Van Persie, Ba, Aguero et al have been hogging all the glory this season, but the players who do all the dirty work deserve some credit as well.
Well, dirty may be too strong a word, as the art of setting up a goal is often as admirable as actually scoring it, but the goal makers certainly don’t get as many headlines as the goal-scorers.
In Fantasy Football, however, an assist is nearly as good as a goal, certainly for a striker who’ll only get one point more for putting the ball in the net than laying it off for somebody else.
It’s something that hasn’t been lost on Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney, who both have six assists to their name this season, while can you imagine the amount of assists that Gabriel Agbonlahor, (who has the most assists for a striker along with Emmanuel Adebayor – 7) would have if he didn’t have to play alongside the hapless Emile Heskey half the time?
Experts have calculated that Gabby Agbonlahor would have at least 35 assists this season if Emile Heskey wasn’t so crap
The best performers in terms of assist, unsurprisingly, are midfielders and one man stands head and shoulders above the rest. Like many of his international teammates, David Silva seems to actually prefer creating goals than scoring them and with 12 assists so far, he’s four ahead of the nearest challengers Gareth Bale, Nani and perhaps surprisingly given Liverpool’s lack of goals so far, Charlie Adam.
Following closely behind that group is Juan Mata and Manchester United’s Antonio Valencia, whose seven assists have all come since he began to get a sustained run in the team last month. All of the players mentioned bar Gabby Agbonlahor are on the expensive side, but there are players from the lower end of the scale who chip in with more than their fair share.
Sunderland’s Stephane Sessegnon (£6.6 million) has weighed in with seven assists, one more than Everton’s Royston Drenthe (£5.8 million), who has had a hand in six of Everton’s all too rare successful attempts on goal.
Ashley Cole and Micah Richards have contributed most from the back with six assists apiece, but while they’re a tad pricey for defenders, Swansea’s Angel Rangel has three and is a snip at £4.4 million.
Further up the pitch, the impressive Matt Jarvis (£5.7 million) has six assists to his name and when he hasn’t been weighed down by his own sense of self importance, Nicklas Bendtner (£6.2 million) has found to time to act provider on five separate occasions.
Assists aren’t the be all and end all and obviously play second fiddle to goals when it comes down to selection, but with the deadline for the wildcard almost due, it’s definitely a stat worth bearing in mind.
JOE’s Fantasy Football Picks:
Top Dollar: Frank Lampard (£11.1 million). Hasn’t failed to score in a league game so far in 2012 and will be good value to continue that run away to Norwich this weekend.
Mid-Range: Jose Enrique (£6.0 million). They might be absolute toilet going forward (Bolton and Blackburn have scored more for God’s sake), but behind Manchester City, Liverpool have the meanest defence in the league, thanks in no small part to the capture of this fellah from Newcastle in the summer. Probably should have more than two assists to his name, but when your strikers can’t stick it in the net, what are you going to do?
Bargain Basement: Nathan Dyer (£4.7 million). Always a good man to have on the bench, but he’s worth a place in any fantasy team at the moment thanks to two goals, an assist and five bonus points in his last two games.
Irish Pick: Leon Best (£4.6 million). He showed against QPR last weekend what he is capable of and is an almost guaranteed starter for the next few weeks while Demba Ba is at the African Cup of Nations. Really has to make the most of his opportunity now that Newcastle have added another Senegalese (is that how you say it?) into the mix.
Captain’s Pick: David Silva (£10.3 million). It’s a massive game for City against Spurs at the Etihad, but big occasions don’t faze the little Spaniard; in fact, he seems to thrive on them and is nearly always good for a goal or at least an assist.
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