The Digest – a new regular. The concept is simple – capture the Gameweek past under three headings, assessing the player, the team and the one event that has the Fantasy Football community stirring.
Gameweek One provided an easy introduction, although sadly, around the genius of one Argentinian and the artistry of a sparkling Monday night display, some of its events are best forgotton.
The Player
Sergio Aguero
Late to the party, Sergio Aguero transformed the Gameweek in thirty minutes by dismantling Swansea with two goals and a smart assist for David Silva’s third goal. Busy and bustling, Aguero’s impressive industry was surpassed by moments of brilliance, capped by a 20-yard drive that dipped and curled away from the grasp of Vorm – a keeper who had, for so long, repelled City’s best efforts.
Any doubts that Aguero would take time adjusting to Premier League life were extinguished – concerns that Mancini’s men would need more matches to gel with their new talisman quelled. The link up play with Silva, in particular, looks to have the potential to dismantle defences and Aguero clearly has the end product to convert the creative spark supplied by the Spaniard.
Fantasy Managers will have revised their plans of the back of the half-hour cameo. Suddenly Aguero is no longer a “wait and see†prospect – he’s firmly in our plans with heavy investment heading his way.
The Team
Man City
City’s slow ascent from a teasing tormentor to ultimate destroyers of Swansea’s plucky Premier League baptism sent a clear message to their title rivals. The firepower available to Roberto Mancini is clearly devastating, reinforced considerably by Aguero’s explosive introduction on the hour-mark.
Around the Argentinian, last season’s campaigners stepped up accordingly. David Silva conjured and cajoled in midfield, linking play, seeking the ball, dazzling the visitors forlorn attempts to shackle his influence. Yaya Toure was immense – by pushing his presence further up the pitch, Mancini turned the game, imprisoned Swansea in their own half and was able to sustain the pressure to such a degree, breaking point was inevitable. Even Edin Dzeko, rejuvenated by a pre-season and clean slate, toiled as the lone striker before providing the focal point for Aguero to buzz around with such effect. A 75-minute appearance for Adam Johnson, the usual smattering of step-overs this time accompanied by an end product as he provided the ammunition for Dzeko’s crucial opener.
Behind all finery, Vincent Kompany marshalled a defence which started the campaign with a clean sheet – the first of many for a defence which topped the rankings last term.
We shouldn’t be seduced too easily – Swansea’s resistance seemed to drain once Dzeko breached their defence; clearly Brendan Rodgers has a lot of work to do before his outfit can compete with such an effective foe. However, it’s apparent that City’s attacking talent bristles with Fantasy potential and with defensive resolve also on offer, the temptation to boost the City quota in our lineups is strong.
The Talking Point
Fantasy Premier League Woes
Much as we’d like to dwell on some sparkling on-field displays, the Fantasy Gameweek was dominated by the problems suffered by the Fantasy Premier League game. Demand on Friday evening created issues which ultimately saw the service disrupted with managers unable to log on to tweak their lineups and new managers denied the opportunity to sign-up. Despite toiling overnight and a brief window of normality from 5am onwards, big demand again on Saturday morning again threatened the service and Friday night’s issues returned.
Live points were disabled while the service looked to recover and it wasn’t until Sunday that the FPL began to edge back to near working order.
Yesterday came the apology for the issues – the FPL have taken the step to lift the cost on transfers leading up to this weekend’s deadline and emphasised the option or mini-league admins to scrap Gameweek One’s tallies. New monthly prizes were introduced; an extra incentive for Gameweek’s 2-4 thrown into the mix. Inevitably, the solution left some feeling aggrieved and there’s still concerns that the message has yet to reach those who play the game. There’s still confusion.
In truth, the FPL manager just wants stability. We want the game to get back on its feet, to make a recovery and to reinvigorate our Fantasy seasons. We’ve got everything crossed for Gameweek Two. We hope to be talking football in next week’s digest.
