Once again it was Saturday’s early kick-off that stirred the Fantasy melting pot as United conceded twice but could turn to the class of Wayne Rooney to fire them to three points. Rooney’s stock is rising as Fanatsy Managers lick the wounds inflicted by backing Arsenal’s big guns against Blakburn at the Emirates, only to share in Arsene Wenger’s frustration as the visitors repelled the Gunners weary waves of attacks. Here’s the notes on yesterday’s events…
A 15-minute hat-trick at Upton Park took him to 8 goals in his last 8 league starts. That form looks set to find him transferred in by a huge number of Fantasy Managers having shown an ownership deficit ahead of gameweek 31. Our Members need refer to their OPTA stats for Goal Threat and filter for the last 5 gameweeks for confirmation that Rooney is currently in bloom.
As discussed in last night’s Knee Jerk, the decision to rest Nani to the bench with Antonio Valencia returning to the starting lineup may well see his owners consider his future given the form demonstrated by Rooney. Nani was obviously rested ahead of the Champions League tie with Chelsea but, with Valencia, Ji-Sung Park and Ryan Giggs as options, there will be concerns that Nani may have his pitch-time cut in the weeks to come.
Alex Ferguson started with Rooney as a lone striker, with Park and Valencia flanking him. That was soon scrapped following West Ham’s two spot-kicks, with Javier Hernandez and Dimitar Berbatov both introduced from the bench. With Fulham at Old Trafford up next, we can surely expect a return to 4-4-2 with Hernandez the favourite to partner Rooney in attack. Wednesday’s Champions League tie will offer more clues on that.
Although Chris Smalling was outstanding for United, Alex Ferguson’s defence has now kept just 2 clean sheets in 9 league games. Ownership of Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra looks set to continue on its steady decline then. Smalling would be a viable option as a cheap alternative, but with Rio Ferdinand reportedly in line for a return to contention against Fulham, his starting role is far from assured.
He struck his twelfth goal of the season in Newcastle’s 4-1 win over Wolves at St James’ Park. Unfortunately, the Magpies midfielder also earned his tenth booking and will now serve a two-match ban, missing fixtures against Villa and United. Danny Guthrie and Stephen Ireland will now likely start against Villa with Cheik Tiote also banned for that one. Joey Barton was again outstanding but was missed by the FPL Bonus judges – he earned his first assist in 7 starts when he set up Peter Lovenkrands for his goal.
A sparkling display in West Brom’s 2-1 win over Liverpool earned him 2 assists and 2 FPL Bonus Points – taking him to 21 Bonus for the season. The Nigerian has been an outstanding success in his first season and is currently the form striker in the FPL, despite notching just a single goal in his last seven league appearances. A run of 4 assists and 4 Bonus has boosted his returns, although and he may now earn interest as a result. Short-term fixtures are not in his favour however (sun CHE tot) and the likes of Danny Welbeck and Junior Hoilett are arguably better options in the budget price bracket.
The Liverpool right-back suffered a hamstring injury in the first-half of the Hawthorns defeat. Kenny Dalglish suggested that Johnson had sustained a strain and there are now fears that he could join fellow full-back Martin Kelly on the sidelines for a spell. Liverpool’s defensive assets are looking badly stretched with Dan Agger also suffering a knock which is due to be assessed next week.
Birmingham lost their clean sheet to Bolton but Johnson continued to shine in their defence. The former Cardiff centre-back earned 3 Bonus Points for the fourth time this season – he has now accumulated 20 Bonus this season – more than any other defender in the league.
He was the other defensive barrier responsible for Birmingham clinging to three points – Foster made a string of superb saves, returning 2 supplementary points for his owners along with 2 Bonus Points. Foster has made more saves and earned more Bonus than any other keeper in the league.
He continues to flourish in the absence of bigger names in the Everton midfield. Osman has stepped up his game in terms of goal attempts and has earned 2 goals and an assist in his last 4 league starts, along with 5 Bonus Points. Against Villa he could and should have scored twice as David Moyes employed the impish midfielder in the support role for Jermaine Beckford up front. With Tim Cahill edging his way back to fitness he may not stay in that position but, at just 5.6, Osman is certainly in that hat for a mid-price consideration with Wolves and Blackburn up next.
Justified his selection in the Scout Picks by converting Everton’s first penalty of the season. Baines’ set-piece involvement paid off then and the former Wigan man enjoyed another productive match down the left flank. He remains key a top five defensive acquisition in our Watchlist; Saturday’s return only cemented his ranking further.
Replaced on 51 minutes with no apparent injury, Coleman returned just a single point for his owners. While Baines demonstrated consistent returns from left-back, Coleman remains a frustration for Fantasy Managers in his right-wing role. At times he looks to have an assured starting role, at others, he looks at risk – even with Everton’s resources stretched.
A superbly taken brace at Goodison moved him onto 4 goals in his last seven appearances for Villa. With strong fixtures ahead of him (NEW whm STK wba WIG), Bent will surely continue to pick up further interest from Fantasy Managers who may well be considering trading Ashley Young for the likes of Charlie Adam whilst covering Villa’s run-in with Bent.
The Dutchman drew at blank in a largely dire encounter at the DW Stadium. It’s now just one goal and a single assist in last six league appearances for Van der Vaart which will surely raise question marks over his status in our squads. Subbed on 67 minutes having been replaced with 20 minutes to go against Bolton, Van der Vaart was obviously preserved for Tottenham’s midweek Champions League tie with Real Madrid. Harry Redknapp’s side follow that tie with a run of fixtures that promote his players in our thinking, with four home matches in the next five (STK ARS WBA che BLP/mcy). That will surely ensure that Van der Vaart is a popular Fantasy target, despite his run of form.
While Van der Vaart’s Fantasy output has diminished, the little Croatian has come to the fore via an extraordinary run of FPL Bonus Points. That continued as Wigan as Modric picked up another couple – he has gathered either 2 or 3 Bonus in 7 of his last 9 league starts.
Even Modric had to bow to Wigan’s Bonus King. N’Zogbia hovered up another maximum FPL Bonus haul – the sixth time this season that the 5.5 Wigan winger has claimed the maximum in a match. N’Zogiba now has 26 Bonus for the season – only Carlos Tevez and Charlie Adam can better that.
So long a contender for Player of the Year, Nasri’s stock has declined of late with no goal or assist in his last seven league appearances for the Gunners. Nasri’s performance in the frustrating 0-0 draw with Blackburn was not helped by a first-half blow to the head that left Nasri dazed and confused as he sought to undo a determined Rovers rearguard effort. Significantly, both Andrey Arshavin and Theo Waclott were withdrawn before Nasri – indication Arsene Wenger regards Nasri as a key component other these other two Fantasy options in the Arsenal midfield.
