Tuesday 1 February 2011

Week 25 Update

I'd love to talk in depth about the absolutely mental final day of the January transfer window, but seeing as we have less than 4 hours until the Week 25 deadline it's probably better that I jump straight in to the team and injury news you need to know...

- New Chelsea signing Fernando Torres will NOT play against Sunderland tonight, but will make his debut vs Liverpool this Sunday in what is sure to be an explosive encounter. It's the same for David Luiz, but then he's not been added by Yahoo yet so it doesn't matter.

- None of the new signings from yesterday have been updated, so frustratingly you can't pick up Luis Suarez, despite the fact he's set to start vs Stoke. Andy Carroll is expected to spend another couple of weeks on the sidelines due to his ongoing thigh injury. I'll take this opportunity to state that his £35m fee (plus add-ons, plus a sell on clause) is pure insanity.

- Charlie Adam is still at Blackpool, is still captain, and will play against West Ham, so that's great news to those of us who hold him at discount. Whether set piece specialist Andy Reid's arrival will affect Adam's point return is yet to be seen, but for now I think he'll continue to be a great pick as he aims to prove he's still loyal to the Blackpool cause.

- Gareth Bale is reportedly not in the Spurs squad for the trip to Blackburn tomorrow, so I'm afraid the time has come for me to drop him having held him since Week 1. There's no guarantee he'll be back this weekend either, and I need to keep up with the Top 200, so it's a decision that needed to be made. Thanks Gareth, it's been emotional.

- Samir Nasri has been ruled out for 3 weeks after he picked up a hamstring injury in the FA Cup victory over Huddersfield, meaning Arshavin should regain his place in the Arsenal starting XI. Squillaci is suspended, so it'll be Koscielny & Djourou at the back.

- Roque Santa Cruz has started his Blackburn return as he means to go on. And by that, I mean he's injured again. A groin strain is set to keep him out for at least 2 weeks.

- Daniel Sturridge is expected to take his place on the bench for Bolton's game vs Wolves after his loan move, but expect him to be involved at some point. If you're looking for a filler then he could be your man at just 2.85.

- Carlos Tevez is a slight doubt for Manchester City, but I'd be surprised if he didn't play after getting a rest in the FA Cup. Dzeko played 90 minutes of that match and scored his first City goal, so I think he'll continue as Mancini looks to build up his match sharpness. Adam Johnson is out for 3 months due to an ankle injury, and Micah Richards is also out.

- Robbie Keane should make his West Ham debut at Blackpool and is priced at a very reasonable 5.37 in what is sure to be an open game - both teams need a win.

- Manchester United duo Rio Ferdinand and Rafael are expected to return from injury to face Aston Villa. Agbonlahor is a doubt for Houllier's men, but Bent will return after being Cup tied at the weekend.

- Carlos Vela has a decent chance of making his West Brom debut vs Wigan. Wenger would only loan out a player if he was guaranteed first team football, so I think he'll be chucked straight in. Bargain alert; 5.14.

That's all the major news I've been able to locate. Here is the team I'm almost certainly going with...

Reina, Spector, Kelly, Kolarov, Adam, Van Der Vaart, Arshavin, Nani, Dzeko, Rooney, Van Persie

Rooney is obviously a risk, but I missed the Berbatov barndoor price last weekend & I've been forced to drop Torres, so he was next in line and he has to score soon...right? Arshavin is a hunch - as soon I heard Nasri was out I just had a feeling he might do well on his return, while Spector was picked up at 3.7 last weekend and has been playing in a midfield role, so he's worth a punt. The rest is pretty self explanatory, although I may switch Dzeko to Dembele in the run up to deadline.

That's it - please let me know how your team is shaping up! What did you make of the transfer window? Would you go Dzeko with or Dembele?

Cheers,
AM

p.s. Blog Cup result will be calculated tomorrow. Sorry for the delay.

54 comments:

Anonymous said...

i have dzeko.. my final team kirk/ krov coleman spector/ vdv brunt hoilett(at 4.++) fabregas c.adam/ rvp(at 13.++) dzeko

Anonymous said...

dzeko/dembele/keane? which two shoul i pick?
dempsey or arshavin/walcott?

Doctor Teeth said...

Brilliant photoshopping skills, AM. :)

Staffer said...

Great team AM:

8 of my players for this week are the same as yours. The 3 different are listed below:

Spector -> Rafael
Arshavin -> Bentley
Rooney -> Berbatov

Wish you all fantastic week, great scores and another hattrick for my hero - Mr. Dimitar Berbatov - he had his birthday 2 days ago so this might be a great present for himself and his fans.

Anonymous said...

1st by john doe

Assistant Manager said...

good effort john

al-pacino said...

I got :
carson($1)
bardsley,kolarov,skrtel
nani,Vdv,mereiless,brunt
elmander,dzeko,rooney
how do you fell about my team?

Anonymous said...

AM, thanks for the update. Personally I would go dzeko as he gets decent points even without a goal. The same cannot be said of dembele.

bengoh91

Anonymous said...

worried about my team a bit but I am so enthused by the purchases we have made nothing really matters as of the moment.

foster
kolorav spector bridge
lampard adam fabregas bilyadentinov
elmander anelka obinna

saitogenetic

any advice? all would be appreciated

Anonymous said...

1st by john doe

Anonymous said...

Brunt/Elmander or Dembele/Rooney? I prefer first duo

gman26 said...

Reina
Kolarov/Bridge/Pantsil
VDV/Nani/Adam/Meireles/Fabregas
RvP/Dzeko

I don't know why I'm playing Dzeko. Everyone seems so high on him. Just waiting for my boy Jamie O'Hara to get through a full game without getting injured. 6.60. Hopefully he'll be taking corners.

Anonymous said...

Stick with dzeko. His goal over the weekend might just have awakened a giant.

Anonymous said...

hart
kolarov caldwell jara
VDV nani fabregas adam
RVP dzeko elmander

any comments?

kem

Anonymous said...

Hey guys, ive got a question.

c. adam OR f. lampard?

kwyjibo said...

Hart
Kol-Kelly-Spector
VdV-Adam-Nani-Meireles-(Arshavin)
RvP-Dzeko-(Elmander)

Arshavin or Elmander? That's my only debate at this point.

Elmander has burned me every time I've picked him, but Arshavin hasn't done much better...

Anyone else better @13.41 or less?

Anonymous said...

My team:

Reina
Robinson Jara Caldwell
Nani Hoilett VDV Brunt
Rooney Elmander Dzeko

Final chance for Rooney. If he still not scoring, then he is gone! I really want to have Keane in my team but i prefer to try luck with Dzeko

-No Name FC-

Anonymous said...

My team

Reina
Kelly/Koscielny/Spector
Adam/Nani/Fabs/Holden
RvP/Dzeko/

So sad I had to get rid of Bale :(

Mike

Anonymous said...

Love all the picks except LAMPARD, won't go near him until he scores 25pts, maybe weekend when he's pushed up to support Drogba/Torres.

Anonymous said...

mike- missing man formation.

-----------
Dembele for me, as Dempsey is playing deeper now. That said I don't think Dembele is as skilled as many other strikers. He has missed two in the last game.

Anonymous said...

HELP!!!!!!
Kelly/Holden
Kelly/Taylor
Spector/Arshavin
Spector/Giggs

Anonymous said...

WHICH OF THE FOUR COMBINATIONS?

Anonymous said...

My Team

Reina
Koscielny/Robinson/Jara
Adam/Nani/Van der Vaart/Meireles
Elmander/Vela/Dzeko

Any comments/suggestions ??

Shan

kellz said...

I am gonna risk that Bale will not be out for long. I scored 218.5 pts last week with a Bale zero so it is possible to cover his loss. Just not likely to keep happening every week. So I hope his injury is small and he recovers quickly because Spurs will need him to finish the year strong if they want champions league again.

Reina
Bale Kelly Kolarov
Fabregas Adam Meireles VDV
Elmander RvP Dzeko

Good luck all

Anonymous said...

Is Spector that good? Why everyone pick him?
Do u sure westham got CS?

Assistant Manager said...

I have Spector at 3.7, he is playing in midfield. I would not be buying him at full-price.

Anonymous said...

Brunt or meireles?
Spector or Konscielny?
Thx for help guys

Anonymous said...

@kellz

will kelly play?..i,ve read somewhere that carragher will play against stoke

Anonymous said...

Reina
Kolorov Skrtel ?????
VDV Nani Adam Meireles
RVP Berbs Dzeko

Have 9.86 to spend on a defender with this line up. Looking at Giggs to replace Meireles and that leaves 8.77 on a defender. So any suggestions??

BCB

Gavin said...

Nobody taking a punt on Robbie Keane? I'm up for some risks this week. Going with:

Szczesny
Kolarov, Kelly, Bridge
Nani, Adam, VDV, Meireles
RVP, Dzeko, Keane

Hopefully Bridge will remain on set pieces and get an assist to Keane. Good luck everyone!

Anonymous said...

are kevin davies available??

Anonymous said...

Torres will not play this weekend, reliable source. Quote me on that.

Anonymous said...

Yeah Im getting really worried on Kelly. Reading Liverpool will be throwing Suarez and Carragher in the starting 11 to round it out with Skrtle and Johnson. Dont want to lose my 0 on Kelly but dont want to take the 0 either

Anonymous said...

and by 0 i mean discount

Anonymous said...

WHAT??? Kelly dont play?? please serious guys

Anonymous said...

and Agger at D. Jeez this thing keeps cutting me off haha

Assistant Manager said...

Kelly will play. Carragher is back in the squad but I'd be surprised if he plays any part. Even when he's ready I think he'll replace Skrtel. Kelly has been one of the few bright spots for Liverpool this season, Dalglish will not drop him.

Anonymous said...

Ohh thx AM..

Frank Costanza said...

A quick note on Carroll's price, yes it was a good £10m over his real market value but the lad's a colossus, he'll be England's 1st choice centre forward for many years. If he's at LFC for the majority of his career and wins a good few trophies, his fee will look like a bargain.

If we're talking about overpaying drastically, try splashing out £50m on a 26 year old injury prone striker who relies heavily on his pace but isn't as quick as he used to be. As a Liverpool fan I look forward to not worrying about whether all's right with Torres, "is he playing with an injury? Is he happy with his team mates? Is he looking for a move? Is he match fit yet? Is he happy with the manager?" The fella's been a massive headache for LFC fans for 18 months now and we've forgiven him and overlooked his massive mood swings for many reasons, the main one being his professed loyalty to us. To hand in a transfer request with 3 days of the window left and demand a move to Chelsea, a club the polar opposite of LFC ultimately left a very bad taste in our mouths. If he'd waited until the summer and moved abroad, all Liverpool fans would've thanked him and wished him nothing but the best.

Ultimately though, swapping Babel and Torres for Suarez and Carroll for the same money leaves LFC much better off and in a great position to push on next season.

kellz said...

Cara is a center half should affect kelly. I wouldn't worry that he wont play.

Anonymous said...

Farizal
Sabre/Faizal/Asraruddin/Jasuli
Mahathevan/Kunanlan/Gurusamy/Zambri
Norshahrul/Chanturu

kellz said...

Sorry meant should not affect kelly

Anonymous said...

Frank, £10m over value? Try £20m. Not to mention all the trouble he's been in with the law. I can't believe how excited people are getting after half a good season in the Premier League! As for Torres handing in a Transfer Request, didn't Carroll do exactly that? Although he waited until 6pm on deadline day to do it and literally left Newcastle no time to replace him.

Dave

Anonymous said...

Chanturu is suspended. 5YC

Anonymous said...

which is the better option? spector or bridge?

Anonymous said...

bridge. since he take some set piece..

Ash said...

kellz - I was the same as you until I saw the Spurs fixtures....
Feb 2 20:00 GMT Blackburn Rovers v Tottenham Hotspur Ewood Park Premier League
Feb 5 15:00 GMT Tottenham Hotspur v Bolton Wanderers White Hart Lane Premier League
Feb 12 15:00 GMT Sunderland v Tottenham Hotspur Stadium of Light Premier League
Feb 22 20:00 GMT Blackpool v Tottenham Hotspur Bloomfield Road Premier League
Feb 26 Postp Tottenham Hotspur P - P Arsenal White Hart Lane Premier League

So just as he is fit again (assuming the 2 weeks is true) then Spurs misses a week so he gets another big fat zero.

Frank Costanza said...

Nah, I'd say £25m would be a fair price for the most promising young centre forward in the league. After all didn't Man Utd pay around £30m for an even younger Wayne Rooney? If you want the best young players, you have to pay top dollar. Rooney was seemingly bought on potential alone, excluding his debut goal against Arsenal he hadn't really troubled too many PL defences. Carroll on the other hand has terrified every defence he's played against this season. Oh and as for the transfer request from Carroll? I really wouldn't believe that, Mike Ashley couldn't wait to get rid when he saw the money LFC were offering. The transfer request story is simply to try and keep the fans off his back.

roonaldo said...

Wats wrong with this malaysian guy...noob!

Anonymous said...

carlos vela or robbie keane??!!

Anonymous said...

yeah... carlos vela or robbie keane??? im in the same boat.

Anonymous said...

Frank-- well said on Torres, I have rarely seen a professional not give 100% on the field (unless injured) and even here from the US, I saw him sluff off two or three plays a game. With such a stellar past record, that was quite surprising.

In baseball, it would be like not running out every ground ball to first base. In American football it would be like a Wide Receiver not diving to make a catch.

Not sure about Andy's future, but he is a sportsman in every sense of the word and will be delightful to watch.
Arizona

Anonymous said...

Arshavin on the bench.

Anonymous said...

I wanted to squeeze both Fabregas and Adam in my team but couldn't quite do it so I ended up with Elmander

Hart
Kolarov Coleman Kelly
VDV Merieles Hoilett Adam (4 Phillips, Nasri)
RVP Dzeko Elmander (4 Torres)

Birmingham have some good games coming up so will BD Bentley

Motty

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