Few of us Fantasy managers had seen it coming.
A trip to Anfield, with a home clash against Man City to follow, was surely the last place you’d expect Sir Alex Ferguson to bench his two most consistent attacking players.
This lunchtime, however, saw Wayne Rooney and Nani sit out the proceedings against old foes Liverpool until a Steven Gerrard free-kick had somewhat forced Fergie’s hand. In the end, the duo were afforded twenty-one minute cameos but failed to fire, returning a single Fantasy point apiece in the 1-1 draw.
At least Roberto Mancini gave us warning- the Man City boss had spoken of rest and rotation yesterday but, with Sergio Aguero’s groin injury ruling out the Argentine, not many had expected David Silva to be benched as City looked to leapfrog their rivals and climb to the top of the table.
With Adam Johnson running amok against Aston Villa, Samir Nasri and Edin Dzeko were both given the day off in the 4-1 win- Silva’s appearance, midway through the second half, mirrored that of Rooney and Nani, with just one Fantasy point to his name.
A look at our Captain’s poll sums up the frustrations of many – Silva and Rooney sit second and third, an indication of the collective faith ahead of this Gameweek’s fixtures.
Today’s results afford Robin Van Persie the platform to produce the goods in what has proved a frustrating, low-scoring Fantasy Gameweek so far. Arsenal’s home showdown with Sunderland tomorrow is set up nicely, then; Fantasy managers who awarded the captain’s armband to the Dutchman look set to reap reward if the Gunners can see off an out-of-sorts Black Cats.
Two goals in his last home game certainly looks promising- Van Persie, the number one choice in the Captain’s Poll, now has the potential to be a major Gameweek-changer and proved the catalyst for a significant swing in the Fantasy fortunes of many.
