In sparkling form and available at a bargain price, Raheem Sterling is finishing the season as strongly as his team are right now.
Gameweek 35 review
It’s normally the old heads that guide you through the sort of nervous experience that Liverpool had at Carrow Road on Sunday, but instead it was their youngest player that came up trumps as Raheem Sterling was involved in all three Liverpool goals in their 3-2 win over the Canaries.
That contribution led to 18 points for the 19-year old, the highest score this week ahead of a 16-point haul for Aaron Ramsey, whose return has been a huge boost to Arsenal in recent weeks. Leighton Baines was next after 15 points thanks to a goal and a clean sheet in Everton’s victory over Manchester United and he was joined in the back four by Seamus Coleman with 11 points.
Like Ramsey for Arsenal, Sergio Aguero’s comeback could prove crucial for Manchester City and he was back with a bang with 12 points in their win over West Brom and was partnered by Wilfried Bony and Lukas Podolski in attack with 13 points apiece.
Once again, Crystal Palace were prominent and had two players in the Dream Team XI this week – Julian Speroni (9) and Mile Jedinak (11) – along with the in-form Christian Eriksen (11) and Jose Fonte (9).
J-League
Barry Curran’s Gambitbeer are not so much gradually wrapping their hands around the J-League title, more doing it while openly taking the p*ss out of their nearest competitors after yet another stellar week this week.
Barry’s charges registered a cracking 99 points at the weekend to open up a 61-point gap over Michael Roche’s Hyperloopin’ Away in second place, a gap that surely won’t be breached between now and the end of the season, not with the form Barry is in at least.
The chasing pack are pretty much playing for places in the table at this stage and holding onto third at the moment are Emmet Masterson’s Hamsterdam, 11 points ahead of James Curran’s Out of Luck in fourth, with Adrian Marnane’s Michu at De Gea Bar bringing up the rear in fifth place.
J-League Top 5:
- Gambitbeer – Barry Curran: 2,409 points
- Hyperloopin’ Away – Michael Roche: 2,352 points
- Hamsterdam – Emmet Masterson: 2,344 points
- Out of Luck – James Curran: 2,333 points
- Michu at De Gea Bar – Adrian Marnane: 2,323 points
Red-hot Raheem in Sterling form
The contribution of the likes of Luis Suarez, Steven Gerrard and Martin Skrtel to Liverpool’s title challenge cannot be underestimated, but one of the biggest reasons behind their charge towards the title is that some of their young players are having the seasons of their lives.
We’ve mentioned Daniel Sturridge on plenty of occasions in this column already this season, while kudos should also go in the direction of Jon Flanagan, Jordan Henderson and impish Brazilian Philip Coutinho for their efforts over the last nine months or so.
The youngster who has stood out the most in recent weeks, however, is Raheem Sterling, who has done enough to earn a PFA Young Player of the Year nomination and a place on the Monday Night Football Team of the Season (even if Gary Neville was rooting for Adam Lallana).
The 19-year old has been on fire in recent matches and what will come as a huge source of encouragement to Liverpool fans is that he made telling contributions in big games (Arsenal and Manchester City at home) or in games of high importance like last weekend against Norwich, where the Reds just needed to get over the line without playing particularly well.
Having never cost more than £6.0 million this season, Sterling has always been an attractive option but particularly so in recent weeks, registering three goals, an assist and 25 points in the last two games alone.
The worry from a Fantasy manager’s perspective is if the England youngster follows a trend of producing form in, tending to score, for example, three goals in four games (as he has twice) and then disappearing into mediocrity for a short period.
That said, with Sterling eager to ensure a place on the England World Cup squad that will surely be his on the back of his recent form, a strong finale to the season and plenty more points is a strong possibility.
JOE’s Fantasy Football Picks:
Top Dollar: Sergio Aguero (£12.6 million). With City in action twice in Gameweek 37, managers will be rushing to introduce the Argentine ace, who has a goal and two assists in just over two hours of football since his return.
Mid-Range: Aaron Ramsey (£7.4 million). Arsenal look a different team with Ramsey in the side and despite missing 14 matches, he’s already showing his early-season form with a goal and three assists in one full match and a 20-minute substitute appearance.
Bargain Basement: Harry Kane (£4.4 million). The youngster has three goals in three games having been trusted to start by Tim Sherwood and is a bargain at that price, particularly if you have a lot of money tied up elsewhere.
Irish Pick: Seamus Coleman (£7.0 million). Magnificent again against United last Sunday, we can’t see any reason NOT to pick the Donegal man again this week.
Captain’s Pick: Lukas Podolski (£7.8 million). The inconsistent German was going to be our mid-range recommendation, but then we looked at his stats (five goals, two assists and 44 points in his last five games) and Arsenal’s opposition (Newcastle at home) and we decided that he might just be worth a gamble as skipper this weekend.
