Pompey are a team on the up. They've the perfect manager in 'arry who will get the most out of a club with limited means. They've got lots of young talent to build around including Crouch, Defoe, Muntari, Diarra, and Glen Johnson.
Wait... what? All those players are gone? 'arry is at Spurs? And all this while the club is being sold from one billionaire to an even richer billionaire? It beggars belief, doesn't it? But Pompey are a club in a real death spiral at the moment. Their squad is thin, their financial future is murky and they are shelling players left and right. The squad looks old (James, Distin, Kanu, Finnan) and thin. Defensively they'll likely be combative but found wanting for pace and concentration. In attack they'll be relying heavily on Piquionne, who is utterly untested at this level, and the likes of Utaka and Nugent who haven't shown anything in past seasons. Krancjar is the one talent they have, but the odds of him being at the club beyond the January transfer window are shrinking.
All in all, Pompey look to be this year's Newcastle - a crisis club that find themselves firmly in the relegation picture. And far from fantasy managers minds... save for trying to own the opposition players.
Possible Starting XI: James, Kaboul, Wilson, Distin, Hreidarsson, Nugent, Diop, Mokoena, Belhadj, Kranjcar, Piquionne
Players to Watch:
John Utaka - What happened to the Utaka from his first few weeks? Was he just a mirage? Certainly could be. That said, I wasn't just impressed based on the first eight weeks of fantasy statistics - I watched a few of those games and he genuinely looked impressive. Since that time, he has been played out of position (he's a striker, not a right wing) and been injured. Why do we even bring this up? Because with all of the talent heading out the door, it appears that Utaka will be deployed as a starting flanking attacker in a 4-3-3 on the right side of Frederic Piquionne with Kranjcar on the left of the attacking three. Could be a chance for Utaka to re-discover his initial form. No guarantees mind you but something worth thinking about if you're looking for a bargain because at least there's some precedent. That said, based on his pre-season debut, you might want to go with Piquionne who scored two in his first outting for the club.
Nico Krancjar - I've honestly never been that impressed. He has some skill but he never really seems to live up to the hype. Coming in just over 10, I'd stay away. Throw in the lack of talent surrounding him, I'd stay even farther away.
Steve Finnan - You know those situations where someone has a strong brand name but there is little to no chance of the reality living up to what you'd hope for from that brand name? Think seeing a supermodel in her 40s or a 2000s vintage "muscle car" from Detroit - you have fond memories of both in your mind (either from your past or people telling you about them when they were great) but they've long since worn out their welcome. Steve Finnan in his Pompey incarnation is the same thing. You'll see him and think - "sounds promising" and you'll be wrong. He was never that great a fantasy player and that's when he was getting the benefit of clean sheets that Liverpool provided. Hard to picture this Pompey team doing anything other than struggling against relegation all season.
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