Given the lateness of this post within the week you'd expect me to have some sort of excuse like having a crazy travel schedule due to the holidays or something similar. As it turns out, I just wasn't in a positive frame of mind yesterday. I usually don't get THAT invested in sporting outcomes to the point where they really make much of an impact beyond a perhaps a few minutes. Furthermore, I can almost always separate my preferences as a fan from my writing - sure, I'll make it clear to all that I'm an Arsenal supporter but I don't think I let that affiliation impact my fantasy recommendations. That said, I just couldn't bring myself to write yesterday because I knew I'd be too bitter about the Arsenal/Wigan result to do a decent job of it (insert your own joke here about the quality of the job I do if you want to get one more joke in during 2010).
As I try to come down from that disappointment, here are a few brief observations about the weekend.
I am now taking some solace in the fact that despite my disappointment at Wigan being awarded a totally BS penalty early and Arsenal not getting a penalty awarded for the clear hand ball in the box on Nasri's free kick late in the match that Arsenal wouldn't have gained any ground if the officials were doing their job better all mid-week. ManYoo were screwed over just as badly on Birmingham's late equalizer so it is impossible to be upset at Arsenal's fate without admitting that ManYoo didn't deserve their fate either.
My second note is related to the media reaction to the Arsenal draw. The media can't seem to decide what storyline to go with. The "Wenger dropped points after making a lot of changes" storyline was so obvious that they couldn't drop it despite their second storyline. That one went something like "Arsenal were screwed by bad calls and deserved to win" and I can't understand how you can write both. If you write the second storyline then you can't write the first one. If Arsenal played well enough to win and only fell due to poor officiating then how do you write that it was a mistake to rotate? Not much more to this point but I thought it was interesting.
Finally, it was obviously a great Christmas week for Citeh and Spurs who gained ground on Arsenal and United. Will we ever figure out this season? You get the feeling that March, April, and May might offer up a four or five way race for the title because no one seems to be able to sustain their form. It is unclear from match-to-match which of the "big teams" will be the others and no one seems immune from dropping points to vastly inferior opposition. Throw in the various financial situations of the big clubs come January - Arsenal can spend but are unlikely to, United are likely still cash-poor, Chelsea have the money but it is uncertain as to whether they will spend it, Citeh have money to burn, and Spurs seem to have at least some to spend and maybe more if they finally sell off some spare parts like Keane, Bentley, et al. Should be a lot of fun.
One final thought before we get to it, cheers to Richard Kingson who has been incredible since inheriting the Blackpool job due to Gilks' injury. In the Yahoo format, he's now the 10th highest scoring keeper overall despite only having played SIX matches. Imagine how he'd be doing if Blackpool had a field that held up under poor weather conditions. Something to think about for the time when Blackpool start replaying all of those matches in the coming months.
Liverpool-Wolves Fancast
Evidently Wolves are quite welcome in Liverpool.
Anyone watch Liverpool-Wolves yesterday? I haven't had the courage to do it yet but I'm morbidly fascinated. This was Liverpool's full-strength side minus Carragher. What happened? Meireles wasted on the right? Gerrard not 100%? Or is this more about Wolves?
Asian Cup Arbitrage
Last year we had the drama surrounding Didier Drogba's participation in the African Cup of Nations. Or African Nations Cup. Whatever it was called. This year, Asia takes it's top teams to Qatar in January 2011, and it will have an impact on the Premier League.
Park Ji-Sung is already with South Korea, and Lee Chung-Yong will join him. Otherwise, it's Australia who will take the biggest batch of players including club stars Mark Schwarzer, Tim Cahill, Brett Emerton, and back-ups Brad Jones, and David Carney.
So what does this mean for fantasy managers? I think it means:
1) Stockdale becomes a viable option in goal for Fulham. Assuming Schwarzer's last game is against Spurs this weekend (I'm not 100% on that, but Cahill's last match is Stoke) then Stockdale at under 6 gets you matches against West Brom, at Wigan, and Stoke, before ending the month at Liverpool. I'm not sure we know who the real Fulham are right now, but those matches are comparable to the likes of Reina and Green who are around the same price.
2) Everton's attack is going to get even more anemic. Yesterday against West Ham, Cahill was Everton's lone forward and most incisive player. Arteta still looks lost and Pienaar has one trick where he runs with the ball into a blind alley. Moyes is going to have to hope that Anichebe, the only striker he seems to want to play, wants to play for Everton.
3) We could see the return of Martin Petrov to the right of the Bolton midfield. With Lee gone, presumably we'll see MPet and MTay on the flanks. I'm not sure either are worth their current pricing, but with a home match against Wigan upcoming it may be worth a look.
4) Sir Alex needs Nani back (as does my fantasy team). With Park gone and Obertan/Bebe not ready for prime time, Manchester United need Nani to provide that little bit of special that they lack elsewhere in the squad. Otherwise, as we saw yesterday, they'll labor against teams like Birmingham.
All this may get overshadowed by the upcoming transfer window. However, I wanted to put out this food for thought before that happened, and before Neal takes over the blog with his "hot stove" gossip mongering.
Festive
It's odd that the fantasy football schedule is so busy at the moment, yet I feel so disconnected from it. Being at home, and not sitting at a computer for nine hours a day means I'm not plugged in to every story, rumour and gossip that comes across the wires. With family commitments and the chance to take a four-hour bike ride up the coast yesterday, I missed the big Boxing Day fixtures as well as any chance to pick up players on the Barn Door.
But because the schedule is so packed, there's every opportunity to get back into the swing of things. Today is the big Chelsea-Arsenal clash. I'll be watching the returns (most likely) of Robin van Persie and Frank Lampard as they are highly under-valued in the fantasy game compared to their historical pricing.
Then the next round of matches starts up tomorrow, so don't forget to set your team. We'll be looking at the team news and trying to bring you any information. But just remember that with two matches in as many days for teams there is always the risk of rotation. And unannounced rest and rotation at that.
For what it's worth, my squad at the moment (subject to change) is:
PRobbo
Kolarov Coleman Jara
Van Der Vaart NaniBrunt* Pennant Tchoyi Lampard***
TorresSaha** Welbeck
Kolarov Coleman Jara
Van Der Vaart Nani
Torres
* Brunt is suspended, and near cost, so he's unlikely to stay in the team long.
** Read my thoughts below.
*** Over-thinking Arsenal in the comment below.
Tangerines to hold late inspection
Poor pitch conditions... but likely not this bad.
Tangerines to hold late inspection - Yahoo! Eurosport
Blackpool will hold a pitch inspection three hours before their scheduled 3pm kick-off against Liverpool on Boxing Day to see if the match can go ahead.If my math is correct, and it rarely is, this means that the announcement can't happen until after the fantasy game locks down. So you'll have to take your chances on Liverpool and Blackpool players.
The Seasiders do not have undersoil heating at Bloomfield Road and despite covering the pitch there is still some doubt over whether the surface will be playable...
'The timing of the pitch inspection has been made in consultation with the Barclays Premier League, match referee Mike Oliver and officials from Liverpool.'
The Week Ahead - Christmas Edition
It's been a frustrating week all the way around for fans of the Premier League (unless you pull for Everton or Sunderland). Between the postponements and the poor quality of the matches that were played last weekend it felt like we had an international weekend on our hands. It meant we got to read more about the ever-tedious Tevez drama that appears to be much sound and fury signifying nothing. The global financial crisis has robbed us of the usual insanity related to transfer rumors. Usually we can count on at least one or two mid-table clubs with excessive money to spend and a wishlist of players who have no interest in playing for them. In years past we could also generally count on ManYoo and Liverpool along with Chelsea and Spurs to have shopping lists that would keep us knee-deep in interesting rumors on days without matches. This year, ManYoo and Liverpool seem to have next to no money to spend while Chelsea seem to have scaled way back on the crazy spending and Spurs seem to have one or two modest targets but not too much to write home about. Heck, there aren't even international matches to keep us vaguely interested while we're waiting. After all that, we STILL have to wait until Sunday for the matches. It's been tough but we're close to making it through. It will be a merry day-after-Christmas once the matches start up again on Boxing Day.
Boxing Day Team News
Our gift to you... all the Boxing Day team news in one convenient blog post package.
After the jump.
Y!FF Rules Update
Festive Fantasy Football chat - Yahoo! Eurosport UK
From the Fantasist's live chat today:
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So there you have it... sort of.
Also I found this amusing:
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We feel partly - if not mostly - responsible for the nickname thing. Regardless of how true that is, things like "Who is K2?" have become such a big and fun part of the blog... and now the larger Y!FF universe.
Manchester City - Everton Currently Not in Doubt
from EvertonFC.com:
Everton can confirm that Monday's game against Manchester City is not currently in doubt.
City officials have informed their Everton counterparts that the pitch is playable.
Ice and snow is an issue outside Eastlands but the club are working on problem areas today and tomorrow with their local authority.
All Sunday Games Called Off
It's Manchester City/Everton or nothing at this point.
And that's looking iffy, if this forecast is accurate.
And that's looking iffy, if this forecast is accurate.
Injuries and Suspensions
Sorry for the quick post but it's a busy Friday and, as it turns out, there also isn't a lot to report on. Here are the quick highlights:
- Gerrard seems likely - Woy isn't committing 100% but the tone of all of the conversations make it seem likely that Gerrard will return. The problem here is that the uncertainty kills the value of both Gerrard (because he might not play) and Meireles (because we're guessing his value drops if Gerrard does play). Good thing there are lots of available midfielders in the same price range.
- VDV possible - Again, nothing definitive but it looks like VDV is in contention. My guess is that he gets between 20 and 60 minutes.
- Arsenal mostly healthy - The goalkeeper situation seems a bit up in the air but I'm guessing Szczesny will get the start. Otherwise, the attacking positions will be in a huge amount of flux with Fab4 and RvP available again. My guess is Song, Cesc, Nasri, Arsh, Chamakh, RvP but with Theo, Rosicky, Wilshere, etc. all available I'd be very careful about hitching your wagon to Arsenal attackers.
- Lamps back - We talked about this in TWA - tough few matches to bring him into your squad for but we'll be sitting ready on the BD if it looks like he's back to his best.
- Odemwingie out - Tchoyi likely deputizes making him a great value.
- Adam is suspended - Just a reminder.
Van Der Vaart Back
Football365.co.za - All The News
Harry Redknapp's side will be boosted after Rafael van der Vaart completed a week of training, with the Dutch star set to feature.Good news for everyone who's kept VDV in their side at 6-and-change. Now you'll just have to watch the weather reports, with Blackpool's pitch threatening to freeze up again.
The Week Ahead
So many things to think about as we get ready to launch into yet another weekend of Premier League action that features a marquee match with title implications. Here's a brief run-down of the things that will be running through my head this weekend:
What should we make of the Tevez saga? It is being reported on heavily because there is so much drama associated but for me, the bigger question revolves around the implications on the title race. Citeh are playing well but their attack against teams other than West Ham seems to be just enough WITH Tevez. If Tevez's heart isn't in it even a little bit, you can see those 1-0 and 2-1 wins becoming draws pretty quick. I say this even more so of Tevez than I would of most strikers because so much of his game is passion and effort as opposed to Henry or CRon-like wild displays of skill.
How will the returning Lamps do? Lest we all forget, Big Frank wasn't doing too much early in the season BEFORE he went under the knife. He only managed a TOTAL of 21 fantasy points in Chelsea's first two matches of the season. That doesn't sound bad on the surface but remember that Chelsea scored 12 goals in those two matches and Lamps was on the field for 10 of them. Not exactly the type of return you'd hope for from a premium player. Was he already carrying the injury? Who knows. I guess my point is that we'd all be wise to take a cautious approach with a 32 year old midfielder coming back from a serious injury and facing questions about his role in what is still a fairly new system for him. The upside is that his price has dropped to under 13 so we don't have to pay quite the premium we're used to to see. To complicate matters further Chelsea's schedule reads MAN, @ARS, BOL over the next three matches. In other words, tread carefully.
How "for real" are Bolton? Every year we get a team that makes it to the New Year punching significantly above their reputation if not their weight. In different years it happens at different parts of the table. Whether it is a newly promoted team hanging in the top half or a perpetual mid-table team butting up against a Champions League spot, this is hardly a new script. The usual suspects are Spurs, Everton, and Villa and with Spurs having made "the leap" last season to replace Liverpool the question becomes is this year's pretender a real one or just the product of a pretty good team that has gone on an exceptional early run? My answer is as follows - Bolton are "for real" to the extent that the league-wide parity continues into the second half. If you look at their results, they've taken exactly 1 point (the draw with ManYoo) that you wouldn't bet on them to get again in the second half (they have yet to play Chelsea). Furthermore, they actually dropped some points you'd expect even a mid-table team to pick up (Home to Fulham, Blackpool, and Birmingham should have been 5 or 6 points instead of 3). It seems likely that all of the teams ahead of Bolton will go on an exceptional run of form in the second half (that's what top teams do). On the other hand, if Bolton just does what it should in the second half of the season and doesn't lose Elmander or Coyle they seem a pretty reasonable bet to finish in the Top 6 - hard to see them cracking the Top 4 unless Tevez leaves Citeh high and dry and/or Bale/VDV have serious injury troubles in the back half of the season.
With those random thoughts out of the way, on to the Week Ahead starting with our analysis of the schedule and what it holds for fantasy managers:
What should we make of the Tevez saga? It is being reported on heavily because there is so much drama associated but for me, the bigger question revolves around the implications on the title race. Citeh are playing well but their attack against teams other than West Ham seems to be just enough WITH Tevez. If Tevez's heart isn't in it even a little bit, you can see those 1-0 and 2-1 wins becoming draws pretty quick. I say this even more so of Tevez than I would of most strikers because so much of his game is passion and effort as opposed to Henry or CRon-like wild displays of skill.
How will the returning Lamps do? Lest we all forget, Big Frank wasn't doing too much early in the season BEFORE he went under the knife. He only managed a TOTAL of 21 fantasy points in Chelsea's first two matches of the season. That doesn't sound bad on the surface but remember that Chelsea scored 12 goals in those two matches and Lamps was on the field for 10 of them. Not exactly the type of return you'd hope for from a premium player. Was he already carrying the injury? Who knows. I guess my point is that we'd all be wise to take a cautious approach with a 32 year old midfielder coming back from a serious injury and facing questions about his role in what is still a fairly new system for him. The upside is that his price has dropped to under 13 so we don't have to pay quite the premium we're used to to see. To complicate matters further Chelsea's schedule reads MAN, @ARS, BOL over the next three matches. In other words, tread carefully.
How "for real" are Bolton? Every year we get a team that makes it to the New Year punching significantly above their reputation if not their weight. In different years it happens at different parts of the table. Whether it is a newly promoted team hanging in the top half or a perpetual mid-table team butting up against a Champions League spot, this is hardly a new script. The usual suspects are Spurs, Everton, and Villa and with Spurs having made "the leap" last season to replace Liverpool the question becomes is this year's pretender a real one or just the product of a pretty good team that has gone on an exceptional early run? My answer is as follows - Bolton are "for real" to the extent that the league-wide parity continues into the second half. If you look at their results, they've taken exactly 1 point (the draw with ManYoo) that you wouldn't bet on them to get again in the second half (they have yet to play Chelsea). Furthermore, they actually dropped some points you'd expect even a mid-table team to pick up (Home to Fulham, Blackpool, and Birmingham should have been 5 or 6 points instead of 3). It seems likely that all of the teams ahead of Bolton will go on an exceptional run of form in the second half (that's what top teams do). On the other hand, if Bolton just does what it should in the second half of the season and doesn't lose Elmander or Coyle they seem a pretty reasonable bet to finish in the Top 6 - hard to see them cracking the Top 4 unless Tevez leaves Citeh high and dry and/or Bale/VDV have serious injury troubles in the back half of the season.
With those random thoughts out of the way, on to the Week Ahead starting with our analysis of the schedule and what it holds for fantasy managers:
Somen Tchoyi surprise for the derby
Somen Tchoyi surprise for the derby « Express & Star
Albion boss Roberto Di Matteo could spring a major Black Country derby surprise by fielding Somen Tchoyi as a stand-in striker.I don't know that it's that much of a surprise, but it could be interesting news for fantasy managers. We've been on Tchoyi for a few weeks now, and at 8.21, listed as a middie and home to Wolves... VERY TEMPTING.
The head coach is considering moving the Cameroon international up front, who today gave a vote of confidence to under-fire forward Marc-Antoine Fortune.
Di Matteo looks set to be without leading scorer Peter Odemwingie for Sunday’s clash with Wolves and Tchoyi, who has played as a central striker for previous clubs, could be switched from his normal wide role.
He said: “It’s something we’ve looked at. The only issue is that I haven’t actually had a chance to try it out in pre-season or anywhere else.”
Update: Just to note that this week, I'd rather Tchoyi were listed as a forward. With the likes of Brunt, MGP, Nasri, etc already great bets in midfield, I'm actually having a harder time finding forwards that I'm excited about. Sic semper.
Lampard to Start
Football365 | All The News | Football News | LAMPARD BOOST FOR STRUGGLING BLUES
Frank Lampard looks set to start Chelsea's crunch Barclays Premier League game against Manchester United after coming through a practice match unscathed.
England midfielder Lampard completed what was a 60-minute game at the club's Cobham training ground on Thursday, which involved players from the reserve and youth teams.
The 32-year-old made a surprise comeback after three-and-a-half months on the sidelines in Sunday's 1-1 draw at Tottenham, playing the final 12 minutes at White Hart Lane.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti revealed after the game that Lampard would start against league leaders United this weekend providing he suffered no reaction in Thursday's training match.
The latest twist in the Tevez tale
Tevez angry at City’s broken promises | The Sun |Sport|Football
Joorabchian insisted, however, Tevez would NOT go on strike. He added: "Carlos will continue to play and give 100 percent as he always has."
Defender Micah Richards admits he would be "gutted" if Tevez, who reported for training yesterday following a four-day break in Tenerife, left...
Tevez is due to miss tomorrow's Europa League match against Juventus — and so could Mario Balotelli.
Boss Roberto Mancini has apparently had a change of heart, according to reports in Italy, after initially saying the ex-Inter Milan strike ace would travel.
Balotelli, 20, suffered racist abuse at the hands of some Juve fans last season. He was also targeted by hardcore Italy supporters during a friendly against Romania in Austria.
Carlos Tevez returns to training
Carlos Tevez returns to training, talks set for Friday - ESPN Soccernet
In related Europa Cup news...
Tevez is one of a number of senior players to be rested [for Thursday's Europa League match against Juventus], although Mancini has already indicated that former Inter Milan striker Mario Balotelli will travel, even though he was racially abused by some Juventus fans last season.
City do not have a Premier League match until next Monday when they face Everton at Eastlands.
In related Europa Cup news...
Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina will feature in Liverpool's Europa League tie against Utrecht, Roy Hodgson confirmed on Tuesday...
Liverpool are in dire need of an upturn in form after losing three of their last six Premier League matches, and Torres is a player who could use a confidence boost after failing to score in his last four outings. With skipper Steven Gerrard expected to return against Fulham at the weekend, Hodgson confirmed some of his biggest stars will be handed match-time against Utrecht.
"It is a good chance to give some players a run-out," explained Hodgson. "It's a good chance for Jonjo [Shelvey] to show what he can do again. He's played a lot of European games and done very well. But it's also a chance for Ryan Babel. Fernando Torres will be involved in the game, as will Pepe Reina and our centre-backs.
Barton escapes FA punishment
Football - Yahoo! Eurosport
Joey Barton will not face disciplinary action from the Football Association for apparently making an offensive gesture towards Liverpool's Fernando Torres.Apparently not. Feel good about fielding Barton at Birmingham.
Well, as good as you can about handling a lit firecraker.
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