With midweek ties questioning the fitness of Tottenham and Liverpool, many managers prepared their teams for a tough weekend. With the return of Costa many managers rapidly put him back into their squad, but will disciplining him ruin his great form? Many managers were beginning to include the AFCON players returning from a tiring tournament, so with all these thrown into the mix, FPL managers took both what looked like secure choices or gambles to increase their chances as the season is quickly coming to an end. Lets look at the team of the week to see what happened.
Goalkeeper
This week we have Hammers hero Adrian as the London derby resulted in a point for both parties in a game which was a must win for Tottenham’s European chances. The Hammers have won just one of their last nine Premier League matches and with Adrian only keeping a clean sheet statistically 20% of the time many managers will have been expected this. He gathered most of his points from a penalty save which was well.. not really a save. But fair play to the Spaniard with a strong performance earning his team a point.
Defenders
A worthy opponent of the goalkeeper also appears in the team of the week as one of the worst hit volleys found its way into the net, I’m sure even he was surprised! But as he inspired his team to comeback for the point Danny Rose earns himself a spot due to a goal and an overall strong performance from the youngster. Spurs have recovered the joint-most points from losing positions of any team in the Premier League (15 along with Palace). An inspiring performance from the English defender making him the first of two defenders this week from England.
His partner in crime is no other than Ben Mee, who secured a much needed point in a well deserved draw against 10 man Chelsea, moving them above Villa into 18th. With only 4 wins for Burnley this season, draws are becoming the main source of survival for the bottom teams. With his headed goal and a bonus point, it places him into the team of the week as he advances his goal tally to 2 for the season but will be eager to improve.
Finally, we have the powerhouse Vergini as the Sunderland player shows his supremacy in keeping a clean sheet, an unlikely occurrence for this Sunderland side who have conceded 36 and have only managed to net just six goals in their last ten Premier League home games. However Vergini earns his spot with a dominant performance in a pretty poor attacking game but with 3 bonus points it edges him over potential candidates such as Ivanovic.
Midfielders
First up we have Noel Gallagher’s favourite ever player with a VERY impressive performance against a struggling Newcastle side who have not scored against Manchester City in the last 4 match ups. David Silva captain’s the team this week after racking up 17 points, while demolishing a side who have lost all confidence in themselves. With 2 goals and a world class assist he can’t be feeling too bad as he hoped to carry that form into a tough clash against Barcelona. The Spaniard impressing many recently trying to fill the gap Toure left with his absence.
Next up in this 5 man midfield is Silva’s teammate Samir Nasri. After failing to make the world cup squad for France, he is eager to prove his worthiness both at domestic and international level. With City crawling in midfield talent, he will need to continue his form to secure first team football. 2 assists and 2 goals in his previous 2 is not a bad record for the French man as he partners his teammate after a impressive smashing of the Magpies.
Praised by Neymar earlier this month, it is no surprise that Phillippe Coutinho is continuing to demolish goalkeepers in the Premier League as the Liverpool man hits the target again with a 35 yard screamer in the opening minutes. With a goal and 3 additional bonus points, his tally is beginning to rack up as the confident youngster is urging towards his peak and is set to continue in such form. Was it the goal of the season so far? For me, 100%.
Another player looking to prove his critics wrong is Victor Moses, who’s penalty helped secure a late winner against Villa and capture a massive 3 points in their survival hopes. They continue to climb the table, with the win moving them into 10th and 14 points above relegation due to the impressive performances recently from players like Moses. His penalty and 3 bonus points place him into the team of the week after a cool finish to a game which was slipping away from Stoke.
Finally in midfield, we have Ander Herrera who has recently returned from injury. Although his side lost a disappointing 2-1 to Swansea, he did his part as he secured the opening goal only to be cancelled out minutes later by a Ki equaliser. A “ki” point in the game if I do say so. His 3rd goal of the season and 3 bonus points earns him his first spot in the dream team since mid september.
Forwards
It is nice to see someone other than Harry Kane in the dream team and this week we have the towering Dzeko. The player who has been criticised for his finishing did not disappoint in this game making him the 3rd City player this week. With a penalty awarded for a foul on him in the opening 30 seconds it was likely to be a successful day for the striker. 2 assists edged him over the competition making his tally 49 for the season.
Finally, we have the experienced Naismith. Not old, experienced. Although he looks like a Grandparent he is only 28! He managed a goal which was to prove irrelevant later down the line only helped Everton secure a draw. But with his 3 points he boosted himself into the team of the week as many managers are starting to see the spark with 11% of managers opting for him.
So that concludes this week of Fantasy football and with Costa, Aguero, Sturridge and Van persie drawing blanks many managers will be upset about the week (unless of course you managed to have Silva as a captain, to which I salute you!).
Till next time,
Morgan Kidson
