Luis Suarez should return to Premier League football this weekend, but should managers introduce him immediately or be patient and ‘bite’ their time? *Sorry, we couldn’t resist*
Gameweek 5 Review
The average score of 47 points might not have reflected it, but there was big scoring potential in the Gameweek just gone and every member of the Dream Team earned their place with not one posting a score lower than 11 points.
Leighton Baines was top of the class as his two goals against West Ham earned 16 points, a point more than goalscoring defenders Dejan Lovren and Liam Ridgewell.
Mesut Ozil continued to tear it up in the Fantasy stakes with three assists for 14 points, the same total as Aston Villa’s Brad Guzan and one more than Newcastle’s Loic Remy and Sergio Aguero, who bagged a brace in a very one-sided Manchester derby.
John Terry and our own Robbie Brady also stood out with 12 points apiece while midfielders Nathan Dyer and Paulinho made up the XI with XI points after goals against Crystal Palace and Cardiff respectively.
J-League
Not for the first time this season, none of the managers who occupied the top five last week have survived after a flood of impressive scores in Gameweek 5.
Martin McMahon’s Accent Centric managed an excellent 84 points to take spot, a point ahead of Colin Clarke’s Brayzil in second, who in turn are a point ahead of team of the week Cappakeel United FC in third.
Mick McDermott’s charges managed a whopping 90 points in total (Baines, Michu, Ozil and Robbie Brady all in the team) to rise to third place ahead of Philip Wallace’s Victorious Secret in fourth and James Kenehan’s Thurles Rejects in fifth place.
J-League Top 5:
- Accent Centic – Martin McMahon: 350 points
- Brayzil – Colin Clarke: 349 points
- Cappakeel United FC – Mick McDermott: 348 points
- Victorious Secret FC – Philip Wallace: 347 points
- Thurles Rejects – James Kenehan: 346 points
To Luis or not to Luis?
There are some Liverpool supporters that didn’t want him to see him wear the shirt again, but Luis Suarez’s return to Premier League action this weekend couldn’t have come at a better time for the Reds.
Since Philippe Coutinho’s injury, Liverpool have lacked a little bit of ingenuity and dare I say ‘bite’ in an attack where Daniel Sturridge is showing signs of having to bear the goal-scoring burden in the early part of the season and they are coming off the back of two defeats in a week.
Suarez looked lively enough before fading against Manchester United in the week but as long as his attitude is right, his talent is undeniable and if in the right frame of mind, he’ll be an asset to Brendan Rodgers’ men this season.
If he can pick up on the form of last season, he’ll also be an asset to Fantasy Football managers. In 33 appearances last season he scored 23 goals and provided ten assists and for a team that didn’t even finish in the top six they are some statistics and that’s before you take into account the 34 bonus points.
At times last season, Suarez was in the must-have category alongside Robin van Persie and Gareth Bale (managers did well to have them all at the same time) and should he reach similar heights this season, there is potential to go on and do even better with better quality players around him than he had last season, certainly before the arrival of Coutinho and Sturridge in January.
Suarez comes at a fairly hefty price of £10.9 million so it is understandable if managers wait a while before introducing him and it should soon become clear if the events of the last few months have dulled an appetite that was (at times literally) ravenous last season.
If he’s as hungry (we promise that’s the last one) as ever and with a run of games against Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Newcastle and West Brom coming up, he could be worth a shot.
JOE’s Fantasy Football Picks:
Top Dollar: Wayne Rooney (£10.8 million). United might be struggling but Rooney certainly isn’t and might be the man to spark a much-needed run of wins against opposition that the Champions normally flourish against, starting with West Brom this weekend.
Mid-Range: Paulinho (£7.0) million. Jamie Carragher expects this guy to score a hatful of goals from midfield for Spurs this season and he notched his first against Cardiff at the weekend. Looks a very astute signing from early evidence.
Bargain Basement: Jose Fonte (£4.8 million). With three clean sheets in five, the Saints are proving particularly miserly at the back this season and like his defensive partner Dejan Louvren, Fonte is a big threat at set-pieces.
Irish Pick: Robbie Brady (£5.2 million). With 29 points so far, Brady is the third-highest scoring midfielder in the entire competition and is great value for just over five million quid.
Captain’s Pick: Mesut Ozil (£10.4 million). Arrived at Arsenal with a reputation as an assists ‘guru’ and he has already managed four, as well as 20 points in total, in just two games. Swansea, watch out!
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