With a favourable run of fixtures on the horizon, Everton should see an upturn in the form that has brought them just three points from their last six games. The last few gameweeks has brought one Toffees player in particular into our Fantasy thoughts – Royston Drenthe.
There’s no denying that David Moyes has a real talent on his hands in the shape of the on-loan Dutchman, though it’s mainly been Drenthe’s questionable temperament that has attracted attention in the past. A Carling Cup dismissal aside, Drenthe has so far let his ability do the talking in his short spell at Goodison.
Due to concerns over his initial fitness, Drenthe had been used sparingly by the Everton boss but, after a couple of months of Moyes’ punishing fitness regime, the Dutchman clearly feels that he’s now in good shape:
“Before I started to play, the manager killed me in training. He made me run a lot and now I feel really fit and great. That’s what I wanted, to be sharp. I don’t want not to be fit and then come into a game and not be able to handle the pressure. I feel good now.”
It’s shown in his recent performances, too. Drenthe has played ninety minutes just twice for the Toffees, away at Fulham and Newcastle, but has returned Fantasy points both times- a goal, 2 assists and 3 bonus points at Craven Cottage was followed by an assist last weekend in the 2-1 defeat at Newcastle.
While an enticing run of fixtures (WOL, bol, STO, ars, NOR, SWA) would typically have Fantasy managers eyeing up a move for Leighton Baines, a look at each player’s stats suggest the Dutchman could be the better option. Baines has played 900 minutes and returned 27 points, with just a single goal and no assists, while, despite playing almost a third of Baines’ game time (312 minutes), Drenthe has already scored twice and produced 4 assists for a total of 33 points.
Given that Baines comes in at 7.8 for a defender, while Drenthe is a 6.0 midfielder, the appeal is obvious. Recent games have also seen the pair share free-kick duties, adding another facet to the latter’s Fantasy potential. With Everton sitting in fourth-bottom of the division and the likes of Phil Jagielka recently admitting morale is low at the club, Drenthe could prove the catalyst to spark the Toffees season back into life.
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