A cut-down Gameweek may have given us less toys to play with, but it generated plenty of topics to consider over our Monday afternoon tea-break. We touch on the demise of Michu and the midfield five, how Brendan Rodgers may have settled an argument and consider the mess the FA Cup is making of our season climax.
Forwards are striking back to threaten the famous five…
A few weeks ago it seemed folly to look beyond the five-man midfield and opt for two up front, acquiring nothing more than an adequate bench forward. Gameweek 29 provided further evidence that there is such strong talent in the mid-price bracket up front, it’s now time to reconsider the 3-4-3. Both Christian Benteke and Romelu Lukaku have shown consistent form over the past couple of months and with Loic Remy emerging as the great hope for QPR, there’s suddenly a pull towards three first choice forwards. And this in a week where Rickie Lambert stayed quiet.
Michu’s has gone from the sublime to the ridiculous…
The decline of the Swansea Spaniard is also helping to shift our thinking away from the five-man midfield. Michu’s failure to notch at the Hawthorns means that he’s now scored in just one of his last nine league starts. While he continues earning opportunities and boasts sublime finishing skills, those factors are not being converted into Fantasy returns. Perhaps the constant change in position and personnel around him is to blame. One things for sure, Michu’s owners are having their patience tested and with consistent performers up front to consider and Swansea’s season perhaps in danger of petering out with European qualification already earned, the case against Michu is mounting.
Set-pieces make heroes and villains…
In a weekend that saw Lukaku and Grant Holt miss spot-kicks, the former to cruelly rob his Fantasy owners improved returns, it was left to Yohan Cabaye and Steven Gerrard to offer further reminders just how vital the dead-ball can be in our Fantasy fortunes. Both Cabaye and Gerrard have benefitted enormously from set-pieces this season and it’s their dominance at set-plays for their respective teams that maintains their appeal over cheaper or more cavalier options available. It seems a big ask to presume that the pair will be given the opportunities to keep their tallies ticking without also returning from open play but, for now, their Fantasy owners won’t be too concerned.
Liverpool’s 4-2-3-1 may have put the Suarez vs Sturridge argument to bed…
We thought that Daniel Sturridge may well hold his own against the irresistible charge of the Uruguayan but Brendan Rodgers has now moved the goalposts. The shift from a 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1 has kept Suarez in central areas. While his wanderings will see him operate deeper, his position will keep him in the box and away from the wide areas he may have been patrolling in the 4-3-3. Already the effect is clear – while Sturridge had opportunities, Suarez was a key presence in the box and was on hand to smartly convert his 22nd league goal and win the decisive penalty. Sturridge, on the other hand, still looked short on match fitness.
This fixture situation is getting messy…
It’s chaos out there. With United and Chelsea drawing their FA Cup tie and no confirmed destination for the replay, we still don’t know how Gameweek 33 will be affected, although we know the Wigan vs Swansea fixture has already dropped out. Double Gameweeks beckon but, as yet, only the Arsenal vs Everton fixture has been confirmed, making specific forward planning with our transfers almost impossible. We know that a slew of doubles is on the horizon – we also know that they are going to cause a desperate clamour and a frenzy of transfer activity. We’re just waiting for the storm.
