With Roy Hodgson’s recent promise of rotation coming good, Fulham have suddenly become something of an uncertainty when it comes to team selection. Recent domestic and European cup runs have definitely taken their toll on his players, and with the next two Thursdays seeing the Craven Cottagers face Wolfsburg in the quarter-finals of the Europa Cup, more of the same is expected.
The club’s recent line-ups however, shows there is one exception: Mark Schwarzer. Whether through injury or rest, the last few weeks have seen virtually ever Fulham player spend some time on the sidelines, bar their goalkeeper…
A look at the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) stats reveal Schwarzer is the club’s second highest points scorer this term, only four point the much-lauded Damien Duff. Considering he is priced at just £5.1m in comparison to Duff’s £6.2m, Schwarzer is comfortably Fulham’s best value player this season.
Schwarzer’s presence between the posts has helped his team chalk up ten clean sheets so far this league campaign, with seven of them coming at home. As the next three gameweeks see Fulham playing three times at home (and participating in a double fixture gameweek), investment in their defence will no doubt be substantial, but Schwarzer is -for the moment- the only guarantee.
As above-mentioned, he comes in at £5.1m on FPL, and is owned by 8.1% of managers. Fulham’s fixtures till the season ends read: (WIG, liv STK, WLV, eve, WHM, ars), with those home fixtures, in particular, really standing out.