Captains Picks Game-week 24 FPL Fantasy Premier League

Captains Picks Game-week 24

We wondered earlier in the week if any other players could put up a reasonable case for fantasy managers to go against Luis Suarez or Sergio Aguero for the captaincy. Well Suarez did his bit on Tuesday and Aguero was looking like joining him also until he was cruelly struck down with an injury that meant he did not have the chance to indulge himself further in another City goal-fest, having already opened the scoring himself. With Chelsea stuttering at home to a ’19th Century team’ and Arsenal just about dipping over the line for a point it was Suarez once more then that shone, despite only grabbing the one goal in Liverpool’s ruthless demolition of arch rivals Everton. Over at Old Trafford a couple of old favourites once more raised their ugly heads to remind us that there may yet be more to this season than just Mr Suarez. So lets take a look at this weeks options and see if we can tempt you away from the man himself.

Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney
Strange isn’t it, how RVP and Rooney both suddenly reappear the second that Moyes signs someone that can actually pass to them. Not that we are suggesting anything, of course. We would imagine though that these two, and the team as a whole, will have a lot more chances now that Juan Mata has ridden to their rescue on his £37.5m white horse. As for their prospects this weekend the first hurdle will of course be getting one or other on the pitch to begin with, so it will be a case of keeping a close eye on tomorrows team news. RVP started last time out and wasted no time at all getting himself back on the United scoresheet. Rooney had a run out at the end but showed no ill effects so he should be in line for a start this week away at Stoke.
It will be a welcome relief for the recently beleaguered Moyes and represent some transformation in fortunes for the team as a whole, going from having virtually no creativity and relying on Welbeck for goals, to suddenly having arguably three of the best players in the league combining for them. Recent form obviously will play little part in your decision here as neither has played for some time, other than in midweek, and a United side with those three is a far cry from the one they have been fielding as of late. Perhaps a better indication will be to cast a glance at Stoke and see if they represent a challenge. There is no doubt that they are on something of a downward spiral having lost their last three and slipping to 16th in the table, just three points above safety. Over the last eight games only Fulham and Cardiff have conceded more goals. All this should bode well for a United victory. Which one of Rooney or RVP you choose should you wish to go down this route may also depend which one fits in with your funds as Rooney is a much more budget friendly option at £11.3m whereas RVP is still a hefty £13.6m. Both are liable to explode at any moment but it will also be interesting to see how Moyes deploys Rooney now with the arrival of Mata. A shift to a more withdrawn or even wider role would not be a surprise. How that harms his chances for fantasy points we shall have to see over the next few weeks.

Olivier Giroud
He’s big and he’s beautiful, but can he score goals that is the question?! Well we know he can, but can he score enough to justify him being a viable captain option, that is the issue with Giroud. He currently sits 4th in the list of forwards in terms of fantasy points which is a good indication of his consistency this season. The big problem with Giroud though probably lies in this consistency in that he is always likely to get you a goal or an assist but unlike RVP and Rooney he never quite feels like he will explode. In fact he has only managed to score more than once in a league game on one occasion this season. For a team that is challenging for the title you can’t help feel that if Arsenal had a Negredo up top that he would be getting them far more than Giroud does. It’s not that he seems to be missing sitters either but you do wonder if his phenomenal work rate and team ethic are hampering him somewhat in terms of his main role – scoring goals.
That said this should still be a home banker in theory and we would not bet against Giroud given that his supply line is Ozil the assist king and a vastly improving Cazorla. It is perhaps the opposition this week also that makes Giroud a likely candidate. Crystal Palace come to the Emirates and whilst Pulis has certainly tightened them up at the back since he arrived they have still lost four of their last five away games. It is also worth noting that of eleven games played against a side in the top half of the table they have lost nine of them so far. His old team Stoke always enjoyed a good tussle with Wenger’s boys and this may be no different, a contrast in styles shall we say. These are the sort of games that would-be champions should cruise through with ease and should you elect to take your chances with Giroud it may not be so much a case of the big and the beautiful as the bold and the beautiful.

Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez
The deadly duo are finally reunited, with Sturridge having been out injured for a while, and they have wasted no time in laying down a marker and staking a claim to being one of the deadliest strike forces certainly in England if not Europe. Since Sturridge returned in GW21 against Stoke he has amassed an amazing 29 fantasy points in barely 181 minutes of football. Funnily enough since the same game Suarez has amassed, yes you guessed it, an amazing 29 fantasy points! While it took Suarez 270 minutes to achieve this it is clear that choosing between the pair may be difficult going forwards. Perhaps the best option then would be to simply bite the bullet and get them both.
This week they visit a West Brom side who have won only one of their last five home games whilst Liverpool have scored thirteen in their last five away games and are averaging almost three goals per game in their last eight. West Brom somehow contrived to concede four against a distinctly average Villa team last time out. All the indications are then that this may well be another comprehensive victory for Liverpool. It really is so difficult to make a call on choosing between Sturridge and Suarez for the captaincy. Suarez has 22 goals and 14 assists which is a powerful argument in any language but despite missing so much of the season Sturridge still boasts 13 goals and 3 assists and amazingly is still the 5th highest scoring forward in the game despite having having not played a minute between GW13 and GW21. Toss a coin on this one folks.

Alvaro Negredo
So whilst Liverpool have their strike force back in tandem, City do have their own deadly partnership in Aguero and Negredo but unfortunately they are having trouble getting the pair of them on the same pitch at the same time at the moment. With Aguero seemingly out for a few weeks again then, it  seems fitting that Negredo looks likely to return this week to face Chelsea. The more the season goes on the more deadly Negredo is looking. As are City as a whole. They have already scored more goals this season than they did in the entire of last season. Frightening that. It also suggests that not having one of their forwards would be somewhat folly but we have been frustrated time and again with the hokey-cokey that the pair have been playing in recent times. You put your left Aguero in, you put your left Negredo out, in out, in out…. you probabaly should have just gone with Dzeko!
It is Chelsea’s turn this week to attempt to keep the City steam roller at bay. A quick look at the stats shows us that City have won all five of their last home games, scoring well over an average of three goals per game. Chelsea are no slouches on the road however, winning three of their last five trips and only conceding six in the process. It will prove to be a fascinating game but we can’t help think back to when Arsenal rolled up to the Etihad earlier in the seaso, in similar or probably even better form than Chelsea, and still got hammered, conceding six in the process…

Other viable options:

Emmanuel Adebayor
Despite their humbling in midweek at the hands of the aforementioned City, Spurs are the in-form side at the moment when it comes to road trips having won all of the last five away from White Hart Lane, scoring twelve in the process. Adebayor has actually scored five in his last three away games. The only caveat to that this week is that they travel to Hull, who have the joint best home defensive record in the league having only conceded eight goals this season.

Eden Dzeko, Yaya Toure, David Silva, anyone from City!!!
As per the above piece on Negredo, these three all have the potential to have a great week at any given point at the moment. They all seem to share set-pieces, depending on who is on the pitch, all like a goal and have all added plenty of assists recently. Probably just wise to load up on City. Which one would make the best captain choice really is anyone’s guess!

Leighton Baines
A bit of an outside shout this one but Everton are hosting Villa so a clean sheet is a real possibility. Add into this the fact that he takes penalties, corners, direct and in-direct free-kicks and is always a threat in general play and likely to be one of the furthest forward at any given moment, actually suggests that if you want a real differential then Baines could be your man.

Whoever you choose, we wish you the best of luck. Be sure to chat on the boards, to ask for advice if you’re unsure of who to captain or want advice on potential transfers and also don’t forget to vote on our Captain’s Poll below.

This article was written by inittowinit

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