In previous Fantasy Premier League (FPL) seasons, the selection for high-end midfielders has been quite predictable; simply buy Cristiano Ronaldo and Frank Lampard and hand them the captain’s armband. This year, however, the performances of certain forwards means midfielders haven’t quite kept their monopoly on the captain position, with one face in particular noticeably absent from our list: Steven Gerrard.
Cesc Fabregas
The Arsenal playmaker had another commendable season, further enhancing his reputation as someone who can score as well as create goals and earning himself his second inclusion in the PFA Team of the Year.
If it wasn’t for injury, the Arsenal captain may well have been FPL top scorer this year. He scored 15 goals, created 15 assists and topped the midfielder bonus points tally with an incredible 41 points in 27 games. His total of 214 points wasn’t the first time he’s strayed into 200+ territory and he just edged his previous highest score for the season.
Looking Ahead:
If, or -according to the tabloids- when Cesc decides to join Barcelona, then the Premier League will have lost one of its leading lights and will undoubtedly be all the poorer for it. Alongside the departure of Ronaldo before the beginning of last season, his possible departure would mean yet another big hitter disappearing from our Fantasy radars.
However, if Arsene Wenger can repel the Spanish giants interest for another season, at least, Fabregas should once again revel in the freedom afforded by Arsenal’s 4-2-3-1 system. Started last season priced just £10.5m -compared to Andrei Arshavin’s £11.0m- so expect a price hike if he stays around.
Frank Lampard
With the loss of Ronaldo from the Premier League, Lampard started the season as the joint most expensive player in the game. This price was due to his pedigree; Lampard has scored more than 200 points in five of the last six seasons, making him the most consistently high scoring player in the game.
This season, he topped the midfield goal scorers with 21 goals, assisted more goals than anyone else with 17 and racked up an impressive 37 bonus points. He is almost the perfect FPL player as he plays all the games, is rarely substituted and didn’t receive a single caution or red card during the entire campaign. He is also capable of big gameweeks, scoring 28 in a single game.
Looking Ahead:
Though the imminent installation of Jose Mourinho as Real Madrid’s new coach will, no doubt, see Frank linked with a move to the Spanish giants, it is very likely Lampard will still be at Stamford Bridge next season. No doubt he’ll command an exorbitant price and will, unquestionably, once again be worth it.
Considering he grabbed 16 goals in the Blues last 18 league games following Ancelotti’s New Year tactical rethink, he could -conceivably- bag even more next term, given how much the diamond had stifled his output (6 goals in 20 games) in the first half of the campaign.
Florent Malouda
A terrific second half of the season brought a consistency of performance that saw Malouda voted Premier League Player of the Month for March. He scored 12 of Chelsea’s 103 goals this season, contributed 9 assists, and, considering he was often overshadowed by Lampard and Didier Drogba, still picked up a very respectable 20 FPL bonus points.
Like Lampard, he relished the width and resultant space offered by Ancelotti’s post-diamond system, and although there may be a possibility the Italian could possibly tinker with the team’s shape in the summer to accomodate any new acquisitions, Malouda’s performances have surely cemented his place firmly in the manager’s first-team thoughts.
Looking Ahead:
Malouda will probably be priced at the higher end of the mid-range midfielders next season in the 9.0 or “Dirk Kuyt” bracket. Investment in Chelsea’s attacking line-up will surely be high, but most managers will want the more tried and tested, Captain-friendly duo of Lampard or Drogba. Malouda will only tempt the more differential-friendly Fantasy Managers.
James Milner
Given that he scored 128 points the previous season Milner was not so much the surprise package of last term, but nevertheless his on-pitch displays culminated in his points tally being one of the most improved in the FPL game.
The Villa man started the season as a winger and moved into the centre of midfield, gathering plaudits and, fortunately for Milner owners, keeping the same points-scoring output. His increased influence for Martin O’Neill’s team earned him the PFA Young Player of the Year award and a place in the PFA Team of the Year.
He started the season priced at only £7.0m but managed to score 7 goals, grab 12 assists and notched up a fantastic 35 bonus points, thus finishing the season valued at 8.7. Like Lampard, Milner is also a man you can rely on to rarely be either substituted or rotated.
Looking Ahead:
It seems Man City are determined to get their man, and despite a £20m bid being rejected, will surely return with another substantial offer to tempt Martin O’Neill. Regardless of whether he is transferred or not, Milner will be priced around the no man’s land of £9.0m in FPL. This will make him too expensive for a starting option that isn’t good enough to be captain. He might see more interest around Christmas when successful managers budgets are a bit bigger.
Honourable Mentions:
Charles N’Zogbia
The ex-Newcastle man seems an unlikely pick for a ‘Team of the Year’ post, with Wigan hardly playing free flowing, attacking football. However, the canny Fantasy Manager should always be looking further down the league for teams who have one or two players who score all of their team’s points; players like Darren Bent, Jamie O’Hara and Charles N’Zogbia.
When Wigan played well, there were really only two beneficiaries: Hugo Rodallega and N’Zogbia. N’Zogbia received 31 bonus points; to put that in perspective, that is the same amount as Drogba. He scored 5 goals season and provided 7 assists; considering he started the season priced at only 5.5 that’s a very good return.
Looking Ahead:
Currently, N’Zogbia is the subject of transfer rumour, with Birmingham the apparent front runners. As long as N’Zogbia stays in the lower half of the table his price will also stay relatively low, meaning he may well turn out to be a bargain again next season.
Mikel Arteta
After sustaining a knee injury against Newcastle in the 2008/2009 season, Arteta only returned to action against Sunderland in January. He makes it into our line-up as an honourable mention despite only scoring 78 points for the season. After proving his fitness by playing 90 minutes against Man United in February, he took part in a further nine league games and scored 74 points, making an extremely impressive 7.4 points per game average. He scored 6 goals in those matches, including a brace against Hull and chipped in with a couple of assists, and was awarded 17 bonus points, including the full 3 in half of those games.
There’s every suggestion that he would’ve matched, or even bettered his previous best score for the season -which was 178 in 2006/2007 season- if he could’ve reproduced this form since August.
Looking Ahead:
Arteta is another of our midfield selection currently a transfer target, with Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City the potential suitors. If Manchester City get him then that muddies the water sufficiently to leave him alone, otherwise the timing of the transfer will be extremely important. If the move happens after the prices have been set, particularly if he goes to Arsenal to replace Fabregas, he could be an absolute bargain. If he is priced for a Top 4 team then he will probably be too expensive to be considered. If he stays at Everton, he will be essential at his current price.