Friday 16 September 2011

Week 5 - Update

Wow, this is a tough one. We have almost no decent news from the manager's press conferences today; there's loads of uncertainty over who will/won't start so it makes it difficult to give you decent advice. I'll just go with what we have been told and make a few assumptions, and maybe we can discuss things in the comments section/chat-room.

First up, it appears that Steve Fletcher is really struggling to make it for Wolves game vs QPR - he hasn't trained all week, so that means Kevin Doyle will need a new partner. As I mentioned in my Player Picks, Stephen Ward is the favourite to be that partner and as a midfielder listed below 6 he could be cracking value. It's not 100% but I may take the gamble as he'll definitely play left-back if he doesn't start upfront and he has scored already from that position this season. Jarvis it fit to start so he'll join a strong midfield including Hunt (who has trained without issue this week) and O'Hara.

There's a decent chance we'll get the Arsenal team news before tomorrow's deadline (Twitter is our best bet from around 11:45am) but we can already take an educated guess on the line-up. I think Gibbs may keep his place as he's done nothing wrong, but Santos is a real option for Wenger now he's made his debut in the Champions League. Ramsey is a big doubt so Benayoun should get a start (bargain @ 3). Gervinho and Alex Song are back from suspension but Verm & Wilshere are out.

Manchester United are likely to field their strongest teams against Chelsea as they look to keep their excellent start to the season. This means DDG in goal, Young, Nani, Rooney & Hernandez all starting. News on unclear on the Smalling/Evans decision and Ferguson must decide whether he goes with Fletcher or Carrick in the middle with Tom Cleverly ruled out.

Across the road, Manchester City will be recovering from a tough debut game in the Champions League, so once again there is a rotation fear. However, an away game at Fulham is much tougher than a home game against Wigan, so I'd think Mancini would go full strength and make substitutions once the game is won. I can't see Dzeko or Nasri starting on the bench for two league games in a row, and I'm sure nobody will be dropping Aguero after last week.

Chelsea will still be without Didier Drogba who is suffering with the effects of concussion. John Terry and Frank Lampard will come back into the side after missing out against Bayer Leverkusen but I don't think I'll be going near any Blues player's this week, given the fixture they face.

Bolton could hand debuts to N'Gog, Tuncay & Kakuta after good performances for the reserves in midweek, but Holden is unlikely to be risked just yet. This news about the new boys does have me slightly worried about Martin Petrov, so that could mean I make a change. Coyle has also revealed he could make defensive changes after their recent run of heavy defeats, but provided no specific details on who could might make way.

Absolutely nothing useful coming out of Everton - Drenthe could start after scoring for the reserves, but might not, Cahill could play upfront, or he might be dropped in to midfield to accommodate Saha. The only sure things are probably Howard, Osman, Baines, Distin, Jagielka & Cahill - all others are a risk.

Spurs have had some good news - Rafael van der Vaart has a chance of returning from injury against Liverpool, but William Gallas and Aaron Lennon are still doubts, King could play but Michael Dawson is definitely out.

For Liverpool, Glen Johnsn is out and Steven Gerrard is likely to make the bench at best. He couldbe joined by And Carroll, with Suarez set to lead the line again.

That's everything useful I could find.

Here are two possible teams I'm considering.

DDG, Boyata, Gibbs, Baines, Ward, Wright-Phillips, M.Petrov, Silva, Adebayor, Aguero, Rooney

Or

DDG, Rangel, Gibbs, Baines, Wright-Phillips, Benayoun, Hunt, Silva, Adebayor, Aguero, Rooney

Obvious fears about Gibbs, Petrov & Ward in the first team; Gibbs & Benayoun are the worries in the 2nd team. I had considered bringing in Van Persie for Adebayor instead of spanking 18+ on Baines, but that thought has left me now as I want to keep Ade at 5ish. As I type this I realise I'm not convinced by either of the teams above, so I think it's back to the drawing board.

Tough week! How's your team coming along?

Cheers,
AM

56 comments:

Dew said...

first! Thanks AM for the hard work

munafix said...

I think I'll stick to my last week's team, all manchesters and arsenal. why would I gamble on which one will score more ohara or hunt or jarvis when i have young, silva, nasri and benayoun.

justsomethoughts said...

Gibbs or Santos? Gibbs price is unbeatable, but the potential for rotation makes me wary.

Arsenal are hard to figure out, careful with Benayoun too, he might not start with Arshavin starting instead.

At this point Enrique, Silva, Suarez and Aguero are my only undroppables. Everyone rotates.

Geoff said...

Ah, the Aguero stomach churn. Last week I decided to drop Dzeko AND Aguero b/c I wasn't sure which would start and I'm trying to go with certain starters every game this season. Thankfully I had Adebayor to make up some of the non-Aguero wound. Then I snapped him up on the Barn Door, of course.

However, he played the whole Napoli game. Makes me think Dzeko/Tevez up front at Fulham w/ Aguero given a rest, considering he's started every game this season except his first for the club. But now I've got him at 8+ so is it worth the risk of dropping him, since he'll probably be back in the squad next week to cut Everton to ribbons at home? Or maybe even come on to work his magic as a super sub against Fulham? Is 8+ worth the risk of not starting?

Ah! Any input would be welcomed.

mrtwig said...

Keep Aguero at any price is my view, even from the bench v tired fulham will result in points galore... Who would you replace him with?

AM I think Ade is a risk, don't like Gibbs or MPet, can you take team 2 with Boyata replacing Gibbs and Ward replacing Ade?

Anonymous said...

Currently my team is like this:

DeGea
Gibbs,Mertesacker,Richards
Silva,Nasri,Osman,Benayoun
Dzeko,RVP,Aguero

The only change I am considering is RVP for Rooney (with lesser MF) or Hernandez (with upgraded MF) but I think that RVP will score (If I keep him I will be looking for the brace at a minimum).
Gibbs makes me nervous but did not feature midweek so I feel comfortable keeping him.
Nasri did not look good in Week 3 nor the CL but always has potential to explode.

Here is hoping for quality Managerial decisions this week.

Irons said...

Geoff, i'm in exactly the same boat. I'm gonna keep him. It's very frustrating though because playing definite starters with nice match-ups really is the best strategy. I think we must make an exception with aguero though. Even @ 8.45 i must concede he is probably well worth keeping all season. My team:

De Gea
Baines Richards Gibbs
Taarabt Osman Petrov Hunt
Adebayor Aguero Bendtner

Have enough to get Santos for Gibbs if team sheets come through in time. Still might go Bendtner --> Klasnic if Gibbs starts.

Miku$Army said...

Please give me some advice
DDG
gibbs? brown boyata
nasri young walcott silva
dzeko aguero suarez

walcott or arteta
maybe adam for nasri???

Anonymous said...

@Geoff

I had Aguero (6.+) in week one and dropped him last week but in my opinion that mistake will not happen again as I too have him at (8.+) currently. Barring 6 plus weeks out for injury I would not drop him again.

Ken M. said...

Team:
Jaaskelainen
Gibbs/Brown/Boyata
Silva/Young/Nasri/SWP
Aguero/Hernandez/RVP

Bad feeling at letting Adebayor go at such a good discount but there are still good (possible) replacements. Gervinho on the door to name one.

No Rooney. Felt Hernandez could bring about the same point total for far less. RVP scares me a little, mainly because AM is not picking him and he seems to really like RVP.

Well..good luck everyone.

kwyjibo said...

Yes, it's often good to play the matchups, and not take zeros just to keep a discount.

BUT...there are always exceptions to that rule. And, I believe, Aguero is one of them. At 6+ or 8+, I would keep him, because I doubt his price will ever drop much lower than it is now for the rest of the season, barring injury.

The one I'm not sure about is Dzeko. I have him @13.71. Is he worth it at that price? Can he keep scoring like he has been? Or, switch him for Suarez or Hernandez?

Irons said...

@Miku$Army

I realise man city have been scoring for fun and have some nice fixtures on the horizon, but honestly 4 attacking players from 1 team is too much. They will not continue to smash teams all season long, there will be games (maybe @ fulham) when they only have 4 shots on target as a whole team. I think you should drop Nasri and Dzeko and use these spots for players with good match-ups.

Irons said...

Also, i realise it's exactly this loading up strategy that has paid off so handsomely up until now. Change is on the horizon though, starting with a Rooney thaw out.

Irons said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Irons said...

Starting with a Rooney freeze i suppose i meant to say :/

you know what i mean..

Cee Pee said...

what do ya think of my squad? (im too scared to rid of Dzeko)

D. De Gea

K. Gibbs - P. Mertesacker - John Arne Riise

D. Silva - A. Young - T. Walcott - S. Ward

S. Agüero - E. Dzeko -I. Klasnic

Geoff said...

Thanks for the help fellow managers! For 8+ he may very well be a season-keeper from now on. I regretted dropping him when I had him for 6+ last week - probably won't let that happen again. Again, who would I replace him with who will produce his kinds of points over the course of the season for that price?

paulyff said...

Cee Pee,
Check that Riise is fit to play - I remember reading somewhere that he (and his bro) are not fit.
Pauly

Dave Collier said...

Who should I sell (or keep both?)

Aguero @ 8.45 (now 13.38)
Dzeko @ 9.90 (now 15.19)

Ѭ said...

My current Squad,

DDG
Gibbs - Mertesacker - Brown
Silva - Young - SWP - Nasri
Aguero - Rooney - Dzeko

Any Update about Aguero? Dzeko? or Tevez?
Which player would you choose? A choice dilemma (_ _!)

虎-Thệ Tổk Im∆m-¬MYѬ™

Geoff said...

With all the possible Bolton debuts, what's that do for Klasnic?

Edward said...

Should I drop rooney n buy someone like Aguero or RVP??
BY team formation:
DDG
Gibbs - Boyata - Brown
Silva - J.McEachran* - Young - Ward
Dzeko - Klasnic - Rooney

J.McEachran is for saving money

Unknown said...

Hernandez or Aguero what are your thoughts and which one do you think is certain to play?

Edward said...

Hernandez will most likely start with rooney but I am not very sure about Aguero

Edward said...

Dzeko or Aguero hu should I buy

HondaCBR said...

Took some risks this week so hopefully i will catch up for my 2 week slack...

Jaaskelainen

Baines, Mertesuckaa, Boyata

Ward, Silva, Cahill, Larsson

Aguero, Gervinho, Adebayor


So that's the squad for this week... Good luck

paddyfc said...

steven wtf are you on about gibbs played mid week, a full game if im not mistaken dunno what u were watching. nasri has looked brilliant in a city shirt every minute he has played, he supplied the cross for aguero which he hit bar which led to free kick equalliser. he has already set up 4 goals for city this season 2 more than his arsenal total, hate to admit it as an arsenal fan, him and silva are quality together reminds me of iniesta and xavi.

on a lighter note, im keeping rvp in my team at 20 plus cause he always scores against blackburn, 20 plus points this week please robin (fingers crossed)

good luck all

Matron-D said...

Guys what do you think of my team?

Begovic
Boyota - Brown - Baines
Taarabt - SWP - Henderson - Nani
Adebayor - Klasnic - Gervinho

Please give me your feedback as its my first time and i would really like some help. Thanks :)

Unknown said...

Thanks Edward. Does anyone know if Gibbs will start. he appears to be fit to play?

Cee Pee said...

Thanks PaulyF

HarUtd said...

DDG

gibbs | richards | baines

silva | osman | swp | Young

agüro | adebayor | klasnic

Miku$Army said...

DDG

Gibbs M.Wilson Brown

Silva Young Nasri Walcott

Aguero Dzeko Suarez

What do you think?

NjeP said...

Szcz
Mertesacker Brown Baines
Silva Osman SWP Ward
RVP Aguero Gervinho

Not sure about Baines as it forced me to dropped Walcott. Gervinho is a big hunch and hopefully Ward will pay my faith in him. Seems I'll keep Aguero eventhough he's in rotation doubt unless he got injured that will keep him for a few weeks.

My only regret is for not having Klasnic, Walcott and Hernandes to accomodate Gervinho and Baines.

I've saved it anyway, so we'll just see ^^.

FromNam said...

Normally Arsenal team news would be available this time of the day. I could find anything yet.

Anyone knows anything about Gunner's team sheet, please share!!!

Reinadog said...

Thx for all the info...newbie in fantasy this year...

DDG
Mertesacker Gibbs/Santos Kaboul
Silva SWP M.Petrov Cabaye
Suarez Kun Dzeko

Tan Yan Shan said...

anyone knows which website to get the latest arsenal v blackburn starting lineup?

Unknown said...

I asked that and they said it would be posted in the chatroll on this site

Caleb Leung said...

Seems that chatroll is not working! Anyone have another chatroom to talk about the lineup?

Saimoon said...

how can I have Arsenal's line-up??

Unknown said...

Have a look herehttp://www.fantasyfootballscout.co.uk/team-news/
They predict the line ups

SfSS said...

Walcott or Taarabt?

Backcountry Dave said...

Tweeted by Arsenal.com:

"Arsenal team to face Swansea: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Frimpong, Arteta, Ramsey, Walcott, Arshavin, Van Persie (c)."

kendo said...

Cheers Dave was gonna replace Gibbs with Santos :)

Unknown said...

Cheers Dave

mrtwig said...

Guys santos is starting it seems not Gibbs

The Greek said...

It's last weeks starting 11.

Papa Bear said...

Good thing they playing blackburn n not Swansea.

mrtwig said...

Also Ramsay is back with Song Arteta and Gervinho and Arshavin. No Yossi

rwlwhite said...

Szczesny, Sagna, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Santos, Song, Arteta, Ramsey, Gervinho, Arshavin, Van Persie

david peter said...

donot mislead dave
Szczesny, Sagna, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Gibbs, Song, Arteta, Benayoun, Gervinho, Walcott, Van Persie

Josh said...

#Arsenal team to play Blackburn: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Santos, Song, Arshavin, Arteta, Ramsey, Gervinho, Van Persie

Gingerman said...

aargh i was seconds late to replace gibbs with brown. That's already a zero for me this week

Backcountry Dave said...

Forgive me, I've been had. I'll refrain from ever putting any confidence in Twitter again. I sincerely apologize for passing on that misinformation.

SfSS said...

Made last minute switch from Gibbs to Hutton, hope it works out

david peter said...

there are so many misleading tweets
final
Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Santos, Song, Arshavin, Arteta, Ramsey, Gervinho, Van Persie
subs: Fabianski, Djourou, Fabianski, Gibbs, Chamakh, Benayoun, Coquelin

Reinadog said...

THX GUYS ....MADE THE Gibbs to Santos switch.

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