 gameweeks in the Official Premier League game.  He proved a flat track bully with 5 goals, 5 assists and 11 bonus points against West Brom (h), Wigan (a), Stoke (h), West Ham (a), and Blackpool (h).  Following the arrival of Torres he saw his playing time diminish and his returns fall.  Over the final 17GW he managed more than 2 fantasy points only 5 times. For those managers who chanced a transfer or start on the mouth-watering double fixture in GW33 the rewards were substantial (1g, 3a, 5bp – 22pts total) but otherwise he was a massive dissapointment.

Torres failed to find a spark with his new team and will hope that a new season, a new manager and perhaps a new set of tactics, will help him to find a vein of form.  Fantasy managers will need to keep careful watch as the season approaches and consider that Chelsea’s 2011/12 campaign opens with another set of easy opponents.  Their first four matches see Chelsea (a) Stoke, (h) West Brom, (h) Norwich, and (a) Sunderland.