Having assessed the main contenders for the Goalkeeper and Defenders spots, our End of Season awards continues with a look at the main midfielders who shaped our Fantasy seasons. The new poll is on the home page (middle column), with four midfielders available for your selection. Once again, please bear in mind that the vote is from an overall Fantasy perspective – overall points, price, performances and value should all come into consideration here.
Gareth Bale
The arrival of Andre Villas-Boas has taken the Welshman onto another level at Tottenham. Bale has gone from a hit or miss Fantasy prospect to a near essential purchase, with a shift to the central position over the last few months helping him to 20 goals, nine assists and 47 bonus points. With 13 sets of double figures also accrued over his 32 starts, Bale is now a genuine rival to Robin Van Persie for our captaincy consideration on a weekly basis – with 239 points on the board already, he is 37 ahead of Juan Mata and Santi Cazorla at the top of the midfielder standings and is 44 points ahead of his previous best ever tally, with a home game against Sunderland yet to come. Initially coming in at 9.5, Bale has risen to 11.0 and could well be set for a substantial price hike next time out.
Michu
Swansea’s summer signing made an instant impact upon his introduction to the Premier League. With two goals and an assist on the opening day of the season, Michu continued the form that harvested 15 goals for Rayo Vallecano in the 2011/12 campaign and by Gameweek 4, he’d risen from 6.5 to 7.4, with his role in “the hole†terrorising top-flight back lines. Occasionally fielded as the lone forward by Michael Laudrup, Michu has since notched 18 times, scoring home and away against United, and has produced double figures five times, including two 18 point hauls against hapless QPR. A mainstay in the vast majority of our sides, he’s racked up 189 points so far and has offered Fantasy managers premium priced returns at a budget friendly rate.
Eden Hazard
Chelsea’s summer signing announced himself to the Premier League in spectacular style. Hazard flew out the blocks with double figures in each of his first three appearances and with Juan Mata returning blanks across the same period, those who opted for the Belgian for double Gameweek 1 were handed an instant mini league advantage. Starting at 9.5, Hazard peaked at 10.3 and with the likes of Fernando Torres and Demba Ba both toiling up top, he offered a constant source of points from the flank. With nine goals, 16 assists and 22 bonus points, he currently sits on 190 points in his debut campaign at the Bridge and with 31 starts and three sub appearances, has rarely succumbed to Rafa Benitez’s rotational obsession.
Juan Mata
Having represented Spain at the Olympics and Euro 2012, the Spaniard initially struggled to make an impact after a hectic summer of non-stop football. With many Fantasy managers opting for Hazard as a route into the Blues midfield, Mata plummeted in price and was available for just 8.8 by the time Gameweek 6 arrived. This coincided with his first set of double figures and saw Mata climb the rankings with a series of vital displays for the Blues. With a home game against Everton still remaining, he has 10 goals, 18 assists and 24 bonus points accrued and with 202 points on the board, is already 40 points up on his debut campaign last time out.
Santi Cazorla
As we saw only last Tuesday, the Arsenal playmaker requires plenty patience. Having produced a single assist in 14 appearances, Cazorla teed up all of the Gunners goals in the 4-1 home romp over Wigan and clambered up the standings to joint-second for midfielders alongside compatriot Mata. Despite accruing 202 points, Cazorla has proven a frustrating Fantasy asset – 92 of those points have arrived in just six of his 37 appearances, though the 23 point haul away to Reading in Gameweek 17 is a memory few owners will forget. With 12 goals, 13 assists and 19 bonus points in his debut season for the north London outfit, Cazorla has proven the Gunners’ number one Fantasy asset following the departure of Robin Van Persie to United last August.
Theo Walcott
The winger cut a peripheral figure at the Emirates in the first couple of months of the season. After a promising previous campaign, Walcott started just one of the opening 10 Gameweeks and drifted off Fantasy radars as the likes of Michu and Fellaini garnered the attention. Despite his repeated claims for a start up top, Walcott was installed as a first-team regular on the Gunners right and having signed a new contract, finally begin to rediscover the form of 2011/12. While Cazorla has offered the security of game time from August onwards, Walcott has started just 23 league matches and despite playing over 1,000 minutes less than the Spaniard, has still registered more goals (14 to 12), the same number of assists (13) and more bonus points (23 to 19), with a 26 point return at home to Newcastle the particular highlight of his Fantasy season. An average of 6.2 points per game is also far superior to Cazorla’s 5.5 and hints at what may follow next term if Walcott continues in the same vein.
Steven Gerrard
Many had written off the Liverpool skipper as a bona fide Fantasy option. Considering he had returned 75 points in the previous season, it was a fair assumption but, despite playing in a deeper, central role alongside Lucas in new manager Brendan Rodgers’ 4-3-3, Gerrard proved a genuine alternative to Luis Suarez for the Merseyside outfit. With spot-kick duties bolstering his appeal, Gerrard produced a superb run of consistency which saw him register attacking returns in 13 of 18 matches from Gameweek 14-31 and with a consistency of starts unquestioned, his season has only recently been cut short due to injury. With 10 goals, 12 assists and 21 bonus points, he accumulated 185 points – more than his previous two campaigns combined and his most successful Fantasy season since 2008/09. Starting at 9.5, he’s more or less justified such a lofty price tag and, while the likes of David Silva and Clint Dempsey have fallen well short of our expectations, Gerrard has rolled back the years and sits just behind Michu in seventh spot for midfielders.
Marouane Fellaini
Similar to Michu, the Everton midfielder also benefitted from being utilised in the support role behind a lone striker for much of the season. Also starting out at 6.5, Fellaini had notched eight goals, four assists and 16 bonus points by Gameweek 15 and proved superb value for money over the first few months of the season, allowing us to free up budget to splash the cash up front. The returns have dried up in recent weeks, coinciding by many appearances in a central midfield berth, but there’s no denying the giant Belgian had a significant impact in our Fantasy fortunes in the 2012/13 campaign.
Robert Snodgrass
With so many strong alternatives in midfield, the Norwich playmaker has remained under most Fantasy radars. Nevertheless, Snodgrass has been hugely influential since rolling up to Carrow Road from Leeds last summer – with his delivery from the flank and set-piece duties, the Scot has produced six goals, eight assists and 24 bonus points for the Canaries, with five sets of double figures also thrown in. Initially priced at 6.0, he’s never risen higher than 6.4 but has been the standout Fantasy candidate for Chris Hughton’s side and with 147 points accrued, has exceeded the likes of David Silva, Yaya Toure and Stephane Sessegnon in the midfield standings.
Kevin Nolan
The West Ham skipper gets the nod for his exploits in the first few months of the season. Starting at 6.0, Nolan – another to benefit from his advanced central role – notched in each of his first four home games and rocketed in ownership over the first few Gameweeks as Fantasy managers scrambled aboard the bandwagon. By Gameweek 11, he’d returned five goals, two assists and seven bonus points and had risen to 6.9 in price and while the rest of the season has proven disappointing, Nolan played a significant part in ensuring many Fantasy sides got their campaign off to a strong start.
Jason Puncheon
While the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino has put paid to Puncheon’s Fantasy prospects over the past couple of months, the Southampton winger afforded us a viable cut-price contender in our five man midfields. Starting all but three of the Saints’ first 22 fixtures, Puncheon had produced three goals, six assists and eight bonus points by the time Nigel Adkins was dismissed – initially priced at 4.5, his security of starts and solid displays over the first few months were a feature for many Fantasy managers.
Shaun Maloney
The Wigan midfielder produced his best Fantasy season by a considerable distance this term. Having spent most of 2011/12 on the sidelines through injury, Maloney was handed a 5.0 price tag but with a role on the left of the Latics’ front three and the majority of set-pieces, he has returned six goals and nine assists for Roberto Martinez’s side. With six bonus points also accrued, the little Scot has racked up 126 points so far – making him the fourth top midfielder for value ahead of Sunday’s home clash with Villa.
Wayne Routledge
Many had doubted his potential game time following the arrival of Michael Laudrup but Routledge has established himself as a key figure in the Swansea first-team this season. With 29 starts and six appearances off the bench, he’s missed just two of his side’s 37 matches ahead of Sunday’s home game with Fulham and has so far produced five goals, seven assists and 10 bonus points for the Welsh outfit. Initially priced at 5.0, he’s stayed mainly in the shadow due to Michu’s achievements at the Liberty but with 124 points already delivered, he’s been third top midfielder in terms of value.
