Our final day together with the 2011/12 season feels just a little odd. We should really welcome the fact that all ten fixtures will be played out at three o’clock this afternoon, but ironically, it jars to get a set of Premier League fixtures completed in one gulp. We’ll be eagerly stuffing our faces with no dessert to follow.
Perhaps my indifference is caused by my own anti-climax – it feels like I’m just seeing things out. My Fantasy season ends much like Man United’s – it would take an alignment of the gods for me to scrape further glory from what has been a pretty decent showing. I’ll take a gamble or two and hope for the best, but, for the second season running, most of my attention will be turned to the top of the Fantasy Premier League: that’s where a real tussle will be played out, where all the tension is.
Just five points separates the top three managers, with Scout League leader Gary McLean sitting in third. All three have made their transfers and will have presumably selected captains designed to give them a crucial differential. Now they just have to wait for the goals from three o’clock to decide their fate.
I can’t really get close to imagining how that must feel, few us will. The tangible prize may be far from glittering, but the title of FPL Champion, after 38 Gameweeks, is one that has surely stolen sleep and gatecrashed thoughts for weeks now. The tension these guys feel today, as every goal is announced, must surely be close to unbearable. The stuff marriage break-ups are made of.
Let wish Gary all the best for the day ahead and take a wander with the papers to calm the nerves.
Fortunately, there’s relatively little to unsettle us amongst the prospective teamsheets. Chelsea’s lineup remains shrouded in mystery, with no end of conjecture on how Roberto Di Matteo will approach the game with the Champions League final with Bayern looming large. The general consensus is on strength, with most of the press backing starts for Fernando Torres. Interestingly, however, both the Guardian and The Sun stand against this – both suggest that Romelu Lukaku will be handed the striker’s role, with the Sun even giving a start to Lucas Piazon, although the young Brazilian has in fact confirmed that he’ll be on the bench today.
While the gamble on Torres looks fairly safe, then, Juan Mata’s start seems less secure. Neither the Telegraph nor the Guardian opt for the Spaniard in their predicted lineups and the Sun also find no place for the impish playmaker.
In the Old Trafford camp, the Sun back yesterday’s story on Michael Carrick by omitting him from their predicted lineup. Tom Cleverley is drafted in to support Paul Scholes in the engine room as United look to spark an unlikely chain of events with three points at Sunderland. Carrick is safely in every other press lineup, with the Guardian the only paper to go for Nani on the flank – Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia are expected to retain their starts.
Leighton Baines’ return to the Everton lineup is one we’ve given a fair amount of oxygen to via last night’s Differentials from Big Dunc. The press seem to support our view that Baines will make his return – the Guardian, the Telegraph and the Sun restore Baines at left-back, with Sylvain Distin making way, or replacing Johnny Heitinga in central defence.
Baines could just be a differential to back then, with Torres, Carlos Tevez and even Andy Carroll ending the season on a potential high to edge into our last minute decision making.
When you stop to think, in many respects, we’ve almost come full circle in 38 weeks. We started the season wondering if Tevez, Torres and Carroll could provide heavyweight alternatives up front and, today, they might just do that. Outside of Man City, Victor Moses has commanded more transfers in than any other player – belatedly living up to the hype that burdened him all the way back in the opening Gameweek.
Tevez, Baines, Torres, Carroll, Moses – so many of those we had big hopes for on day one, have suddenly arrived late to the party, clutching cheap booze and looking to crash through the door. Baines has a decent mix tape, Moses is rattling on about successful dribbles and Carroll has a glimmer of a threat in his eye again. Are we really going to let these guys in? Shout if you see Carroll go upstairs.
Enjoy the final Gameweek.
