Fantasy Football FF247 Team Gameweek 14
Following our first 4 point hit of the season we finished GW13 with 45 points and while it was six points above the average it was yet another average week, although happily it provided us with the all important green arrows. Our score was largely underpinned by our captain Sergio Aguero and recent signing Charlie Austin. Aguero provided us with 14 points and in fairness this could have been more had Mike Jones gone to Specsavers on his way to St. Mary’s. However we can’t be too disappointed with his return, particularly with other popular captain choices such as Diego Costa, Angel Di Maria and Alexis Sanchez failing to deliver any returns. It was the aforementioned Austin who was our star man at the weekend as he returned a goal, an assist and two bonus points giving us a 10 point return. At the back our latest signing Thibaut Courtois picked up seven and we expect a steady stream of solid returns from him over the coming weeks. Unfortunately our three defenders managed a combined total of four miserable points. Gylfi Sigurdsson was our star man in midfield as he picked up his 8th assist of the season to contribute seven points to our total. An early injury to Angel Di Maria meant he picked up a solitary point and this could turn out to be his last contribution to our team for some time! Our remaining midfielders, Cesc Fabregas & Dusan Tadic as well as Diego Costa failed to make a meaningful contribution to our total. As a result we picked up 387 places to put us back inside the top 2k and we now sit in 1,982 place.
Transfer(s) for GW14
To a certain extent our hand has been forced in the transfer market this week as a result of Angel Di Maria picking up a hamstring injury early in the game against Hull. We say our hand was forced but we actually had plans to remove the Argentinean in the coming weeks, although it would have been nice to have him amongst our ranks as United are sure to knock a few past Stoke this week. Unfortunately we did not have enough money in reserve to do a direct swap between Di Maria and any of our preferred targets, so for the 2nd week in a row we have taken a 4 point hit.
As we mentioned last week we had plans to sell Dusan Tadic so it should come as no surprise to learn that we have released the Serb in order to free up funds. The decision to let him go was quite an easy one as he has failed to pick up a goal or an assist since GW8, although he will be fondly remembered for his 23 point haul in GW8.
So that’s who we have sold, but who have we replaced them with? As we have already mentioned, it was always our intention to sell Di Maria in the coming weeks and the plan was to replace him with Alexis Sanchez and we have decided to stick with that plan. The Chilean international has failed to register a goal or an assist in either of his last two games but following Wednesday night’s visit of Southampton they have a number of tempting fixtures between now and January. We briefly toyed with the idea of bringing in Yaya Toure, who has shown signs of recapturing the form that made him a ‘must have’ last season, but we decided to stick with Sanchez who has had a number of explosive game-weeks this season making him a potential captain in future game-weeks.
Our second signing is not quite as sexy, it’s West Ham’s Stewart Downing. It was a close run thing between Downing and Crystal Palace’s Mile Jedinak, although someone who shall remain nameless wanted to sign Yannick Bolasie! Jedinak has been in decent form of late but relies on set pieces for the majority of his returns while Downing has a greater effect on a game from open play and it was generally felt that the West Ham man has more to offer over the coming game-weeks.
So to confirm our transfers we have –
Sold Angel Di Maria and bought Alexis Sanchez
Sold Dusan Tadic and bought Stewart Downing
Before we move on we should probably mention Diego Costa whom we have clearly decided to hold onto despite the fact that he is suspended for the Spurs game on Wednesday night. There has been much talk of late regarding his failure to pick up bonus points and the fact that since GW4 he has failed to score more than once in any given game-week. However as long as the goals keep coming we’re happy to hold onto him and Chelsea have some great fixtures over the coming weeks.
Our team in full…
Captain
Our captain this week is Sergio Aguero
This was quite an easy decision, in fact there was no one else even discussed! We’re well aware that Sunderland will park the bus as they did to great effect against Chelsea on Saturday and that their games with City have been quite tight affairs in recent seasons but Aguero is in such great form and City as a team are showing signs that they might be about to move up the gears. Our Vice Captain this week is Gylfi Sigurdsson.
The team pretty much picks itself this week, in a 3-5-2 formation.
In goal Thibaut Courtois will start as Tim Krul is likely to miss out once again, although Courtois would undoubtedly have started had Krul been fit anyway.
In defence we again double up with Kyle Bartley and Neil Taylor and hope for better luck! Leighton Baines we hope goes radio rental at home to Hull.
All five midfielders get an outing with Costa being suspended. So time for George Boyd to step up to the plate at home to Newcastle, while new signings Stewart Downing and Alexis Sanchez get an immediate chance to impress us. We expect great things from our “assist kings” Siggy and Cesc Fabregas.
Charlie Austin and Sergio Aguero lead the line and are in great form.
The team in text format is –
Courtois
Bartley, Taylor, Baines
Boyd, Sanchez, Fabregas, Sigurdsson (vc), Downing
Austin, Aguero (c)
Bench: Krul. Hutton, Alderweireld, Costa
Hey guys,
Would you mind a rate of my team? My overall ranking has plumetted from 3,231 in gameweek eight to 32,328 now and it’s started to affect my positions in the leagues I’m in. Due to injuries, I’ve had to take a four-point hit and replace Di Maria with Siggy and take out Krul for Foster.
My plan is to take out Pelle and Downing and replace them with Austin and Yaya Toure, depending how the latter does this gameweek. Will, again, be for another four-point hit, but my fall from grace needs to stop and quick!
All advice is much appreciated! Cheers, guys!
swirly,
Reasonable transfers this week – forced upon you I guess but Siggy and Foster not bad selections at all.
Wait until this midweek is over before thinking about the next -4. You might just have a brilliant midweek – I hope so!
Cheers, GP
Afternoon gents.
Hope you are all confident ahead of the games.
Should I be?!
Nice defence that.
Cheers.
I see Baines / Coleman as full pitch players, with clean sheets as only half their potential.
More fun that way. And their value / cost is great.
I wanted a City defender given their upcoming games.
Wouldn’t mind a Chelsea defender too. Or keeper. May swap one in soonish.
james
:thumbup:
Cheers GP!
Is it worth taking a -4 if yun doesnt make it?
Thinking Moore to S Taylor or Bartley or maybe Ried to Marney
hammers
Generally I wouldn’t take -4 for a defender even if it means fielding ten players.
Although I heard, via Sky Sports News that Yun is expected to shake off the knock he took so I’d expect him to start.
I’m not sure either Taylor or Bartley are stick on to play long term. Wisdom/Pocognoli perhaps for Moore?
Cheers GP. Just seen the Yun news myself so gonna leave it as is.
Hi Everyone!
?
So decided to do -4 this week.
Mannone –> Courtois
Clyne –> Clichy
(still thinking about Chadli for Wanyama, but Spurs always do bad in Stanford Bridge, so maybe will leave Wanyama on, good idea
Captain will change probably last minute – still don’t know between Rooney/ Hazard / Aguero
Am I good to go? Best starting XI?
Thanks
Great team there Respect. I’d start Chadli over Wan but just barely…
Respect,
I’d play Janmaat ahead of Jagielka or Taylor. I appreciate you’ll see the CS potential in both those guys but from his attacking perspective, Janmaat at Burnley is why he is in your squad surely for games such as these? He also has his own decent claims for a CS
Also, yeah I prefer Chadli in there too instead of Wanyama.
According to Ben Dinnery (who seems to be the ITK injury news source) Janmaat is out of the game tonight.
Chadli over wanayama all day long
hammers,
He usually is. I missed that one. I’d still be tempted to start him and use autosub.
we will know Squads before the deadline tonight, so if Janmaat will be fit I will bring him in instead of Taylor, and the same with Chadli, but I have feeling that Chelsea will keep clean sheet…
Respect,
You’re absolutely right – I’m assuming everyone like me will be busy trying to get their kids to bed at the time the teams come out. I will be setting my team up in advance with who I expect will be playing/not playing!
And captain? thinking to chance with Hazard. Who you will captain?
Respect,
Interestingly I see no one mentioning Sanchez. He has looked dynamite to me, especially in home games. You have so many options.
Aguero maybe because of his form and a decent fixture.
Thanks to NIN, Innit and James for their input yesterday but still looking for some more assurance before another transfer today. Berahino > Bony for a -4… yes or no??
Colriles,
I like it (but I already have Bony so I may be biased), I think it’s a good longer term move tbh.
Cheers GP. Thanks for pushin me over the cliff
GP- just had another look at this with Duff being likely to miss out. Would mean I’d have Joey Barton or Chester coming in off my bench. Would a -4 for Chester > Coleman be more beneficial? Would mean I’d have to hold onto Berahino for a while longer.
Colriles,
Take the long term view rather than just for this week. I wouldn’t think using Barton for one week would be a big issue.
He was touted for captaincy here last week 😉
Ha! And I came oh so close to giving him the armband! Thanks again GP. Berahino > Bony it is.
Who would you guys start ?
Duff or Wisdom
Jeet
Duff is likely to miss so I’m told. Think maybe Wisdom but its very close.