The Catch Up – Lorik Cana to Sunderland

The days of a manager picking the same eleven each week have died a sorry death and for that reason we are constantly talking about the dreaded R-word – Rotation. As a result each of The Catch Up’s you’ve read thus far have been heavily varnished with the “tread with caution” brush. Well here’s some good news to those who have been pulling their hair out working out who and who not to put into their teams, my next report covers a player which has been firmly dumped into the “do not touch with a barge pole” category.

The player in question is Sunderland’s new £5million signing, Lorik Cana. A hard working, defensive midfield destroyer he’s perhaps the most famous Albanian to visit these shores since King Zog spent the forties eating breakfast in bed at the Ritz.  Standing at 6 ft 1 the 25-year-old has spent the last 7 seasons playing in France for both PSG and Marseille and represented both teams in the Champions league. He is somewhat of a cult figure at the Stade Velodrome for his no-nonsense displays and hard man approach and is more than physically equipped for English football.

So why am I being so darn pessimistic on an international player who has captained his national team and who in the past has been linked to teams like Everton and Liverpool? Well aside from the obvious fact that he’s a defensive midfielder, and it’s a well known Fantasy Football sin to include them in your team, a player who has got 3 assists in 8 years and 19 goals in 223 appearances isn’t a player who looks likely to be scoring highly. Chuck in the fact that he features more on YouTube for his tough as my mum’s steak tackling than for his goal scoring prowess and add his ability to collect numerous bookings and red cards and it’s easy to see why I’m not recommending that you rush to include him in your teams. There is of course always the chance that he might pick up bonus points but coming in around £5 million on the FPL game I would suggest that going for more attacking players such as Larsson at Birmingham or Jimenez at West Ham (not Phil Neville for those who’ve deludedly included him in your teams) would be a better bet.

Fear not though my fellow Fantasy football enthusiasts there is always a glimmer of hope when all appears black. One thing that is worth taking into consideration is the effect Cana could have on the Sunderland team defensively. Upon his signing Steve Bruce was quick to bestow the Albanian with the captain’s armband and so see’s him as integral to his plans. The players’ ability to break up attacks and shield his defence as well as Bruce’s nous at setting his team up with some defensive stability could well increase Sunderland’s bargain defenders chances of keeping clean sheets. Therefore from a Fantasy League perspective, rather than looking at Sunderland’s new captain, I would recommend you look towards your da Silva’s and A.ferdinand’s of this world. Still thinking of putting him in your team? I’d say there was more chance of King Zog staying at a Holiday Inn during his exile than Cana being amongst the high points scorers this season.