Team of the Season – Robin Van Persie

It was a transfer that not only shook the Premier League to its very core but had a massive effect on our best-laid Fantasy plans ahead of the 2012/13 campaign. Just one day before Arsenal kicked off their season at home to Sunderland, Robin Van Persie’s decision to “listen to the little boy inside” and sign up at Old Trafford saw many of our 15 man squads quickly reassembled before the Gameweek 1 deadline:

In what was Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season at the helm, the Dutchman’s acquisition proved a masterstroke as Van Persie helped United wrestled the title back off City with a handful of games to spare. Initially, fears were raised as to whether the former Gunners skipper and Wayne Rooney would negate one another’s Fantasy potential but aside from the occasional sparkling performance, Rooney was a bitter disappointment and, no longer the club’s focal point up front, ended the season looking for a way out of Old Trafford once again.

The Statistics

With 30 goals, 13 assists and 45 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) bonus points in his last year at Arsenal, Van Persie was slapped with a 13.0 starting price after racking up 269 points over his 38 appearances. Across the Fantasy games, he was the costliest forward on offer but in spite of his move to Manchester, “Robin Reliant” once again showed just why he tops the Fantasy Football Scout Captain Poll on an almost-weekly basis.

Handed his debut from the bench in the Gameweek 1 defeat at Everton, Van Persie then set the tone for what was to follow in United’s next match at home to Fulham, as he found the net and also delivered maximum bonus points as the hosts edged past a stubborn Cottagers 3-2. With Rooney out injured for Gameweek 3, Van Persie – despite a missed spot-kick – ran riot and Southampton, delivering a hat-trick and full bonus again and, with a 15 point haul at St Mary’s, Fantasy managers quickly realised just how key he would be to our campaigns.

Ferguson also appreciated Van Persie’s importance, with our fears of rest and rotation allayed. Van Persie featured in every one of United’s 38 matches, starting 35 and climbing off the bench on three occasions – in yet another staggeringly consistent season, he produced attacking returns in 29 of his 35 appearances in the first XI, with eight sets of double figures to his name.

With a share of set-pieces and corners in the bag, Van Persie also nudged ahead of Rooney for spot-kick duties and by the end of his debut campaign, had produced 26 goals, 15 assists and 49 bonus points, with a tally of 262 FPL points just seven shy of his previous season at the Emirates. Top scorer in the FPL game once again, Van Persie finished 50 points ahead of any other forward and found his way into almost 38% of all teams by the time the campaign came to a halt.

The Prospects

While the likes of Rooney and Sergio Aguero are surely set to fall in price after their poor previous campaigns, Van Persie is likely to rise in cost yet again – a ceiling of 14.0 is likely in FPL, though 13.5 looks in line with popular opinion.

For some, there will always be the temptation to cut corners and look for better value but ultimately, it’s impossible to look past the Dutchman once again – in terms of captaincy, Gareth Bale’s move to a central role has made the Tottenham midfielder a somewhat more explosive option but when it comes to week-in, week-out consistency, Van Persie is simply unparalleled as a Fantasy force.

Undoubtedly, Moyes is likely to need time to bed down his ideas, with a change in backroom staff already rolled out but as Van Persie showed last time out, a change of tactics and manager made little difference to his ability to produce.

Chelsea’s likely early double Gameweek, as a result of Super Cup Final duties against Bayern Munich in late August, has the potential to throw us a curveball to begin with. Many are already eyeing up Juan Mata and Eden Hazard as midfield options but with both almost certain to start off at 10.0 or more, finding space for both, in addition to accommodating Van Persie up top looks a tricky task. While some may feel they simply cannot afford to have the United forward in their line-ups to begin with, the nagging question at the back of our minds is can we afford not to have him nestling in our line-ups? Judging by his recent past history, we already know the answer to that one.