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19th Dec 2014

Fantasy Football Insider – Gameweek 17: RVP could be Man Utd’s current MVP

After a noticeable drop in his recent form, Robin Van Persie looks like he is back to his best

Paul Moore

After a noticeable drop in recent form the prolific striker looks back to his best

Gameweek 16 review

It’s a rare occasion when a goalkeeper is the highest points winner in a gameweek but it’s an even rarer sight to see Burnley shot-stopper Tom Heaton top the list.

The Clarets ‘keeper was in fantastic form in his sides 1-0 win against Southampton and registered 15 points. West Brom duo Andre Wisdom and Joleon Lescott kept a clean sheet in their victory over Aston Villa and they picked up 9/8 points respectively.

Man City’s often maligned defender Eliaquim Mangala had one of his better games in the champions 1-0 win over Leicester and he completes the back three.

The midfield four reads like a whose who of stellar creative talent in the Premier League as Eden Hazard (14), Juan Mata (14), Santa Santi Cazorla (14) and Christian Eriksen (13) absolutely terrorised their opponents over the weekend.

They all found the back of the net and had a helping hand in setting up goals for their teammates.

Olivier Giroud’s brace against Newcastle was vital for Wenger’s men while the frequently impressive Steven Naismith once again proved his importance for Everton with a goal and an assist against QPR.

Man Utd fans will be delighted to see that Robin Van Persie has found his goalscoring form at just the right moment and the Dutchman completes the team with 11 points.

J-League

It was all change at the top of the J-League this week as Sean Kelly’s The Honey Badgers had an incredible week and seized top-spot after starting the week in 5th.

76 points was enough for him to jump ahead of the previous leaders Sporting Kilbeggan as Terry O’Rourke’s side slip down a place with 977 points.

Enda Mc Gearty and Coin Men are a single point behind in third while Stephen Mullett’s wecouldwinitsixtimes also fall down a place into fourth.

The rather brilliantly named Ag Imirt Pellé complete the top 5 as Stephen Lawlor’s side had a very strong week collecting 71 points.

J-League Top 5

1. The Honey Badgers – Sean Kelly – 981 points
2. Sporting Kilbeggan – Terry O’Rourke – 977 points
3. Coin Men – Enda Mc Gearty – 976 points
4. wecouldwinitsixtimes – Stephen Mullett – 972 points
5. Ag Imirt Pellé – Stephen Lawlor – 963 points

RVP looks like he’s Man Utd’s current MVP

JOE expected the arrival of Louis Van Gaal at Old Trafford to instantly provide the catalyst for Robin Van Persie to rediscover the goalscoring form that went missing under David Moyes.

Van Persie returned to his injury prone status last year as he struggled to look like the same player who fired United to the Premier League title in Alex Ferguson’s final year.

Maybe it was fatigue from the World Cup or his sharpness being blunted by those injuries but the Dutchman’s drop in from was very noticeable in the early stages of this season.

The dramatic goal against Chelsea bought the striker some breathing space but his usually razor sharp finishing looked blunted.

The Dutchman appeared to be a shadow of his former self and according to certain reports he was even on the verge of being dropped for the promising youngster James Wilson

How quickly things can change though because four goals in four games is the sign of a striker who is bang in form and we’ve a feeling that RVP will be key for United against Aston Villa in a fixture where they historically dominate.

We expect Van Persie to lead the line once again and the striker will need to be at his best. Radamel Falcao is edging closer to full fitness.

JOE’s Fantasy Football Picks

Top Dollar: Robin van Persie (£12.5 million) For all of the reasons mentioned above, the Man Utd striker seems like a shoe-in for any Dream Team this week. Aston Villa have a habit of giving up some guilt edge chances to their opponents so we expect to see RVP hit the back of the net.

Mid-Range: Christian Eriksen (£8.1 million) Another man who is in superb form is Spurs’ creative talisman and the Danish playmaker should be given plenty of time to shine against Burnley at White Hart Lane. Sean Dyche’s men have been in decent form recently but they’ve struggled on the road so far this season and we expect this to continue.

Bargain Basement: Pozo (£5.0 million) This is a no brainer for us especially considering the champions are missing Aguero, Jovetic and Dzeko through injury. Pozo is the champions only fully fit striker and Man City are usually formidable at home so we expect the youngster to see plenty of chances against Crystal Palace.

Captain’s Pack: Juan Mata (£8.5 million) Aston Villa’s style of football would indicate that they’re prepared to let Man Utd have the lions share of possession on Saturday because Lambert bases his tactics and goalscoring threat around counter-attacking football. The stats prove just how much of a quality footballer Juan Mata is and the Spanish international is probably playing his best football right now since joining Man Utd.