My hardest decision for my team this year has been which 9.0 midfielder to choose. The standout choices are Steven Gerrard, David Silva, Cesc Fabregas, Juan Mata, Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey. I’m going to go through them all to help myself, and hopefully you, to come to a conclusion. First up is Liverpool’s Gerrard and Manchester City’s Silva.
Steven Gerrard
Gerrard scored 205 points last season, his second best Fantasy Football tally ever, netting 13 times and getting 15 assists along the way. Of his 205 points., 30 were bonus points. Gerrard is also quite consistent. He’s scored 200+ three times in his Fantasy Premier League history, and bar 2011/12 and 2012/12 where he only scored 88 and 75 respectively, he’s always managed a good haul of points. He’s averaged 164 points per season and was reliable for assists last season, but he had Luis Suarez up front. This term, he may not have such a prolific striker in Rickie Lambert, but he does still have Daniel Sturridge.
PROS:
- Consistent
- Will most likely play every game
- Penalty/free-kick taker
- Has Sturridge to supply to.
CONS:
- Plays Man City and Spurs in first three Gameweeks
- Liverpool still a leaky defence?
David Silva
In his four years in the Premier League, David Silva has been one of the most consistent players in the league. From 2010/11 to 2013/14 he’s scored 144, 184, 147 and 151 respectively. He constantly hits around 150 points. His average is about 157. That’s less than Gerrard but he has played fewer seasons. City don’t exactly have an easy start, however. They play Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea in their first five games. He did pop up with seven goals and 12 assists last season, which pales in comparison to Gerrard’s 13 and 15, and to his team mate Yaya Toure (11.0) who got 20 and nine. I feel there are better options to Silva in regards to 9.0-priced midfielders, and I feel Gerrard is one of them.
PROS:
- Can offer goals and assists
- City concede very few goals.
- Consistent tallies
CONS:
- Can be outperformed by Yaya Toure
- May not get as many points to justify price tag.
Coming Soon….. Part II: Fabregas and Mata and Part III: Ozil and Ramsey, plus the final verdict.