Three wins in their last four league games means Blackburn Rovers once-stuttering season is now firmly back on track, with Morten Gamst Pedersen, in particular, being pivotal to their recent resurgence. The Norwegian has scored four in four for Sam Allardyce’s men, including a brace against Aston Villa on Sunday, and all of this after getting punched in the heart by Joey Barton.
Pedersen’s recent outstanding form has allowed him to sneak up the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) standings somewhat un-noticed. Priced at £5.7m, he costs the same as Charlie Adam and has, like the Blackpool playmaker, also scored 65 FPL points, yet Adam has been selected by a whopping 18.1% of Fantasy Managers in comparison to Pedersen’s meagre ownership of 1.7%. The Norwegian’s credentials as a real “differential” is shown by the fact that his FPL points total also tops the far more popular (and equally-priced) Fantasy selections such as Matthew Etherington, Charles N’Zogbia and Chris Brunt.
Outwith a difficult trip to Old Trafford this upcoming weekend, fixtures are certainly on Blackburn’s side right now; from Gameweek 16 their next five games (WOL, bol, WHM, STK, wba) are all definitely winnable. A good run of form before the New Year would push Rovers up from mid-table mediocrity and perhaps persuade the club’s new Indian owners to splash the cash in the January transfer window, which would surely be the perfect Christmas present for Big Sam.
Pedersen is bound to be a vital participant in this potentially significant run and is in irresistible form, picking up 9 FPL bonus points in his last 4 games. The player himself has identified the spurt in form to a change of position that has seen him come in from the left-flank to a more central role.
“I’m playing in a different position now, more central rather than out wide as I played five years ago…It’s going well for me and that’s five goals in five games if you include the international match last Wednesday. It’s hard to say what has happened, but I worked hard to turn things round. Now I’m really looking forward to that next game at United”
Pedersen goes to United having scored a brace in a Rovers victory back in 2005. While a repeat performance may be too much to ask, Pedersen is undboutedly on a high and continued returns after the United game look a strong possibility.
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