| Player | Club | Factors | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No Change |  Raya Martin | ARS | C |
| No Change |  Alisson | LIV | C |
| No Change |  Donnarumma | MCI | C, Sus |
| Up |  Kelleher | BRE | C, Vs |
| Down |  Ramsdale | NEW | C |
| No Change |  Dubravka | BUR | C, £ |
| Player | Club | Factors | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No Change |  van Dijk | LIV | C |
| No Change |  Jurriën Timber | ARS | C, Inj |
| No Change |  O’Reilly | MCI | C |
| Up |  Andersen | FUL | C |
| Up |  Marc Guehi | CRY | A |
| Up |  van den Berg | BRE | C, Vs |
| No Change |  Thiaw | NEW | A |
| No Change |  Milenkovic | NFO | C |
| No Change |  van Hecke | BHA | A |
| No Change |  Mukiele | SUN | C, £ |
| Player | Club | Factors | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No Change |  Saka | ARS | B |
| No Change |  Bruno Fernandes | MUN | A |
| No Change |  Foden | MCI | A |
| No Change |  Semenyo | BOU | C |
| Up |  Szoboszlai | LIV | C |
| No Change |  Minteh | BHA | B |
| No Change |  Bruno Guimarães | NEW | A |
| No Change |  Schade | BRE | C, Vs, Sus |
| No Change |  Anderson | NFO | B, £ |
| Player | Club | Factors | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No Change |  Haaland | MCI | B |
| No Change |  Thiago | BRE | A, Vs |
| No Change |  Mateta | CRY | C |
| Up |  Ekitiké | LIV | B |
| Down |  Welbeck | BHA | C, Rest |
| Down |  Woltemade | NEW | B |
Mark With template midfields and forward lines now commonplace, recent goals from Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Joleon Lescott demonstrated the value of points from our defenders as a method of boosting Fantasy ranks.
In this latest article for Members, we use Opta data and our own ICT Threat scores to examine the defenders who have presented the most potent threat so far, whilst discussing any worthy options who are potentially due improved returns before the season is out.
It's soooooooo quiet.
This page will take the longest time to finish.
Already 5 hours.
I can't make my decision public, but might as well discuss the usual suspects for the armband this week.
Aguero and Ba (slot A) should surely lead the poll. If anyone wanted to try slight more risky options - Silva, RVP, and Bale (slot B) would go in that slot.
So to the few guys that are awake, anyone considering anyone in slot B.
Captain: van Persie
Vice: Silva
Imo.
😯 You got him already? 😀
Not yet, but I'm considering my transfers for this week and at the moment he is favourite to bring in. I reckon he'll score more than Aguero. 🙂
😯 You got enough dosh/transfers??? 😉
Slipped out of my mind. No-one here seems to have him though. Everyone here seems to be waiting for gw28 when they swap him out for Aguero.
What about you? Did you get him in this week?
It's difficult to look away from Slot A. It's a lottery in there - if I may add one more name to Slot A - Papiss Demba Cisse - the name I'm afraid of this week, as Bayer Leverkusen will captain him for sure. 😉
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aul0PglyD-ESdHdYY3JWMllFdmVQZ2JZdzd1dEtQMXc#gid=1
wow, talk about pressure being top seed! :S
Brian, you're the last person I wanted in my group! Looks like I'll be sweating all the way... if I may ask, as per popular request, why Racing Genk? 😯
Made me laugh! http://www.artbypeople.co.uk/art/471405/Football_Idiots
Bogdan over Mignolet?
Basically I currently have Lindegaard as backup to Krul, but as that's my 3rd Utd spot and with rotation risk thinking with a "spare" transfer this week, it makes sense to sort the problem now.
Looking the only weeks I wouldn't want to play Krul really would be GW28, 34, 37 and maybe 38.
Bogdan in those fixtures has QPR, SPURS, WBA, stoke.
Mignolet has LIV, WOL, ful, MAN UTD
Okay there may be a couple of homes where I would play him over Krul, but none that I am too bothered about.
For the sake of 0.4mil I'm thinking it could be better used elsewhere.
Thoughts?
i think bogdan should be looked at as an emergency 2nd keeper only. If you are looking for more of a rotation with krul, the extra .4 for mignolet is worth it IMO.
LONG, RAMBLING FAN POST ALERT. After watching Arsenal fail again yesterday in a depressingly familiar way, it's obligatory to put my 2 cents in trying to understand why. There's been some great posts already today so I'll try not to repeat too much.
Fixed formations in the face of fluid football can be misleading, but I would say Arsenal have been unusual in that they have played a remarkably rigid 4-2-3-1 all season, which I distinguish from the fluid 4-3-3 Wenger has relied upon in recent years. I also distinguish it from the 4-2-3-1 that City play in that it uses orthodox (wide) wingers as opposed to roaming (central) playmakers. It's at this point that the cause of both differences becomes obvious: personnel. Since Arsenal lost Fab and Nasri (aptly, to City), they were forced to adapt to the midfielders they had or could get. So Walcott was retained as a right winger, while Gervinho and Ox were brought in to provide alternatives on the flank to lacklustre Arshavin and Rosicky.
Put simply, attack shifted from the centre to the flanks. This is painfully obvious with the deployment of (square) Ramsey in the (round) hole producing scant few goals and assists. Indeed, at least while Gerv and Walcott were playing, his main duty seemed to be to set them up for crosses, making him the assister of the assister. Arsenal's reliance on the flanks is now near-absolute, as a quick glance at Walcott, Gerv and Ox's goals and assists will show (relative to Ramsey, Arteta and Song).
The truth is that after an awful start, this winger system was actually made to work while Gervinho and Walcott were playing on both wings. Goals and wins were stacked up, admittedly with some decent fixtures, with excellent winger service to target man RVP, who as Arsenal's only recognized striker has the entire team built to supply him and FPL consequently kneeling at his throne.
The departure of Gervinho, compounded by injury to Arteta, severely reduced Arsenal's goal threat in mid season. A downturn in form and some absences for Walcott didn't help matters. With the wings gutted, Arsenal were out of options as we simply didn't have threat in the centre. Reliance on Ramsey unsurprisingly proved in vain. Worse still, with the goal threat nullified, virtually all the fullbacks got injured, reopening the defensive gaps we saw with fullbacks out at the start of the season.
The emergence of Ox as a winger to complement Walcott offered a chance to make the winger system work again - it certainly did against Blackburn, with opportunities created though not taken against United and Bolton too. It was always going to be unfair to rely on a youngster to carry the team. With Gervinho now returning, I expect an upturn in goals again.
Gervinho doesn't answer the long-term problem though, because the sad fact is that even without injuries the winger system is not enough to overcome the best defences. Looking at Arsenal's awful record against the top six this year (bar one epically misjudged AVB defence) is proof enough.
Milan last night was a perfect example of the limitations of our winger system. With no credible threat from our man "in the hole" Ramsey, Milan simply shunted our wingers into the touchlines, even having the freedom to double mark Ox late in the game, free from fear of being punished in the centre. It didn't help that pitting 4-2-3-1 against 4-3-1-2 effectively meant 6 attackers against 7 defenders - a numerical deficit that really showed. As if to reinforce the point, Milan broke seemingly countless times through the centre, with the man in the hole pivotal in a way Ramsey was clearly not.
In conclusion there's no way around it. With a strong sense of deja vu to United fans (but at least they have Rooney) we need a man in the hole. It is as simple as needing a Fabregas/Nasri replacement, but not being able to afford it. Hazard looks the best bet, but probably as much of a pipe dream as winning anything in the near future. We sold the family silver. Ironically, we're paupers now.
Fixed formations in the face of fluid football--some cracking alliteration there Isacki.
Hazard wants to be a spur!!! Ox seems a decent prospect but Wenger needs a legit Fabregas replacement or change his tactics.
I like to leave treats in there to reward the absurdly patient 😉
I was thinking from Hazard's interview it must be either Spurs or Arsenal since apparently he will not be on the bench and they play good football. No laughing at the back.
If Hazard's going Spurs is that it for Bale?
i think its the other way round atm, IF thats it for Bale, then hazard's (hopefully) going to spurs.
Reason why I think it's this way round is apparently in the interview he admitted he has already agreed to a move to the PL next year but wouldn't divulge to whom. Not unless I misread it. In which case alarm bells might start to ring...
Awful record?
0-0 Newcastle (a) - Wouldn't call it an 'awful' result at all, Newcastle are very solid at home.
2-8 Man U (a) - Missing 7 of our current best fully-fit 11.
1-2 Spurs (a) - 2-1 away to Spurs without our 2 best CB's (although last night hardly proved that) as well as having to play our best CM in defense.
0-1 City (a) - Only team to keep City to less than 2 goals at home this season.
1-2 Man United (h) - Having to play Djourou and Vermaelen as our fullbacks as well as missing Arteta.
That said, United were missing players too, but the point is, I wouldn't call any of these 'awful' besides the 8-2, and as I said, we had 4 of our normal (or what should be normal) 11 starting.
Even against Chelsea we were missing 3 of our back 4.
A lot would blame our depth for some of these results, but not having depth at the back is one thing, but not being able to play a back 4 who barely get 90 minutes together is another. Credit to United for how they have coped.
You've had your share of injuries this season. However the last few results you've had little to no excuse. £6mil a year for Wenger? He has to go.
http://www.sincearsenallastwonatrophy.co.uk/
And counting 😉
I know, I was just making reference to our poor record against the top sides.
Last night Milan were just way too good for us, but at least we were there.
Had to laugh seeing some comments by United/City fans (Granville especially) saying how 'Arsenal have left England down' 🙄
Yeah I guess, not qualifying in general was still a let down, you were awful though. That and AC were awesome. Gotta imagine they'll reach at least the semi final with passing like that.
Granville said ‘Arsenal have left England down’.
When exactly did I say this?
Any more Chinese whispers?
Sorry Granville, I read it through another poster earlier on, apologies if you didn't say it..
Although I did see you bagging Arsenal and mentioning the 'Top 3' in the process..
What I said was in response to people saying this result seriously reflects badly on the Premier League, was that the current 3 best sides in the Premier League aren't playing in this competition.
That's true isn't it? (not saying that they deserve to be). Not even dissing Arsenal for letting the PL down.
That's fair enough then!
I shouldn't have said anything as I hadn't seen what you posted, just what someone said in response to that post later on.
Apologies again, I'm a little sensitive after last night 🙁
By the way, the rest is a great post!
Ta, yeah, the context of 'awful record' was the points we've taken from top six encounters. Yes we've had tons of injuries and yes the back four hasn't had enough stability, but ultimately it's down to the manager (and the board) to make sure we have enough investment and medical competence to ride out the season (both of which I'm really skeptical about after all these years). Given that we can't really keep the top six out, we have to score 2 at least against them and I doubt this attack can manage it.
I think if we could get Sanga-Kos-Vermaelen-Gibbs out for a consecutive run of matches we might be able to provide some defensive stability..but it seems it's not going to happen.
Seriously though, WTF, finally Sagna and Gibbs return and Vermaelen is fit, then Koscielny goes and gets injured 😕
See what I mean? Doesn't this just happen all the time? I've long believed there is either something wrong with our medical team or we buy the most fragile players ever.
Would take that back 4 - Gibbs narrowly ahead of Santos - SO not happening though, should bet on it!
Good post Isacki,
AHA!!!!!
If it isnt Zenit. My newest enemy!!!
Did you see AB's post earlier on this thread last night? You might want to track back and read it as it's very interesting. It was posted around 23:20/30.
Good post, much along the lines of AB's last night. Head, nail hit.
It was another bitterly disappointing game. I've been a huge fan of Wenger over the years, but do you think any other top 4 manager would survive 6 years of no silverware? I think even SAF would get the push (albeit he'd probably resign himself if that happened).
If Wenger doesn't either adapt his tactics to the personnel he has, or go out and actually sign the likes of Hazard and co, we aren't going to win anything for a long time, and perhaps he should give someone else with fresh ideas a go....
Wenger won't change a thing, and I doubt he will buy anyone, we just have to live with it.
If that's the case, do you want him to stay or go?
My decision was made when he didn't sign a replacement for both Cesc and Nasri (as Arteta is pretty much playing where Wilshere would be)
He left it too late, but the thing is, I doubt he'd have bought anyone had they been sold earlier.
Wenger is a legend, no doubt, but I think if we were to challenge for the title he'd have to change it up, or leave...and I don't see him doing the former 😕
Yeah, I think you're right. If memory serves me right, weren't we on the verge of signing Mata before Chelsea pounced? He could have been the answer....
Sounds familiar. We were linked with Hazard (naaaaahhh), Podolski (mayyyybe) and Goetze (hahahahahaha...) at various points in the summer I think. Wouldn't surprise me if Wenger didn't try for any of them.
Mata and Arteta would have been interesting!
Like you suggest I think he's stayed long enough.... I'll leave it at that 🙁
Very thought-provoking and well-compiled, Isacki. I can't help but keep re-iterating that you should have applied for the Scout writers post 🙂
Agree with all most of your pointers. But I just can't help being amused by Wenger's confidence and belief in the team. As a Chelsea fan who has seen how detrimental a manager can be to the success or otherwise of a team, Wenger seems to have taken his managerial record to another level. It's no mean feat that Arsenal are in the position they are in at the moment with the stature of players you possess. As you mentioned, the stature and confidence of players isn't of a Top 4 side. Despite that, Wenger has managed to work his magic and ofcourse partly by keeping Van the Man fit. With one or two quality signings (who know how to win CUPS importantly), I can see Arsenal going on a high. But who knows, how long those 2 signings will take.
Wenger has lost it. Simple as that
Ta Nino, well, given the squad actually available many managers would have done a lot worse. I think the frustration is that Wenger thinks this squad is good enough and we all know it isn't. Maybe not even for 4th.
You're right, I genuinely think 2 players might be enough - but they would have to be world class, an AM and a striker?
Every year we are now resigned to winning nothing and that is the worrying thing.
Yeah, it's probably correct that Arsenal really need a good creative central player, but I also feel that other teams, like Manchester United in particular, also rely heavily on their wingers to produce the goods for them to win matches. What is then the big difference between the teams? Is it not just that United have better wingers, rather than a problem with the system?
Anyway, another factor we've perhaps overlooked a bit is how fragile Arsenal were defensively yesterday. Not scoring goals is bad, but away to Milan they were probably never going to score that many anyway. Conceding four is pretty awful however. They came from everywhere too. Left, right, centre. All in all, pretty depressing 🙁
i AM Shakhtar Donetsk. My ground, Donbass Arena, will henceforth be named Dumbass Arena.
Pratik- ive just done a 12 point hit. Got rooney, mata and david luiz now.
You better make some moves!
I guess its now or never to bring in Ba the way he is rising, so do i do Fletch in for Ba now or wait a week for Yakubu?
Currently for next gw i can do
Krul (Mign)
Santon Taiwo Richards (Kelly, Enrique)
Walters Bale Sess Dempsey (Sig)
Fletch RVP Aguerro (c)
Eventually Walters will need downgrading..maybe for Moses???
Ba rises once more this GW, could you still afford? If so wait til the last...
Once you work out who you are benching from your front eight this and the next week, get him in. No FA Cup or Europe to worry about injury.
tricky one, i would say Sig but that has backfired big once already and Stoke are on a dire run.
Sess is away to a Westbrom side who can't win at home however after smashing 5 past Wolves surely now is as good of a time as any? so it could be him.
I would have thought Siggy, who knows, you have a few reasonable options in midfield.
Walters > McClean
Don't get Moses, unless you can play him week in week out. He keeps pulling off a Fletcher!
When's the second round draw for Paddy Power Cup 2?
evertons fixtures from gwk28 are
TOT, ARS, swa, WBA, nor, SUN
if their double (away at liverpool so not the best) is chusked in amongst this lot will you be going for any everton players or just ignoring?
baines seems the only reasonable option to me
Probably ignore like last time..
Maybe get in Baines for just the DGW if it falls under swa/WBA
baines has crept up to 4th highest scoring defender, im tempted with him from 28-33 then an easy switch to vermaelen for arsenals last 5 games which r quite nice
To be fair though they are palying much better right now, Pienaar looks a decent bet so long as the double is not around the Spurs game?
They are always a second half of the season team.
One thing is for certain i won't be getting Rolls Royston again!!
waiting for drenthe to get to shane ferguson's price range.
This whole Tevez Mancini saga is like the comeback concert of a really terrible pop band. You thought they were gone, no more bullsh*t. Then all of a sudden, theyr'e all over the headlines again. "He treated me like a dog", "I treated him with respect"....no one cares!!!
?
Bargain alert!!! 😉
Marseille! Looks like I'm playing 4/5 defenders every week then!
Your were unlucky with the draw. Look on the bright side at least you got in
REPRESENT
Can some people please look at my mini league "skin os premiership" I am panicking for some reason about the guy in 3rd who has spent all his money on defence. my team surley is better but think he will catch me with city clean sheets. 2nd in league is not a worry as its my wife. the league is 70 strong and has a massive payout for winning. thanks everyone in advance.
I reckon you'll be fine although the next 2 matches may hurt a little. City can actually concede... something a lot of people don't seem to have considered.
*POST OF THE DAY*
😛
Those with their WC still in tact - are you all planning for a GW28 shuffle up?
GW29/30 ideally.
Still waiting for news on the Liv-Eve DGW and the DGWs due to FA Cup-related PL cancellations.
Frankly I just want to delay my WC as late as possible with City & Fulham's fixtures still about decent then. I know United's fixtures turn around in GW 28, but I can do without Rooney for a week (hopefully!). Also, looking to take a one-two week punt on the Yak.
HAHAHA
No way am I playing Rukawa in the first H2H Elnino, FIX
ha, two drawn clubs. should be like a good relegation battle match. you better read Ruk's tweets. he may reveal his team sheet early! 🙂
😆
Go RUK! We'll be rooting for you.
You better beware of his h2h tactics - he seems to have a 6th sense of guessing and copying his h2h opponents' (C) choices. Does it to near perfection 😉
Any of Bizzle, gad, Jonny Englander out there? Looks like we are in same group. Are you ready for some spanking!!!
Who're you up against, Dan?
Bizzle's rank is insaneeeeeee, but haven't seen him around here at all. Lurker?
Lurker? Should've been one of the rules to make someone ineligible. Surely this cup is all about banter?
Yup I agree but unfortunately I only know a handful amount of people outside the deadzone hours. Wish there was a way in FFS to look up the profile of the users. Could have made it another criteria then. It was disappointing to see 1966, Isacki, Udit & Doosra miss the cut since they contribute so much to the board. 🙁 On the bright side, there are about 80% people who're active users and we might get to know the other 20% soon enough 😉
I want to have some discussion with the lads against me. That is this cup is all about. Ok in the knock out phase then. But I don't know any of the lads against me and I am all time here.
Lurkers show yourself
I've seen gad and Johnny Englander (with their RMTs) around though quite a bit, during my short tour in the evening hours.
Yup yup - bring on the banter, cos daddy's hereeeeee.
Good point.
I've always liked Canadian Football's posts so it'll be nice to see how much of a bad loser he is 😉 😀
HAHAHA
And you....my friend should start adapting yourself to Ruk-ishness! ladyGuy galore!
Daniel, Bizzle reporting for duty! I must confess I've been a lurker and posted sporadically due to work and mostly browsing on my iPhone (and being too lazy to log in so often, my phone logs me out everytime). Looking forward to the stiff competition... Dont let my ranking deceive you - THis is my first season at Fantasy Football, so I'm either incredibly lucky or amazingly good. I'll leave that for you to decide... 🙂
Let's go!
Does anyone else think Valencia at 7/5 are a great bet away to Stoke tonight? Thinkin of doubling up with Man Utd
Utd aren't good in Europe this year
Siggy (sto, wig)
Moses (AVL, SWA)
I've got this wrong everytime so far, so advice on who to play in GW26 and GW27 please...
The home player when in doubt.
Siggy.
Siggy by miles IMO
Stoke - very poor around Europa League games, without Huth.
Wigan - shit.
Siggy imo. Better player, in form + Wigan/Moses is not really something you can count on in home games.
I've got the same two mate, I'm sticking with the home players.
Anyone else doing pretty well in UCL FF and struggling in FPL?
I'm doing pretty well in UCL and probably average (relative to this site) on FPL.
I'm pretty poor on this site but doing well in the UCL might not try so hard next year in FPL 🙂
Started a GW late in both of them[GW2].
In UEL FF I started in GW1.
You pick 3 Lyon defenders by any chance?
Don't play it myself although it would make more sense as my girlfriend wouldn't know about it...
Na jus the two mate. Overall I'm doing not bad hit the dizzy heights of 69 in the world not too long ago. Got a fair few players still to go and got a respectable gw score. Get involved next year 🙂
I may be behind the curve here but did anybody else chuckle when they heard Roberto Martinez compared Victor Moses to Lionel Messi?
Sigh... just watched a replay of Arsenal beating Barcelona 2-1 at home in the CL first leg... RVP's sublimely placed acute shot... Andrei's (yes Andrei!) gloriously crafted winner... players mobbing Wenger... old Arsene letting his guard down for once and grinning like Nicklas Bendtner on coke... better days.
Carrying on the Arsenal chat - not sure if this has been posted before, but it tells a story all on it's own....
http://www.transferleague.co.uk/league-tables/2006-2011.html
Glory to you, Shakhtar!
Heavens of football stars
Will always be on your side,
And the light of your best dreams
Is shining from above.
Refrain:
Beauty of green fields, that's for you, Shakhtar.
My fate is in your hands, you are the best, Shakhtar.
And for you, Shakhtar, the medal of my love
Will always shine on pitch where you are,
And forever will protect you from defeat
The brightest football star!
Defending champions alert!
Barca's Zep Guardiola has arrived.
Calls for abuses? Anyone? Where is The Special One, when we need him? 😉
damn ive been beaten to the managerial pun, was too busy working on Zep's stadium pun.
Who are you going to be, Andres Bigash-Titas? 🙂
ok i need to work on that one
In a Mourinho-ish voice - "Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one"
"I am prepared. The more pressure there is, the stronger I am. In Portugal, we say the bigger the ship, the stronger the storm. Fortunately for me, I have always been in big ships. FC Porto was a very big ship in Portugal, Chelsea was also a big ship in England and Inter was a great ship in Italy. Now I'm at Real Madrid, which is considered the biggest ship on the planet."
"Who is Zep Guardiola"? He should try to win trophies in more countries before he can be considered a success!"
Thinking of playing Siggy and benching Demps. Good decision?
