It’s nearly over. Just one Gameweek to go now. Before we set our sights on this summer’s Euro 2012 tournament, we’re rolling out the End of Season Polls once more, offering you a chance to nominate your players of choice from the 2011/12 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) campaign.
First up, then, are the goalkeepers. For the next day or so, the poll will be available on the homepage (middle column) before we turn our attentions to defence.
Bear in mind that the vote is from an overall Fantasy perspective – overall points, price, performances and FPL value should all come into consideration here.
The five nominees are…
Tim Krul – starting at 4.5, the Newcastle keeper has proven to be number exceptional value. Somewhat surprisingly, Krul’s price has only risen by 0.5, despite a total of 15 clean sheets and a couple of penalty saves also thrown in for good measure. Currently sitting on 153 points in the FPL, he is second overall to Joe Hart in the goalkeeper rankings.
Joe Hart – a total of 17 clean sheets looks set to give the City keeper the Golden Gloves award for yet another season. Hart’s starting price of 7.0 meant Fantasy managers tended to look elsewhere for better value rotation pairings but a total of 165 points accrued is superior to any keeper or defender in the FPL game thus far.
Michel Vorm – six clean sheets in his first eight at the Liberty, coupled with a starting price of 4.0, had Fantasy managers queuing up in the tens of thousands to get aboard the bandwagon. Vorm’s heroics have somewhat dimmed of late – just a single clean sheet in his last eight – but his spot-kick saves and cut-price potential have seen the Dutchman pick up 33.8% Fantasy owners, the fourth most popular in the game.
David De Gea – a difficult settling in period at United looks firmly behind him as the young Spaniard becomes more settled with every passing game. Having seen off the challenge of Anders Lindegaard, De Gea has returned 12 clean sheets in 28 appearances – his average of 4.6 points per game is superior to any first-choice keeper this term.
Ben Foster – second only to Krul for value, the on loan keeper has performed admirably in his spell at the Hawthorns. Foster has been particularly strong over the last few months at home; five clean sheets in his last six have taken his tally to 10 for the campaign. He’s also picked up eight bonus points, joint-top for keepers, though the Baggies are clearly more organised than Birmingham’s last season- Foster has had to make just 109 saves this term, compared to the previous campaign’s 178.
2010/11 Team of the Season Review
Before we kick off, it’s worth casting an eye back over the previous season’s Team of the Year. It’s an interesting XI, with arguably only a couple of Dutchmen fulfilling their promise this time round:
Goalkeeper – Ben Foster
Defence – Robert Huth, Brede Hangeland, Nemanja Vidic, Leighton Baines
Midfield – Charlie Adam, Nani, Rafael Van der Vaart, Dirk Kuyt
Forwards – Robin Van Persie, Carlos Tevez
Ben Foster’s performances at Birmingham last season saw him starting with a 5.0 price tag this term. The on-loan keeper has still been fairly consistent, though; sitting sixth top for keepers in the rankings, he’s returned 10 clean sheets and has eight bonus points, joint-top with Arsenal’s Wojciech Szczesny for keepers.
While Nemanja Vidic’s season has been scuppered by injury, the United skipper hinted at what could have been. Over his six first team appearances, he produced four clean sheets and conceded just two goals before sustaining a season-ending knee injury back in December. A calf problem in the early stage of the campaign hardly helped, though his absence has afforded Jonny Evans to prove his worth as a cut-price option in the heart of the United back-four.
Brede Hangeland, Robert Huth and Leighton Baines have all failed to repeat their attacking performances of 2010/11. Baines has just two assists, compared to 11 last year – Tony Hibbert has managed double for Everton. Hangeland and Huth both scored six apiece last time round to earn the plaudits but the Fulham man has failed to notch even once and, while Huth’s late rally has taken his total to three this term, he’s been overshadowed by Ryan Shawcross in the Stoke defence.
Liverpool pair Charlie Adam and Dirk Kuyt have massively underachieved. Adam was the bonus point darling last season at Blackpool and, with set-pieces and spot-kicks in his locker, grabbed 12 goals, nine assists and 45 bonus points. This time round, it’s two goals, 11 assists and eight bonus points. Kuyt has been a spectacular flop under Kenny Dalglish this term. The Dutchman produced 13 goals and eight assists last year, returning a total of 177 points – with two games to go, he’s struggled for starts and resultantly picked up a mere 76 points; hardly good value for a player initially priced at 10.0.
Nani – last season’s top scoring FPL player- has produced similar returns in terms of points per game time. The winger has scored just one goal less this time round despite playing almost 600 minutes less, and has also provided 12 assists in comparison to 18 last year – with 156 points, he’s eighth for midfielder heading into the weekend’s final game at Sunderland. Rafael Van der Vaart is the only one of the midfield quartet who looks poised for a more successful campaign. The Spurs man currently sits on 163 points – just two less than last year, though he’s been eclipsed by Gareth Bale’s tally of 192 in the Tottenham midfield. Starting at a price of 10.0 to the Welshman’s 8.0 hasn’t helped Van der Vaart, with just 7% of Fantasy managers currently owning his services.
Robin Van Persie has, of course, been the runaway success story of the season. The Arsenal skipper has produced 30 goals, 12 assists and 42 bonus points –with 262 points, he’s 41 ahead of second placed Wayne Rooney. For Carlos Tevez, it’s a case of what could’ve been. After the tantrum in Munich and months on the golf course, the Argentine’s return has spearheaded City’s late title charge, with Roberto Mancini’s men winning all five of the games he has started alongside compatriot Sergio Aguero. If he stays true to his word and remains at the Etihad next term, the potential is there for a return to the form that made him such a huge Fantasy favourite last time round.
