Score (Gameweek): Arteta-22, Drogba-20, Carew-19, Lampard-18, Malouda-17 ...... Score (Total): Rooney-216, Fabregas-212, Lampard-200, Drogba-198, Bent-166 ...... Form: Lampard-9.5, Arteta-9.2, Malouda-8.8, Torres, 8.5, Drogba-8 ...... A simple click on the ads is the best way to motivate me! Thank you.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Pre-Match Analysis: Gameweek 7

Hello everyone, Mr Luke is back to provide you guys some inspirations on choosing players for gameweek 7 of fantasy premier league. As you can notice (or maybe not...), the layout has been changed a bit for better browsing experience. Hope that you'll like it. In midweek we've see some great actions in Carling Cup, most notably Peter Crouch who scored three. Will they feature and grab you some points this week?



Match by Match Analysis

Home
vs
Away
PDPredicted Fantasy HeroAnalysis
Portsmouth
vs
Everton
0-3BainesWith such a good form they are having now, I'll be surprised if they get pawned by the league bottomers. Time to take in Baines if you haven't do so.
Birmingham
vs
Bolton
2-0R JohnsonBolton can't be lucky all the time to get a penalty on every game. With their current bad team play, I don't see any chance they can break through Birmingham's tough defence.
Blackburn
vs
Aston Villa
1-2A YoungThis should be a competitive one. However, Villa should have no problem in defeating Allardyce's squad. I believe this is the time for A Young to explode and score some goals.
Liverpool
vs
Hull City
4-0TorresOver the past two home games, Liverpool punished both Stoke and Burnley 4-0, and I strongly believe that this time the score will be the same as well, or maybe even more. Torres won't miss his best chance to hat-trick, will he?
Stoke City
vs
Man Utd
0-0ShawcrossI'm a bit negative about United here. They're not that good away from home, and given that even Chelsea only won by luck here, a draw here is quite possible. The hardest game to be predicted this week.
Tottenham
vs
Burnley
3-0DefoeAfter two games full of frustration, finally Redknapp's lad got a win during Carling Cup match and Peter Crouch has successfully made his manager to have a selection headache. Still I think he'll remain on the bench as Defoe is too good to be dropped and Keane's leadership is something the team will need. Sorry to Burnley as they meet Tottenham in such unwanted moment.
Wigan
vs
Chelsea
0-4DrogbaApparently, Martinez's attacking football will eventually send Wigan to doom. Chelsea will be more than happy to play with a team who is willing to attack actively. I expect another stunning performance from Drogba.
Fulham
vs
Arsenal
1-2Van PersieA tough game for the gunners, but their fire power are always high when playing against all teams other than the league leaders. I would like to see Van Persie to perform well again this match.
Sunderland
vs
Wolves
2-0BentDarren Bent doesn't need an invitation to score, the Wolves are going to have big trouble guarding him.
Man City
vs
West Ham
1-0BarryThe City has suffered the same thing like what Tottenham experienced, so bad luck to the Hammers as well. It would be interesting if Bellamy fires a goal against his former employer.
Legend: PD-Prediction.



The Must "In"s

Baines - Everton's good forthcoming fixtures added with their spectacular form has made everything the best for him to score.

Torres - Playing against Phil Brown's team will give him the best chance ever to score a lot, especially when the Reds have to use offence to cover up their fatal defence. Since Defoe hat-tricked against them, why can't he?



My Predicted Dream Team of the Week

Hart

G Johnson R Johnson Baines

Barry Lampard Gerrard Pienaar

Torres Defoe Bent

Captain: Torres
Alternative Captain Picks: Baines, Defoe
Team Value: £90.1m

  1. Hart - Birmingham are set to capture another clean sheet with him.
  2. G Johnson - Hull City don't have time to defend him when they're so many attackers upfront.
  3. R Johnson - Looking good to get another 3 point bonus if Birmingham concedes zero.
  4. Baines - He kicks corner, takes penalty, and gets 4 points if clean sheet. All of these are possible with Portsmouth on the opposition.
  5. Barry - The most reliable player currently following suspension of Adebayor.
  6. Lampard - With Drogba so explosive in front, he may come out with several assists.
  7. Gerrard - He won't miss so many chances continuously.
  8. Pienaar - His participation in offence might gives you some surprises.
  9. Torres - Hull City without Michael Turner should be an easy job for him.
  10. Defoe - He's a rapist at White Hart Lane.
  11. Bent - The goal machine of Sunderland. He won't be allowed to come out goalless.



Highlights

Carling Cup Action
Carling Cup action took place during the midweek and all the big clubs has passed the test. Man Utd was the biggest winner in my opinion, with Welbeck scoring the winning goal despite having less player on the field. The interesting part was the way he celebrated - he's using the signature move of 100m and 200m world record holder Usain Bolt!

Bolt of soccer arena?

Everton Continues Their Powerful Return
If you ask me who's the best team in September, I would say its Everton. After having a hard time during the start of the season, the Toffees recorded three consecutive wins currently, with 11 goals scored and nil conceded. With this kind of run, I would strongly recommend you to bring on their on form star players such as Baines, Saha and Pienaar, especially when their coming fixtures are easy ones.

The rising star of Everton - Jack Rodwell.

Little Problem from Drogba
Good news to all Drogba owners, and bad news to those who aren't (I'm on this side) - Drogba is expected to start on this Saturday! The knock on last game was confirmed to be a minor one, so you guys can get relax and enjoy his super show again this weekend!

Seriously I hope that he won't repeat the disgusting celebration he had done during his last game...

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Post-Match Analysis: Gameweek 6

Hello guys, it's Luke again here to give you the post-match analysis of Gameweek 6. This week's average it's very high which caused me to fail to beat the average score for the very first time (pain to the ass). 33 goals had been scored this week, how many goals were there from your fantasy team?



Home
vs
Away
MR
&
PR
Fantasy HeroesGame Analysis
Burnley
vs
Sunderland
3-1
[W]
NugentSupersub Nugent came out and sealed the victory for Burnley and helped me to prove that Turf Moor is a giant fortress. You can pick Graham Alexander for his set pieces.
Arsenal
vs
Wigan
4-0
[W]
VermaelenVermaelen looked like a CAM when he scored his second goal of the game. Wigan will become an ATM for top four if they continue to perform like this.
Aston Villa
vs
Portsmouth
2-0
[W]
MilnerSee? Gabby shook Pompey's defenders off with his lightspeed. Looks like Martin O'Neill has chosen Milner to be the chief spot-kick taker. Grab him.
Bolton
vs
Stoke City
1-1
[X]
KitsonBolton's fans are booing Megson already. Still, Taylor earned 7 points due to his position of chief penalty taker.
Hull City
vs
Birmingham
0-1
[X]
R JohnsonBirmingham's defence has shown their consistency against weaker clubs. Sadly, Roger Johnson who earned 3 bonus points was at the last sub of my team.
West Ham
vs
Liverpool
2-3
[M]
TorresJust when I thought Torres would be completely exhausted, he scored two! My advice after watching this game: fire Carragher at once!
Man Utd
vs
Man City
4-3
[W]
GiggsSo near the City were from a draw, yet their awful defence has made way for Owen to end their 100% victory and unbeaten streak. Ryan Giggs had made a superb hat-trick of assists.
Wolves
vs
Fulham
2-1
[X]
DoylePoor display by Fulham. Not the cottagers of last season anymore. Oh yeah, Wolves' midfield maestro, Michael Kightly, is back.
Everton
vs
Blackburn
3-0
[W]
SahaThe Blue Merseysiders has finally walked away from the shadow of their start of the season. A perfect display by Louis Saha, but pay more attention to Leighton Baines - he's on fire and has a good month of fixtures to come!
Chelsea
vs
Tottenham
3-0
[W]
DROGBA
(Correct)
Drogba scattered Tottenham's defence into pieces, but in the process he injured himself. Ashley Cole was marvellous for his opening goal.
Legend: MR&PR - Match Results and Prediction Results; [P] - Prefect Prediction; [M] - Correct Prediction by Winner and Margin; [W] - Correct Prediction by Winner; [X] - Incorrect Prediction.



Fantasy Hero of the Heroes Award

Thomas Vermaelen

I couldn't expect more from a defender - 2 goals in 1 game.



Results of My Predicted Dream Team of the Week

Jensen(3)

Baines(9) Bikey(2) Dunne(7)

Kuyt(6) Rosicky(1) A Young(3) M Taylor(7)

Rooney(8) Agbonlahor(7) Drogba(12*)

Total Score: 65
Total Score After Captaining Drogba: 77
Player(s) in Dream Team: 1

Note: Numbers in parentheses states the player's gameweek score. * after the score means that the player is in the dream team of the gameweek. x means that the player didn't play at the gameweek.



Highlights

The Controversial Manchester Derby
A very enjoyable derby game. Man Utd led for 4 times during the game, in which City had found in the next 3 times for equalisers before Owen finally claimed 3 points for the Red Devils. Mark Hughes must be very fed up with the referee's decision to extend the 4 minutes added time into 6, but if his lad could put maximum concentration during the very last minutes of the game, would they suffer this kind of loss? Furthermore, he had to remember, referees had always been slightly bias to United. That's one of the "hidden" benefits of being the most successful club of English Premier League. Interestingly, Bellamy scored twice during the game - something which added his chips to become an integral part of City's squad.

"Damn it. I wanna score goals and yell in front of that old-cunning fox!"

One-Sided London Derby
Boring I've to say. Chelsea totally dominated the game after some threatening shots from Tottenham during early game. For this game, I was totally pissed off with Weber's judgement for numerous fouls - so little cards for so many reckless fouls. Another superior performance by Drogba has seen him to be the first player to break the 50-point marker of FPL.

Trust me, he looked even more awful than this when they played Chelsea last Sunday.

Vermaelen's Attacking Prowess
I've to salute for what Vermaelen brought into Arsenal - stable defence and supreme offence. So many goals and assists already in his pocket, which you may easily misregard him as an offensive midfielder or even a forward if you only has his stats. Believe it or not, he'll have a very bright future with the Gunners.


Thomas "Watermelon" Vermaelen

The Big Losers of Set Pieces
If you are still curious of who are them, I can tell you now: Liverpool. Of all the 9 goals they have conceded until now, none of them are from open play! Their man marking are simply awful, and if this is not corrected as soon as possible, then they'll have to extend their wait for English top-division title for another one year.

A big crisis for him.

The Ultimate Losers of All
Still remember the Derby wannabe? Yes, they're ultimate losers. Even Derby don't have such an awful start like them. Paul Hart is sitting on needles now - improve or get lost.

"I think I should really consider to change my career rather than to relegate with this club of total failure..."



FPL Statistics

Leaderboard of the Gameweek
  1. Vermaelen (19)
  2. Milner, Giggs (14)
  3. Saha, Torres (13)
  4. A Cole, Yobo, Drogba, Fletcher (12)
  5. Elliott, Nugent (11)
  6. Bellamy (10)
Leaderboard of the Season
  1. Drogba (51)
  2. Rooney (46)
  3. G Johnson (41)
  4. Torres, Lampard, A Cole (40)
  5. Gerrard (39)

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Topic of the Fortnight: A Season Where Attack Dominates

Alright, ladies and gentlemen, here comes the second issue of topic of the fortnight. Firstly, I would like to introduce you some really interesting stats: among all the games that had played since 09/10 premier season started until now, only 2 games were recorded goalless. A total of 159 goals had been produced in 56 games played until now, with an average of 2.84 goals per game! Can you see how high is this figure given that last year it's only 2.48 goals per game in average?

7 goals in 1 game.

This is a double edge to all FPL managers - most of you would be satisfied with your strikers for their prolific scoring record, but in the meantime, you might be also frustrated with all those points deductions of your defenders. And since the trend has already been set, the only thing you can do is to follow the flow - load up your team with all those offensive players, from strikers to defenders.

Now lets see all the must grab offensive players up till now. If you can grab at least 6 of the following top-class offensive players from at least 4 different teams, you shall have no problem this season.

Wayne Rooney
EVER since Ronaldo left, Rooney has been given the biggest responsibility in the team. The team centralises around him and most of the offensive actions involve him. He's the best point-earning strikers in my opinion as he'll always score goals under United's strategy and most importantly, he'll gain a lot of bonuses which edges him over the rest of the pack.

Didier Drogba
HIS reincarnation of career is one of the most exciting phenomena in premier league this season. He is the joint second top scorer so far, with all of his 5 goals were decisive, which honoured him plenty of bonuses (3 behind Rooney). His monstrous strength is the key of 6 back-to-back victories Chelsea recorded this season, and that's the reason why he's now on top of the FPL score sheet. Sadly, he knocked his heel and is doubtful for action for Chelsea's next game.

Emmanuel Adebayor
GREAT job by him don't you think? He scored an average of one goal per game this season, something only Rooney is able to match currently. Furthermore, Adebayor had also recorded 2.75 bonus points per game up until now. Unfortunately, his hell-like performance had dragged him down, and he'll fall behind from the leaders by a lot when he comes back from suspension.

Fernando Torres
WHEN El Nino seemed to have dropped out of the fantasy champion race, he scored a brace to show that he's not out of the golden boot's race. I've to agree with Fantasy Adviser's favourite quote: form is temporary, class is permanent. Given now that he's on his way to his top, why not load him into your team?

Cesc Fabregas
CAPTAIN is back. He stunned the world with his 22 point nuke on the first game, and the following games aren't bad either. Given that he's a lot cheaper than the fantasy holy duo (Fat Frank and Stevie G), you might consider to save the money on them and use it on other areas.

Frank Lampard
THE most consistent player in FPL has maintained his standard again - almost the same figure of points per game compared to last season. He's always the man if you want consistency, and always the least risky man to be captained.

Steven Gerrard
STILL not on his best. You can see from how he wasted several golden chances. But still, for his superior class, you can buy him even when he's not up on form yet.

Glen Johnson
THIS speedy wing back has successfully captured the hearts of Kopites. His totally out of position play has shaped him to be the most offensive defender in the premier league, and that's the reason why he's leading the defender's table now.

Thomas Vermaelen
WHILE Johnson benefits from his Liverpool's out of position play, this guy is enjoying Arsenal's all up offensive strategy as well. Wenger's biggest investment this season had proven to be one of the best bargain he had made. 3 goals and 1 assist in 5 league games from a centre back. What more can you expect?

Ashley Cole
SURPRISE surprise! He doesn't want to lose to his English counterpart Glen Johnson, and his actions had shown that - just 1 point behind Glenny. Another man who had found back his confidence under Carlo Ancelotti.

OTHER OFFENSIVE MARVELS (Excluded From the Category Above)
Those who are always one level below of those above: Robin van Persie, Jermaine Defoe, Aaron Lennon, Dirk Kuyt, Leighton Baines and Michael Ballack.
Low-cost high-return performers: Darren Bent.
Those who have the potential to become like Darren Bent: Damien Duff and Michael Kightly.