Gameweek 15 – This Much We Know

A little on the late side but still in time for the Tuesday morning coffee break – here’s my thoughts on what we can learn from last weekend’s proceedings – featuring Arhsavin, Milner, limping Black Cats and a penalty spot….

Twelve yards can seem a long way…
There were four penalties missed in all last weekend, with Fabregas, Defoe, Lampard and Dindane all causing their fantasy owners major frustration. There’s nothing quite so painful in the Fantasy Premier League game as the penalty missed points swing. That’s not the only concern of course, the worry now is that these players will be relieved of their spot-kick duties.

Lampard is safe, that’s been confirmed by Ancelotti. The other three are more precarious however, with Arshavin/Eduardo in contention for Arsenal and certainly Prince Boateng for Portsmouth. As for Defoe – Robbie Keane is the designated penalty taker when he plays. When it doesn’t, it could be that Kranjcar, Huddlestone and Modric (when fit), get a sniff. Regardless, I doubt whether this will make a difference to Defoe’s popularity this week. Wolves at home should see him pick up plenty of new owners – he’s already leading the way in this week’s FPL captain poll.

Spot-kick duties can make a big difference in fantasy terms. We saw that at Villa Park where John Carew converted the only successful penalty of the weekend. Previously Ashley Young and James Milner have held the responsibility for Villa. Owners of those players will have been much perturbed by Carew stepping up to cap the 3-0 win. It looks as though O’Neill is rotating the duties – given that Carew started on the bench, it’s unclear who would have taken the kick had Carew remained there.

Andrei was in his element…
I’ve spoken before about my fears for Arshavin as a slight rotation risk. That, coupled with the fact he’s been inconsistent compared to team-mate Fabregas, have found me reluctant to start the engines on an Arshavin bandwagon. Saturday’s goal against Stoke and more significantly, his role as a central attacker for Arsenal, certainly has one rolling now though. The Russian, classed as a midfielder across the fantasy games, apparently needed convincing to take up the the role according to Wenger. It didn’t look that way. He dazzled Stoke’s defence with his speed of feet and thought and looked as though he absolutely revelled in it.

Wenger may have Eduardo back for the trip to Anfield next weekend but has already stated that he is keen to give Arshavin an opportunity in that position away from home. Anfield would seem the perfect venue for such an experiment, given that Arshavin scored four goals in the corresponding fixture last season. A prolonged run of starts and increased attention from fantasy managers now looks assured, particularly with that deliciously tempting double fixture to come in gameweek 20 (por BOL).

Milner can take centre stage…
Milner scored heavily in the 3-0 win over Hull, perhaps removing any doubts that his new role in central midfield will impact on his fantasy returns. The jury is still out for me. It appears that Milner has relinquished spot-kick duties after his recent miss, plus he will certainly come up against stronger opponents than Hull in the coming weeks. One look at Villa’s forthcoming fixtures (mun sun STK ars LIV) is enough for me to think twice about investment – despite Milner’s current form. Perhaps I’m only thinking that way because I’m still bitter about getting rid three weeks ago. You decide.

Sunderland have well and truly dried up…
The Black Cats away form has done some serious damage to the fantasy output of their players. Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Fulham meant that Steve Bruce’s side have not scored for 199 minutes of league football – seriously hurting owners of Darren Bent and Andy Reid. They will have to hope that things improve for this gameweek – Portsmouth at home certainly looks to be the platform for goals, but it’s worth noting that Sunderland’s dip in form has coincided with the injury to Lee Cattermole. Bruce has himself acknowledged that they have missed his presence but Jone’s suspension hasn’t helped wither. His return made no difference at the Cottage but Bent and Reid owners will be hoping a praying that this weekend brings an end to the drought. A continuation of their poor form cannot be ruled out though – confidence will have taken a knock and fixtures aren’t particularly in their favour after this gameweek (AVL mcy EVE bla)

Larsson returns to the radar…
Seb Larsson is an old friend of hours. Last time Birmingham briefly flirted with the Premier League, his set-plays and midfield creativity made him a popular fantasy target. It took Larsson’s two goals at Wigan last weekend to bring him back to our attention. Up until now Birmingham’s attacking temptations have been limited to Lee Bowyer and perhaps, at a push, Chucho Benitez up front. His goal at Wigan, coupled with Larsson’s exploits, will now see fantasy managers pursue Birmingham’s budget wares with renewed vigour. The fixture list over the next few gameweek’s (WHM BLA eve) point to continued returns at both ends of the field. Bowyer continues to be the biggest draw in attacking terms. Take your pick from Johnson, Dann and Ridgewell at the other end.