As the finishing line edges ever closer and the curtain comes down on Sir Alex Ferguson’s time as United boss, it’s time to get a little nostalgic as we start to roll out the End of Season polls. As of tomorrow, these will appear in the middle column of the homepage – working our way through the positions, we’ll begin with the goalkeepers, affording you the chance to nominate your favoured Fantasy Premier League (FPL) protagonists from the 2012/13 campaign. Your assessment should, of course, be from an overall Fantasy perspective – initial price, overall points and value should all come into consideration.
Prior to tomorrow’s first poll, we thought we’d have a look back at your selections from last season, with the line-up truly reflecting the ever-changing nature of Fantasy football.
2011/12 Team of the Season Review
Goalkeeper – Michel Vorm
Defence – Danny Simpson, Jonny Evans, Vincent Kompany, Benoit Assou-Ekotto
Midfield – Gareth Bale, Clint Dempsey, Gylfi Sigurdsson, David Silva
Forwards – Robin Van Persie, Papiss Cisse
Swansea stopper Michel Vorm started this term with a 5.5 price tag after producing 14 clean sheets and 158 points from 37 starts in Brendan Rodgers’ final season in charge at the Liberty. Subbed off with a groin injury in the Gameweek 9 loss at City, the Dutchman subsequently missed nine back-to-back league matches and with a knee problem and recent head knock also curtailing his game time, Vorm has made just 25 starts under new boss Michael Laudrup. Sitting in a lowly 13th spot for keepers, he’s produced just seven clean sheets and 91 points and with the likes of Ben Davies offering a cheaper, injury-free route into the Swans backline, Vorm has failed to build on his sensational debut campaign.
Danny Simpson also produced 14 clean sheets in 2011/12 and offered a secure, cut-price route into the Newcastle back-four. With his initial price bumped up to 5.0, Simpson started all but four of the first 20 Gameweeks but soon fell out of favour due to the arrival of Mathieu Debuchy – a peripheral figure for the Tyneside team, he’s produced a mere 46 points compared to last term’s total of 116 and with contract running down, he’s set for the exit door.
A long-term knee injury to Nemanja Vidic afforded Jonny Evans the chance to establish himself as a regular last season but the United centre-half has suffered from constant rotation issues at the heart of Sir Alex Ferguson’s defence. Despite providing three goals and a pair of assists, Evans has produced eight clean sheets in his 22 appearances compared to 15 clean sheets in 29 fixtures in 2011/12. Initially priced at 6.0, he suffered from Rafael’s lower valuation of 5.5 and with David De Gea offering a security of starts between the sticks, a distinct lack of guaranteed game time means Evans has just 1% ownership as the campaign draws to a close.
Having started the previous season at just 6.0, Vincent Kompany proved outstanding value, thanks to three goals, a couple of assists, 12 bonus points and 15 clean sheets. Kompany has found the net just once this term and has produced just two bonus points, with 11 clean sheets also accrued. Last season’s total of 145 points is far superior to his current total of 91 points – initially priced at 7.5 last August, Kompany has started only 26 of his side’s matches and has been significantly outscored by Joe Hart (149) and Pablo Zabaleta (123), with the latter benefiting from a consistency of starts due to Micah Richards’ knee injury.
An integral member of Harry Redknapp’s Tottenham side in 2011/12, Benoit Assou-Ekotto racked up 135 points from the left-back berth. The Cameroon international had missed just four matches in the previous campaign but a knee injury sustained in early September has significantly reduced his game time under Andre Villas-Boas. Returning to the squad in January, Assou-Ekotto has since featured in 10 of his side’s subsequent 14 fixtures but has produced just 38 points so far and has been woefully short of form.
Gareth Bale is the only one of our featured XI to have exceeded his score from 2011/12. Villas-Boas’ decision to move the Welshman to the middle over the last few months has reaped reward – Bale has scored double the number of goals (20 to 10) and collected 47 bonus points to last term’s 21. Currently sitting on 239 points compared to his 2011/12 haul of 195 points, he’s been head and shoulders above any other midfield assets this time round and has produced double figures 13 times, a sign of his armband appeal. Having started the season at 9.5, he looks set for a significant price hike.
Both Clint Dempsey and Gylfi Sigurdsson have failed to replicate the previous season’s form since arriving at Tottenham. A guaranteed starter at Fulham, Dempsey was the top scoring midfielder in the previous campaign with 209 points to his name but has scored just seven times for Spurs compared to 17 for the Cottagers. Having started just over half his side’s league games, his initial 9.5 price tag has been dire value, though a recent return to form suggests he may be worth considering next season if he can nail down a regular role. Sigurdsson’s exploits in “the hole” for Swansea afforded us a superb budget option in the second-half of the previous season but it just hasn’t happened for him since moving to north London. The Icelandic international has produced a mere 76 points and has started just 12 of his side’s 37 matches, with 20 appearances off the bench summing up his fall from Fantasy favour.
The only midfielder to start the season with a double figure price tag, David Silva still looked decent value at 10.0 but he’s flattered to deceive in what has proven a bitterly disappointing title defence by Roberto Mancini’s side. Silva sits on 137 points – his worst tally since moving to the Premier League from Valencia – and has scored or assisted in only 11 of his 30 appearances. A real lack of consistency means he has failed to deliver returns in more than two successive matches – with a single Gameweek left, he lags behind the likes of Robert Snodgrass, Adam Johnson and Jon Walters in the midfield standings.
Similar to Sigurdsson, Papiss Cisse earned his place in our team of the season due to his endeavours over the last few months. Arriving at Newcastle from German outfit SC Freiburg in January, he was handed a role as the central forward in Newcastle’s 4-3-3. Cisse racked up an incredible 13 goals and 20 bonus points in just 14 appearances but Alan Pardew’s decision to shift Demba Ba to the centre of attack proved hugely detrimental to his compatriot’s prospects this time round. Ba’s transfer to Chelsea in January has slightly helped but Cisse still looks devoid of any real confidence and has delivered just 111 points from 2909 minutes this time out, compared to 105 points from only 1106 in 2011/12.
A controversial move to Old Trafford over the summer had many questioning whether Robin Van Persie could maintain the form that harvested 30 goals, 13 assists and 45 bonus points in his final season at Arsenal. The Dutchman has answered the doubters emphatically, however, and, as we head into Gameweek 38, currently has a 17 point lead over Gareth Bale at the top of the FPL standings. Initially coming in at 13.0, he’s without doubt justified that premium price tag and although he’s five goals short of last term’s tally, already has the Golden Boot firmly wrapped up. With spot-kicks also in his locker and Wayne Rooney looking for the Old Trafford exit door, Van Persie has proven as reliable as ever in Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season in charge of the Red Devils.
