Championship Manager 01/02 FPL is firmly into the festive mood as Gameweek 19 prepares to bring us the traditional Boxing Day feast of football.
However, there are plenty of scrooges out there bitter at Sir Alex Ferguson’s spirit of giving, who handed West Ham a huge advantage in Gameweek 18.
That’s right, in the final game before Christmas, the Manchester United manager changed his entire outfield line-up at Old Trafford; Fabien Barthez the only player from the Middlesbrough match to keep his place.
That rotation caused the Red Devils problems, causing them to fall 2-0 behind to West Ham, although they spared by a late Andy Cole double salvaging a point. But Ferguson is sure to be furious with his side failing to get the job done and allowing Middlesbrough to lead by five points on Christmas Day.
That was thanks to Steve McClaren’s men beating their North East rivals Newcastle 1-0 through a Dean Windass goal.
Boro dominated the game but struggled to make the breakthrough until Windass netted just after the hour, leaving the Teesside fans dreaming of an incredible Premier League title win.
Arsenal will still feel they have a big say in the destination of the Premiership trophy after their win at 10-man Aston Villa.
The Gunners host Manchester United in the clash of the titans on Boxing Day before hosting Middlesbrough immediately after in Gameweek 20.
If they can win both games and Thierry Henry can maintain his improving form, there is no reason why Arsenal can’t make a sustained push to bring the title to North London.
Meanwhile, the Tottenham challenge is falling to a whimper after another home defeat, this time at the hands of Charlton Athletic.
Stefan Selakovic had given his side an early lead but it was Shaun Bartlett that scored the second-half winner to condemn the faltering Whites to another damaging loss.
Sergei Rebrov was clutching his arm at the end of the game and is a doubt for the Boxing Day fixture at Leicester, making for tough decisions in the community.
Leeds United are the team gaining attention from many ChampManFPL managers. They feature in the Blank Gameweek before potentially having back-to-back Double Gameweeks, and claimed a 1-1 draw at Anfield through an Ian Harte penalty.
Leeds will be frustrated that they couldn’t take a win after Patrik Berger was sent off midway through the first half but the opening goal from Steven Gerrard was enough to earn a point for Liverpool
The two star-men of the week were from opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of expectation. Luis Boa Morte delivered for his ownership once again with a 14-point haul.
Those that had vice-captained the diminutive Portuguese winger turned striker felt the benefit of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s rest.
But the top point scorer of the Gameweek would have been very tough to call. Romanian Dan Petrescu scored a penalty, kept a clean sheet and took home three bonus points for a 15-point haul in Southampton’s 2-0 win at Everton.
However, Petrescu now starts a three-match ban that will see him miss the hectic Christmas schedule.
The fixture between Arsenal and Manchester United is undoubtedly the highlight of Boxing Day. Middlesbrough take their five-point lead to Goodison Park to face Everton, while two free-scoring and open teams in Leicester and Tottenham face off in an eagerly anticipated encounter.
With Arsenal and Manchester United battling at Highbury, it is potentially the toughest captaincy choice of the season.
A lot of managers are turning towards Mark Viduka and Leeds’ trip to Southampton.
Please remember that this Gameweek is the final one of the season’s first half and the last round using the Google Sheets to update teams.
After the conclusion of Gameweek 19, all existing managers will need to import their teams into the new website at fantasychampman.com.
For new managers or those expressing an interest in the game, please sign up, follow @FantasyChampMan and @CMScoutFPL and join the fun.
There is a new second half of the season league, mini-league functionality and all new managers will have all chips to attack the second half of the season with.
Good luck and Merry Christmas 2001 from the ChampManFPL Scout!
Nominated for ‘Best in Fantasy Football – Editorial’ at the Football Content Awards 2020
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3 years, 10 months agoAny update from FPL? Any announcement as to when they might provide an update. Time is running out to sort our teams and strategies.
Thanks...