Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic doesn’t immediately spring to mind as someone who suffered a disappointing season last time out and yet, when you examine the numbers, the decline of the Blues defender was perhaps more marked than most.
Having notched four goals and five assists in the 2010/11 campaign, with 13 clean sheets also accrued, Ivanovic was expected to maintain his strong Fantasy returns but instead slipped into obscurity last term, fetching just four shutouts with reduced attacking returns to match. In the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, that saw a huge 64-point drop from his previous season’s tally.
Ivanovic made 29 league appearances for the Stamford Bridge outfit in 2011/12, starting 26 and climbing off the bench three times. Only John Terry and Ashley Cole bettered that in the Blues’ backline and, crucially, both demanded higher Fantasy fees. In the FPL both Cole and Terry began with initial values of 7.5; this was 0.5 more than Ivanovic, and a trend that was reflected across the various Fantasy games.
That FPL price tag, coupled with the lack of security within a shuffled defensive unit sealed Ivanovic’s fate as a figure banished to a cameo role in our Fantasy thinking. He finished the campaign with less than a 2% ownership in the FPL, with his price dropping to 6.6.
The Prospects
Despite this, Ivanovic is unquestionably a fine defender with possibly his best years in the Premier League ahead of him. If he can cement a starting role in Roberto Di Matteo’s side, he has proven goal threat and creativity to compliment what will hopefully be a more successful campaign for Chelsea in defensive areas.
Ten clean sheets was a woeful domestic return from a side that defended so resolutely in Europe. Di Matteo will surely target major improvements and Fantasy managers will be hoping that a settled back four is part of his strategy.
The present scenario finds Petr Cech and the aforementioned Cole and Terry as the most secure options in a Blues defence which opens the season with a tempting double Gameweek that will inevitably draw investment. While those three heavyweights will doubtless demand high fees, Ivanovic can be found within a pack that includes Gary Cahill and David Luiz – with the threat of rotation hanging more heavily over the latter trio, we can expect them to be priced a little more favourably.
However, with Jose Bosingwa now departed, Ivanovic has the opportunity to make the right-back role his own. Doubtless he will face opposition for the spot, with the Champions League holders reportedly targeting the raiding Brazilian, Maicon from Serie A outfit Inter. While the prospect of the marauding South American will be relished by Chelsea fans and Fantasy managers alike, Ivanovic is a proven Premier League defender of some pedigree and, at present, the right-back role looks to be his to lose.
Given his returns last time out, a price drop to bring Ivanovic in line with Luiz and Cahill would seem on the cards, then. Unlike that pairing, however, the Serb has arguably the greater potential for cementing starts and perhaps stands a chance to mirror the output produced in that eye-catching 2010/11 season once again.
