It’s funny how the best-laid plans can be destroyed, how our perfect picture of how the Gameweeks will unfold can gradually get ripped to shreds within a few fateful moments on the pitch and a little FA intervention.
My season had been coasting nicely, I’d looked on course for a decent finish and, whilst Gameweek 29 was always looming, ideas had been formed on how best to navigate through. That was before twists and strains, the threat of rotation, a flash of red and an errant elbow came crashing in – confusing matters and leaving me scratching around for eleven men even before I’d consider what horrors lay ahead.
Fantasy managers are at the mercy of the teamsheets today – hoping that stars align and names drop into slots, with very real concerns that we’ll be hit by painful absences. And yet, we know there’s worse to come.
United’s teamsheet is, of course, of paramount importance. Robin Van Persie dominates our thoughts as Sir Alex Ferguson took time out to tease us, even reportedly stating on MUTV that the Dutchman is not only available to face the Canaries today, that he’s also certain to have a chance of ruffling their feathers.
While we try to decode the messaging, it’s worth noting perhaps that the press have not been taken in. Scanning our six newspapers over breakfast, none of them have the confidence to name Van Persie in their starting lineup – each one goes with Wayne Rooney in tandem with Javier Hernandez, with the Mail opting instead to start Rooney ahead of Shinji Kagawa, while the Independent go with a similar setup, with Danny Welbeck partnering Rooney.
Across the board, there are wholesale changes predicted. Chris Smalling starts in every lineup, although, in most cases, it’s at centre-back with Rafael retained at right-back. Alex Buttner also gets a run-out with Patrice Evra absent in the Independent, the Sun and the Telegraph teamsheets.
Presumably, then, the press feel that Van Persie will see some time from the bench – perhaps the final half an hour to kill off Chris Hughton’s men: a formidable weapon kept in reserve just in case Rooney and co fail to conjure the goals to clip the wings of a plucky opponent. That’s likely to be enough to see Van Persie’s Fantasy owners retain his services, it’s doubtful whether it will be quite enough to also back him with the armband in a Gameweek where several heavy-hitters have form or fixtures in their favour.
Marouane Fellaini may well have been a likely captaincy candidate and yet, like Ferguson, David Moyes saw fit to tantalise with his pre-match comments, leaving us in some doubt as to whether the Toffees will have the luxury of their Belgian skyscraper when Reading visit Goodison. Fellaini “has a chance to be fit” according to Everton’s own canny Scot. At least the press are definite on their interpretation of such a nugget: every one of our sources this morning name Fellaini in their lineups, safely pushed up behind Nikica Jelavic in attack.
So what of Daniel Sturridge? Once again, the former Chelsea man has caused us concern; while the thigh injury sustained at City recently, kept him out against West Brom, now, on the eve of a potentially profitable away trip to Wigan, he’s a doubt with “a little knock”. A worrying pattern has already emerged with Sturridge, then, perhaps adding a new variable to the Sturridge vs Suarez debate. For now, despite strong rumour to the contrary, confidence in a start this evening, remains fairly resolute: only the Sun and the Mail choose to omit Sturridge from their lineup.
To some extent, we have to take such uncertainty this week on the chin and hope to ride it out. The full picture of Gameweek 29 is yet to form but, the worse case scenario has us facing just six fixtures with most of us struggling to muster an active eleven. Personally, I’ve chosen to accept what’s dealt to me over the next 48-hours and concentrate efforts on the bigger rescue job ahead: it’s a case of withstanding the mild tremors to have a chance of facing up to the full blast. Have your fun Sir Alex – I’ve got bigger concerns on the horizon.
