Share
23rd September 2010
09:00pm BST
In this week’s Fantasy Football Insider JOE ponders whether or not to stick with the Chelsea contingent, who have a few difficult fixtures ahead.
Chelsea maintained their steamrolling start to the season against Blackpool last weekend, with high points scorers Ashley Cole, Florent Malouda and Didier Drogba boosting what were already substantial totals. With four goals scored before the break, Carlo Ancelotti’s side seemed to take pity on the Tangerines and ease up in the second half, but maybe that was an energy-saving exercise in anticipation of what looks like a tricky period for the Blues.
After facile encounters against Premiership lightweights West Brom, Wigan, Stoke City, West Ham and Blackpool so far, Chelsea are facing into three games against sides that finished in the top six last season (Manchester City, Arsenal and Aston Villa) and two of those games, away days against Manchester City and Aston Villa, are games that the champions lost in the last campaign.
At this stage, a lot of fantasy teams will have the full quota of three Chelsea players in their selections and the temptation may be to remove at least one of those in the next couple of gameweeks. Whatever short-term gain there is to be had from such a policy, however, is probably not worth it in the long term.
For a start, in the form the champions are in, there’s every chance that they’ll come away with 6-9 points from those three games and if anyone is going to pick up the points for Ancelotti’s side, it’s going to be the likes of Drogba and Malouda, who can’t seem to stop scoring at the moment.
The other point to make is that you’ll probably want to get those players back into your side at some stage later in the season. The top players don’t come cheap and it will probably take a lot of meddling to get them back in, especially if their price continues to rise.
What to look out for this week
Arsenal look the best bet to provide some value this weekend, with the Gunners playing host to West Brom at the Emirates. The Baggies have been looking decent under Roberto di Matteo in recent weeks, but are the type of side that Arsenal normally chew up and spit out, especially at home.
The absence of Cesc Fabregas is a really big loss in that regard, as the Spaniard was coming into the sort of form that makes him a must-have in any selection. In any case, there are a few men who are more than capable of picking up the slack in the captain’s absence.
Samir Nasri (£7.2 million) netted a couple against Spurs during the week, while Jack Wilshere is really coming into his own in the Arsenal midfield. At £5 million, he is a bit of a bargain, but has yet to add consistent goals and assists to his repertoire. As far as goals are concerned, Moroccan striker Marouane Chamakh has made an impressive start to his Premier League career and should probably be your first choice of Arsenal players to get in for this weekend.
Jack Wilshere: Not a bad shout at £5 million
That game aside, there are certainly no ‘gimme’ fixtures on paper this weekend. The form of individual players is the next thing to look out for and with that in mind, Dimitar Berbatov (£9.0 million), Carlos Tevez (£10.4 million) and Steven Gerrard (£11.4 million) are big names worth considering, while at the other end of the scale the likes of Ben Foster (£4.7 million), Mike Williamson (£4.3 million) and Scott Parker (£5.4 million)offer good value for money, while Newcastle’s new signing Hatem Ben Arfa looks a snip at £5 million quid.
JOE’s Fantasy Football Picks
Top Dollar: Dimitar Berbatov (£9.0 million). Berbatov has been on a hot streak so far this season and his confidence is bound to be sky-high after last week’s amazing hat-trick against Liverpool. United play Bolton at the Reebok this weekend, a ground where Berbatov has scored a winner for the Red Devils in the past, and with Wayne Rooney continuing to look nothing like his usual self, Sir Alex will be looking to the Bulgarian to do the business against Owen Coyle’s men.
Mid Range: Kenwyne Jones (£6.8 million). The big striker has settled in well at Stoke and has scored twice and contributed 15 points in his last two games.
Bargain Basement: Charlie Adam (£5.1 million). As topsy-turvy as Blackpool’s debut Premier League season has been so far, the one thing you can guarantee in any game involving the Tangerines is goals. There have been 20 goals in the five games involving Ian Holloway’s men so far this season, an average of four a game.
If the home side are going to nick a couple against Blackburn this weekend, there’s a good chance that Charlie Adam will be involved, given his creative ability and his quality at set-pieces. Adam has already picked up 28 points so far and at just over £5 million, is not a bad man to have in your squad.
Irish pick: Damien Duff (£6.4 million). When he’s fit, Duff is a fixture in Mark Hughes’ startling line-up and could be good for an assist if the Cottagers are going to score at home to a struggling Everton side this weekend.
Captain’s pick: Marouane Chamakh (£8.4 million). Arsenal have scored ten goals in two home games so far and have shown their ability to pulverise mid-table opposition at home yet again this season. Chamakh has scored 16 points in those two home games and with Van Persie still absent, is the Gunners’ main goalscoring threat. Against West Brom, he should be good for another goal or two and a barrel-load of fantasy football points.
