Archive for Sir Paulos
Sir Paulos is certain he won't make the same mistakes next season.
The Technical Area- Chamakh’s Graft Offers Wenger Something Different
When Arsene Wenger bagged Marouanne Chamakh from Bordeaux in the close season, there was some uncertainty as to the Moroccan’s role for the Gunners this season. Would Wenger alter his 4-2-1-3 system to accommodate the new man up front? Would be play out wide, similar to how Nicklas Bendtner was occasionally used last season? Or would Chamakh, as many expected, simply be back up to Robin Van Persie and give the Gunners a bit more strength-in-depth up front this term?
With Wenger easing Van Persie back into action after his long World Cup summer and Bendtner injured, Chamakh has been the main man up front for Arsenal so far this season. Saturday’s match at Blackburn was Van Persie’s first start of the season, following on from a couple of late second half substitutions, but the Dutchman once again succumbed to injury and was replaced by Chamakh in the 35th minute. The new boy has subsequently now led the line for the vast majority of both Arsenal’s tricky away games, and with a total of four points taken from Anfield and Ewood Park, the Gunners seem to have the stomach for a fight this time round.
One stand-out feature of Arsenal’s play so far has been the goalscoring exploits of the two front wide men, Andrei Arshavin and Theo Walcott, with six goals between the pair already. A closer inspection of Chamakh’s contribution, however, shows that his movement has been an integral factor in both these players starting the season so well.
Read more...The Saturday Scout Notes – Gameweek Three
Arsene got one over Big Sam, Chelsea in a “didn’t score six” shocker, penalty duties come to Rooney’s rescue and help break his scoring duck, and Andy Carroll continues to show he’ll be a real menace in the Premier League this season. Here’s some notes on yesterday’s games….
Despite a physical away game at Ewood Park, Arsene Wenger dropped the aerial threat of Marouanne Chamakh to the bench, as the Moroccan made way for fit-again Robin Van Persie up front. Wenger kept with last season’s preferred 4-2-1-3 formation, suggesting Chamakh’s starts may be limited, taking his place in the queue behind Van Persie for the lone frontman role. With Theo Walcott continuing to show impressive form, the Arsenal line-up at Blackburn seems pretty much their first-choice XI. Van Persie’s 33rd minute ankle injury, however, could allow Chamakh further chance to establish himself in the starting XI, depending on scan results this upcoming week.
With the continually-impressive 18 year old Phil Jones now pretty much a first-team fixture , Sam Allardyce gave another youngster, Mame Diouf, his first Premier League start, and the on-loan Man Utd man continued his recent goalscoring form with his goal against the Gunners being the fourth this week, following a Carling Cup hat-trick. Diouf’s pace showed he can be utilised in wide areas, as well as through the middle.
Read more...Hernia Surgery Sidelines Lampard
Chelsea have announced this evening that Frank Lampard is to undergo hernia surgery. The midfielder -having already missed a penalty- limped off this afternoon in the Blues 2-0 win over Stoke to continue a fairly unproductive start to the season.
Read more...Knee Jerk- Theo Keeps Pace with Early-Season Form
Arsenal today showed they may just have the bottle for a battle this season. Arsene Wenger would have no doubt loved getting one over his arch-nemesis Sam Allardyce with a 2-1 win at Ewood Park, but with 64% of possession, perhaps the ease of which the Gunners controlled the match was surprising, given Blackburn‘s typical in-yer-face style.
Read more...Head to Head- Villa’s Milner vs City’s Milner
Never mind the PFA Young Player of the Year award or the step up to England’s senior squad, last season -much more importantly- saw James Milner firmly establish himself as one of the stand-out Fantasy Premier League (FPL) performers.
Whether on the right wing or after being moved by Martin O’Neill into the Aston Villa middle, Milner’s points returns made a mockery of his £7.0m starting price. Seven goals, twelve assists and 35 Bonus Points made him something of a must-have last time round. These performances subsequently saw his starting price hiked to £9.0m this time round, but with a move away from Villa Park hanging over him, most Fantasy managers were initially reluctant to take a punt.
Read more...The Numbers Game- Carroll Heads the Way
With a hat-trick quite rightly winning Andy Carroll the plaudits on Newcastle’s opening home game of the season, plenty have been quick to jump on the bandwagon. Whilst his FPL admirers have increased in their tens of thousands, there’s perhaps that nagging doubt in the back of many a mind, wondering if the front-man just be a one week wonder.
One look at the OPTA stats would certainly suggest otherwise. A closer look at his performances so far show Carroll is excelling in virtually every aspect of his game…
Read more...Scout Report- Mario Balotelli to Man City
In a deal that took their spending past the £100m mark this summer alone, Man City completed the signing of Mario Balotelli from Champions League winners Inter Milan for £22.5m. The move, re-uniting Roberto Mancini with the undoubtedly talented youngster, gives Balotelli the chance to start afresh in a new country, having courted controversy in an almost continual basis in his adopted homeland.
Although many of the issues were outwith his control (including appalling crowd-related racism) there’s no denying the 20 year old has a petulance that’s hard to deal with. There’s the media spats with his own team-mates, throwing his shirt to the ground as a response to fan frustration, being photographed in an AC Milan top, and exasperating Jose Mourinho to the point where the Special One admitted:
I can’t accept that from someone who is still a nobody, who hasn’t made it yet, who is still a talent with potential. He needs to train harder, to understand what are the important things for me which I think are important for him and his future. Because if he was to train half as hard as players like Zanetti and the others, he would be one of the best in the world. But he only trains 25 percent as hard.
Clearly, if Balotelli applies himself at City, he should be a huge success. Judging by his volatile nature, however, that could be a big “if”, though given that he only turned 20 last week, there’s plenty time to apply himself in the right way, under a manager who perhaps knows him best of all.
Read more...The Technical Area – 4-5-1 Suits Bale Just Fine
There came a point last winter where first-team injuries taught Harry Redknapp a valuable lesson; with Benoit Assou-Ekotto sidelined, the Spurs gaffer’s hand was somewhat forced as he fielded Gareth Bale in the club’s FA third-round tie with Peterborough. Whether at left-back or left wing, Bale has never looked back since, with a series of fantastic performances that have ensured his place as a nailed-on first-team starter at White Hart Lane.
This weekend saw injuries limit Redknapp’s choices once again and with Peter Crouch the club’s only fit forward following their midweek Champions League exertions, Spurs took to the field in a 4-5-1 formation for the first time this season. Once again, Bale was the beneficiary of his manager’s lack of options, scoring two goals and picking up three Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Bonus Points for his display.
With a plum home tie against Wigan up next, Bale – at £6.7m in FPL and, with 35% of managers, the top-owned player in the game at present- has already risen 0.2m in the first fortnight of the season, and there’s every chance he will jump again before the week is out. Here’s a look at his first two games…
Read more...Head To Head – Valencia vs Nani
Man United’s easy 3-0 opener saw Paul Scholes take the plaudits for an outstanding midfield display against promoted Newcastle. With the veteran playmaker -and, alongside him, Darren Fletcher- picking up the majority of United’s Fantasy Premier League (FPL) points, the team’s two wingers, Nani and Antonio Valencia, were somewhat left in the shade.
As Valencia is owned by 18% of FPL managers and Nani owned by 6%, the pair’s lack of goal involvement may be of some concern to a substantial number of owners. With Scholes pulling the strings, any comparison with their team mate’s performance would be unfair, though looking at both players’ distribution stats compared to last season’s suggests they both saw significant improvement in specific areas.
Read more...The Technical Area- Lampard Takes a Back Seat
With their opening day demolition of West Brom, Chelsea sent out an ominous message to the rest of the Premier League. Although the 6-0 scoreline suggests the champions carried on as if they’d never been away, Carlo Ancelotti’s side never really got into top gear, as the promoted side were given an cruel lesson in the harsh realities of top-flight football.
A reported ankle knock on Friday cast doubts over Frank Lampard’s starting chances, causing many a Fantasy manager to tinker with their starting line-ups, and for those who opted for Florent Malouda as an alternative, the gamble certainly paid off.
Read more...Season Predictions From the Scouts
Here we go again. In just a few hours, Chelsea and Jon Reeson begin the defence of their respective titles in what will, undoubtedly, be a campaign of total frustration and regret for many a Fantasy manager. Then again, would you have it any other way?
So before a ball is kicked, we thought we’d stick our necks out at Fantasy Football Scout Towers to offer up a few predictions. No doubt many of these punts will come back to haunt us (some quicker than others) but here’s how many of the contributors think the upcoming season will pan out, both in league and fantasy terms.
Have a good season everyone!
Read more...Scouting the FPL Bonus Points- The Midfield
Last season was the most prolific in Frank Lampard’s career; scoring 20+ Premier League goals for the first time and assisting more than ever before as Chelsea outfought Man United to the title. Not only did Lampard break his personal records, he also scored more goals and made more assists than any other midfielder in the league.
However, when it came to being awarded Fantasy Premier League Bonus Points, Frank still finished behind Cesc Fabregas, despite playing 36 games compared to the Arsenal man’s 27. So what areas could the FPL judges possilby have considered when awarding these Bonus Points? By referencing last season’s top three midfield Bonus Point Darlings, we can spot some patterns in the Opta statistics that suggest some key pointers…
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