Another season of football is drawing to a climax. We have a mere four Gameweeks left to go, two of them with double fixtures (one less appealing than t’other), and nary a moment to try and claw back those mini-league gaps.
Every decision from this point here on in will be vital for Fantasy managers vying for that office trophy, for that little jackpot in a money league or just plain bragging rights.
In these desperate times, when differentials can be so crucial, there is one decision that can prove more significant than any other: the captaincy.
Only last Gameweek runaway favourite Robin Van Persie walk away with a standard two point return while underdog options like Wayne Rooney, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Sergio Aguero hit double-figure returns. More than ten Fantasy points was lost and won in contests like this and, as the season heads into the final furlong, we’re going to start to assessing the weekly options in depth, starting with the imminent -and decidedly tricky- Gameweek 35.
Wayne Rooney, for starters, is the antithesis of the dilemma. On the one hand we have a player before us who has picked up an average of 10.8 points in his last five fixtures at Old Trafford, while arguably not playing to his utmost potential.
On the flip-side, United will face perhaps their toughest opposition on home soil in months as David Moyes brings his Everton side up to Manchester. Fantasy managers believing that past situations are indicators of future results will also be wary of the United hitman’s less than stellar record against his former club.
With 15 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) bonus points collected from the last 15 on offer and a haul of 8 goals and an assist over his last five fixtures, Papiss Cisse’s form is nothing short of imperious. He has settled into Newcastle like a bare-chested beer-monster on a night out and, at this venture, there’s no reason to expect his form should waver ahead of a home encounter with Stoke.
His rampant ruthlessness in front of goal has squashed Liverpool and Swansea, to name but a couple in recent weeks and, with Demba Ba manfully ceding the position of lead striker to his countryman, the January acquisition might be the clearest candidate of them all up against a Stoke side clear of the relegation battle and with only pride to play for.
A run of form will always come to an end at some point, and the most prudent of Fantasy managers knows exactly when the time is right to change tack and move along. With Clint Dempsey returning double figures in each of his last three Gameweeks in his most prolific season to date, the Fulham midfielder might just be the man to sneak an advantage over rivals this weekend.
Fantasy managers would once swoon over a home clash with Wigan on the horizon but, with recent results very much favouring the Latics (wins over Liverpool, United and Arsenal as well as an undeserved defeat at Chelsea), this game might just prove frustrating for Fulham, Dempsey and his Fantasy owners alike. With Pavel Pogrebnyak now fit, Dempsey looks set to return to midfield, following his recent stint up front – another factor to consider.
Also down in the marshes with Wigan are Terry Connor’s Wolves. A drab goalless draw at Sunderland failed to paper the monumental cracks in this outfit and, for want of a better word, they find themselves marooned.
Unfortunately for them, then, this Sunday afternoon they face up to the in-form combination of Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez. With eight goals between them this last two weeks, the Argentine duo look like a pocket rocket of potential as they try to keep City in contention for the title.
With United, Newcastle, Fulham and City all offering up candidates of fairly equal measure, it also has to be noted there’s a couple of sides with an extra something to add to the equation. Aston Villa (SUN/BOL) and Bolton (SWA/avl) will both have two ties this Gameweek to compete against everyone else’s sole fixture.
Fantasy managers willing to look past the league placing of these two outfits, lured in by the draw of an extra 90 minutes will doubtless turn to the likes of Stephen Ireland and Martin Petrov, whilst perhaps hoping that Gabriel Agbonlahor could find a goal or two at the end of the the double rainbow.
At this point we haven’t even mentioned regular favourite Robin Van Persie, hosting Chelsea and looking to arrest his goalscoring slump with no goals from open play in the last six Premier League fixtures. While that will play on the mind, with the kind of returns he produced in the 5-3 romp in the reverse fixture, there’s every cause to be optimistic about the Dutchman.
Van Persie’s form has clearly played a part in the current voting in our poll. With over 3000 votes now in, he finds himself adrift in fifth spot, behind the likes of Dempsey, Cisse and the City striker pairing. Rooney comes next, with Martin Petrov the most fancied double Gameweek offering.
From that voting, we can deduce that both Van Persie and Rooney could even emerge as unlikely differentials. Van Persie has endured almost 50,000 transfers out this week, more than any other player in the FPL. Rooney, meanwhile, has also been sold by other 20,000 managers. With Tevez, Aguero and Cisse seemingly sucking up investors, suddenly we’re seeing a swing away from the previous favourites for the armband. Should Van Persie and Rooney overshadow their striking rivals at City and Newcastle, we could see some significant shifts in ranks – clearly this is a week wide open to a gamble on the armband. One thing looks certain, then, the Captain conundrum for Gameweek 35 looks set to shake things up, right in time for the Gameweek 36 doubles to add further spice.
The strategy, as so often is the case, will depend largely on your rivals. Should they transfer in Tevez or Aguero, it seems likely they’ll back that with the armband, with Rooney or Van Persie sacrificed. With the luxury of a comfortable lead, sitting tight on one of those two would seem wise – even with form and fixtures against them. For those chasing a gap, City’s attacking talent clearly presents a very viable source of profit that could change the complexion of the season climax. Another hat-trick from either Tevez or Aguero and suddenly a gap can be evaporated.
Our Captain’s Poll is, of course, still running in the middle menu of the Homepage.
