Watchlist

The Watchlist – Antonio Valencia

Few men would envy the task of filling Cristiano Ronaldo’s golden slippers. When the Portuguese prima donna eloped from Manchester to Madrid in the summer of 2009, a club accustomed to stepping out with the Premier League’s prom queen could be forgiven for not immediately embracing the wholesome qualities of his replacement..

Doggedly supplying that deficit of glamour with industry and unselfishness since his arrival, Antonio Valencia has forged virtue of necessity and wrought himself a hard-won place in the hearts of the fans. If the Stretford End still secretly dreams of step-overs past, it wakes gladly divorced from the illusion that the value of a final ball depends on any preceding pirouettes.

Investment in the United midfield has been pregnant with rotational pitfalls since Ronaldo’s departure, but with Nani out of favour and new acquisition Shinji Kagawa deployed centrally or wide left, Valencia is currently relieved of credible understudies for his blooming duet with Rafael on the right. With four assists to his credit already in an injury-interrupted start and only a baffling, if hilarious, miskick robbing him of a tap-in against Arsenal two weeks ago, a big haul may be just around the corner for the former Wigan man as the goals flow and fixtures ease for the Reds.

Averaging a gnat’s whisker under three strikes a game since their opening day defeat at Everton, a run comprising (nor, QPR, WHM, rdg) in the next four Gameweeks seems likely to further augment that impressive average. Still smarting from last season’s goal-difference title defeat at the hands of their noisy neighbours, Ferguson has publicly set the pass mark at 100 notches on the goal post this time out and, with four goals and 14 assists last year, Valencia certainly has the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) pedigree to profit from a more ruthless offensive philosophy.

With the likes of Gareth Bale, Eden Hazard and Santi Cazorla somewhat treading water at the pricy end of the midfield spectrum, Fantasy managers may feel more at liberty to chance their arm on less celebrated candidates. Whilst out-and-out wingers have taken something of a back seat to “in the hole” midfield picks thus far, few wide men have access to the quality of the targets Valencia enjoys. Currently priced at 8.6 in FPL (7.9 in the Sky Sports game), the Ecuadorian dynamo looks primed to buck the trend and deliver strong value from out wide as United look to go forth and conquer over the coming weeks.

stilicho I never make predictions and I never will

978 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Dr Dream
    • 11 Years
    11 years, 4 months ago

    Have i missed something with this Hernanadez chap ?...has he suddenly been given a regular starting slot at United or has the world just got a bit transfer mad...

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    1. Timmy Cahill Rules
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 4 months ago

      no its knee jerking at its worst

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    2. thegaffer82
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 4 months ago

      Fuelled by a double figure haul plus the promise of a start against Norwich. But ultimately people buying him will be the same people who are asking who they should buy to replace Hernandez a few weeks down the line.

      To which the reply will of course be Berbatov 🙂

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    3. simsey
      • 13 Years
      11 years, 4 months ago

      I think Its the kind of transfer yu can make if you're happy with the rest of your team.

      Ferguson has said he'll start this wknd. If he does then (on his current form) he's worth having for a few weeks. Hard to see anyone else as likely to score for the same money

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      1. ampere
        • 13 Years
        11 years, 4 months ago

        Yeah, happy with my team so I did a luxury transfer Aguero > Hernandez, then after City fall out of CL next week I'm getting Aguero back in. 1-2 week punt at most.

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      2. Dr Dream
        • 11 Years
        11 years, 4 months ago

        i didn't know he'd said that...then why not...if he even sniffs another goal he'll rise by 0.6 over two weeks giving 0.3 extra spends...

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  2. Timmy Cahill Rules
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 4 months ago

    A .Ruiz and Rafael
    B Ba and Davies

    long term

    my main 11 would be with option A

    Habsi

    Baines Rafael Cuellar

    Nolan Mata Bale Hazard Fellaini

    Berbatov Suarez

    subs - Ruiz Cameron Gorkss

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  3. Luchogonzalez
    • 11 Years
    11 years, 4 months ago

    Whats the opinion on this team?

    Begs (foster)
    demel hughes baines (gallas, gibbs)
    caz michu hazard sterling (maloney)
    ba berba RVP

    Have 1 FT.Not too worried about the numerous minor injuries as many will be on the bench. Is it a straight forward hazard/caz to fellaini. Or Nolan?

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  4. totts
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 4 months ago

    Michu and Tevez transfer out for Fellaini and Jelavic? 4 pts hits

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    1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
      • 14 Years
      11 years, 4 months ago

      Not when tevez has that fixture next with a guaranteed start! Crazy!

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  5. FPL_Liger
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    11 years, 4 months ago

    Is there a second wildcard available around the Christmas period?

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  6. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
    • 14 Years
    11 years, 4 months ago

    Have 2x FTs & want do do aguero>berb for one, which pretty much allows me to do anyone>anyone after that. Morrison>silva perhaps?

    Jussi
    Baines, nelsen, shawx
    Morison, caz, hba, michu
    RVP, Aguero, ba
    (bego/demel/cuellar/guthrie)

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    1. b3- bish bash bosh
      • 12 Years
      11 years, 4 months ago

      I'd prefer to keep Morrison over hba

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  7. Norrin Radd
    • 11 Years
    11 years, 4 months ago

    One free transfer this week.
    Walters > Silva
    Michu > Silva
    Caz > Silva
    I really want Silva! But who to get rid of?
    Any advice please.

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    1. Smurf
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      11 years, 4 months ago

      100% dump Walters.

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  8. Spencer
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • Has Moderation Rights
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 4 months ago

    Yo stephenl15 who are you?! Are you a regular on here?

    Bebe United sounds familiar for some reason.

    http://fantasy.premierleague.com/entry/151371/history/

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  9. b3- bish bash bosh
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 4 months ago

    Im feeling captioning Suarez this week rather than Rvp,is this madness? still in paddy power cup, person I'm playin has not got Suarez

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  10. Get up ya bum
    • 14 Years
    11 years, 4 months ago

    another stellar article Stilicho 😀

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    1. doncastro
      • 14 Years
      11 years, 4 months ago

      No it's total dribble from someone with too many thesaurus's in the bookshelf.

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  11. threesticks
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    11 years, 4 months ago

    current midfield
    Bale - Hazard - Mata - Sterling - Fellaini

    Bale -> Silva ?
    Hazard -> Valencia ?
    What i am left with is not enough to do Sterling -> Nolan
    Thoughts?

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  12. mobmentality
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    11 years, 4 months ago

    Who should i drop out of Pienaar, Cazorla and Sterling?

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