As we amble towards the final deadline of the 2012/13 season, we doff our cap to Chelsea’s record scorer, assess Arsenal’s shared attacking responsibility and wonder whether a lack of motivation for many will increase our armband options this Sunday:
The Player
A brace against Villa in the only match on Saturday’s schedule afforded Frank Lampard plenty time to revel in the headlines as he cemented his spot as Chelsea’s greatest ever goalscorer. Rafa Benitez’s admission that Lampard would definitely start against the midlanders persuaded us to hand him a place in last week’s Scout Picks and he vindicated our faith by steering his side to a late win against Paul Lambert’s side to keep the Blues’ push for a third place finish firmly on track.
Although his place as a regular at Stamford Bridge is now questionable, there’s no doubt Lampard has benefitted from Benitez’s rest and rotation policy this term. Having previously started 12 back-to-back league fixtures from Gameweek 20-31, Lampard has been used sparingly as Benitez coped with FA Cup and Europa League runs. He has since started three of the following seven games yet has still managed to register 15 goals this season – his third highest Premier League tally since beginning his career back in the 1995-96 season and only four strikes less than Juan Mata and Eden Hazard combined.
From a Fantasy perspective, Lampard has been gold – year in, year out. The midfielder has notched double figures in 10 successive domestic campaigns and despite the managerial merry-go-round that is Chelsea under Roman Abramovich, he delivers time and again. There’s no doubt Mata and Hazard are now the chief midfield options at the Bridge but if Lampard can secure the new contract he seeks, it’d clearly be folly to write him off next term as his exploits at Villa Park showed once again.
The Team
The departure of Robin Van Persie raised serious questions over Arsenal’s goalscoring prospects as we headed into the 2012/13 campaign. Having found the net on 30 occasions last time out, the Dutchman’s decision to hotfoot it to Old Trafford handed Arsene Wenger a major headache but after a slow start, the Gunners are finding their feet and hinting at what’s to come next term.
Last night’s ruthless demolition of Wigan saw Lukas Podolski score twice – taking his tally to 11 strikes in his debut campaign at the Emirates. Indeed, with fellow new boys Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla notching 11 and 12 times respectively, and Theo Walcott registering a career best 14, Wenger’s side are sharing the goals around and are the only team with as many as four players to have found the net at least 10 times this term.
While Walcott has proven the most consistent Gunners midfielder, Cazorla’s explosive potential indicates we need to afford him a degree of patience. Prior to last night’s four assists against Roberto Martinez’s men, the summer signing from Malaga had registered just one assist in the previous 14 Gameweeks – an incredible statistic, given his outstanding creative abilities. There’s no doubt Cazorla can be a frustrating Fantasy asset and will return plenty of blanks – indeed, 92 of his 202 points have arrived in just six matches – but his quality will endure over the long run.
With Giroud now available after serving a three-match suspension, Wenger’s side travel to St James’ Park this Sunday with everything still to play for. Depending on results at Stamford Bridge and White Hart Lane, Arsenal could finish anywhere between third and fifth but with form flourishing and their main men firing on all cylinders, many will be looking to invest in the Gunners this weekend as they look to clinch yet another season in the Champions League.
Talking Point
Having watched his side thrashed 4-0 at Carrow Road last Sunday, Steve Clarke summed it up perfectly. The West Brom boss admitted “we need the summer to come” after an insipid display allowed Norwich the chance to clinch their top-flight security in emphatic fashion.
The previous week saw Fulham ship four at home to Reading – a side that had previously scored just 14 goals in their first 17 away matches – and as the season draws to a close, there’s a real lack of fight amongst many of the sides with nothing left to play for.
Alan Pardew came in for heavy criticism earlier in the week, having joked he didn’t care whether Newcastle lost to Arsenal on Sunday. After finally securing their survival at Loftus Road last weekend, Pardew’s attempts to make light of the Magpies’ struggles this season backfired but, as mentioned above, the Tyneside team may very well toil against an Arsenal side with their Champions League future on the line.
With Wigan’s defeat at the Emirates signalling the end of the relegation battle, a lack of motivation at the bottom of the table may have a significant effect on our Gameweek 38 transfers. Tottenham are still firmly ensconced in the fight for fourth and welcome Sunderland to the Lane on Sunday; while Gareth Bale is the obvious armband option, Emmanuel Adebayor and Clint Dempsey look strong, in form differentials. Over at the Etihad, City’s final match of the season could see Sergio Aguero run riot against now-safe Norwich. Fit-again Michu also offers a real final day armband option against the ailing Cottagers – Jol’s side may be finally safe but a single point in their last seven suggests Fulham’s thoughts have been on their summer holidays for quite some time.
In addition, Liverpool’s flourishing side welcome basement-dwellers QPR to Anfield and with Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho running riot at Fulham last time round, huge numbers have drafted in the pair. Sturridge, with five goals in three games since Luis Suarez was suspended, is way ahead in the Captain Poll with 43%. West Ham’s final home game of the season against doomed Reading brings Andy Carroll into the equation, while a certain Dutchman also looks a real option as Sir Alex Ferguson attempts to take advantage of the Baggies’ aforementioned apathy in his final match in charge of United.
