Thursday 26 April 2012

The Matchday Insight : Week 36



The last week had 2 teams from the bottom half of the table play twice i.e Aston Villa and Bolton where we saw lots of fantasy managers score more than the125 points mark.There weren't many high average players to pick from but still the outputs were positive.The likes of Petrov and Eagles did turn out to be great investments.Even the cheaper options returned 2 to 3 times their values which was good to see.

After 2 high scoring weeks in a row, we head towards the big double games this week where the likes of Tottenham, Newcastle, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Fulham, Stoke and Bolton play twice.There seem to be many options for you to choose from as all these teams contain high potential players who have had a great season in terms of fantasy points.

In other fixtures we have both the Manchester clubs facing each other in an all important derby, Arsenal who have been off the boil, with Rvp completely out of form, have a tough away trip to Stoke.

Lets take a look at the teams playing double games this week :


Tottenham : Blackburn ( H ),  Bolton       ( A )
Chelsea     : QPR          ( H ),  Newcastle ( H )
Newcastle   : Wigan       ( A ),  Chelsea     ( A )
Stoke          : Arsenal      ( H ),  Everton     ( H )
Everton       :  Fulham      ( H ),  Stoke        ( A)
Fulham        :  Everton     ( A),   Liverpool   ( A)
Liverpool     : Norwich     ( A),  Fulham      ( H )
Bolton          : Sunderland  ( A ), Tottenham  ( H )

Forwards : 

Jelavic : He is in top form ( 4 goals, 49.5 pts in his last 2 games).He seems to be the best forward option this week as he faces Fulham who are poor on the road and then plays Stoke away.

Defoe : With Adebayor still recovering from a slight hamstring injury and having issues with Harry during training, Defoe would be the best bet from the Tottenham forwards.Harry would also like to give him a run with the prospects of him leading the line for England in the Euro 2012 ( If you believe the he would end up becoming the England manager)

Torres : After having sealed Chelsea' s place in the Champions league final , the confidence level of not just him but the whole unit would be sky high.Its a result which would ease out all kinds of pressure and we could see a more free flowing Chelsea performance.Drogba who has played most of the games over the last 2 weeks will be given a well deserved rest.

P.Cisse : His price is over the top for someone who plays two away games.In case you have the funds to spare, Cisse is a good pick as he is getting good support from the likes of Cabaye and Ben Arfa.In case you have him at a cheaper price, it would be foolish to take him out.

Crouch : Hard to ignore the fact that Stoke play both the games at home which would clearly give the likes of Crouch a lot of chances.At less than 9, he could well turn out to be a good investment.

Im keeping away from Suarez ( too expensive ), Pogrebnyak and Sturridge as they are very inconsistent and at this stage of the season would prefer picks who are more reliable.

Injury update regarding Adebayor is updated on
http://ifantasyepl.blogspot.in/2012/04/injury-insight-week-36.html#more

Midfielders :

VDV : Good part of this double matchday is that there is no room for rotations as players like Vdv will be asked to give it all in order to finish in the top 4.His form has been good and he seems to be taking most of the corners and free kicks. I would prefer Vdv only at a discount.At retail, you could look at Bale.

Bale : In case you dont have Vdv at a discount and wanting to buy one of the two at retail, you could look at Bale.He is always capable of the big scores and an asset for the two games.


Cabaye : When this guy is in form, there is no stopping him.He started the season on a high with lots of double digit scores but has been off in the middle part of the season.But last week was close to his best performance of the season and i would expect his form to be on top.

Petrov : Another player on top of his form and he is key to Bolton's survival in the premier league.At this late stage of the season, you will see teams at the bottom giving more than 100% percent and that could work out well as a pick.

Pienaar: With Osman dropping off lately, Pienaar has been stepping up with 2 goals and 3 assists in the last 4 games.Undoubtedly, the pick of Everton midfielders and with Jelavic playing upfront as a sole striker, it gives Pienaar more of an opportunity to go forward.

Etherington : Similiar reasons to that of Crouch and his value is low at 11.He has been off his pace for most of the season but over two games he will be in the green.

Ben Arfa : Hard to ignore such talent playing 2 games, the only difference between him and Cabaye is that the latter has an advantage playing a more central role where as Ben Arfa plays more on the left which does limit the opportunity if they dont play too many crosses.He will have to have his work cut out against the likes of Ashley Cole playing at left back.


Defenders :

Gallas / King :Tottenham have the easiest matchups this week and Gallas / King will be great picks this week  as the rest of their central defenders are injured.Gallas 6.xx and King 5.xx are affordable and make your defense strong for this week.

Bosingwa / A.Cole : Another pair of defenders are good bets this week.Their values have come down to around 8.xx. Both should play both the matches as Ivanovic is still suspended and A.Cole will need to play all games from here on if they would want to finish in the top 4.

Santon : Pick of the Newcastle defenders and even though the matchups are not that easy i would only consider him if i had him at a discount.

Ream : In case you are looking for an enabler, Ream could be a good option.


Keepers :

Cech : If you really want to splash the funds, look no further than Cech. Chelsea have been solid in defense in the last couple of games and Cech has been in great form.Prices over 12 and could give you big numbers this week.

Friedel : He form has been bad and has let in a few easy goals over this poor run.But this is a week where they play the likes of Blackburn and Bolton and with the likes of Yakubu and Eagles/petrov shooting at him, he could make this work in his favour.

Reina : Im not all in on this pick as Liverpool have been pathetic.But if you dont have much to spend on this spot , Reina could be well worth his value.

Well thats all the picks from the teams playing two games.The picks from teams playing once are as follows :

Forwards    : Tevez ( at a discount only ), Aguero ( only at a discount , under 10), Sinclair
Midfielders : Sigurdsson, Nani
Defenders   : Evans, Lichaj


Well thats all from the picks for Week 36.Its going to be a big week and i wouldnt want to miss out on as many double game players in there.If you are chasing a higher rank overall or in your league, this is the week.

Discussions in the "Comments" section below are always welcome and ill be there to add to it.

Next week im off to Old trafford for the Swansea game and will be back from my trip only after the season is over.Rohit will be here to help you all with the next two weeks.Will try to be on whenever i get a chance.

Have a great weekend.
Cheers.

AM 

37 comments:

  1. Team atm:

    Friedel

    Lichaj, Jagielka, Ream

    Siggy, Pienaar, VDV, HBA

    Tevez, Jelavic, Torres

    I'm kinda worried about Torres not starting though...What are your thoughts on my team AM?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Or I could also go

      Ream/HBA to Gallas/A.Cole

      Doubts about Newcastle facing tough fixtures and being away.

      Delete
    2. Torres will start and play in most of the two games.
      Drogba will be rested for the FA cup final next weekend.

      You will need Gallas or King in your back line.Im not too keen on Lichaj and Ream together in there.

      HBA or Cabaye will do well irrespective of who they play.

      Delete
  2. Hi.

    I seem to be one of the very few liking Cabaye over Ben Arfa, this week. Cabaye, as you pointed out, is playing more central in their 4-3-3, and ever since they've started playing this system, he's been racking up points.

    Kaboul could be back, apparently. Does that mean King only starts one?

    And I'm keen on Nani (@ 14), over Etherington as well. Yay, or nay?

    -Bombay Blues

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kaboul is expected to be back this week.But with Assou-Ekotto out for the remaining games it would be interesting to see how they shape up in defense.

      Gallas could play as left back and we could still see King playing as a CB.Lots of speculation at the moment. Waiting for Spurs team news from Harry tomorrow before we confirm anything.

      Delete
    2. Nani at 14 over Etherington.Yes !

      Delete
  3. current team:
    bogdan
    verm santon flanagan(enabler)
    siggy HBA pienar valencia
    p.cisse tevez jelavic

    thinking to change valencia with VDV.ok?
    (last week i have a hunch on vdv but AM suggest me not to.and he contribute lots of point. *sigh)

    i want to upgrade flanagan (below 3).any suggestion?

    -spursonian-

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You should make that switch to Valencia to Vdv.

      Defender below 3..only Nelsen could get some time.The rest dont have a chance.

      Delete
  4. already midfield sigusn,hba,cabaye,essien.

    should go to pienar replace cabaye?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Both are key to their teams and play a more central role.

      Hard to make that move.But in case it helps you to upgrade Essien you could.

      Delete
  5. What's your take on this team:

    Cech/ Ream, Gallas, Wilson/ Bale, vdV, Beausejour, Pienaar, Gibson/ Tevez, Jelavic?

    Thanks as always!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi tayo,

      Looks like a good strategy and an all in with Bale and Vdv could work out.

      Also like Cech in there.

      Delete
  6. what your opinion with this team

    reina
    santon,ream,flanagan
    sgursn,pienar,hba,vdv
    tevez,jelavic,probyk

    bank remain: 1.8

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. team looks good Faizal, but one point i would like to make is that having a filler( who wont play at all )in a double game week is the worst thing to do.

      Rest looks pretty good.

      Delete
  7. my team atm pls comment

    riena
    ream, bassong, santon
    siggy, ryo,hba, lenon, pienar
    p.cisse jelavic

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bassong is out for this week.

      Ryo is doubtful ( slightly ) due to some minor injury.

      Rest is good.

      Delete
  8. Team right now

    Cech
    ream agger gallas
    siggy HBA VDV Gibson (ugh)
    Tevez Jelly Torres

    nothing in the bank. not sure what to change/do if anything

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Trini,
      hows it going ? Im sure u must be in the top 1000 by now after these 2 solid weeks.

      I wouldnt change much in your team.You should wait for Spurs team news and see if Adebayor is out or not.Id he is out..its All in Defoe.He seems to be the big fish this week if its the case.

      Delete
    2. Hi AM.
      sadly, no i'm still in the 2000's. Before these 2 great weeks i had 2 bad weeks due to some last minute changes (Aguero related).

      So bring in Defoe for Torres if the news says he's to start?

      Delete
    3. I remember telling you to keep him that week.

      Anyhow this is the week to catchup.

      Adebayor is fit to play so Defoe is risky.

      Im in the same spot as 2 of your picks.Ive got Shotton instead of Agger and Cahill( Hunch) instead of Gibson ( has been off for a few weeks)

      Delete
    4. Yeah you did, and i'm still kicking myself for going against my head.
      I switched out Agger and Gibson actually for Ferriera and Pienaar. Pushing the funds forward for hopefully some catchup. So i guess the team news means Torres stays

      Delete
  9. Hope you enjoy your trip @ Old Trafford, AM!

    My Week36 team:
    Reina (Cech @ 10.95)
    Evans@6, Santon, Gallas (Bassong @ 1.39)
    Siggy@9, HBA, Pienaar, VDV
    Kun@6, Tevez@6, Jelly

    In short:
    Reina (risky) VS Cech (SVs & min 1 CS)
    Gallas (DG) VS Bassong (out)

    0.85 left.
    What's your shot on this?

    Wish you luck on your picks ths week. cheers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks a ton.

      SO your question is Reina/Gallas or Cech/Bassong?

      Is that the combinations you have to choose from ? I would pick the first.

      Delete
  10. Is Meireles a good pick to play both games since he's not going to play in CL final?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CL final is on 19th May so it should not have any impact on rotations in these 2 games.

      All chelsea midfielders are however facing rotation risks as they have just played their CL semifinal this week and next saturday is the FA cup final.

      Delete
  11. Hi AM,

    This is my team for this week:

    Reina
    Gallas Wilson Terry
    Sigurdsson VDV Ramirez HBA
    Tevez Jelavic Torres

    If team news said Adebayor is out, then I will replace Torres and Terry with Defoe and A. Cole. Which one is better? Any suggestions? Thank You.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Adebayor is available as he is declared fit.

      You should stick with what you have.

      Delete
  12. im rizzal
    plz comment on my team..i need 100++ this week. hope u can help on this..

    Krul
    Ream King Santon Agger
    VDV HBA Mikel D.Rose
    Rooney Tevez.

    Would king start both game?
    What should i do with Mikel & Rose?
    Should i change the striker for double point this week? any suggestion on this?
    ty

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Rizzal.

      You need to spread the funds you have put on Rooney to double gamers.Rooney has a tough game against City plus he is blocking all your funds.

      You need a forward playing 2 games.

      You need to upgrade Mikel and Rose

      Try to play 3-4-3 this week.

      Delete
  13. vorm
    lichaj nelsen ferreira
    vdv siggy valencia rose
    cisse jelavic(13) torres

    shitty defense but its the best i can get by with this week. any valuable advice am? i know cisse is eating up all my money but i can't let him gooooo. nooooo.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Justin,

      I have no problem with Cisse.Great pick

      Nelsen wont play much,Lichaj Valencia and Vorm just one game.

      So you need to go all in with double gamers mate.Its the time to do it.

      You dont want to just get through this week but make it count.

      Delete
    2. thanks am. would it be better if i sold valencia to get gibson and get gallas/shotton in place of nelsen?

      Delete
  14. Hi AM this is my team at the moment:


    Friedel

    Ream Wilson Ferreira

    Siggy Pienaar VDV Bale Rose

    Tevez Adebayor


    Please give advise to my team. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great. I like it and you should stick with it Cheers.

      Delete
  15. Plz rate and comment
    Reina
    Bosingwa, king, gallas
    Vdv, Lennon, alex oxlade-chamberlain, Ramires
    Tevez, tores, suarez

    ReplyDelete
  16. Or 2nd team.
    Plz rate and comment

    Cech
    King, bosingwa, Cole
    Vdv, Lennon, siggy, alex oxlade-chamberlain
    Tevez, Torres, drogba

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi AM, this is what I have for the week:

    Reina
    Wilson Gallas Agger
    Tiote Sigurdsson VDV Bale
    Jelavic Tevez Torres

    One filler there in Tiote (3.xx), but at least he starts both games. Any advice? Thanks.

    ReplyDelete