We bring a somewhat painful Gameweek to a close, reliving the revival of another of United’s wingmen, the quiet ascent of Martin Jol’s Cottagers and the possible fallout from Roberto Mancini’s teamsheet…
The Player
Despite the absence of Sergio Aguero and David Silva, we weren’t short of performers stamping a lasting impression on the Gameweek. Pavel Pogrebnyak’s hat-trick offered further evidence that Martin Jol has unearthed a gem – a true dark horse talent which Fantasy managers have been quick to pounce on following a superb hat-trick in the mauling of Wolves at the Cottage.
Similarly, Gylfi Siggurdsson’s sublime brace at Wigan confirmed the classy Icelander as a prime budget asset, capable of translating his propensity to gain assists and goals with Reading in the Championship to the top flight, having been left out in the cold at Hoffenheim. Despite that, we’ve opted for Ashley Young as our player of the Gameweek, having announced his return to form with a display of true quality in United’s 3-1 win at White Hart Lane, capped by two goals – the second of which reminiscent of a player at the peak of his powers.
An upturn in performance from the former Villa man could be hugely significant for United and Fantasy managers. Bizarrely, with Antonio Valencia and Nani vying for the flank roles, Young and his rivals have appeared to shift in and out of form in a coordinated fashion, ensuring that Sir Alex Ferguson has always had at least one of his wide men firing and providing a supply line. With Valencia stricken by injury and Nani displaying a frustrating inconsistency once again, it’s fallen to Young to step up.
The brace at Spurs took Young to just four in the league for the season. Sunday was, however, the first time he has played 90 minutes for United in the league since Gameweek 13; in a campaign blighted by injury, Young has made just 12 starts. That considered, his goal return, with eight assists and eight Fantasy Premier League bonus suddenly looks a reasonable tally. There’s surely more to come; United have the fixtures to present Young with a platform to book his place, not only in the England squad, but in the starting XI for Euro 2012 and he will surely be aiming to end the season with a flurry of goals and assists to cement his status.
While Ferguson has assured us that Valencia is due to return for the trip to Wolves in Gameweek 29, it seems likely that he’ll battle with Nani for a start on the right while Young is given a serious run on the left-flank. With three goals and two assist in his last four appearances in all competitions, Young looks in the mood to work in tandem with Wayne Rooney and help steer United’s title tilt.
The Team
Slowly but surely, Martin Jol has produced a winning formula at Craven Cottage. Based on an rich array of attacking players, now supplemented by the defensive talents of Mahamadou Diarra, Jol has masterminded three consecutive victories, with Russian striker Pavel Pogrebnyak the catalyst for the burst in form.
Five goals in those three matches have seen Pogrebnyak become the hottest Fantasy property since Demba Ba’s return from the African Cup of Nations prompted huge ownership growth and a continued price rise. Pogrebnyak is on his way to achieving similar heights – already we’ve seen his value increased by 0.2, with an additional rise imminent later this week.
At 6.2, Pogrebnyak is undoubtedly superb value if he can maintain his incredible run of form. With Villa, Swansea and Norwich amongst the next four opponents, there’s every chance that the goals will continue to flow. The only caveat is, of course, the form of Clint Dempsey – Jol’s other major goal threat and scorer of another brace in Sunday’s rout.
With the likes of Rooney, Robin Van Persie and a double dose of Luis Suarez presenting a powerful trio this Gameweek, it’s hard to see a place for Pogrebnyak with an away trip at Villa, when Dempsey is surely already installed in many a midfield.
Pogrebnyak is the spearhead of a Fulham outfit emerging as the form side in the Premier League right now, while Dempsey continues to enjoy his most profitable Fantasy season, but there’s also talent elsewhere to consider.
Mark Schwarzer is a proven Fantasy performer in goal, protected by the imposing Brede Hangeland at the back. The Norwegian is the one player who has disappointed so far, failing to find the net in the league, having fetched half a dozen goals last term. Aaron Hughes, now seemingly restored to the back four, is now the viable budget alternative, providing value at 4.5 in the FPL while Stephen Kelly recovers from a thigh injury.
The Talking Point
When news of Roberto Mancini’s teamsheet broke just after 2pm on Saturday, the waves of discontent spread throughout the Fantasy fraternity. The after effects of that decision, coupled with the mechanics of the FPL vice captain, were felt by many: some fared well from the twist, others felt the burn of a red arrow and were left scorning at the City boss and their expensive bench warmers.
It’s enough to make Fantasy managers turn their back on City’s assets – a knee jerk reaction, but, in the cold light of day, perhaps not a huge error of judgment.
There’s little doubt that City face the tougher run-in compared to their rivals on the red side of Manchester. Five home games remain, compared to United’s six and the potentially decisive clash with United makes up one of those home matches, together with the visit of Chelsea, possibly boosted by a change in management, in Gameweek 29.
When you consider that both Silva and Aguero suffer a significant dip in returns on the road, they are left with home games against Sunderland, West Brom and QPR on the final day as potential big profit Gameweeks. The title could be won and lost by Gameweek 38, however, leaving Mancini free to rotate his troops against a QPR outfit possibly battling for survival.
In the short-term, while the defence has kept an incredible seven clean sheets in eight league games, the fixture list has been kind to them in that run. Trips to Swansea, Stoke and Arsenal will provide three very different tests of their defensive resolve. Feasibly, we could see Mancini’s men concede in all three, while the aforementioned home clash with Chelsea could also see the home copybook blotted.
Reduced defensive returns could be on the cards, then, while Silva and Aguro may continue to struggle on the road. In comparison, United have a smooth passage into Easter, with the City trip in Gameweek 36 their only real major test in front of them for the rest of the season. That could see a revolution of Fantasy assets – prompted by the deep cut dealt by Mancini’s teamsheet.
