As our final double Gameweek looms, we find ourselves entering that controversial territory in which teams with nothing to play for can decide the fate of those with everything on the line. Despite the traditional platitudes: managers often relish the chance to experiment with next season in mind, and players with one foot on the beach never run as quickly as those with both on the pitch.
These additional variables often mean another stone in the shoe for Fantasy managers, and we can perhaps count ourselves lucky that this last double Gameweek allows us to roll the dice on several teams for whom the Premier League die is not yet cast. With no further ado then, we analyse a Spurs team whose scrap for Champions’ League football looks set to go down to the wire.
The Prospects
Two points back from Arsenal and with a game in hand, next Wednesday’s clash with Chelsea will be of paramount importance to all three London clubs. Although the goals have been flowing for Spurs – two or more in eight out of their last nine league games – Chelsea have three clean sheets in their previous four at Stamford Bridge and, with a three point advantage to protect, a batten-down-the-hatches approach might look tempting to Rafa Benitez come next midweek.
Before that crucial clash, Spurs pay host to a Southampton side for whom safety might have given rise to recklessness. Down to nine men at the eventual euthanisation of Saturday’s sickly performance against West Brom, the prospect of Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon going full pelt at the full-backs all afternoon won’t do much to galvanise sunken spirits at the Saints. All is not well in the Spurs defence however, and with no clean sheets to show for their last nine – investment is likely to centre around potential at the other end of the pitch.
The Likely Lads
There are times when a subject has been so frequently, so ably and so loudly discussed that further analysis becomes superfluous. With that in mind I will confine myself to observing that irrespective of price, formation, lingering doubts over his fitness, the state of your mini-league races or the intricacies of the assist rule: having the double PFA player of the year Gareth Bale in your team for this double Gameweek is probably a good idea. With 60% of the votes cast in our Captain Poll so far, the Welshman is an overwhelming armband favourite and has seven sets of double figures in his last nine appearances.
The return from injury of Aaron Lennon throws something of cat amongst the pigeons for those assessing the potential of Tottenham’s ancillary attacking assets. Andre Villas-Boas’ dalliances with 4-3-3 in the winger’s absence have seen Clint Dempsey and Bale line up either side of Jermain Defoe but the introduction of Lennon on 70 minutes at the DW saw Spurs revert to their more customary 4-2-3-1, and it remains to be seen which setup Villas-Boas prefers with Lennon in the side.
Sticking with 4-3-3 would put serious question marks over Dempsey’s security on the left, whilst reverting to 4-2-3-1 would still leave the American vulnerable to competition from Gylfi Sigurdsson, whilst also casting doubt over Defoe’s suitability for holding up the ball and creating space in such a setup. In any event Lennon should offer security of starts; something of an unsung hero for Spurs in the shade of Bale’s exploits, the nippy winger has chipped in with steady, if unspectacular, returns all season. Perched on a respectable 119 points despite being out of action for almost two months, a midrange price of 7.1 (6.0 in Sky Sports) and low ownership (5.2%) could see him offer value as a useful differential over the run in.
Replacing Emmanuel Adebayor with twenty minutes to go as Spurs trailed at home to Man City, Jermain Defoe took just seven minutes to find the net in the resulting fightback. Retained in the starting lineup against Wigan last weekend, Defoe seems to have ousted Adebayor as Villas-Boas go-to-guy up front for the time being. Capable of explosive returns and priced at a tempting 7.9 (9.3 in Sky Sports), the striker will doubtless see continued investment ahead of the double, but whether he gets the full 180 minutes is another matter.
With clean sheets thin on the ground, Spurs defenders need to be either very cheap or very attacking to drum up much business these days. Fortunately they’ve got one of each. Michael Dawson has emerged as a mainstay at centre-back in the second half of the season, and priced at a near rock-bottom 4.4 (4.8 in Sky Sports) he has understandably caused frequent stirrings of interest around these parts. With just one goal and no assists for the campaign, however, there’s not a lot to recommend him other than price.
With five goals and three assists already in his debut Premier League season, Jan Vertonghen is already well on his way to cult status at the Lane. Equally at home at centre or left back, and more than capable of getting forward from either position: towering headers, incisive passes and deft finishes are all conspicuous in the Belgian’s attacking repertoire. If Spurs could only conspire to keep the occasional clean sheet it’s likely that at his current price of 6.7 (7.2 in Sky Sports) Vertonghen would be the most sought after defensive asset in the game. Languishing on just 7.9% ownership and with three double digit returns on his card already, he has the potential to demolish mini-league deficits if the chips fall in his favour.
Cheeky Punt
A double gameweek institution in seasons gone by, Clint Dempsey has struggled to carve himself a niche in Spurs’ highly competitive midfield. Vulnerable to rotation in both of the likely formations, the American’s recent run of starts could well be terminated by the return to the fold of Aaron Lennon. Frustratingly for Fantasy managers – Dempsey has scored well when given the minutes, and might be poised to achieve that most irritating of feats: delivering a big return for a rival less well informed as to his risk than you. Currently priced at a weighty 8.9, and with just 1.5% ownership, last season’s top scoring FPL midfielder certainly has the potential to end this one on a high.
