It didn’t take long. As the template squad took shape over the international break, it has taken just one day of Gameweek 4 for it to show cracks.
The script seemed very unlikely. Robin Van Persie rested. Carlos Tevez withdrawn on the hour mark. Eden Hazard and Michu traveling home empty-handed. Santi Cazorla delivering just a single assist amongst an Emirates goal glut. Form was on their side but today’s failure of fancied “big guns” offered a rapid reminder just how fickle Fantasy fortunes can be.
To compound matters, some notable differentials stepped up. Dimitar Berbatov delivered on his full debut. Steven Fletcher scored his third goal in two games. Gervinho tempted us with a brace as the Gunners ran riot and, in the same match, Lukas Podolski notched his second in consecutive matches. We just need the likes of Gareth Bale and Nikaca Jelavic to break the shackles and we’ll have real movement; real discontent amongst the pack who threw Wildcards at the two-week break only to find the humblest of returns at the end of the rainbow.
It was inevitable that the cast would be extended, that we’d have new names to add to our watchlists and edge their way into our thinking. The failure for the early season form players will doubtless spark reaction – the pace of Berbatov’s bandwagon will be interesting and likely to be fuelled by those looking for an immediate fix to a hugely disappointing day.
Of course there should be faith that class will win through, that today’s events will be a rarity, but the timing is poor. Having procrastinated and tinkered over the break, the expectations were high and that will doubtless find knees jerking and cats kicked. For the majority, it’s been a day to forget but then perhaps we got what we deserved.
