With eight teams in action twice, Gameweek 36 is the last big chance for managers in the chasing pack to upset the odds.
Gameweek 35 review
First off, I’ll admit that I paid little more than lip service to the fact that both Aston Villa and Bolton had double gameweeks last week. It was an approach that paid off in relation to a Villa side now in serious danger of the drop, but it was a less profitable tactic for the Trotters.
At least it was for two of their midfielders, Martin Petrov and Chris Eagles, who registered 17 and 16 points respectively after sharing two goals, two assists and nine bonus points between them over their two games. On any normal weekend, those totals would be head and shoulders above the rest, but then, last weekend wasn’t any normal weekend.
Four players involved in the game of the season at Old Trafford feature in this week’s dream team – Manchester United trio Nani (15 points), Wayne Rooney (13) and Danny Welbeck (12) as well as Nikica Jelavic (11), a man who we’re sorely hoping won’t be Ireland’s tormentor-in-chief come the summertime.
Vying with Petrov for this week’s top scorer was impressive Newcastle midfielder Yohan Cabaye after two goals, an assist and three bonus points in an extremely productive 59-minute spell against Stoke, while Philippe Senderos (11), Gael Clichy (11) and our own Paddy Kenny (10) deserve a mention.
J-League
There were only very minimal changes in the J-League Top Five this week as, despite the fact that there were bucket loads of points at stake, only Conell Cashell’s Cashmachines rose above the mediocrity for 76 points. That was enough for Conell to overtake Brian Duffy’s Fergie’s Fledglings into fourth place, while Matt Light’s Mamelodi Sundowns stole second position from Conor Sheehy’s A Great Bunch’a Lads.
A solid 65 from Eoin Groarke’s Sure Now was enough to extend his lead at the top to 22 points and the chasing pack would really want to make a move this week if Eoin is caught before the end. With eight teams in action twice this week, there’s no time like the present.
J-League Top 5:
- Sure Now – Eoin Groarke: 2,120 points
- Mamelodi Sundowns – Matt Light: 2,098 points
- A Great Bunch’a Lads – Conor Sheehy: 2,091 points
- Cashmachines – Conell Cashell: 2,079 points
- Fergie’s Fledglings – Brian Duffy: 2,069 points
Last chance saloon
There may well be two gameweeks left after this one, but realistically if you’re looking to make any sort of dramatic leap in your own private leagues, you really have to make this one count. Eight teams are in action twice in this gameweek – Liverpool, Fulham, Stoke, Everton, Chelsea, Newcastle, Bolton and Tottenham Hotspur – so the potential to rack up a huge score is vast.
At times like this, it’s the choice of captain that makes the biggest difference. On double gameweeks, optimistic managers tend to veer away from their traditional captaincy choices and are often left rueing the decision afterwards, but it might do no harm to take that approach this weekend.
For starters, the likes of Wayne Rooney, Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez, all solid captaincy choices, will be caught up in a hugely unpredictable title decider at the Etihad, while Robin van Persie – who was an undisputable choice as skipper for a long time – has gone off the boil of late.
Of the eight teams in action twice, however, there are only a few players who stand out as having the potential to make a huge difference.
With two home games Chelsea will be the team most look to, but upcoming FA Cup and Champions League Finals could prove a distraction. Spurs have been badly off colour in recent weeks; Liverpool have been off colour for the majority of the season. That’s not to say that those teams should be ignored completely, but don’t go nuts picking their players either.
Fulham, Bolton and Stoke are hardly teams to set your watch by, which leaves Newcastle and Everton as the two form sides at the moment. From those two, we reckon that Marouane Fellaini (£6.1 million), Nikica Jelavic (£6.0 million), Hatem Ben Arfa (£6.1 million) and the brilliant Papiss Cisse (£8.1 million) are the most likely to make an impression.
JOE’s Fantasy Football Picks:
Top Dollar: Juan Mata (£9.6 million). The ultra-defensive tactics against Barcelona didn’t exactly suit the Spaniard and he was withdrawn early in both games, which should leave him fresh for clashes against QPR and Newcastle over the coming days.
Mid-Range: Nikica Jelavic (£6.0 million). Based on his exploits against United, scoring against Fulham and Stoke should be like shooting fish in a barrel for the prolific Croatian.
Bargain Basement: Martin Petrov (£5.2 million). The Bulgarian has sprung to life with two goals, two assists, eight bonus points and 36 points in total in the last six games.
Irish Pick: Darron Gibson (£5.1 million). Put in a solid shift at Old Trafford on Sunday and with 180 minutes to warm up that shotgun right foot in this gameweek, he could be good for a goal or two.
Captain’s Pick: Papiss Cisse (£8.1 million). Two away games against an in-form Wigan and a Chelsea side just qualified for the Champions League Final won’t be easy, but this guy just can’t stop scoring at the moment.
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