The Digest – The Christmas Catch-Up

With four matches in fourteen days, there’s almost too much to digest. Bloated by a feast of football, we nonetheless take time to consider the headline acts, examining the impact of the Emirates flyer, the resurgence on Merseyside and glance, with some expectancy, through the January window…

The Player

Like an impetuous child, Theo Walcott has been tugging at Arsene Wenger’s shirt tails for an opportunity to lead the Arsenal attack; it was surely no coincidence that this finally arrived as contract negotiations with the club reached deadlock. Arsene Wenger relented and deployed Walcott up front in the 5-2 win at Reading, a performance which was dominated by Santi Cazorla’s hat-trick but nonetheless provided a taster of what was to come over the Christmas from the fleet-heeled winger turned striker.

Walcott chipped in with a goal aginast the Royals, following that up with a dubious assist for Mikel Arteta’s spot-kick winner at Wigan. However, the explosion came against Newcastle, as Walcott delivered a Fantasy haul to surpass Cazola’s Reading effort and any in living memory. A hat-trick and two assists ensured that Walcott would come out of the busy four Gameweek spell as the hottest of midfield properties, a status cemented by his assist at Southampton – giving him returns in every match.

With a double fixture beckoning in Gameweek 23, continued investment in Walcott’s new found potential as a striker is surely set to continue. For midfielders, only Marouane Felliani has seen more transfers in so far this week and it’s expected that interest in Walcott will accelerate in the build up to the double with Chelsea and West Ham. Subsequently, we’ve seen Cazorla’s stock and ownership in decline, just three weeks after his biggest score of the season.

Despite struggling at St Mary’s last time out, Walcott’s performance can be excused amongst an abject Arsenal display and, should Olivier Giroud start up front in the FA Cup tie with Swansea this weekend, it will surely assure Walcott a run at the City defence for Gameweek 22. Walcott has been an inconsistent performer in the past but, with a price tag hovering below 9.0 and an explosive quality that can match even Robin Van Persie, the case for acquisition is convincing.

The Team

While United have won every game over the Christmas spell, it is the rise of Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool that offered the biggest new attraction for Fantasy managers. Luis Suarez’s status was already assured, if somewhat damaged by a run of blanks over five Gameweeks going into the Christmas spell. The Uruguayan has emerged from that period in spectacular style, to lead the race for the Golden Boot and, along with Theo Walcott, stand out as the top performer of the past four Gameweeks.

While Suarez’s form was signposted, the consistency offered by Steven Gerrard in midfield and Brendan Rodgers’ defence seemed less likely. The Liverpool skipper has been superb – probing and prompting alongside the rotating Lucas, Joe Allen and Jordan Henderson, Gerrard has returned a goal or assist in six straight league matches and has reinstated himself as a heavy-hitting midfield option to rival the likes of David Silva, Juan Mata and Gareth Bale.

With Suarez ablaze, Gerrard will doubtless be overlooked by many but that may not be the case with the assured Liverpool back four. With Martin Skrtel and Dan Agger settled as one of the more formidable centre-back pairings, Rodgers has few concerns in this area and, in Glen Johnson and Jose Enrique, he has full-backs with the attacking verve to contribute high up the field. Enrique’s hamstring injury at QPR was a cruel twist for his owners and has seen Johnson now emerge as perhaps the preferred recruitment route in Liverpool’s resolute rearguard.

Investment in this flourishing group of players does come with a sizeable caveat, however. Liverpool now face three away trips in four, taking in visits to United, Arsenal and Man City around a potentially more profitable Anfield clash with Norwich. That calls for caution, particularly when it comes to defensive acquisitions. Suarez, however, appears to have little regard for opposition and has the form that could possibly de-rail both United on City as they vie for superiority at the summit, with Liverpool simmering nicely below.

The Talking Point

We now enter a key transitional period in the Fantasy season. Three key factors arrive at once, with players departing for the African Cup of Nations, others moving clubs or arriving on the Premier League scene and, against this backdrop of uncertainty, we keenly clutch our Winter Widlcards.

We shouldn’t forget that, at this time last season, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Papiss Cisse arrived to change the Fantasy landscape. Both had pedigree but few could have foreseen the impact they would have at Swansea and Newcastle respectively, or how they would emerge as almost essential Fantasy purchases over the second half of the season.

Having witnessed such events, Fantasy managers will be anticipating the closure of the transfer window at the end of this month and scouring for similar solutions. It seems unlikely we’ll see players arrive who can hit the ground running with such ease, but perhaps a transfer like Daniel Sturridge’s move to Liverpool, examined in our earlier “Moving Target” article, will be the catalyst for change.

While new arrivals and big money moves will grab the headlines, it could be a simple loan deal or perhaps the departure of a key player, providing the opportunity for an understudy, that could offer us a bargain.

Those chasing mini-league gaps will be craving a shake-up – the arrival of new prospects and the unearthing or rebirth of an exciting talent. Those protecting leads will pray that the status quo remains intact. After all, the current crop of league leaders are often less likely to explore the risks on offer; the transfer window can therefore hand their rivals a lifeline if complacency or security breeds hesitation.

We’re entering a fascinating period, which, like the hectic Christmas schedule, can turn a Fantasy season on its head if the stars align and Fantasy managers can time their trades to catch the new opportunities on offer.