It was a triumphant Saturday for many of the season’s much-maligned Fantasy performers yesterday afternoon. Fernando Torres proved instrumental in Chelsea’s win at Villa. Adel Taarabt was amongst the goals at Loftus Road. Aleksandar Kolarov returned double figures in City’s draw with Sunderland, Nicklas Bendtner scored again for the Black Cats, while Victor Moses netted at home for the first time this term:
Fernando Torres
With Didier Drogba missing out due to a toe injury, the Spaniard led the line at Villa Park and produced his most impressive Fantasy display of the season. Torres had a hand in three of the Blues’ four goals, providing a couple of assists before rounding off the match with a late goal as Roberto Di Matteo’s side won on the road for the first time since Gameweek 20. Not only was his 12 point haul Torres’ first double figure return of the campaign, it will also surely bring bonus for the very first time this season. With a home game against Wigan up next and a solid double gameweek (QPR, NEW) on the horizon, many will be tempted. Daniel Sturridge also picked up the points, grabbing an assist in addition to netting for the first time since Gameweek 17.
Chelsea Defence
Four goals and five assists last season suggested attacking returns would be on the table for Branislav Ivanovic this term. Prior to yesterday’s trip to Villa, however, the versatile defender had been hugely disappointing, with a single assist to show for Fantasy campaign. A double against Alex McLeish’s side saw a reprisal of his 2010/11 form and handed Ivanovic 13 points for his day’s work- he’s likely to battle Torres all the way for the maximum bonus. Elsewhere at the back, Di Matteo’s recent hint of rotation came to fruition yesterday – Gary Cahill’s run of five league starts was halted as the former Bolton man sat among the subs; all the more surprisingly given he was also excluded from the first-team for the midweek trip to Benfica. Cahill came off the bench at half-time, though; David Luiz sustained an ankle ligament problem and will be assessed prior to Wednesday’s Champions League return with the Portuguese side.
Eric Lichaj
With Alan Hutton sidelined due to a calf injury, the American was afforded his first start of the season against Chelsea. Lichaj was the home side’s stand-out performer at Villa Park, returning a goal and assist for a nine point haul, bettering Hutton’s top score so far of six. Given his eye-catching display, Alex McLeish clearly has food for thought for the right-back berth – if Lichaj can maintain his starting role, a price of 4.0 may be enticing ahead of Villa’s double Gameweek 35.
Mario Balotelli
The Italian has taken on the mantle of City’s main forward almost by default of late. With Sergio Aguero sidelined by a magic spray, Carlos Tevez still working his way back to fitness and Edin Dzeko woefully off-form, Balotelli was handed his sixth straight start for the game against Sunderland. A two-goal haul may not have been enough to see off the Black Cats in a thrilling 3-3 draw but it took his tally for the season to 13 in 13 starts – far more consistent than Aguero’s 17 in 24 first XI appearances, for example. A trip to Arsenal looks testing but with West Brom, Norwich and Wolves thereafter, City clearly have the potential for further attacking returns over the next few Gameweeks. Balotelli’s relationship with Roberto Mancini remains stormy, however, with the City boss critical of the Italian and fellow striker Edin Dzeko, in his post-match comments. Should Aguero recover for the trip to Arsenal, he and Tevez will surely be considered for starts.
“A player like Mario or (Edin) Dzeko should score two or three goals in a game like this. In this moment we need Carlos (Tevez), a striker who can do different. I want this.”
Aleksandar Kolarov
Last year, most of us were made very much aware of his frustrating Fantasy fortunes. This season, with the signing of Gael Clichy, Roberto Mancini has made it a little easier to overlook the Serbian, with Kolarov mainly playing second fiddle to the former Arsenal man at left-back. Yesterday’s goal and assist and subsequent 10 point haul at the Etihad means Kolarov has now returned double figures in four of his nine starts this term – an extraordinary set of numbers that has earned him 7.5 points per start, or 6.4 points per game – the highest average of any defender in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game. Given Mancini’s rotation policy, it’ll be back to the bench for Kolarov next week, but it’s clear that should he ever cement a starting role – the potential is obvious.
Seb Larsson
One of the few Sunderland players to dramatically shrink as a Fantasy force since the installation of Martin O’Neill, the Swede proved to be a thorn in City’s side at the Etihad as the hosts’ winning run came tumbling down. Larsson had returned four goals and four assists in twelve games under Steve Bruce but, since O’Neill’s first game in charge in Gameweek 15, he has picked up just a single goal in 14 appearances. Yesterday’s double served a reminder of his potential as an alternative to Stphane Sessegnon and James McClean, as Sunderland’s spirited performance made a major dent in City’s title aspirations.
Stephane Sessegnon
It’s obvious just how much his recent suspension affected the Black Cats’ attacking ploys. Sunderland scored just one goal in the two league games Sessegnon missed in Gameweeks 28 and 29 but have now netted six in two matches since his return. A goal against QPR last week was followed up by a couple of assists as O’Neill’s side stormed to a shock 3-1 only to be denied by a late, late fightback from Mancini’s men. Given that City had previously conceded seven at home all season and were welcoming back Vincent Kompany, yesterday’s trio of goals was hugely impressive and will likely see Fantasy managers backing the Black Cats ahead of next week’s game with Tottenham.
Nicklas Bendtner
There’s every chance that his recent purple patch is the storm before the calm of a seven game goalless drought but, at the moment, you can’t ignore Bendtner’s form . A goal and assist in the Etihad draw means he’s now notched in four of his last five and, with goals against the likes of Liverpool and Newcastle, the big Dane has been one of the most consistent frontmen in the league over the last few Gameweeks. O’Neill’s side seem to have stepped up in attacking returns of late – prior to last week’s win over QPR they had netted four in six games but as the season slowly edges to a close, Bendtner is ensuring that they finish on a high.
Clint Dempsey
A goal and assist from the American helped end Fulham’s three-game scoring drought in yesterday’s win over Norwich. Dempsey was a strong armband candidate going into the Craven Cottage clash- he’d already notched four double figure returns at home prior to the Canaries clash and duly delivered another for his Fantasy owners, as Martin Jol’s side returned to winning ways. With 165 points now on the board, Dempsey has now jumped to the top of the midfield rankings- all the more astonishing given the fact that he has produced attacking returns in a mere three away matches all season.
Wes Hoolahan
The Norwich playmaker continued his recent upturn in attacking performance with an assist for Aaron Wilbraham’s consolation goal at the Cottage. Paul Lambert’s decision to start with a back-five quickly came undone as Norwich went two-down within thirteen minutes – a half-time change to 4-4-2 saw Hoolahan maintain his central midfield berth and pick up attacking returns for the third time in three starts. With Everton, Spurs and City up next though, Lambert’s side may find it difficult to produce over the short-term.
Leighton Baines
It’s four clean sheets in the last five at home now for the Toffees, as a 2-0 win over West Brom saw them climb to seventh. Leighton Baines was favoured by many for this one- over 16,000 Fantasy managers transferred in the left-back in light of his goal and clean sheet at Swansea last week and, while he failed to have a hand in either of Everton’s goals, a six point return was enough to see him leap to the top of the defender rankings with a total of 130 points. With a mix of attacking and defensive stats to his name, don’t be surprised to see Baines pushing for bonus again this week.
Adel Taarabt
Many had earmarked him as this Fantasy season’s Charlie Adam but in truth, it’s been nothing but a bitter disappointment. For QPR fans, it’s better late than never, though, as Taarabt picked up his first goal of the campaign to bring high-flying Arsenal crashing down to earth. Having provided an assist in the 3-2 home win over Liverpool, the Moroccan has now picked up back-to-back attacking returns at Loftus Road and is starting to produce when it matters most. A trip to United now beckons but, with games against Swansea and West Brom to follow, Taarabt is afforded further chance to engineer his side’s climb out the bottom three. Pushed up in support of Bobby Zamora with Djibril Cisse serving this four-match ban, Taarabt’s confidence will be high having finally made his mark in the top flight. He may well earn some Fantasy interest following the Old Trafford trip given that he offers a Gameweek 34 fixture when others face blanks.
Theo Walcott
Arsenal’s winning run may have come to an end but their in-form winger continues to rack up the Fantasy points. A goal in yesterday’s 2-1 defeat maintained a burst of returns that has harvested 7.6 points per game over the last eight matches and brings Walcott to within four points of David Silva in the midfield rankings – making a mockery of the notion that the City man is a far superior Fantasy asset. With Robin Van Persie failing to score for the third match running – a “drought” for the Gunners skipper – Walcott has proven to be a strong differential over the last couple of months for Arsene Wenger’s side.
Victor Moses
Having recovered from a facial injury that forced him off at Liverpool last weekend, the Wigan wide man maintained his superb recent showings in the DW win over a lacklustre Stoke. Scoring in front of his own fans for the first time this term, Moses has now produced attacking returns in each of his last four appearances in a run that has seen Roberto Martinez’s undefeated in their attempt to beat the drop. After the frustrating first half of the season, 5.0 priced Moses has finally proven to be the viable cheap fifth midfielder many of us had hoped for; a pre-bonus total of 107 points is a single point behind the likes of Yaya Toure and Luka Modric.
Andy Wilkinson
Badly at fault for Wigan’s killer second goal, Wilkinson was also caught out in the first-half but saw his error go unpunished. Tony Pulis has options at right-back with Ryan Shotton, Robert Huth and Jonathan Woodgate all previously deployed in that role. Wilkinson’s starting role could now be under threat for the home clash with Wolves.
Matt Jarvis
Another relegation candidate who is producing the goods, Jarvis’ goal in the 3-2 home defeat to Bolton was his second in as many matches and third in six since Terry Connor’s installation in the Molineux hotseat – Kevin Doyle and Steven Fletcher have failed to score any, in comparison. With Connor intent on fielding a 4-4-2, Jarvis – despite his side’s continued toils – seems to be flourishing as a Fantasy asset but, with (sto, ARS, sun, MCY) up next, he’s likely to struggle to maintain that recent form.
Martin Petrov
Ryo Miyaichi may have attracted much of the recent Bolton attention but, ahead of double Gameweeks 35 and 36, the Bulgarian served a reminder of his own potential. Petrov’s penalty duties certainly boost his appeal for Fantasy managers– he opened the scoring from the spot in the 3-2 win at Wolves as Bolton recorded their third consecutive victory. Given that they’d never won back-to-back games prior to last week, Owen Coyle’s men approach those double Gameweeks in their best form of the season and Petrov is starting to pick up in performance. The winger also provided an assist in last week’s win over Blackburn and, at 5.1, is a clear rival to 4.9 priced Miyaichi as we weigh up the Trotters’ assets ahead of their twin double Gameweeks.
