There couldn’t have been a better time for a double gameweek to fall for Liverpool, with a host of their players in peak form at the moment.
Gameweek 25 review
It is a motley crew of individuals making up the Dream Team this week, with only a handful of established performers making their presence felt in the best XI of what was a cracking weekend’s football.
Marouane Fellaini’s return to form with a brace against Aston Villa meant that he was the joint top scorer alongside Reading’s Jimmy Kebe and Newcastle’s Moussa Sissoko, both of whom scored twice against Sunderland and Chelsea respectively.
Steven Gerrard (10) and Gareth Bale (11) were two of the more familiar faces in the Dream Team this week, alongside potential Irish international Mark Bunn (11), defensive trio Jonny Evans, Gary Caldwell and Kyle Walker (all ten points), Everton’s Victor Anichebe (11) and Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke (10).
J-League
There was little activity apart from a little jostling for position in the upper echelons of the J-League, with Barry McCabe’s Breffni Blues just about holding onto top spot after a solid showing from Martin Hanway’s Marty’s Muppets.
Darren McCann’s Dazzleros leapfrogged Andy Twomey’s Athtrasna and Neil McNicholas’ 123 to take up third place in the league, but with the potential for huge scores coming up in the double gameweek ahead, nobody can be sure of their places as the competition hots up with squeaky bum time not that far away.
J-League Top 5:
- Breffni Blues – Barry McCabe: 1,559 points
- Marty’s Muppets – Martin Hanway: 1,557 points
- Dazzleros – Darren McCann: 1,543 points
- Athtransa – Andy Twomey: 1,542 points
- 123 – Neill McNicholas: 1,536 points
‘Pool your resources
The strange thing about Liverpool this season is that despite their inconsistent form and the fact that they have spent most of the season hovering around mid-table, a Fantasy Football manager could conceivably have included at least two if not more Liverpool players in their side throughout the season such has been the level of performance of some of their individual players.
A quick glance at the stats as they stand, for example, shows that only one striker (Robin van Persie) has accrued more points than Luis Suarez, that only one midfielder (Juan Mata) has a higher score than Steven Gerrard and that Glen Johnson is in the top five highest scoring defenders so far this season.
In recent weeks, the other players have started to chip in, new signing Daniel Sturridge has been very impressive in attack and although the results haven’t quite gone their way, they have really looked like a force to be reckoned with, especially against Arsenal and Manchester City, where they deserved more than a point on both occasions.
With that in mind, there couldn’t be a better time for a double gameweek to fall for Brendan Rodgers’ side and what’s more, both games are at home against two teams – West Brom and Swansea – who aren’t exactly at the peak of their powers at the moment.
Not a lot needs to be said about the aforementioned trio of Johnson, Gerrard and Suarez, but if you need convincing to introduce at least one of them if not more this weekend, a few stats should do the trick.
Johnson (£6.4 million) has a goal, four assists, nine clean sheets and five bonus points so far this season.
Gerrard (£9.7 million), enjoying his best season in years, has played every minute of every game, during which he’s contributed seven goals, 12 assists and 15 bonus points and of particular relevance to this weekend, there has only been one game in the last ten in which he has gone without either scoring or providing a goal.
With 17 goals, Luis Suarez (£10.7 million) is the second highest goalscorer in the league, a figure he has buttressed with five assists and a whopping 22 bonus points, nearly one for every game he’s played so far.
All of those players should be on most managers’ radars ahead of this weekend, but other Liverpool players worth considering are Daniel Agger (£6.4 million), who has collected only two points fewer than Johnson, Jordan Henderson (£5.3 million), who has two goals and an assist in his last three and Daniel Sturridge (£7.7 million), who has three goals, an assist and 21 points in his four Liverpool games to date.
Sturridge, however, remains a doubt because of a thigh injury so keep tabs on the fitness bulletins ahead of the weekend just in case he fails to make it and those three transfers you made to get him prove completely in vain.
JOE’s Fantasy Football Picks:
Top Dollar: Steven Gerrard (£9.7 million). Stevie G has defied the doubters in what has been one of his best ever seasons at Liverpool and he’s been on fire recently, averaging over eight points per game in his last eight outings.
Mid-Range: Moussa Sissoko (£6.0 million). If he can maintain this form throughout his Newcastle career, he’s going to be some player for the Magpies, but even if the hot streak is only temporary, you might as well make hay while the sun shines.
Bargain Basement: Ben Davies (£4.6 million). We shouldn’t forget that Swansea also have a double gameweek this week and with Michu off the boil, Davies is a decent and affordable option at the back.
Irish Pick: Wes Hoolahan (£5.5 million). Will have gained a lot of confidence from his brilliant strike against Poland and it’s just over a week since he was on the scoresheet against Spurs for his club. Wes has a good chance of maintaining his scoring form against a Fulham side that are notorious for their travel sickness.
Captain’s Pick: Luis Suarez (£10.7 million). With six goals in his last six games, it’s hard to look past Suarez, especially with two games at Anfield to look forward to this week.
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