If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
The J-League
The breakneck pace at which the J-League has taken off was maintained in Gameweek 2 and already there’s a danger of falling way behind the leaders with just one bad week.
As if to illustrate the point, every team in the top five this week scored in excess of 80 points and, once again, every team had the deadly duo of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Sergio Aguero to thank for a large portion of those points.
Conor Mullin’s Dubs United raced to the top with 91 points, leaving him ten points ahead of Barry Diamond’s Brown Bears XI in second and 12 ahead of Fintan Carroll’s Mon the Town in third.
Ronan Sherman’s Thespicers and Padraig Keogh’s Martial Matters are neck and neck in fourth and fifth respectively, but there’s a sizeable chasing pack waiting to take advantage should they let their guard down this weekend.
This week’s leaders: Dubs United – Conor Mullin
J-League Top 5
- Dubs United – Conor Mullin: 176 points
- Brown Bears XI – Barry Diamond: 166 points
- Mon the Town – Fintan Carroll: 164 points
- Thespicers – Ronan Sherman: 163 points
- Martial Matters – Padraig Keogh: 163 points
Gameweek 3
The first international break of the season, particularly in the aftermath of a major tournament, is rarely the source of much enthusiasm so managers will be looking to make a big impact before the Premier League resumes on the second weekend of September.
No betting man worth their salt would have had a cent on cast-iron relegation certainties Hull City being on top of the table alongside the two Manchester clubs and Chelsea after a couple of weeks.
That’s likely to change come Saturday evening, but if they can beat the Red Devils at the KC Stadium, the Tigers will have gone a long way to avoiding the drop before the end of August.
The meeting of Spurs v Liverpool in the early kick-off is the standout tie of Gameweek 3, while on paper at least, you would assume that Chelsea and Leicester will have too much at home for Burnley and Swansea respectively.
Middlesbrough will look to continue their good start to the season away to West Brom and the meeting of Manchester City and West Ham at the Etihad is a fine way to sign off the weekend.
This week’s picks:
Safe bet: Luke Shaw (£5.6 million). It’s only two games in, but Manchester United are already looking good under José Mourinho and like most Mourinho teams, there’s a detectable air of solidity about them already.
United’s full-backs are going to have a big role to play this season and as well as a clean sheet, Shaw provided the first of what could be many assists against Southampton last time out.
Dark horse: Michy Batshuayi (£9.0 million). He’s only played 22 minutes in the Premier League, but the former Marseille man has already had a big impact, with a goal, an assist and 10 points so far.
He scored twice on his first start in the EFL Cup during the week and could flourish if given a starting role by Antonio Conte at home against Watford.
Captain’s choice: Sergio Aguero (£13.1 million). If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Two games, three goals, six bonus points and 22 points in total so far, the Argentine should be the first name on your team sheet at the moment.
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