The Watchlist – Antonio Valencia
Filed under: The Watchlist - Posted by: stilicho
Few men would envy the task of filling Cristiano Ronaldo’s golden slippers. When the Portuguese prima donna eloped from Manchester to Madrid in the summer of 2009, a club accustomed to stepping out with the Premier League’s prom queen could be forgiven for not immediately embracing the wholesome qualities of his replacement..
Doggedly supplying that deficit of glamour with industry and unselfishness since his arrival, Antonio Valencia has forged virtue of necessity and wrought himself a hard-won place in the hearts of the fans. If the Stretford End still secretly dreams of step-overs past, it wakes gladly divorced from the illusion that the value of a final ball depends on any preceding pirouettes.
Investment in the United midfield has been pregnant with rotational pitfalls since Ronaldo’s departure, but with Nani out of favour and new acquisition Shinji Kagawa deployed centrally or wide left, Valencia is currently relieved of credible understudies for his blooming duet with Rafael on the right. With four assists to his credit already in an injury-interrupted start and only a baffling, if hilarious, miskick robbing him of a tap-in against Arsenal two weeks ago, a big haul may be just around the corner for the former Wigan man as the goals flow and fixtures ease for the Reds.
Averaging a gnat’s whisker under three strikes a game since their opening day defeat at Everton, a run comprising (nor, QPR, WHM, rdg) in the next four Gameweeks seems likely to further augment that impressive average. Still smarting from last season’s goal-difference title defeat at the hands of their noisy neighbours, Ferguson has publicly set the pass mark at 100 notches on the goal post this time out and, with four goals and 14 assists last year, Valencia certainly has the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) pedigree to profit from a more ruthless offensive philosophy.
With the likes of Gareth Bale, Eden Hazard and Santi Cazorla somewhat treading water at the pricy end of the midfield spectrum, Fantasy managers may feel more at liberty to chance their arm on less celebrated candidates. Whilst out-and-out wingers have taken something of a back seat to “in the hole” midfield picks thus far, few wide men have access to the quality of the targets Valencia enjoys. Currently priced at 8.6 in FPL (7.9 in the Sky Sports game), the Ecuadorian dynamo looks primed to buck the trend and deliver strong value from out wide as United look to go forth and conquer over the coming weeks.
About The Author
“I never make predictions and I never will”
stilicho
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Recent Comments
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It was only me to be fair. Don't tell me you didnt at least check your answer.. »
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The pause before taking out a random ass name does make this answer a bit dodge. » -
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“We have dynamic players with good movement, so if he can link with them fine. He can play a bit higher because his timing getting into the box is very good.”
Rafa Benitez talks up the role that Frank Lampard can play in his Chelsea revolution
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November 14 at 5:40 pm
wakey says:
Have i missed something with this Hernanadez chap ?…has he suddenly been given a regular starting slot at United or has the world just got a bit transfer mad…
November 14 at 5:41 pm
Timmy Cahill Rules says:
no its knee jerking at its worst
November 14 at 5:47 pm
thegaffer82 says:
Fuelled by a double figure haul plus the promise of a start against Norwich. But ultimately people buying him will be the same people who are asking who they should buy to replace Hernandez a few weeks down the line.
To which the reply will of course be Berbatov
November 14 at 5:48 pm
simsey says:
I think Its the kind of transfer yu can make if you’re happy with the rest of your team.
Ferguson has said he’ll start this wknd. If he does then (on his current form) he’s worth having for a few weeks. Hard to see anyone else as likely to score for the same money
November 14 at 6:08 pm
ampere says:
Yeah, happy with my team so I did a luxury transfer Aguero > Hernandez, then after City fall out of CL next week I’m getting Aguero back in. 1-2 week punt at most.
November 14 at 7:05 pm
wakey says:
i didn’t know he’d said that…then why not…if he even sniffs another goal he’ll rise by 0.6 over two weeks giving 0.3 extra spends…
November 14 at 5:40 pm
Timmy Cahill Rules says:
A .Ruiz and Rafael
B Ba and Davies
long term
my main 11 would be with option A
Habsi
Baines Rafael Cuellar
Nolan Mata Bale Hazard Fellaini
Berbatov Suarez
subs – Ruiz Cameron Gorkss
November 14 at 5:41 pm
Luchogonzalez says:
Whats the opinion on this team?
Begs (foster)
demel hughes baines (gallas, gibbs)
caz michu hazard sterling (maloney)
ba berba RVP
Have 1 FT.Not too worried about the numerous minor injuries as many will be on the bench. Is it a straight forward hazard/caz to fellaini. Or Nolan?
November 14 at 5:41 pm
Eddie says:
New post http://www.fantasyfootballscou.....i-cazorla/
November 14 at 5:41 pm
totts says:
Michu and Tevez transfer out for Fellaini and Jelavic? 4 pts hits
November 14 at 5:44 pm
Maximus Bonimus says:
Not when tevez has that fixture next with a guaranteed start! Crazy!
November 14 at 5:42 pm
Simon1983 says:
Is there a second wildcard available around the Christmas period?
November 14 at 5:43 pm
Maximus Bonimus says:
Have 2x FTs & want do do aguero>berb for one, which pretty much allows me to do anyone>anyone after that. Morrison>silva perhaps?
Jussi
Baines, nelsen, shawx
Morison, caz, hba, michu
RVP, Aguero, ba
(bego/demel/cuellar/guthrie)
November 14 at 7:04 pm
bish bash bosh says:
I’d prefer to keep Morrison over hba
November 14 at 5:43 pm
Norrin Radd says:
One free transfer this week.
Walters > Silva
Michu > Silva
Caz > Silva
I really want Silva! But who to get rid of?
Any advice please.
November 14 at 5:54 pm
Smurf says:
100% dump Walters.
November 14 at 5:55 pm
Spencer says:
Yo stephenl15 who are you?! Are you a regular on here?
Bebe United sounds familiar for some reason.
http://fantasy.premierleague.c.....1/history/
November 14 at 7:01 pm
bish bash bosh says:
Im feeling captioning Suarez this week rather than Rvp,is this madness? still in paddy power cup, person I’m playin has not got Suarez
November 14 at 9:17 pm
Champ says:
another stellar article Stilicho
November 15 at 6:08 pm
doncastro says:
No it’s total dribble from someone with too many thesaurus’s in the bookshelf.
November 14 at 10:52 pm
threesticks says:
current midfield
Bale – Hazard – Mata – Sterling – Fellaini
Bale -> Silva ?
Hazard -> Valencia ?
What i am left with is not enough to do Sterling -> Nolan
Thoughts?
November 15 at 5:06 am
mobmentality says:
Who should i drop out of Pienaar, Cazorla and Sterling?