So, as you can see (below) from my points tally from GW31 – it was another disappointing captain choice that cost me 11 points!  I lamented in my last blog about selecting Aguero as my captain instead of Kane (after having serious second thoughts on the Saturday morning) and last week I didn’t learn my lesson!  Given the new baby that arrived, I didn’t have enough time to consider all the angles as much as usual, and on reflection Kane was definitely the better choice than Sigurdsson, and unfortunately for me others in my leagues DID select Kane as Captain which means I lost more ground!

I also decided against transferring Ashley Williams in for Seamus Coleman last minute and was left to regret it with another clean sheet for Swansea and 2 bonus points for Williams (8), whilst Everton slumped to a 2-0 defeat against Arsenal, (Coleman – 1)… although there is a silver lining in that, for the first time this season, I have 2 free transfers!  Cue procrastination and poor decision making…

So here is my team and score from week 31:

Other than Alli in for Ozil – which I don’t think many people would’ve picked – I got the maximum points possible from my squad so I’m happy with that… but I am not happy with Aguero!  At £13.6m he’s by far the most expensive player and in recent weeks he’s not really delivered the best points per £ return – with 4 x 2 point games in the last 5.  The trouble is that he is such a good player, when he’s on song you need to have him in your team, and he can score goals against anybody… and with Bournemouth at home, you’d expect him to grab at least one… but then I thought that against Norwich!  A couple of more ‘in form’ alternatives in Southampton’s Pelle and Arsenal’s Welbeck, both of which look good of late – but I’m very interested in Man United’s Rashford… 18 years old, fearless, hungry and the only Man U player who’s made them look like a threat this season!  For £4.5m, he’s a steal even as a 3rd striker and if I swap him and Ageuro, I’ll have about £10m profit in the bank… just call me Arsene Wenger!

£10m could come in handy though with 2 transfers in the bank, especially with the fixtures being updated for the double game weeks… I’ve been saving my Bench Boost & Triple Captain all season for these!  Just to help you (and me), the following teams play twice or not at all in the upcoming gameweeks:

GW33 – (2 games) Everton & Crystal Palace

GW34 – (2 games) Newcastle, Man City, West Ham, Watford, Liverpool, Everton, Man Utd, Crystal Palace, Arsenal & West Brom

GW35 – (NO games) Man Utd, Norwich, Crystal Palace, Everton, West Ham & Watford

GW36 – Normal

GW37 – West Ham, Man Utd, Norwich, Watford, Sunderland, Everton, Liverpool, Chelsea

Could be a lot of change in various leagues and (I know I keep harping on about it) Captain choice is so important at this stage of the season!  The triple captain card will no doubt lead me to more procrastination, so if you want a laugh, keep reading over the coming weeks!

For the upcoming gameweek though, will I learn my lesson and make Kane as Captain instead of Vice Captain?  After his performance for England against Germany, I’m even more tempted!  With Spurs away at Liverpool though, Kane as skipper is not a ‘no brainer’ as the Reds are so inconsistent, although with Kane in the form he is, I don’t think it matters who they’re playing!  He will be up there with Europe’s best strikers after the Euro’s, he’s got it all.  But then Aguero against Bournemouth??  AAAAHHHHH!!!

All the best for the week! #fantasypremierscout

 

I was very bitter after watching Aguero do nothing against Norwich and then seeing Kane bang two in against Villa – when I had kept my Captain as the Man City striker… it was only the birth of my second son on Monday that took my mind of it!  I was pleased to see Sigurdsson weigh in with an anticipated goal and 9 points, and my overall score of 51 with 8 men was actually pretty good… other manager’s in my leagues also selected Aguero as Captain so that was some relief, although most people were also prudent enough to get more than 8 people in their squad with a game on!  Anyway, enough looking backwards, let’s look forwards to this week’s games and my dilemma this week is whether to use my free transfer or not… I’m fairly well set for the double game weeks that are coming up but I really want to get Firmino in… but I’m not sure who for!  On paper, Deli Alli is the most likely candidate for the chop, but he keeps doing the business for Spurs, another 9 points last week.  Might just leave it… but Sigurdsson will be my Captain this week whatever – Villa again, let’s hope the selection is not favoured by too many and he chips in with a goal or two!  Elsewhere, I think Vardy is due a goal or two and would be a good Captain choice.  Watch out for Josh King and Andros Townsend this week in their respective games, might be worth a cheeky transfer in as you look to differ your team from others!

Uh oh, my wife is calling and my boy is crying, better go!

All the best for the week! #fantasypremierscout

OK, so whilst Tottenham got stuffed in the week, Pochettino’s team selection makes for an interesting dilemma this weekend.  In my last post, I talked about Aguero being my captain choice this week but that Kane would be the next one, had City not been playing Norwich.  I think the disappointment of the defeat on Thursday and the frustration of sitting on the bench, watching, and not being able to affect anything, will give Kane an added impetus this weekend… and I am seriously debating changing my Captain choice as a result.

Aguero on the other hand has had a week’s rest and with City still (just about) in the hunt for the league, today’s game is very important.  Norwich are desperate though, and it’s about this time of the season that any team aiming for a dramatic escape begin to get some surprising results.

Aguero v Norwich’s defence of Kane v Villa’s?

At this stage of the season, in a fantasy premier league sense, Captain choice is so important.  Do you remember the week when Aguero scored 4 and everyone that Captained him got around 50 points?  I didn’t captain Aguero that week and it took me a couple of months to catch up again… and that was last year, a big one like that again in mid March could blow me out of the water in the leagues I’m in… no pressure!

Any thoughts are more than welcome!

All the best for the week.  #fantasypremierscout

 

Can they do it?  Can Leicester really be champions?  Can Spurs really be champions?  Can Arsenal really be champions?!  To be honest, as a Liverpool supporter, I couldn’t care less but I am interested in the fixtures for this week as all these 3 are playing – but half my team aren’t!

I have to confess to a severe lack of forward planning this week – as I used my free transfer at 11.29 last Saturday (GW29) to draft Lallana in for Shaqiri (I’d planned for Firmino, but was £0.1m short)  – without thinking ahead to Liverpool not having a game this week, but Stoke have… and Lallana was a dreary 2 points to add insult to injury.

This has forced my hand regarding my free transfer this week, as I was reduced to only 1 ‘playing’ defender, 3 midfielders and 3 strikers.  I figured that a midfielder has a greater chance to hit more points, and didn’t want to impact my current defensive roster as I’m relatively happy with it…. so in comes Gylfi Sigurdsson!  I am a big fan of Sigurdsson, and started the season with him in my team, but took him out when the Swans started diving – but he’s hit a good run of form, and as a dead ball specialist, I’m hoping for at least an assist from him this week.  Here’s my team for Gameweek 30:

I have decided against drafting a ‘playing’ defender in this week, as it would be a 4 point hit and for that, they’d need to at least keep a clean sheet – which this season is not very easy to predict!  Anyway, here’s my view on the fixtures this week, and some key players that may have an impact:

Norwich

v

Man City

Although Norwich have only been defeated by the odd goal in their last 3 games, they are going down.  City put 4 past another relegation cert, Villa, last week and Aguero inspired City to a 3-0 victory against the Canaries in their FA cup meeting in January.  Aguero will be my Captain this week, and I’m expecting at least a 2 goal haul!  Redmond is Norwich’s only likely source of inspiration and looked lively last week against Swansea – but other than a potential Ruddy penalty save, points for Norwich players will be low this week.  Score Prediction 0-3

Bournemouth

v

Swansea

Bournemouth have been in good form of late, but so have Swansea with both teams seeking their 3rd win on the bounce.  Bournemouth certainly have more firepower than Swansea, and I’m expecting a home win – with Sigurdsson (hopefully) getting a consolation for the visitors.  Joshua King at £4.3m represents good value for a cheap midfielder, as he tends to play up front and got 13 points last week with a goal, an assist and an MOTM performance.  Max Gradel is a bit more expensive but was great against Newcastle last week so don’t be surprised if he pops up with a goal or assist. Score Prediction 2-1

Stoke

v

Southampton

Neither of these teams are are the most prolific scorers, and both are very sound defensively.  I think this one will be 0-0 or 1-1, so either Butland or Forster would be a good goalkeeping choice this week.  One guy to keep an eye out for, is Imbula for Stoke – he’s averaging 4 points a game in his first 5 games, and has only been selected by 0.2% of managers… perhaps a good transfer in if you’re in a tight league?  Score Prediction 0-0

Aston Villa

v

Spurs

To be honest, it’s difficult to see Villa getting any more points this season!  I’ve got Alli, Alderweireld and Kane in my team and I’m expecting a 20 point haul from those 3.  If Aguero wasn’t against Norwich, Kane would defo be my Captain this week – so if you don’t have Aguero in your team, you know what to do!  If you’re one of the few without a Spurs defender, Danny Rose is doubtful for this week, and Ben Davies is a steal at £4.1m as a natural replacment… Eric Wimmer also looks great value at £4.6m, as he seems to have cemented his place alongside Alderweireld at centre back.  Score Prediction 0-3

Leicester

v

Newcastle

Lots on uncertainty around Steve McClaren this week which won’t help his sides preparation for this game, but they may be encouraged by the likely return of Papiss Cisse who’s been out since November.  I am expecting a tight game, as Newcastle are a good side when they are organised, and Leicester may start to tie up with the pressure and drop points during the run in, but I don’t think they’ll drop points today.  Vardy is due a goal, Mahrez is likely to assist but you’ve probably got both in your team’s already!  I like Ayoze Perez from Newcastle, but think he’ll be worth having in next season (if they stay up) and if Andros Townsend is fit and back in the Newcastle team, they might do something – but unlikely.  Score Prediction 2-1

All the best for the week. #fantasypremierscout