Essien Blow For Chelsea
Chelsea’s Michael Essien could face weeks on the sidelines after suffering an ankle injury in Ghana’s 1-0 defeat to Libya yesterday.
Essien suffered the injury early in the first half of Ghana’s World Cup qualifier and was subbed on 22 minutes. Reports are already suggesting that the midfielder could be sidelined for around a month and the player himself has recognised that the injury is not just a minor knock.
“My injury? It is serious but I can be ready again soon,” Essien remarked after the game.
Just how soon is doubtful. Chelsea medical staff are set to assess the injury this week and it goes without saying that Essien is a major doubt for the trip to City next weekend. Ballack is also a doubt for that one having missed Germany’s internationals with a foot injury. Belletti therefore looks very likely to keep his place in the Chelsea midfield.
On that subject, I thought it was interesting that Scolari’s named his squad for the Champions League group matches earlier this week and Jon Obi Mikel in his B squad. Mikel is eligbile to play in the European games but this squad is normally the place to find “while young players who have been at Chelsea for a period of time” with the A squad the place to find the “majority of the first team squad”. This would seem to suggest that Scolari sees Belletti as long-term cover for the midfield holding role ahead of Mikel.
This underlines why people should wait till Internationals are over before transferring players in… I’ll bet there will be more injuries too!
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You could say the exact same about early gameweek transfers.
You need to weigh up the risk/reward ratio on a per transfer basis. To simply write off making transfers because of the risk of injury is absolutely ridiculous.
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Reply by dave on September 6, 2008 8:32 pm:
I think ridiculous is a little strong IMO. What all fantasy players must realise is that very few players values will rise or fall between gameweeks and thus transfers are in the main, not required.
I use FPL and I watch the number of transfers in and out per gameweek and I would only transfer in a player if he is both on my shortlist ( not the bandwagon) and that there is an imminent chance his price could increase or a player want to realise is set to fall.
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Shame Belleti is 5.8M, he’d have been a bargin at say 5M, but i can’t justify the price for a player who’s only likely to hold a place until Essien and/or Ballack are fit. Looks like we don’t have to worry about either Lamps or Deco being rotated or rested at the moment tho.
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in 2 weeks time:
Ron & Faubert
or
Lamps & Bentley
?
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Reply by Daniel on September 7, 2008 9:34 am:
Lamps and Bentley. I really can’t see Ronaldo having the same prolific season he had last year, however I would definately monitor how he does, because IF he does pick up where he left off then theres no doubt his points would be a HUGE asset. Lamps & bentley though for now I would say is the best bet, lamps will always score points and I still think Bentley will come good (tottenham have some very kind fixtures coming up, noticeably wigan, hull and stoke all at home in the next 5 games).
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Reply by Daniel on September 7, 2008 9:36 am:
Sorry the stoke game is away, got carried away haha
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lamps n bentley , more likely to get points all round , altohugh Ronaldo is very tempting , but id say lamps n bentley
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Id go Ron and Faubert, i am going for the exact same two along with Nasri, Wright Phillips, and Modric. with Berbatov upfront.
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P.s Fauberts crossing has been amazing so far.
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Anyone know the old Cockney song ‘Lamps n Bentley’? Gather round the ole Joanna and let me sing it to ya!
Lamps n Bentley, aye!
Lamps n Bentley, oi!
Get your Lamps out for the lads
While I park the Bentley! Oi!
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Schwarzer (Reina)
Clichy, Carvalho, Figueroa, (Wheater, D.Traore*)
Lampard, Downing, Arteta(C), Young (Geovanni)
Santa Cruz, Yakubu, Ashton
* I got the wrong Traore
Haven’t made my free transfer yet, any advice (seriuosly needed)!
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Reply by Mark on September 6, 2008 11:24 pm:
My advice for what it’s worth Ollie. I’m liking Bentley for the next 4-5 games so I’d probably say swap Downing for Bentley given that Downing has 3 of 4 away and Bentley has 3 of 4 at home.
The Zaki bandwagon is travelling at speed but he too has good fixtures to come and looks like a must-have up front. A pompey defender, with 3 of 4 at home again looks a good idea so a straight swap for the right Traore (what were the fpl up to with that?) might be advised.
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Reply by Dr. Rog on September 6, 2008 11:36 pm:
I def think Bentley will come good but am considering an arteta guest appearance for the next two games against what is weak opposition with the added bonus that if bentley/spurs continue not to fire then it will be even cheaper to bring bentley in…
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Reply by Seaweed on September 7, 2008 9:40 am:
Wow! I didn’t know what you were talking about when you said the ‘right’ Traore - just checked my team there and turns out the FPL gave me the wrong one as well! Lucky I’ve used my wildcard this week! That could really annoy a lot of people!
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Mark, I would be interested to hear your thoughts on the Portsmouth defensive situation. With Kranjcar and Thomas out injured, what is the likelihood of Harry continuing to employ the 5-3-2 formation? Furthermore, out of Armand Traore and Bejhadj, who is odds on for that left wink back slot?
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Reply by Mark on September 6, 2008 11:19 pm:
Hi Fab. It looks as though Harry will keep faith with the 3-5-2 and wingbacks. I think this article on the arrival of Bejhadj is the most revealing I’ve read on the situation.
http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/fr.....4451943.jp
In it Harry seems to indicate that Traore will be first choice at left wing back with Bejhadj as back up, although that might change as the season progresses of course. With Kranjcar and Thomas out, there’s a chance that both will see action either with starts or from the bench - especially if Harry decides to shift to 4-4-2 to chase games.
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Reply by higgo on September 7, 2008 7:18 am:
sounds like could be a bit of rotation going on. or worse 59 min matches. i’d like to switch luke young for traore but will hold off for moment.
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Reply by themoz on September 7, 2008 8:32 am:
Well, Harry has admitted he won’t be playing Traore 3 times in 8 days. The guess is going to be will he bring in Bejhadj for the European match or the Premiership. Tricky one. Traore, when playing is probbaly the best defender available for 4.5mill.
So, either bring in Traore and have a good back defender
Or
Spend 0.9 Million more and bring in Johnson.
Thanks for picking out Traore, MArk. It would have taken me a few weeks to find myself.
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Will Joe Cole price rise now he has score two for England?
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I have been thinking about getting Traore in forthcoming matches
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my team
cech schwarzer
young, paintsil, cahill, sagna, figueroa
lampard, fabregas, young, arteta, downing
ashton, zaki, yakubu.
any comments and tips for the near future? think i’ll take out downing for bentley. or paintsil or cahill (suspended) for traore.
Have 1.5 in the bank by the way.
cheers!
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Reply by nesta on September 7, 2008 5:04 am:
to add to my post above, have thought about using my wc since its a pain to have everone in my team play away this GW. and also to shape up my defence. any syuugestions on how to do this? also, if i bring in bentley for downing, who do i bench from my mid and attack this GW, i pretty much fancy them all..:(
cheers!
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Reply by Leighton on September 7, 2008 7:01 am:
Nesta,
I played my wildcard before the last gamesweek and brought Jimmy Bullard in even though Fulham didn’t have a game - I would make a straight swap with Downing. Bullard pulled the strings in midfield against the Gunners and Fulham have decent fixtures in the short-term; the Blackburn game away is tough the week after next but he could easily be the difference in that game.
Bentley came out of my original team and at some point is going to make his mark on a game or two, it’s just a case of when: Spur’s decent display v Chelsea was hardly down to him. I’d wait around a little longer though if you are going to transfer him in the impatient amongst us are transferring out to such an extent that he is close to a price drop (down to £7.8m in the FPL).
To my mind your defence looks a little shaky - Paintsil will be OK as Fulham have Bolton next and they have not scored in two games. Villa, Wigan and Arsenal all have away games where they look like conceding. I would hold onto Sagna as Arsenal have good fixtures after Blackburn. The change should come with Young or Figueroa in my opinion - although Everton were dire last time out they have decent fixtures against Stoke and Hull (both away)- somebody like Phil Neville or Leighton Baines could be a sensible shout although you’ll have to pray for the cleansheet…
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Reply by Mr.T on September 7, 2008 10:56 am:
Agreed. Solid team but I think you need to sacrifice a bit in the midfield to shore up the defence.
If he can stay fit I really see Bullard getting to the 150point level over the season.
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Ok guys, am caught in the middle of the dreaded and rather stupid wild card decision (I blame the pub!) so have been toying with various lineups for the last few days.
I’m currently sat on a half decent 160 point total but this was based on a very strong starting 11 that had little to no flexiblility. Loosely based on ‘the Fran formula’ (that came from his fantasy guru mate), I have tried to come up with a squad that has 8 or 9 almost certain starters and a mixture of solid players to be rotated depending on fixtures, any thoughts in this strategy and squad would be much appreciated:
(note: due to mini league rules never have never will have any Ars*nal players in my team)
Reina (Schwarzer)
bosingwa, Laursen, carvalho (G Johnson, Figueroa)
Bentley, A Young, Lampard (Bullard, Kim Do-Heon)
Berbatov, Zaki, Defoe
With the above players I think I can easily play 4-3-3, 4-4-2, 3-4-3 or even 5-3-2 depending on fixtures.
Good idea or should I just go for a great staring 11?
Mr.T
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Reply by higgo on September 7, 2008 7:20 am:
i think you have a very good all round team there. stick with it
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Reply by Leighton on September 7, 2008 7:27 am:
Mr. T,
I don’t see any particular need to play your wildcard - that looks a strong all-round team, although you’ve taken a chance with two Chelsea defenders and goalkeeper..and with Berbatov.
I’d have Glen Johnson and Jimmy Bullard in my starting line-up for next week though.
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Reply by Daniel on September 7, 2008 9:44 am:
Very strong team there Mr T
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Thanks guys. Unfortunately that is my team after wild card (although I can keep changing it up until 13th) Def planning to play Johnson and Bullard next week and will probably also start Figueroa too leaving Kim, Young (or lausen but he always seems to score against spurs) and Berbatov (don’t think he will start straight away) on the bench.
Interesting you say 2 Chelsea defenders are a risk: they consistently have the most solid defence so I feel pretty comfortable plus I can always do a straight swap Carvalho for Evra in a couple of weeks if needs be.
Nesta: I like your team a lot although I would maybe downgrade one of your mids to shore up the defence a bit.
As for the Goalie - surly reina is almost guaranteed of being in the top 3 keepers at the end of the season?
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Reply by Daniel on September 7, 2008 11:56 am:
Yes, you won’t go far wrong with Reina mate!
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You have a strong team Mr.T. Maybe change Lampard for Fabregas or Deco and save some money?
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Right folks after much deliberation and the much needed waynecard i have come up with this little army of potential FPL point gods!! I wish…therefore i seek an expert opinion and where better to ask but here!
Cech (Schwarzer)
Bosingwa, Clichy, Carragher (Traore A, Figueroa)
Deco, Fabregas, Arteta, Wright-Phillips (Garcia)
Defoe, Berbatov, Zaki
Along with this i have a few tactical questions?
1. Should i play with two chelsea back row players or transfer bosingwa out for laursen?
2. What formation are you using and how successful is it?
3. Is it worth taking a risk subing out a big named defender like carragher for traore in a hard GW like this one?
Adam
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Reply by themoz on September 7, 2008 1:27 pm:
Nothing wrong with that team, Adam
But….
Perhaps a Man U defender.
and
I reckon you need a Vilal player in there somewhere. ?Ashley Young in 2 weeks once Everton’s two ‘easy’ away fixtures are out the way.
Not sure you’d have enough money for my suggestions, though
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Reply by Mr.T on September 7, 2008 2:11 pm:
In response to Adam:
1) I am going with 2 chelsea defenders on the basis they keep more clean sheets than anyone else. It is of course a risk, and if you are worried you could always change Bosingwa for brown (although always a risk of neville displacing him) or maybe cech for James who although not from a top 4 team seems to always top the keeper charts.
2)I have been using 3-4-3 and it has got me 160points. However this is purely based on the great form of Zaki. Over the course of a season I think 4-4-2 with a strong defence actually works out best judging by the top teams. I am going for a squad that lets me change formation based on fixtures.
3)100% worth it in my opinion. I will be dropping A Young and berbatov for G Johnson and Figueroa this week!!
I’m no expert but hope the above helps a bit.
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Reply by jimbo on September 8, 2008 9:20 am:
Your team is spookily similar to mine (post wildcard)
I’m also torn between Laursen vs Bos.
In mid i have the Young, Valencia, Delap (+Fab & Dec). Everton still seem a bit lame and SWP could be flash in the pan.
So all in all all i like your/my selection.
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Anyone know when Fabregas value is likely to go up? I’m keen to get him in but want to wait as late as poss cos of the Internationals and injuries
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Reply by Fabtastic on September 7, 2008 2:29 pm:
Due to the FPL rules regarding injured players, Fabregas has been “protected” from a rise in price. Over 19,000 players have transferred him in this week (close to the 20,793 mark of a price rise), but because of his protection, only 2500 transfers have counted towards a price rise. That means a further net transfer number of close to 18,000 is needed for him to rise in value. That is my understanding of the Fabregas situation. Anyone else feel free to correct it. Hope that helps CK.
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Reply by stevie b on September 7, 2008 3:40 pm:
how come Bosingwa went up to 6.1, straight after the first week where he was flagged as an injury doubt?
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Reply by Akers on September 7, 2008 2:29 pm:
Probably NOT before the next deadline.
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Reply by CK on September 7, 2008 3:13 pm:
Thanks lads!! I’ll hold off then and get in early start of next game week
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Tevez got a red card for his latest international game. Will that affect with league fixtures?
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Reply by Akers on September 7, 2008 2:27 pm:
Obviously not.
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Reply by CK on September 7, 2008 3:14 pm:
lol U taking the P Fran?
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Ok Thanks, I was also wondering if it is worth having two Chelsea defenders as they often get the most clean sheets during the season?
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Reply by CK on September 7, 2008 9:39 pm:
Yeah its a decent move I reckon. I had two and down graded to one. I regret it tbh!
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Hi guy
here is one question
if choose three best forward in Game week 4(consider game fixture)?
which three forward would you choose? THX
my choice
zaki,yakubu,owen any suggestion??
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Davenport (West Ham) looks a good choice at 4.5 with the following next 5 games: wba NEW ful BOL hul. He’s got 1 assist and 1 goal in 3 matches aswell.
Will most likely put Valencia in for De Ridder aswell, as he’s in good form and De Ridder’s about to drop in price.
Thoughts?
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lads, does anyone think Ireland will keep his spot for City?
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Since quite a lot of talk about the wildcard decision recently, and, while i admit that i have given it a lot of thought myself, haven’t taken the plunge yet - being 3 games in and all. But, when would be agood time to do it? Save it for mid-season with injuries, etc, or when u have enough money to do big change, or just for a rainy day? Guess i jsut wanted thoughts on when would be the best time to use it if you’re fairly happy with yr team at the moment, but could see it a lot better if you used the wildcard?
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Reply by The Macster on September 7, 2008 6:24 pm:
Aloha, 2nd season, 1st deluge into the forum. Firstly, Wildecard!! Maybe Ronaldo, maybe injury crisis, most likely end of season champions league/fixture pile up. Don’t take the top off your egg before it’s boiled!!!
Ok, as it stands:
Reina (Schwarzer)
Carvalho, Vidic, Shorey (L.Young) (Meite)
Osman, Nolan, Lampard, Fabregas, A.Young
Bent, Ashton (C.Cole)
Refuse to lose points to transfers unless absolutely necessary. Made one transfer, Fabregas for Gerrard due to injury/post-injury fixtures.
I’m thinking Gallas (goals/home clean sheets) for Shorey
Figueroa for L.Young (cheaper/solid “Bruce” built defence of back end of last season)
Wright-Phillips for A.Young (so many reasons… cheaper/better for the chelsea experience/scored double figures for city in a season once/actually does score for chelsea & england when he plays)
Berbatov for Bent. Will slowly phase this in I think, thoughts please.
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Reply by The Macster on September 7, 2008 6:42 pm:
PS. I plan to rotate ‘Lampard & Fabregas’ with ‘Gerrard & Deco’ as appropriate & affordable. Keep your eye on Cueller at Villa, him & Friedel could alter Villa’s poor cleen sheet record, hence my initial punt at L.Young & Shorey. Strikers: Keane (8.8), Defoe (8), Crouch (7.9) not to be dismissed (history is a great teacher to us all!!) & don’t forget Bellamy (6.4!!) or the enigmatic (still young & premiership wise) Cisse @ 7.0.
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Hi,
I am currently hesitating between the three formulas below:
1/ Adebayor-Arteta-Downing
2/ Berbatov-Fabregas-Bullard
3/ Yaku or Alves-Fabregas-Arteta
What do you guys think of it?
cheers
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Reply by llama on September 7, 2008 8:39 pm:
How about Berbatov Arteta Bullard? Saving you some monies to upgrade another midfielder. I have doubts about Fabregas’ assist and goal potential while Arteta has two easy games coming up. You can swap him out after that!
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number 2, I think would be good for the long term. I’m looking at those 3 as well but have RVP who I’ll keep for a while yet….
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Anybody got any strong views on FPL captain this week?
Zaki is in form and Sunderland are not watertight at the back; Yakubu will be looking to make amends for his penalty miss v Pompey and he must have a high chance of getting one or two v Stoke; Bullard for a goal or one or two assists v Bolton? - they are in contention in the context of my current team.
My other dilemma this week before I jet off on my hols on Friday is whether to dispense with either Nosworthy or Wheater at the back; or replace Santa Cruz up front - I am not convinced he’ll be ready in time for the Gunners game. Although Defoe walked away with MOM in his last game I have a feeling Crouch might do something resonably substantial v Boro….
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Ok everyone!!!
Want to know the team of the week for this coming gameweek No.4? - well here it is!
Goalkeepers: Schwarzer or Kirkland
Defenders: Laursen (he always scores against Tottenham), Figueroa, Lescott, Hangeland, Davenport
Midfield: Deco, Valencia, Fellaini, Fabregas, Ireland
Attackers: Zaki, Pavlyuchenko, Berbatov
Not sure what formation but please tell me what you think and also show us what is your team for the forth coming game week 4 please? Please share!?
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Reply by llama on September 7, 2008 8:37 pm:
Presenting Fran’s Fantasy Football Scout. Has quite a ring to it! Your defence looks rather dodgy if I may say so…
I got
Given
Clichy Bosingwa Figueroa
Lampard Young Downing Faubert Arteta
Zaki Ashton/Santa Cruz but probably Ashton.
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Reply by Ollie on September 7, 2008 9:19 pm:
My team is same as yours, but I have Schwarzer and Yakubu instead of Faubert.
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PS:
Captain is Zaki of course!
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I captained Zaki last time round, but have a feeling for Zamora this week!
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Reply by will on September 8, 2008 12:39 am:
Fran,
A villa defender away from home against tottenham? I’d be suprised if they kept a clean sheet, so you’re pretty much relying on laursen scoring.
Wouldn’t Yakubu be a better bet against stoke than an unproven Pavlyuchenko or Berbatov away at liverpool?
Is that your team? or the team you think will do best next week?
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Surely the news that Essien could be out for months means that Belletti is worth a punt? We already know he can score.
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Why is Belletti worth a punt?Chelsea have Malouda/Cole/Lampard/Ballack/Deco/Mikel to play in midfield?Or has Belletti played in midfield this season? Have I missed something?
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