You can tell it’s been a bad day when you find yourself clinging to the comfort from a late assist from an Arsenal loanee. And yet, on a Saturday of paltry Fantasy returns and double disappointment from Liverpool, a slither of skill from Ryo Miyaichi that picked the lock of the QPR defence, stood out as a highlight.
Having commanded a degree of Fantasy attention this week, partly fuelled by our own over coverage here and here, the 19-year-old did at least show enough to indicate that he could justify some of the hype. With fixtures presenting Miyaichi an opportunity to demonstrate his talent and for Bolton to find results that could pull them away from the trapdoor, the interest will surely increase. A bandwagon of sorts was born with a neat turn and threaded pass this afternoon – a glint of potential in a day otherwise bereft of encouragement for Fantasy managers.
Liverpool undoubtedly provided the biggest slap in the face. Slipping to their third league defeat in a row, Kenny Dalglish’s men huffed and puffed but were ultimately undone by a Nicklas Bendtner goal. Their clean sheet dirtied, Luis Suarez again showed skill and threat without delivering points. His alarming lack of goals continues – those who tentatively wrapped armband on him in hope of change in fortune must now look to Tuesday’s Merseyside derby. A cauldron awaits, with Phil Dowd wielding a big spoon to stir the pot.
On this evening’s evidence at Goodison, we shouldn’t expect a classic, although Everton would have been hugely satisfied with their 1-0 win over Spurs. A smart finish on his full debut saw Nikica Jelavić instantly endear himself to the Goodison throngs. Few Fantasy managers will have taken a punt on the Croation, and Jelavić’s showing will surely, at best, raise a few eyebrows. At 5.9 in the FPL, he may well be budget friendly but with Fulham’s Pavel Pogrebnyak the current low-to-mid price flavor of the month taking up a slot in Fantasy forward lines, it’s unlikely we’ll find room for Everton’s January signing just yet.
Talking of Pogrebnyak, he drew a blank at Villa Park. With over 100,000 new owners and an FPL price rise of 0.3 during the week, the Russian failed to score for the first time in four appearances. Fulham’s record on the road is dismal – that’s four goals in the last seven away league games for Fulham. We shouldn’t be surprised by their striker’s failure, then, although Pogrebnyak’s blank after blossoming form was typical of a day to forget for Fantasy managers.
