A frustrating day for Fantasy managers as the season reaches the halfway stage. Wayne Rooney misses United’s win over Norwich with a groin injury. Yaya Toure warms the City bench as David Silva earns the caution which hands him a one-match ban. Hull hit Fulham for six, the forgotten talents of Nicolas Anelka and Kevin Nolan plunder the points at Upton Park, whilst Jordan Mutch and Fraizer Campbell grab a goal and assist apiece as Cardiff share the spoils with Sunderland.
Rooney Groin Problem Sours United Win at Norwich
The runaway winner of this week’s Captain Poll was an unexpected absentee as United scraped a 1-0 win at Carrow Road. Sidelined with a recurrence of the groin strain that forced him out of the recent cup win at Stoke, Rooney is expected to return for Wednesday’s home clash against Spurs, according to the club’s official website. While Rooney missed out altogether (thus bringing the vice captaincy rule into play for those who handed him the armband), Danny Welbeck’s eye for goal proved the difference for the champions. Despite being named amongst the subs, the England forward needed just 12 minutes to make his mark after climbing off the bench to notch his fourth goal in as many matches.
After the game, David Moyes discussed Rooney’s absence in a little more detail than we’ve become accustomed to:
“I am hopeful and I think he will be fit for New Years’ Day. I just need to wait and see. He has got the same injury that kept him out at Stoke. It is an abductor injury to his groin, it is not serious but ideally we could have given him a couple of weeks or three to recover completely. But he has been so influential for the team and we want to get him back playing.”
Silva Topples off the Tightrope as City Squeeze Past Palace
Many were expecting a rout as Tony Pulis’ side rolled up to the Etihad yesterday afternoon. In the end, though, the hosts had to settle for their least-convincing home win of the season after managing to breach the Eagles’ backline just once over the 90 minutes. Whilst Edin Dzeko proved a decent differential with the only goal of the game, it was a day of real frustration for owners of Yaya Toure, David Silva and Alvaro Negredo. The Ivorian was unexpectedly benched for the full 90 minutes, whilst his fellow midfielder earned a fifth caution of the campaign in the dying minutes for a needless foul and is now set to serve a one-match ban for the New Year’s Day trip to Swansea. Negredo – second to Rooney in the Captain Poll – was handed a 35 minute-sub appearance and served up no more than a single point as Manuel Pellegrini’s festive rotation hit hard.
Nolan Back in the Points but Hammers Defensive Concerns Grow
A stint on the sidelines seems to have refocused the Hammers’ skipper’s attacking sensibilities. Prior to being dismissed against Liverpool earlier this month, Nolan had managed just one goal and three assists in the opening 15 Gameweeks – having served a three-match suspension, he has mirrored that output in his last two appearances alone. Nolan grabbed an assist against Arsenal on Boxing Day and played a part in all three of his side’s strikes in a 3-3 draw against West Brom, scoring once and providing a pair of assists in yesterday’s early kick-off. At the back, though, Sam Allardyce continues to be hampered by injuries. James Tomkins lasted just 10 minutes before being withdrawn due to a groin problem and, with James Collins also sidelined, the Hammers conceded three or more goals for the fourth time in the last five Gameweeks.
Anelka Finally Opens Baggies Account
Handed a first appearance since Gameweek 9, the Frenchman proved an unlikely source of goals for the visitors at Upton Park. Caretaker boss Keith Downing once again retained a three-man backline and shifted from 3-5-1-1 to 3-5-2 against the Hammers, partnering Anelka with Saido Berahino – the duo netted three times between them, with Anelka bagging a brace as Downing stretched his unbeaten run to three games. Stephane Sessegnon was once again utilised as a late sub and continues to look a peripheral figure since the departure of Steve Clarke.
For those eyeing up a possible transfer, it’s worth noting that Anelka could face FA action over an alleged gesture made after his first goal. Reports suggest he could be banned for a minimum five games if found guilty.
Tigers Maul Cottagers at the KC
Steve Bruce switched from his usual 3-5-2 formation and opted for a 4-5-1 as Hull responded to their Boxing Day home loss to United in sensational style. Hull had previously notched 16 goals in their opening 18 games but served up a 6-0 thrashing to end a five-game winless streak as Fulham were torn apart at the KC Stadium. The Tigers backline were in the points yet again – yesterday’s result was their six clean sheet at home but the day was all about their midfielders, with each of the five starters picking up the points. Both Tom Huddlestone and Robert Koren earned their first double figure hauls of the season, whilst the likes of Ahmed Elmohamady, Jake Livermore and George Boyd showcased their attacking potential in a one-sided affair against Rene Meulensteen’s side. With Liverpool and Chelsea up next, though, any short-term investment looks likely to be postponed.
Villa and Swans Fail to Impress Ahead of Tough Schedules
With Christian Benteke still sidelined due to a knee problem, Paul Lambert opted for a 4-4-2 as Villa played host to Swansea. Libor Kozak dropped to the bench as Gabby Agbonlahor and Andreas Weimann led the line instead – the latter two combined for the hosts’ solitary strike in the 1-1 draw, with Agbonlahor scoring for just the second time this term. With Ron Vlaar still missing, Villa’s struggles at both ends of the pitch look no nearer to being solved – it’s one point from five now for the midlands outfit and, while a midweek trip to Sunderland still offers hope, they then have Arsenal, Liverpool and Everton in three of the following four as the fixtures turn nasty.
Swansea also have similar issues. With Michu injured, Michael Laudrup is more reliant than ever on big-money signing Wilfried Bony but the Ivorian failed to impress once again yesterday and has now scored in just one of his last eight appearances. In just his third start for the Swans, Roland Lamah’s first goal of the campaign earned a point as Pablo Hernandez picked up an assist – his first attacking points since Gameweek 3. With City, United and Spurs now on their agenda, the New Year looks set to prove a testing time for the Welsh outfit.
Mutch and Campbell in the Points as Bluebirds Blow Two-Goal Advantage
In the first match since Malky Mackay’s departure, Jordan Mutch and Fraizer Campbell were quick to pick up the Fantasy returns. The Bluebirds looked to have a tough task against a Sunderland side that had produced three successive clean sheets but needed just six minutes to find a way past Vito Mannone, with Campbell providing the assist for Mutch’s opener. The duo then reversed roles just before the hour mark as Campbell grabbed the second against his former club – both player now have four goals apiece for the season (double the number of Peter Whittingham) and with a trio of assists also accrued, Mutch, as a mere 4.5 in FPL, is definitely a cut-price contender worthy of our consideration. The issue, though, is Cardiff’s upcoming fixtures – with Arsenal, City and United in the next four, we’ll be giving their main protagonists a wide berth until the schedule smiles a little kinder.
Fletcher Helps Salvage Late Sunderland Draw
For the Black Cats, a stunning late comeback highlights the extra resilience instilled by Gus Poyet. In a day where many a Fantasy manager found themselves cheering on the prospects of a Cardiff clean sheet with far greater relish than we could have imagined, Steven Fletcher proved the villain of the piece. On as a half-time sub for Fabio Borini, the Scot served a reminder of his predatory instincts by sparking a late revival which took his side’s unbeaten run to four matches. With four strong home games (AVL, SOU, STO, HUL) and a trip to Fulham in the next six, the Black Cats certainly are showing plenty spirit as we assess their key assets ahead of the winter wildcard.
10 years, 10 months agoThe Five Most Annoying FFS Posters
1. The Guy Went Unnecessarily High Expectations
He wants his team to do really well. So much so in fact that he will write out a shopping list of his demands. He will go through many permutations in order to ensure his team will reach the heavenly 100pts he expects. Not sure if he's mentally deranged or just really dumb.
Most likely to say: "Ok, now just need Debuchy to get taken off after the 60th minute so he gets his clean sheet, then Walcott to score a hat trick (all goals assisted by Ozil) and Giroud to get a red card for kicking a pigeon"
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2. The guy who is worried about his H2H after half the games have been played
He's been up all night again, pacing the bedroom and refreshing the Physio Room page. His wife has divorce papers on the dresser. He says he'll get to them after the baps are out. All he can do is look at the equation he's scrawled in blood across the bathroom tiles: "Walcott + 4pts vs Lukaku, Ozil, Giroud"
Most likely to say: "Who will my H2H guys? WHO?!"
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3. The guy who can't make his own decisions, and gets angry when the crowd wisdom of FFS fails him
He's chasing his rival as per usual. He can't believe he took a hit to bring in Zabaleta and now he hasn't played. Why on why did he listen to the People on the Internet? He should be top by now. How can those imbeciles at FFS constantly tell me to make the wrong move? Time to take a -4 to get Zabaleta out.
Most likely to say: "I was going to bring in Colback, but people told me not to. He's scored 10pts today. Last time I listen to you morons."
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4. Guy who is way too into Fantasy games
We're not even talking about elves and orcs here. This is a man who used FPL as a gateway drug. He participates in every competition. He thinks about his beach volleyball H2H when he's having sex. He contacts relatives of players on Twitter to see if their cousin Steven Gerrard is back from injury yet. His Fantasy Bobsleigh Team is no.600 in the world and he's built a great team value that should push him on for a top 50 finish.
Most likely to say: "Is anyone playing the U-19 Euro fantasy game? Who is Denmark's starting keeper now that Jeppe Höjbjerg is out with those stomach cramps? My team is in DISARRAY people!"
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5. Guy with poor English who wants the keys to the world
He's playing from Brazil or Egypt and is delighted to have stumbled across a site where people will give him answers to all his problems. He will post the same dumb questions and RMT over and over again until peoples eyes are bleeding.
Most likely to say: "poeple. is this trnsfr the one?? ozil to mutch for -4. plz answers. also RMT plz. krul mert, baker, terry, hazard, ramsey, yaya, ozil suarez, remy, lukaku. is this win my mini leauge? plz plz PLZ"
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6. Guy with too much time on his hands
He's home for Christmas and making the most of the time away from his girlfriend. He's reading every football site on top of the fantasy ones. He starts at Football365, works his way to whoateallthepies.tv, on to fiso, and FFS, and says hi to the people who know him by his first name in the Total FPL chatango chat box.
He knows that last year's winner is team ID 2122 and will check on him to see how he's doing in comparison. He built his own Excel model to anticipate when/if a player will rise/fall in price by 1.40 GMT (and stays up, just in case). He will read the previous comments pages on FFS if they're moving too slow at that time. His final thought before sleep is who to captain, and in his dreams his team are going to be no. 1 rank for the gameweek.
Most likely to say: "Hey check out this post I made of the most annoying 6 personalities on this site."