The Watchlist – our mid-term playing recommendations – were updated yesterday with a minor tweak following earlier today. You can find these rankings in your right sidebar on the frontpage of the site.
This week shows plenty of movement in the Defensive rankings with Liverpool and Blackburn’s recent clean sheets prompting further climbs for their assets. While the Midfield top five remains untouched, there is a shuffle amongst the Forwards where Carlos Tevez pays the price for his one game ban and Andy Carroll falls from our top three. That means it’s Liverpool again who climb to the top of this table…
Let’s start between the posts where Joe Hart and Paul Robinson stand their ground at the pinnacle of the Goalkeeper rankings – form and fixtures keep them top of the pile. Pepe Reina, an expensive option but with superb fixtures and 4 clean sheets in 7, is their nearest rival. Craig Gordon and Ben Foster continue to offer value below him.
Aleksandar Kolarov’s ban and subsequent missing Gameweek this weekend sees him toppled in our Defender rankings with Liverpool’s Solios Kyrgiakos assuming his mantle with his strong fixtures, Bonus Point potential and a hefty goal threat. Outstanding form and decent fixtures has Leighton Baines climbing to second, with team-mate Seamus Coleman, back in favour on the right of midfield, our highest new entry.
Chris Samba’s fixtures has him installed in third spot with Kolarov holding on, along with United’s Rafael, to complete our top five defenders. Sunderland’s Phil Bardsley and Bolton’s Gary Cahill provide some low and mid-price options further down.
There’s no movement in the Midfield top five, with Nani and Samir Nasri holding to top spots despite a run of difficult fixtures to come. West Brom’s Chris Brunt – with strong form – and City’s David Silva – with kind fixtures – get closest. Florent Malouda is a major casualty of Chelsea’s continued slump as he drops down the rankings with poor form and an array of tough opponents to come. Birmingham’s Craig Gardner whose goal threat overshadows a difficult run of forthcoming fixtures, is our highest new consideration.
Look out for a shake-up in Midfield soon – the likes of Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Cesc Fabregas are all due back from injuries within the fortnight. Their arrival back in the Watchlist will certainly cause a major shuffle and could impact on the potential of others – particularly Samir Nasri and, in the Forward rankings, Didier Drogba; both players will have their role on set-pieces reduced and their spot-kick duties will also come under threat.
We also have to consider the Asian Cup and the absence of Tim Cahill during this spell. We know that Cahill will depart before the tournament in January to join up with the Socceroos and the latest from David Moyes indicates that this will be in the New Year which could well mean another five Gameweeks. Cahill remains high in the Watchlist then but that’s likely to change next week once the home fixture with Wigan has passed.
Moving up front and, like Kolarov, Carlos Tevez suffers a drop in the Forward rankings off the back of his suspension for Gameweek 17, with Fernando Torres taking top spot with a run of kind home opponents to come. Expect that pair to contend the top two for several weeks, unless Drogba can rediscover form or Dimitar Berbatov/Wayne Rooney catch fire.
Lower down, Newcastle’s Andy Carroll suffers his biggest drop of the season to fall from the top three with Bolton’s Johan Elmander and West Brom’s Peter Odemwingie the big climbers with form and fixtures falling nicely for them. The likes of Mario Balotelli, Asamoah Gyan and Jermain Defoe all enjoy climbs. The latter should have confidence off the back of last night’s brace but has Chelsea and two away games to come next, which tempers his appeal somewhat.
As always, keep an eye on the rankings leading up to the weekend – a full update will arrive post Gameweek on Tuesday but there could be daily changes up until then once the team news starts dripping in later this week.
