Fantasy Premier League Blog

Kudos

Nolan - I saw the old Joey Barton re-emerge in his cameo vs. Arsenal yesterday - he could easily have been sent off in under 20 minutes (as it was, he saw yellow for the less flagrant of his two bad fouls). With a derby on tap this weekend, it feels like the time to shift to Nolan if you want a reasonably priced NUFC midfielder.

Does Nolan ever score just one goal in a match? It's either brace - or hat-trick - or nothing for him. So frustrating for fantasy purposes.

No live chat - rally to restore sanity instead

This seems too good to pass up so I'll be back next week for a chat

Link to SoccerNet consolidated injury reports

Jeremy has already posted some of the key injury-related news this morning. The biggest news is that Chelsea's midfield continues to be at less than full strength with the continued absences of Lampard and Ramires which means that Zhirkov should start and be an excellent bargain. On the plus side, there isn't any mention of an injury to Charlie Adam so I'm expecting that he'll start.

Honestly, there isn't a ton of really important injury news but here's the quick rundown:

Premier League - Rooney set for longer injury lay-off - Yahoo! Eurosport

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has confirmed that striker Wayne Rooney's ankle injury is worse than first thought.

Rooney was originally expected to be out of action until the second week of November with the injury, which has restricted him to just six appearances and one goal for his club so far this term.

However, speaking at United's press conference ahead of Saturday's home clash with Tottenham Hotspur, Ferguson revealed that the England striker is set for a longer lay-off, effectively ruling him out of the Manchester derby at Eastlands on November 10.

How do you say Little Pea in Spanish?

Alex Back; Ramires and Lampard out

ALEX BACK FOR BLACKBURN | Latest Chelsea News | Team & Transfer News | Chelsea FC | Chelsea

Ramires and Frank Lampard remain sidelined for this weekend's fixture, but Alex returns to the line-up after a four-week layoff.

The defender has not played since smashing in the second goal against Arsenal on October 3, but will partner John Terry in the centre of defence against Blackburn on Saturday afternoon.

Yay! Another week with Zhirkov at a cheap defender playing in midfield!

The Week Ahead

A pretty quiet midweek for once with only a handful of clubs playing in the Carling Cup and most of those fielding line-ups with few potential weekend starters. Arsenal used it as a chance to provide sharpness to parts of the rotation that are coming back from injury - Bendtner, Walcott, Koscielny, Gibbs (oops, back to being injured), and ~~Frimpong~~ Eastmond. Most of the other Premier League clubs like ManYoo used decidedly second team and reserve teams. In theory, this means that there should be few new injuries to report. The biggest consideration is Tevez heading back to Argentina meaning an excellent goal-scoring option is off the table and we have to anticipate who Mancini will use as a replacement - K2? Balotelli? 6 midfielders? Hard to know for sure.

Before we get to my recommendations, I'm going to do a quick book review that came up in the Live Chat last weekend. The book in question is called Brillant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Soccer. Despite my general passion for sports of all kinds, I don't tend to read and enjoy too many sports books. This is definitely an exception and here's why:

First, I am consistently fascinated at the ability of such a small country like Holland to produce exceptional footballers and this book gives some insight into why that may be. Second, I enjoy it when an author does a good job of making connections between a nation's sporting culture and their national culture and not only does David Winner do that but the connections he draws are more interesting than even others that I have enjoyed. Finally, as both an Englishman and a Gooner, I found Winner perhaps drawing the obvious parallels between the Dutch and Wenger's Arsenal. He never makes an explicit connection other than to mention recent Arsenal squads as the successors to the Total Football style but it wasn't difficult to read between the lines - both the admiration and frustration. In any event, if you're looking for something interesting and different on the topic of soccer then I think you'll enjoy this book. There is also a mention of a really cool photography project about amateur soccer by a photographer named Hans van der Meer - I went out and searched on some of the photos and they're really quite amazing.

Injured Carlos Tevez flies home, Manchester derby doubt - Barclays Premier League - ESPN Soccernet

Tevez is all but certain to miss City's upcoming Premier League matches against Wolves and West Brom...

Now we know. And knowing is half the battle.

The other half is figuring out if K2 or Balotelli get the playing time. [My guess - Balotelli scores the winner after coming on for the ineffectual K2, who starts.]

And the other half is figuring out whom to gut to afford/place them.

On Modric

Apparently I struck a nerve with my assessment of Spurs and the talent on their roster with my "First Impressions..." column on Sunday. Equally apparent is the fact that Spurs supporters (at least I assume that's who would be most likely to disagree with my assessment) don't have a terribly realistic view of the players employed by their club.

Here's the harsh reality, Spurs have three and a half players who would even be in contention for a spot with one of the other contenders in the "Big Four" of Chelsea, Arsenal, ManYoo, and Citeh. Here's the list:

Bale - Given the form he's shown since the turn of 2010, he'd contend for a spot just about anywhere in the world.

van der Vaart - Wouldn't start at Chelsea over Lamps/FloMal/Essien. Not sure how he'd fit with Cesc at Arsenal but has the talent to find a way into the side over Arsh. Would fit somewhere into the rotation with Citeh but wouldn't be a sure-fire starter. Would be an obvious upgrade over/replacement for Scholes at ManYoo.

Gomes - He'd start at Arsenal but that's about it. If he returns to his form of the latter half of last season then he's probably about equivalent of EvdS, a step below Cech and two steps below Hart.

King - I call this a half because if he were healthy, he'd start for any of the contenders other than perhaps Chelsea. That said, he's rarely healthy so in the real world, he'd be a reserve held out for big matches on the big teams.

As they say on PTI, that's it, that's the list. One player who would start for all of their rivals. Two players who would only be a clear upgrade for one of their four big rivals (VDV for United and Gomes for Arsenal). One potentially great player who isn't reliable enough to really be considered a starter at Spurs or anywhere else. Outside of that, you have a lot of adequate players. Let's face it, there's a reason that you don't hear much about the moneybags teams either domestically or elsewhere in Europe sniffing around the Spurs roster. The real strength of Spurs roster is that they have depth of solid players which, especially over the course of a long Premier League season, is enough to distance them from the likes of Villa or Everton who probably have equivalent first team talent but can't survive dips in form or an injury crisis without a significant drop in talent.

If you think I'm mis-estimating one of more players on the Spurs roster vs. their counterparts from other teams, I'd love to see the analysis in the comments section. What Spurs player(s) would take the place of someone from one of the other "Big Four" teams?

Cheers - Neal

Using your Pea

He meant to do it, and immediately knew it was a goal.

First Impressions and Second Thoughts - Week 9

It was quite a week topped off by Arsenal beating Man Citeh in the big clash at the top of the table. Chelsea and ManYoo were a bit on the ugly side in doing the business against decidedly average competition and Spurs dropped back a bit with Everton surging back toward the top half of the table after a terrible start. As players go, there were some returns and debuts worthy of note with AJ, Balotelli, and Saha all coming on after lengthy injury layoffs. Get the scoop on the Premier League week that was here:

The Barn Door Live - Week 9

I'm back from vacation and ready to go with our usual Live Chat.

(Replay after the jump.)

Injuries and Suspensions

So, did anything happen while I was gone? I feel like I went to this tropical island and had a crazy dream that Wayne Rooney insisted that he was leaving Manchester United and that the roof of Old Trafford seemed like it was caving in and that generally, the world was coming to an end. Imagine my surprise to wake up this morning with a tan (so I know the island part was true) to see that Rooney has signed a 5 year extension to lead the (deteriorating) line at ManYoo. In my dream, I also recall mentioning that it's always best to follow the money so my guess is that SAF and the Glazers realized that they needed Wayne-o and make sure that the money path led back to Old Trafford. I still can't say I'm thrilled about ManYoo's prospects unless they can add some more talent to Rooney's signing in January or over the summer but at least it stems the tide of decline. Making the quick transition to actual injury and suspension news - Rooney is out for the next three weeks ~~counting his money~~ nursing his ankle.

Here are the other relevant injuries and doubts:

'Best player that's ever graced MLS' says goodbye - MLS - Yahoo! Sports

“He’s the best player that’s ever graced MLS,” said United interim coach Ben Olsen, a longtime teammate. “It’s no coincidence that every trophy that this team has won, Jaime Moreno has been a part of.”

Moreno entered the league during its inaugural season in 1996, and he’ll play his last game Saturday when United ends their regular season against Toronto FC at RFK Stadium. He is the only player in MLS history with 100 goals and 100 assists. His 132 goals are tied with Jeff Cunningham of FC Dallas atop the all-time list—and Moreno has played in four fewer games. Moreno’s 102 assists are fifth all-time, and he’s a seven-time All-Star.

How much have defenses feared him? He’s suffered 703 fouls, 66 more than anyone else.

But it’s the hardware that sets the 36-year-old Bolivian apart from any contender on the MLS legacy charts. United have won 12 trophies with Moreno on the roster: four MLS Cups as league champions, four Supporters’ Shields for best regular-season record, two U.S. Open Cups and a pair of international titles. He is a winner, one who didn’t get sufficient due in the general sports world.

This is a bit off topic for the blog, especially these days as we don't really cover - as we don't play - MLS fantasy any longer; but I wanted to take a minute to pay tribute to my favorite player ever. As I wrote when Thierry Henry signed with the New York Red Bull:

You see, Neal and I are DC United fans. Since day one. Since Eric Wynalda beat us with an 88th minute goal in the first ever MLS game. Since the magic triangle of Etcheverry, Moreno and Diaz Arce turned around that first season and led us to consecutive MLS Cup championships - the second of which we watched in the pouring rain at our home field, RFK Stadium. Since the day Peter Nowak and the expansion Chicago Fire beat us to deny us a hat trick of championships, and broke our hearts.

Of that magic triangle, it was Moreno who stayed around the longest, adapted his game the most and really is my last strong link to DC United - which makes me quite sad. But in the words of perhaps my favorite bit of signage ever at a DCU/NY(J) match:

DC is Jaime-town!

Drogba fit to face Wolves

Premier League - Drogba fit to face Wolves - Yahoo! Eurosport

Didier Drogba looks set to return to lead the Chelsea attack against struggling Wolves on Saturday, but Frank Lampard will have to wait a bit longer for his comeback - much to the frustration of the England midfielder.

Ivory Coast international Drogba has missed the Blues' last two matches because of a virus but has now resumed full training ahead of the visit of Mick McCarthy's side, third bottom of the Premier League.

Lampard, though, is expected to need more recovery time following his hernia operation which has seen the 32-year-old out of action since August 28.

Luke Young to miss three matches

BBC Sport - Football - Aston Villa full-back Luke Young to miss three matches

Aston Villa defender Luke Young is set to miss the next three matches with a torn hamstring.

The 31-year-old missed last Saturday's 0-0 draw with Chelsea after suffering the injury in training on Friday.

Scans show the problem is worse than feared and the former England full-back is likely to be out for two weeks.

He will miss Saturday's clash at Sunderland, Wednesday's Carling Cup tie with Burnley and the home match against Birmingham on 31 October.

At 7.70, Habib Beye is a bit expensive after getting 10pts in Villa's clean sheet draw against Chelsea. But he may be worth the investment over the next few weeks if you have money to spend on defenders, or are selling Bale to afford other purchases.

Odemwingie chances are slim

To answer a question raised in The Week Ahead...

West Bromwich Albion | News | Latest Headlines | Latest Headlines | Odemwingie says chances are slim:

PETER Odemwingie admits his chances of facing Fulham on Saturday (ko 3pm) are slim.

The four-goal striker missed the 2-2 draw at Manchester United due to a knee injury he picked up against Bolton almost three weeks ago.

He is itching to get going again but has yet to train this week and will not be rushed back with 11 Barclays Premier League fixtures to come in November and December.

The Week Ahead - Vacation Edition

Artists rendering

If ever there were a great reason to become a writer fulltime, this is it. Rather than my usual deskchair in Northern Virginia, I'm writing this week's version of TWA from the balcony of my hotel room in St. Thomas. I'd add a picture but I'm also doing this on my iPhone so the blog editor is somewhat limited.

My current surroundings got me thinking about the notion of the grass being greener on the other side of the fence - or Manchester. Thinking back on a few recent high profile cases, I guess it all depends on what you're looking for. Henry left Arsenal and continues to win but had to do so as a secondary player rather than as the star. Combine the trophies with living in a more beautiful climate and I can see why you might make the choice. Ronaldo made a similar choice presumably for the money and I'm sure he's got more of that for his time in Madrid despite the lack of any actual success. Hard to see him having spent any, ahem, quality time with Kim Kardashian in Manchester - there are some places even reality stars won't go.

So, what does Wayne Rooney want? Who knows? But a wise man once said, when in doubt, follow the money. I can't pretend to know why anyone would care about making the next million when they already have more than they could spend in multiple lifetimes. On the otherhand, maybe that lack of competitiveness on my part (and insufficient footspeed) is why I'm not playing professionally somewhere. Maybe part of being THAT competitive is needing to make the most money.

One final thought on a storyline that I haven't seen written yet. What happens if Rooney is reunited with one of his former strike partners in either Madrid on the other side of Manchester? The Rooney/Ronaldo partnership relegated Rooney to being an excellent supporting player in the drama while CRon became a World Player of the Year ~~candidate~~. Hard to see Rooney being up for that again. Even less attractive was the Rooney/Tevez partnership that saw Tevez minimized (short joke totally intentional). Hard to see that reunion playing well at Casa Tevez. I'm not saying those teams shouldn't go after Rooney but they should think twice about the impact.

OK, on to the week to come:

Ferguson says Rooney wants to leave United - - SI.com

Wayne Rooney's desire to walk out on Manchester United has left the Premier League club facing the loss of a third world-class attacker in two years and its bewildered manager Alex Ferguson in a state of shock.

Ferguson said he was "dumbfounded'' at Rooney's decision not to enter into negotiations about extending his contract beyond the summer of 2012.

"We just don't know what's changed the boy's mind... I was shocked,'' said Ferguson. "I had a meeting with the boy and he reiterated what his agent had said. He wanted to go.'"

There's so much to this story that is being parsed elsewhere, so I'll try to take a fantasy manager's approach to this first.

When last we saw the Captain...

Hat tip to Y!FF reader Alex who notes that:

Captain Kirkland will not be a zero next week (probably minus) as Wigan play Bolton and Al Habsi will not be allowed to play against his 'parent' club.

Kirkland was on my provisional team as I'm trying to squeeze in both Drogba and Tevez at forward. Now I have to decide if I'm happy with this news or not. At first blush, Wigan have been much better defensively recently, but that could entirely be down to Al-Habsi's form.

There are no dull weeks in fantasy English Premier League play, are there?

Ramires Returns to England

RAMIRES JOINS THE INJURY LIST | Latest Chelsea News | Team & Transfer News | Chelsea FC | Chelsea

Carlo Ancelotti will be without Ramires for the Spartak Moscow game, after the midfielder picked up a knock on his ankle in Saturday's goalless draw with Aston Villa.

The Brazilian travelled to Russia but will not be fully recovered in time and will return to England for treatment, where he will join Alex, Jose Bosingwa, Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard.

Despite these absences Ancelotti feels he will be able to field a strong side against Spartak in the Luzhniki Stadium, and is buoyed by the return of Salomon Kalou, who trained with his team-mates on the artificial surface on a chilly Moscow Monday.

This doesn't sound like a serious injury, and if Lampard can return for the Wolves match it won't be a serious loss for Chelsea. However, should neither player recover in time it might be a boost for fantasy managers. Next in line would be Yuri Zhirkov, who in the Yahoo! game is listed as a bargain basement defender.

For me, this is especially interesting as my current cheap defender is Jerome Boateng who limped out of the match as City limped past Blackpool. We'll have to see how severe the injury was - or it might have been whiplash from tracking Blackpool's runners all match - but either way his place looks to be in doubt with Richards returning and replacing him.