fantasy premier league – gameweek 1 review – Saturday’s matches

Here’s my gameweek 1 fantasy premier league round up giving views from a fantasy premier league perspective on the lineups, the game itself and the “winners and losers” in terms of players from the game.  

Liverpool 1 Stoke 0

Goal Sturridge Assist: Aspas

Liverpool lined up in 4-3-3.  Value defender Toure (£5.0m) lined up as predicted.  The other potential value play of Sterling missed out as the front 3 consisted of Aspas Coutinho and Sturridge.  No surprises in the Liverpool line up otherwise.

Stoke were pretty much as predicted apart from Adam surprisingly missing out as Hughes went 4-5-1.  No place for potential cheapie Pennant in the starting line up.

Liverpool totally dominated the match with Sturidge and Coutinho ripping Stoke apart constantly.  Aspas was also lively.  Stoke were poor all over the pitch and no one particularly got any credit

Liverpool were defensively vulnerable  surprisinglyand conceded alot of shots and good chances .  They kept a clean sheet only through the heroics of a Mignolet penalty save.

The winners:

Sturridge:  goal and great shooting stats

Coutinho:  advanced position and good shooting and chances created stats

Aspas:  good shooing advanced position and creating chances stats

Henderson: Got forward well, great shooting stats and was unlucky not to score.  An unfashionable  cheaper (although still a little expensive in my book) alternative to Coutinho at £6.0m

Losers:  The Stoke defence particularly although if they can improve look at defender Wilson at £4.5m who played in midfield

Arsenal 1 Aston Villa 3

Goals:  Giroud assist:  The Ox  Goals:  Benteke 2 Luna  Assists:  Agbonlahor Weimann

Arsenal lined up fairly predictably except Cazorla missed out, due to being in Ecudaor, to Rosicky and The Ox started instead of Podolski

Aston Villa put cheapie Baker at CB  instead of Okore.  El Ahmadi started instead of Tonev/Bacuna

Arsenal were murdered on the counter and really lacked any CDM support to the CBs and had absolutely no answer to Benteke who was immense.  They were ponderous in possession and had no clue how to break Villa down in any structured attack.  when they did have chances the didn’t finish.

The winners:

Benteke – As I said was absolutely immense.  Great shooting stats and chances created to back up the penalty goals

Losers:

Walcott.  Very quiet.  Poor shooting stats although created chances.  1 game should not undo all the positives of last season though.

Giroud.  Scored and had loads of shots in the box but was wasteful with chances as per last season

The Arsenal defence:  Conceded loads of chances and good ones at that but as for Walcott  1 game should not cause mass panic.  This is still a defence that got 14 clean sheets last year.  Szczesny was awful and the reason why I didn’t go for him with a non playing GK was Fabianski is ever far away from taking his spot

Norwich 2 Everton 2

Goals:  Whittaker RVW  Assists:  Whittaker  Goals:  Coleman Barkley  Assists: Coleman Jelavic

For Norwich, Garrido started instead of Olsson.  Redmond appeared surprisingly in the Norwich midfield instead of Snodgrass who was injured as was Hooper.    Jelavic started instead of Kone and with Gibson not making it Barkley started

Everton should have won easily as they totally controlled the game but were a wasteful with their chances.

The winners:

Jelavic:  good stats so should hold his place

Barkely:  Why did I chose Ravel Morrison as my cheap punt when trying to pick between the 2.  Despite an outstanding all round performance in terms of shots in the box and chances created he did little.    However he maybe one player who doesn’t need to get into the box to score.  Will he old his place when Gibson returns.

Coleman:  stats wise was a bit quiet (Baines created far more chances) but you can deny a goal and assist and his average position was very forward

RVW: debuted with a goal.  Stats were reasonable

The Everton defence: Ignore the 2 goals as I thought Everton were unlucky, stats wise they were very good and good for the future.  the only thing is that norwich last year were one of the poorer teams in attack and were missing Snodgrass.

The losers

The Norwich defence:  Weren’t on their supposed strong home turf

Mirallas:  Didn’t feature as fantasy premier league managers would have liked and stats were ordinary.  Too early to write off though.

 Sunderland 0 Fulham 1

Goal:  Kasami Assist:  Duff

Only Sunderland surprises were Westwood instead of Mannone at GK and  Roberge starting instead of Cuellar with Brown injured.  For Fulham Taarabt surprisingly started as did the goal scorer Kasami.  Ruiz was benched

Sunderland dominated the  game,  shots and possession wise but just couldn’t convert that into real clear cut chances and didn’t score

“ones to watch”

No one really to pick as a standout.  I think its too early to jump on the Fulham defence as something to look at seriously

losers:

Berba:  Fulham are poor away from home attacking wise anyway but Berba did nothing and I mean nothing no shots, no chances created.

Sessegnon:  Did nothing. Altidore scraped by with a couple of chances

WBA 0 Southampton 1

Goal:  Lambert  Assist: Shaw

Clarke went 4-4-2 with Long and Anelka starting.  For Southampton Ramirez was on the bench after being in Uruguay and Clyne didn’t make it.

A game that Southampton controlled and deserved to win

The winners:

Lambert:  It may have been a pen but also had good shooting stats

The Southampton defence:  I have predicted them to be vastly improved this year and this was a very good start. Shaw particularly saw a lot of the ball

The losers:

Anelka:  Did nothing after a great pre-season

Dorrans:  One of the potential £5.0m midfielders.  Did very little although had set piece duties.

Morrison:  Too deep in 4-4-2

West Ham 2 Cardiff 0

Goals:  Cole Nolan Assists:  Noble  Jarvis

Cheapie Morrison didn’t start neither did Rat or new signing Downing as  Joe Cole started.  Collins made it much to the relief of many fantasy premier league managers.  Cheapie CB Ben Turner started for Cardiff which was the main point of interest for fantasy premier league managers as did Whittingham.  Cornelius didn’t make it.

Cardiff had more of the possession but West Ham more of the shots and really won easily

The winners:

The West ham defence:  Restricted Cardiff to very few chances

Joe Cole and Nolan:  Both scored on the back of very good shooting stats.  Nolan can really do it when given a good run of fixtures as he has now

The Losers;

The Cardiff defence.  I really thought they would handle a Carroll less attack much better

Kim:  Did get the CAM role but did very little after a great pre-season.  Too early to write off though.

Morrison: didn’t get a look in

Swansea 1 Man Utd 4

Goal:  Bony Assist:  Pablo  Goals:  RVP 2 Welbeck 2  Assists:  Valencia Giggs Rooney 2

Swansea starting with Bony on the bench and Canas starting were the main surprises.  Utd started with Rooney on the bench and Giggs and Valencia on the flanks with no place for Zaha

This was a fantastic game an old fashioned shootout which you cannot let happen with RVP is in town

The winners:

RVP:  Absolutely fantastic, not just with his finishing but his shooting stats were unreal.  If you let him have loads of chances like Swansea did he will kill you.  His conversion rate means he doesn’t need many so when he has a bundle of chances lookout.

Welbeck:  Didn’t have the chances RVP did but finished well.  if Rooney stays though will he be one of the players fighting for a flank place

Rooney:  United are so much better with him.  He works so well playing behind RVP. 2 chances created 2 assists.

Bony:  Scored and had very good shooting stats. Clinical finsih

Michu:  Didn’t score but had a load of chances. Still too expensive and needs to be seen if he can reproduce behind Bony as he dropped off then in my view

The losers:

Both defences:  Great viewing but not for any fantasy premier league managers  holding defensive assets, especially expensive ones like Utd’s despite MOTDs drooling.

Zaha:  Rotation will be a difficult one here and remember todays no show was  with Young and Nani  injured

That’s it.  Hope you found it interesting.  Any views to the contrary or any other opinions are always welcomed in the comments box. On to Sunday!

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