Season Shapers – Gameweek 2 – United 0 Chelsea 0

Our new series of articles, which focuses on pivotal matches in our Fantasy seasons, got underway last week by focussing on Luiz Suarez’ return to action, after he missed the first few fixtures through suspension. This time around, we assess Chelsea’s Gameweek 2 trip to Old Trafford and the long-lasting effect Jose’s tactics and team selection ultimately had on our plans:

The Scenario

Jose’s first road trip. After back-to-back home wins against Hull and Villa in double Gameweek 1, Jose Mourinho’s first away fixture upon his top-flight return was a visit to Old Trafford. The Chelsea boss had disappointed many Romelu Lukaku owners during the double by starting Fernando Torres, then Demba Ba, as his lone striker for the first couple of fixtures –a series of impressive pre-season displays convinced many to invest in the Belgian but he was afforded just 40 minutes over the first two matches, earning his owners a mere two points.

In midfield, Juan Mata’s owners were also concerned. The Spaniard started the season at 10.5 to Eden Hazard’s 9.5 but played in only one of the first two matches, accumulating 65 minutes against Villa before being hauled off, whilst the Belgian had managed every minute of the double by comparison. Already, it seemed Mata’s game time was far from certain under the Special One.

The Events

Mourinho’s team sheet for David Moyes’ first home match in charge of the champions once again underlined his lack of faith in Lukaku and Mata, as both warmed the bench for the entire match. The selection of Andre Schurrle as the lone forward was perhaps the tipping point for Lukaku and also gave us an insight into Mourinho’s views on Torres and Ba – as if to emphasise that point, he then acquired Samuel Eto’o just three days later.

The goalless draw was not just an early warning sign of United’s home struggles under their new manager, it afforded us a window into Mourinho’s preferred tactical set-up when it came to away matches against fellow title contenders.

The Impact

Fantasy managers were quickly reminded of the fact that when it comes to playing for a clean sheet, no one is quite like Mourinho. Chelsea conceded just two goals on their travels to the rest of the top eight – with shut-outs also achieved at City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Southampton, it became clear that benching their defensive assets, even for difficult fixtures, was never a wise move.

The Blues ended the season with 19 clean sheets, conceding just 27 times, with John Terry, Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill all amongst the top eight FPL defenders, whilst Petr Cech finished third top scoring keeper. Whilst Mourinho continued to tinker with his attacking options, a consistency of selection at the back meant that doubling up on Chelsea’s main defenders was a more than valid tactic across the Fantasy games.

Up front, Lukaku had seen enough. The big Belgian’s loan switch to Everton brought him firmly back onto Fantasy radars and by the time he made his Toffees debut in Gameweek 5, his price had plummeted from 8.0 to 7.4, making him an outstanding mid-price option for our three-man frontlines. Installed as Roberto Martinez’ first-choice forward at Goodison, Lukaku went on to fire 15 goals (more than any Chelsea player and only four less than Eto’o, Torres and Ba combined) and also served up 168 points in the FPL game – sixth spot amongst strikers.

For Mata, an exit route took a little longer. By the time the winter transfer window opened for business, Hazard had firmly established himself as our Chelsea midfielder of choice, producing eight goals and seven assists, whilst the Spaniard had mustered just two assists for the Blues and was allowed to leave for United. Six goals, five assists and 14 bonus points over 15 appearances for the Red Devils equates to an average of 6.3 points per game and will ensure the Spaniard remains in many managers’ plans when the new campaign gets underway.