Seven, Eight, Eleven? How many is enough? That’s the puzzle, the conundrum facing Fantasy managers with little under an hour to go on another deadline.
We won’t have the answers until the final ball has been kicked. However, we do already know that it’s not really about the number of players you take into Gameweek 34 but, as always, whether you’ve got the right ones.
Let’s ponder that further while we take in our pre-match stroll, purring through the papers to discover whether the press boys and their predicted lineups can provide any last minute inspiration.
My weekend worries in terms of team selection is a tale of two wingers. With both Arsenal and United facing home matches against “obliging” opponents, just days after midweek matches, there’s just part of me concerned that we’ll see rotation in the ranks.
Theo Walcott’s form is sparking but, with Alex Oxlade Chamberlain straining at the leash and Yossi Benayoun and Gervinho competing for the left-flank, I just wonder if Arsene Wenger will opt to rest Theo on Monday, ahead of next weekend’s potentially key clash with Chelsea.
The press boys don’t think so. Perhaps not surprisingly, every one of our papers this morning go with Walcott on the right flank, while all but The Sun retain Yossi Benayoun on the opposite flank.
United’s Ashley Young is my other concern. On paper, a reunion with former club Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday looks on the cards. Defeat to Wigan in midweek will surely have sewn the seeds for Sir Alex to tweak his lineup for today’s game, though, with Young one player who looks vulnerable. He only got 45 minutes at the DW Stadium with Tom Cleverley replacing him as a result of United’s abject first half showing. While Ferguson will likely start with two wingers against to help unlock Villa, with Nani now an option, there’s clearly a question mark over those roles in his starting XI.
The press seem split on this one. The Times, The Sun and The Mail all go with Nani to start with Antonio Valencia safely snuggling to the right touchline. The rest – The Independent, The Telegraph and the The Guardian all stick with Young on the left, with Danny Welbeck largely tipped to return up front across the board.
Clearly the temptation to unleash Young on his former team-mates will be strong, although I’m totally convinced it could work in United’s favour. There’s already chatter in the press surrounding the ease of which Young drops to the deck under a challenge, with reports of Alex McLeish giving direct instructions to his defence to stay on their feet. I just wonder, in the light of the negative attention that Young gained for the penalty that saw QPR’s Shaun Derry dismissed, whether we’ll see Ferguson will take the heat off Young with Nani now at his disposal.
We can only hope, in a Gameweek ripped in two by the FA Cup schedule, that both Wenger and Ferguson play ball. When it’s a struggle to get something that even resembles a Fantasy team over the line at 11.30, we need the whims and tinkerings of the Premier League bosses to stay in check. Just for this weekend at least.
