Captains Picks Fantasy Football Gameweek 30

Captains Picks Fantasy Football Gameweek 30 – Fantasy Premier League 2014/15

According to French satirist Alphonse Karr’s famous epigram, ‘the more things change, the more they stay the same’.
Chelsea, reunited with Jose, are barely within sight now at the Premier League summit.
Sunderland, 18 months on from ousting Di Canio, once more find themselves destabilized by restless natives and managerial upheaval.
Newcastle parted with the much maligned Pardew but have, if anything, seen their fortunes deteriorate yet further.
QPR, a couple of years on from being relegated by a sorry collective of journeymen and overpaid mercenaries, are… well, one gets the idea.
It’s no different in the FPL world. A small, select band of weekly captain candidates have emerged, from which it is hard to shift away. A template within a template with few exceptions. Barring injuries or fixture irregularities, it’s no secret that beyond Aguero, Kane and Hazard, there presents few alternatives for the armband. Even Sanchez’s appeal has waned in the merry-go-round Arsenal midfield that shares it’s spoils like a socialist’s utopia. But what FPL managers crave is a certain… certainty. As the season winds down, those chasing will become braver, and those leading will play safer. In either case, the captain choice is as important as ever.
“Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose”, indeed.

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[/three_fourth]5. Romelu Lukaku (away vs QPR)
Our mate Romelu pops up for his quarterly appearance in Captain Picks, as the four seasons change in specious accord with his fluctuating form. Everton have been a shadow of their bustling 2014 selves, yet of late have shown signs of recovery. Hitting probably their best patch of the season, the Toffees play a team in the stickiest patch of theirs. QPR must’ve been thankful for Sunderland’s headline grabbing capitulation, as it surely spared Chris Ramsey’s men from the widespread scorn that Saturday’s insipid display at Selhurst Park deserved. Everton’s elusive Belgian brute has finally started to show his Europa League form domestically. With Baines only just back, and a dearth of FPL-worthy midfield options, Lukaku is the only Everton option worth considering. But right now, he’s just about worth considering.

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[/three_fourth]4. Olivier Giroud (away vs Newcastle)
Alongside Aguero and Kane, Giroud is rapidly becoming a firm favourite for that third striker spot in many of our teams. Having finally, it would seem, cemented his role as the leading man in Wenger’s attack, it has been left to the likes of Welbeck, Walcott and about 8 others to vie for places in the supporting cast. Gunners fans won’t like the comparison, but their pin-up Olivier finds himself in the midst of a Kane-esque scoring spree, netting a goal in each of the last 4 games, and 6 from his last 8. With only 5 points from their last 6 games, opponents Newcastle are now only one place above Pardew’s Palace, 16th in the form table, and without their suspended captain Coloccini for Arsenal’s visit. There won’t be many betting against a 5th consecutive goal for Giroud come Saturday.

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[/three_fourth]3. Eden Hazard (away vs Hull)
Something that’s been rather surprising in Chelsea’s march towards the title is the lack of squad rotation in key areas. No-one has been a firmer fixture than the ever-present Eden Hazard. As well as starting every game this season, he’s not missed a single minute of the previous 19 games. This would be incredible in itself, but factor in Champions League commitments and it’s a sensational endorsement of his fitness and recovery levels. With Chelsea now out of Europe it’s a safe bet he’ll continue that trend through to May 24th, starting with a trip to a hapless Hull side only capable of taking two draws from fellow strugglers Sunderland and Leicester. Their absent linchpin Tom Huddlestone will leave a big hole in the middle of the park, and there’s every chance of a repeat of December’s reverse fixture which saw Hazard claim a goal and assist in a 14 point FPL raid; his biggest haul this season.

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[/three_fourth]2. Harry Kane (home vs Leicester)
The Hurrikane was little more than a stiff breeze at Old Trafford, but in a gameweek where most FPL big hitters stalled, it’s a forgivable lull which could prove to be the eye of the storm, as next up is a home tie against basement boys Leicester. Though blanking twice in three games constitutes a mini-crisis for the London born phenom, be reminded that he’s averaged exactly a goal in each of his last fourteen games. He’s been compared by some pundits to Alan Shearer, but that scoring ratio sits comparably alongside Leo and Ronny at the zenith of La Liga. 7 league games without a victory have seen Leicester City’s slim chances of survival evaporate, but Pearson’s men always fight for the cause and were only edged out by the odd goal in these two teams’ Boxing Day encounter. Having said that, the Premier League’s most in form striker against the league’s most out of form team should be a perfect storm.

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[/three_fourth]1. Sergio Aguero (home vs West Brom)
Edging out Kane in quite possibly the closest captain call of the season so far, it’s Aguero that leads the challenge this week. Following a weekend that saw both of these front-runners fail miserably, it may come down to experience under pressure and how the respective strikers bounce back. In West Brom, Man City have admittedly the more difficult task. Tony Pulis has an effective defence that puts even those who represented OJ Simpson and Michael Jackson to shame, and attempting to break through is akin to trying to punch through the Berlin Wall with a knuckle-duster. But Sergio is a wrecking ball, and even the Berlin Wall came down eventually. Goal 17 came a distant 4 games ago, yet is already equal to his tally for last season. City now face a fresh challenge to keep the chasing pack at bay and secure 2nd spot. Pellegrini will surely demand a response to their Turf Moor humiliation and his Argentinian talisman will have his sights on overtaking his 23 goals of 2011/12.

Thanks for reading Captain’s Picks Fantasy Football Gameweek 30. This article was written by Bryan Munich

Follow @bry_cooper

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