Fantasy managers were finally roused by the middle of this week, rudely awakened to find ourselves thrust into a Gameweek that once again rests on the whims of the Premier League managers and their teamsheets.
Coming off an international break is always dangerous. Deprived of Premier League action to spark our Fantasy football thinking, it’s easy to be hypersensitive and exposed to the influence of any team selection theory that bats its lashes. Like it or nor, the absence of recent thrills can easily render us googly-eyed at the sight of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge training in different colour bibs. We have to try to resist the temptation to get overexcited by the return of Fantasy football and remember the principles that guide us week-to-week.
That’s far from easy when you consider that fixture congestion has handed us a unique scenario, a situation that could well determine our fortunes this weekend. With United and Chelsea scheduled to meet in their FA Cup replay on Monday lunchtime, the risk of rotation on the Saturday teamsheets could hardly be heightened further. With heavy-hitters at risk, it’s a scenario that feeds the trigger-happy tendencies of a Fantasy manager coming off a two-week hiatus.
We expect rotation from Rafa Benitez – it’s almost a given that, game-to-game, we’ll see changes to the Chelsea lineup. We’ve almost given up anticipating them, instead we’ve settled on their assets resigned that they come with a suitable health warning.
Sir Alex Ferguson is slightly different. His pursuit of such a policy is less established and he’s even spoken out on the importance of consistent selection and regular matches for several of his key players – Rooney in particular. The United teamsheet for their trip to Sunderland is the key concern, then, particularly with Rooney and Robin Van Persie serious considerations for the captaincy in a Gameweek which otherwise finds us banking on Arsenal’s inconsistent attacking form.
The United manager has done his best to reassure us: only yesterday he stressed his desire to keep the winning momentum, stressing that he intends to show strength at the Stadium of Light..
“I always believe winning is a good habit to have, to try and keep the momentum going, so obviously we’ll play a strong side at Sunderland and Monday will have to look after itself. There will be changes for Monday but, at the moment, we’re going to play a strong side against Sunderland and see where it takes us.”
It’s difficult to say just how much we can read into that. A strong United side could still be a lineup that includes Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez up front, Ryan Giggs on the flank and Anderson in midfield. With Phil Jones fit and Chris Smalling back in action, the defence could remain solid against an impotent Sunderland without the familiar names in place.
Certainly Ferguson’s words have had little impact on the press. Looking at our six papers this morning, there’s little consistency to be found in the predicted lineups and even formations.
Owners of Rooney will perhaps be buoyed by the fact that five our sources predict a start for their man: only the Guardian omit him, opting instead for a 4-5-1 that includes Hernandez as the lone striker.
If Robin Van Persie starts, then, the press feel that it will be in tandem with Rooney in a full strength United attack – a theory perhaps based on Ferguson’s statements that indicate a strong side against the Black Cats.
We certainly feel that one of Rooney or Van Persie will start in the North-East. The fact that Rooney and Hernandez were given the nod in the original tie with Chelsea, coupled with Van Persie’s form for Holland and his pursuit of the Golden Boot, leads us to go with the Dutchman. Like everything else, though, it’s a decision based on a theory: perhaps speculative at best.
In terms of the United defence, there’s huge uncertainty on show in the press. Every feasible configuration can be found amongst the lineups this morning, although only the Daily Mail opt to include Patrice Evra with our other five sources keeping Alex Buttner at left-back. Similarly, only the Independent feel that David De Gea will be rested with Anders Lindegaard recalled.
In just over an hour, we’ll have our answer. With United kicking off at 12.45, Ferguson’s intent will be known to us very soon. Too late to shape our own team selection but at least we’ll be put out of our misery soon enough.
The squad list and training bib theories are all considerations that can add welcome colour our Friday afternoons but it’s highly debatable whether they should be allowed to leak into our Saturday morning decision-making. It’s telling, perhaps that, despite such theories, the press are unanimous in selecting Lukas Fabianski in the Arsenal goal and Daniel Sturridge in the Liverpool attack.
Perhaps we need to be equally resolute. While the dilemmas we face this morning aren’t new to us, the relief and excitement that Fantasy football is back makes the next hour a tricky one to navigate. We need to contain the twitching, keep calm and ensure that this is a Gameweek that welcomes us back with open arms.
