The Watchlist – Thomas Vermaelen
Filed under: The Watchlist - Posted by: Jonty
It is hard to believe Thomas Vermaelen is a defender by trade, such is the frequency in which he appears in opposition penalty boxes. With his surging runs up the field and set piece threat, the Arsenal defender exhibits a level of attacking skill that leaves many designated forwards in the shade. With this in mind, it’s no surprise to see him topping the defender goal scoring charts, having notched five times already this term.
Finding the net hasn’t always been a facet of the Belgian international’s career, however. A product of the Ajax’s famed youth academy, he has notched 24 career goals since making his first team debut for the Dutch club in 2004, though half of these have come since joining Arsenal in 2009. It is no wonder he is referred to as the Gunners’ second best striker after Robin Van Persie, although on paper this season, he is the fourth most clinical in terms of goals scored.
Despite missing nine games this term through injury and suspension, Vermaelen has still managed to accrue 115 points and is the sixth best defender in terms of total points in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game. Goals have undoubtedly helped him achieve this, with four double-figure returns and 13 bonus points to his name already. Among his most recent hauls was a goal and maximum bonus points in Arsenal’s Gameweek 29 victory over Everton at Goodison Park.
In recent weeks a resurgent Arsenal have tightened up markedly at the back, racking up four clean sheets in the last five Gameweeks. Vermaelen’s influence in the Gunners’ backline is obvious; in the 23 games he has started, they have returned 10 clean sheets but without Vermaelen in the first XI, Arsenal have chalked up just two clean sheets in 10 matches; a drop from 43% to 20%.
Crucially for those Fantasy managers scrabbling around to get a team together for the problematic Gameweek 34, Vermaelen is set to host Wigan this Monday. The recent improvement in form for the relegation-threatened Lancashire side will not worry Vermaelen, though; Arsenal’s Gameweek 14 clash away to Wigan was the scene of a 16 point haul for the centre-half, his biggest of the season so far.
The 7.0 priced defender then faces ( CHE, sto, NOR, wba) over the last four fixtures of the season and, with considerable potential to accrue points at both ends of the pitch, Vermaelen seems well-placed to pick up the points as Arsenal look to secure an automatic Champions League spot in the race for third with north London rivals Spurs.
About The Author
“Fantasy Football Scout community manager and podcaster.”
Jonty @newsandfeatures
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April 13 at 1:44 pm
1mills says:
Just done my captains.
Sessengson (c)
Siggurdsson (vc)
Looks proper weird on the team page
April 13 at 1:46 pm
Tiki-Taka says:
Admire the choice of Sess, dont have the balls myself if I captained Sess and failed and saw a RVP hatrick
April 13 at 1:53 pm
1mills says:
I captained Sess twice in a row back in January and worked out well for me, he outscored RVP pretty good.
I’m going that way again, just don’t fancy RVP this weekend for some reason.
April 13 at 1:58 pm
Tiki-Taka says:
I think Sess has the easier fixture, Wolves are in a hopeless position atm and Wigan are playing extremely well , ofc Wednesday’s win against Manu the highlight and were unlucky not to get points at Chelsea. Might end up on a last minute captain swap to Sess, will see
April 13 at 2:15 pm
1mills says:
Just looked for the 2 games I captained Sess.
Sess got 24.
RVP got 7.
Hopefully more of the same this weekend
April 13 at 1:44 pm
In Like Flynn says:
Metro teams looking very shabby for this week. Worth a few 25pt hits to get the numbers up a bit?
April 13 at 1:51 pm
Doosra - "No poem was ever written by a drinker of water" - Homer, (8th Century BC) says:
Yep. Definitely!
April 13 at 1:55 pm
In Like Flynn says:
Hi Doosra, nice to hear from you. Was thinking mids and forwards only.
April 13 at 1:58 pm
Jonty says:
I’m tempted to take my first pt hits of the season to go for an all out 11 for the double.
April 13 at 2:04 pm
In Like Flynn says:
I think the mids and forwards are worthwhile Jonty. I’ll swerve defence and goalies, not really enough upside generally imo.
April 13 at 2:06 pm
In Like Flynn says:
First for me on several teams. I’ll see how it goes and decide if they are worth it for the double, or dbl dbl.
April 13 at 2:17 pm
Kerrazy says:
you just took a 4 point hit at gw 30 ? @_@
April 13 at 1:45 pm
1966 was a great year for English football - Eric was born says:
Internet gown at work, engineer won’t come out til monday, boss says we can all go home! Result
April 13 at 1:47 pm
Count Of Monte Hristo - "AZ Alkmaar; KNVB Cup Winners 1978, 81 & 82. Moussa Dembélé MVP 2006-10. Jozy Altidore Top Scorer Season 2011/12" says:
That is classic!
April 13 at 1:48 pm
Breadbin - Specialist RMT consultant says:
I hope your company outsource all UK work to a different country so you can all appreciate the internet a bit more, at home.
April 13 at 1:51 pm
Fratboy - Golden Boot - Van Persie 27, Rooney 22, Aguero 19, Dempsey 16 says:
NICE!!!!
April 13 at 1:53 pm
BoomBoomShacktheroom says:
Must be Opposite day (corresponding to Friday the 13th)
April 13 at 1:58 pm
Jonty says:
If I wore an internet gown to work I’d be sent home too.
April 13 at 1:45 pm
dasjagermeister says:
team for GW34
Vorm
Turner Evans Caulker Vermaelen
Valencia Sessegnon Walcott
Rooney Van Persie
Players inneligible: Schwarzer , Kelly, Dempsey, Adebayor, Fergusson
Any thoughts for this gameweek or future gameweeks?
April 13 at 1:48 pm
BoomBoomShacktheroom says:
Looks alright. You need a Captain. And for future gameweeks may I advise you get some more DGW-ers.
April 13 at 2:00 pm
dasjagermeister says:
thinking rooney for the captain just to be different.
yeah hard enough to get double gameweek players in tho. got 4 already. mite try wallcott to bale
dont wana go too mad and ruin my team tho. not so sure on adebayor tho but cant think of anyone to get in for him at the mo
April 13 at 2:02 pm
BoomBoomShacktheroom says:
Well Adebayor is a DGW-er so I wouldt get rid of him. As for get others in it is worth a small amount of hits to get some of the players worth it in. Bale and Dempsey are must haves for GW36 obv.
As for the Rooney captain idea, it just depends whether you need that differential to catch up to people in your mini league or whateva.
April 13 at 2:09 pm
dasjagermeister says:
yeahif i loose adebayor i cant get him bak. i can do walcott to bale next week maybe vermaelen to a spurs defender n thats me done.
I just fancy rooney this week and i reckon most people will go for van persie. just a matter of opinion really. got a few people hot on my heels but theyve only got 7 or so players to play so i think i can go for rooney to try and catch the few ahead of me who also only have 7 or 8 playing
April 13 at 1:47 pm
Cry Me A River says:
mcauley or turner?
what’s this about turner maybe dropped?…read it on here earlier
I have sees by the way
April 13 at 1:49 pm
BoomBoomShacktheroom says:
McAuley, have a feeling that might be a 0-0 game… with WBA sitting deep for a long time.
April 13 at 1:50 pm
Cry Me A River says:
was he rested last week?
April 13 at 1:52 pm
BoomBoomShacktheroom says:
He sure was, dead cert to play this week though (imo)
April 13 at 1:49 pm
Cry Me A River says:
*sess
April 13 at 1:47 pm
choppers13 says:
Play Vorm or Kenny (I am also playing Caulker)?
April 13 at 1:48 pm
Cry Me A River says:
home keeper
April 13 at 1:50 pm
BoomBoomShacktheroom says:
Vorm all the way. Risk it for a BISCUIT!
April 13 at 1:52 pm
kennethrhcp says:
vorm but could go either way
April 13 at 1:48 pm
kennethrhcp says:
walcott 9.6… wtf! cant afford bale out walcott in without using my 2 ft’s. AOC worth a punt (big gamble i know) or i should i just get nasri, any better options @ 9.4mil? have valencia, siggy, mcclean & sinclair
April 13 at 1:54 pm
Donnie Chen says:
Ben Arfa….
April 13 at 1:55 pm
kennethrhcp says:
no game in 34 for newcastle, thanks though
April 13 at 1:57 pm
Donnie Chen says:
Ah ok, apologies. Taraabt’s on form if you want a stop gap for this week, playing WBA too…
April 13 at 2:00 pm
kennethrhcp says:
cheers, just realised i totally overlooked sess as i’ve mcclean, might double up
April 13 at 1:59 pm
kev90787 says:
No. Gervinho might start.
April 13 at 1:52 pm
roscola says:
After a week of certainty, I’m suddenly wavering on Sess(C). Someone mentioned Larsson’s haul at City and it spooked me. Should I stay strong or do something “safe” like RVP?
April 13 at 1:55 pm
Yes the Sess! says:
Sess is 100 times better than Larsson in terms of real world and FPL. Sess is invovled in most good things we do and I expect him to be amongst the points tomorrow. In saying that I have him and am still captaining RVP.
April 13 at 1:55 pm
Donnie Chen says:
RVP for me, unless you’re chasing and have to go radically different.
April 13 at 2:01 pm
roscola says:
I’m chasing, but I’ve got it down to 13 points now so I don’t need wild punts. And he will be playing 8 players max this week, so I ought to go top. Thanks for the input.
April 13 at 1:58 pm
kennethrhcp says:
no bias what so ever here^
April 13 at 1:59 pm
Donnie Chen says:
Name kinda gives it away!
April 13 at 1:59 pm
roscola says:
Thanks man, that’s a very sound reply. I’ll take your recommendation. My mackem wife might not like it but you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs
April 13 at 1:52 pm
Doosra - "No poem was ever written by a drinker of water" - Homer, (8th Century BC) says:
Come on, the boys!
Mignolet
Lichaj, Ridgewell, Caulker, Evans
Song, Valencia, Sigurdsson, Arteta
van Persie (c), Rooney (vc)
Subs.: Krul; Dempsey, Adebayor, Assou-Ekotto
April 13 at 1:53 pm
som3awy says:
Arteta and Song? :O
April 13 at 1:53 pm
kev90787 says:
It’s his master-plan.
April 13 at 1:58 pm
General Mustard says:
Messed-up plan, more like! Doos, no City coverage? Like the punt on Lichaj, though. Just might follow as I’ve got Gibbs and Mig…
April 13 at 1:54 pm
som3awy says:
Who the f*ck is Lichaj?
April 13 at 2:23 pm
Doosra - "No poem was ever written by a drinker of water" - Homer, (8th Century BC) says:
RB for Villa, playing LB. Long throw.
April 13 at 1:54 pm
Stern John Terry Wilson Palacios says:
Lichaj … oh, he went there!
April 13 at 1:55 pm
tosey says:
who will u play in the double week doos, krul or mig?
i have mig n bogdan and am unsure!
April 13 at 2:00 pm
In Like Flynn says:
Has to be Bogdan for the dbl Tosey.
April 13 at 2:21 pm
Doosra - "No poem was ever written by a drinker of water" - Homer, (8th Century BC) says:
Krul for me, Tosey.
April 13 at 2:02 pm
In Like Flynn says:
So tempted to get Lichaj. I’m just not sure his place is secure ot Villa defence sound enough. But attacking potential……..well. I hope it works well for you Doosra.
April 13 at 2:22 pm
Doosra - "No poem was ever written by a drinker of water" - Homer, (8th Century BC) says:
So bloody well do I!!!
April 13 at 1:52 pm
kev90787 says:
Was McAuley rested against City last week or is he injured?
April 13 at 1:54 pm
Donnie Chen says:
Rested, he’ll be back this weekend, nailed on.
April 13 at 1:55 pm
kev90787 says:
Thnx dude!
April 13 at 1:54 pm
Cry Me A River says:
about to switch mcauley and walcott in for kelly and bale for 11 on the pitch
35 points ahead of second place in my mini league and those transfers will make my team identical to his
Check mate (at least for another week)
He will not be impressed but that’s the sorta shit you gotta pull at the pointy end of the season
April 13 at 1:55 pm
Donnie Chen says:
You don’t make an omelette without cracking some eggs. Good tactical work.
April 13 at 1:56 pm
BoomBoomShacktheroom says:
Dirty but gd tactics.
April 13 at 2:02 pm
Cry Me A River says:
thanks dudes
He basically wildcarded 3 weeks ago and ended up with my team virtually which may have annoyed him more
I’ve been in this league for 7 years and never won
2nd by 4 points (my 4 point hit on last day) last year and second year before
squeaky bum time
April 13 at 2:04 pm
BoomBoomShacktheroom says:
Rough times, hope you get there this year! Dont do anything stupid.
April 13 at 1:55 pm
Keith says:
any news on turner? stupidly transferred him in early yesterday
April 13 at 1:56 pm
kev90787 says:
Heard that Oshea might start. Dont know who will be dropped.
April 13 at 1:57 pm
Keith says:
FFS team news – “O’Shea could also be in line for a return in defence, although O’Neill may show caution. Matt Kilgallon would likely make way should O’Shea make his return”.
i like this
April 13 at 1:55 pm
mackay007 says:
Got 10 players atm team is linked, thinking of doing Jelavic > Bendtner? Seem a good move?
April 13 at 1:58 pm
Donnie Chen says:
Not sure, O’Neill is going to start playing Connor Wickham pretty soon. Bendtners in good form but is only only loan, I think MON wants to see if he can live without him…
April 13 at 1:57 pm
choppers13 says:
Who should I bring in for Bale:
A) Silva
B) Nasri
C) Taarabt
April 13 at 1:58 pm
som3awy says:
Who are your other mids?
April 13 at 1:59 pm
choppers13 says:
Sess Valencia Walcott and Siggy
April 13 at 2:00 pm
som3awy says:
Silva then, although Taarabt is tempting me!
April 13 at 1:59 pm
Donnie Chen says:
Silva. Coming back from a rest, Tevez in the side, prob best option.
April 13 at 2:57 pm
Moinal says:
keep Bale
April 13 at 1:58 pm
In Like Flynn says:
I case anyone has him and was thinking about a change. R Taylor looks set to fall tonight, if it would make a difference.
April 13 at 1:58 pm
Cry Me A River says:
1. mcauley and walcott (kelly+bale out) 2 free transfers
or
2.lescott in for kelly (no city cover)
April 13 at 1:59 pm
maverick says:
any tips on who to bring in to complete my team this week? no money in the bank currently, and I’m top of my mini league with my nearest rival 30 points behind. Squeaky bum time!
Mignolet
Evans, Taiwo, Kilgallon, Cuellar (?)
Sigurdsson, McClean, Valencia, Silva
Rooney, Van Persie
Bench: Vorm, Enrique, Bale, Cisse
cheers guys!
April 13 at 2:00 pm
fuml_akimbo says:
NEW POST
April 13 at 2:04 pm
W.G Grace says:
New post : fail
April 13 at 2:02 pm
1LHerne says:
It’s about time to transfer phil jones outta my team. Or who thinks he’ll be starting against aston villa?
April 13 at 2:20 pm
dasjagermeister says:
id say get rid of him. hes not assured of his place and theres better united players you could have in your team instead of him
April 13 at 2:03 pm
The Parmtree- Punt of the week: GW34- Jamie Mackie says:
Done and dusted
http://i.imgur.com/zTskr.png
April 13 at 2:16 pm
Rumpleton says:
Glas to see im not the only weirdo who lines all their players up nicely.
April 13 at 2:05 pm
Access says:
Rvp or aguero for captain help
April 13 at 2:07 pm
W.G Grace says:
RVP over Aguero away for sure, im still slightly considering Rooney though.
April 13 at 2:17 pm
dasjagermeister says:
Rvp all day. look at how many away goals aguero has!
April 13 at 2:09 pm
Access says:
I don’t have Rooney ,my rival has rvp,just considering gamble.i have both rvp and aguero
April 13 at 2:11 pm
Access says:
I don’t have Rooney ,my rival has rvp,just considering gamble.i have both rvp and aguero.will that be a good move
April 13 at 4:13 pm
ICJoker says:
Aguero is poor away from home
April 13 at 2:17 pm
Gaz Downright says:
So having laid Cisse
Aguero (-4pts) to rest. I am continuing the analysis.
Next Bale
Walcott or Sessegnon
There is not one single GW (except 34) I would prefer Sessegnon to Bale so that is out of the question. Same goes for Walcott really.
Easy, don’t even need input for this one.
April 13 at 2:38 pm
1mills says:
I have all 3 now.
In fairness Bale is the main one though for most weeks from now on out.
Shame it’s only on here where people have binned him, most of my rivals have all kept him.
Hoping a few might lose him because of the blanks for them this week
April 13 at 3:47 pm
Perthite says:
Worth Baines->Kompany with my FT this week to make sure I have 11? Will mean a 4 point hit to get 8 DGW players for GW36.
April 13 at 4:12 pm
ICJoker says:
I reckon Norwich will score against City. Would be better playing a man short and saving the 4 point hit unless you’re extremely confident on the clean sheet
April 13 at 4:10 pm
ICJoker says:
I’m only 3 points clear of second place in my mini league and we both have fairly similar teams. I’m pretty sure that he’ll be captaining RVP. I really can’t decide between captaining RVP, Walcott, Valencia or Rooney.
I really think United will bounce back from the Wigan defeat with a vengeance against a poor Villa side and desperately want to captain Valencia but if RVP runs riot then I’ll be guaranteed to drop to second place.
Worth the gamble??
April 13 at 5:22 pm
Midnight Rambler says:
Has anyone ever tested out different FPL strategies in parallel? I’m thinking along the lines of 3 teams which start with the same squad but then make transfers through the season based on different strategies. One could jump on every bandwagon, ignoring fixtures. Another could choose players based on teams with good fixtures. Maybe a third that’s only interested in maximising its team value.
Has this be done before? Any other strategies worth looking at?