Week 2 - Preliminary Team (Clarence)

Given

Riise Gibbs Baines Smalling

Hoolahan Moses Osman

Suarez Aguero Torres

Well this week I decided to go with a 4-3-3, placing the focus on my expensively assembled strikeforce as well as Everton’s talismanic Baines.


Standout fixtures this week:

Chelsea vs West Brom


Should win:

Aston Villa vs Blackburn
Sunderland vs Newcastle
Man City @ Bolton
Everton vs QPR



First of all we start with the goalkeeper pick. Half of the fantasy population would be selecting Given if they snagged him on the barndoor, at 7.xx. Villa have a fairly easy match up against Blackburn, who have conceded their season opener to visiting Wolves. If you find yourself struggling for cash however, De Gea is always there for you. Available at only 6.xx, he’s the first choice keeper for the reigning champions.


Moving on to the defenders, first up is John Arne Riise, Fulham’s new signing. Those who have watched him should know that this dude really bombs down that left flank and tries to get us those valuable 3-point-shot-on-targets, so most likely I would be keeping him. Next is Kieran Gibbs, Arsenal’s new first choice left-back. He is only priced at 3.xx, and 2.xx for those who had him last week. For a top 6 team defender, this guy is a steal. OH MY GOD ANOTHER LEFT BACK!!! This time it's Everton’s star left-back, Leighton Baines. Baines is pretty much a no-brainer for Week 2 as Everton face recently demolished QPR. He is the set-piece taker for Everton, he goes forward regularly and more importantly, he still has the chance to get clean sheet points. Last but not least is Chris Smalling, who will probably fill in as right-back or center-back due to the spate of recent events that have left United in a defensive crisis. (Vidic out for a few weeks, Ferdinand out for at least 6 weeks, and Rafael out for 10 weeks). At 6.xx, he is a consistent enough performer. Other considerations for defenders include Bosingwa, Fabio and Vorm (QPR defender who netted 9.5 points despite conceding 4!).


I have to say my midfield picks for this week aren’t exactly the strongest.. The first midfielder that was drafted in my team is Wes Hoolahan, BDed at 6.xx immediately after he scored against Wigan. Nothing much to say about this, except that Norwich are playing at home against Stoke, whose footballing power seems to be immediately neutralised when they are not playing at the Brittania. The next pick is Moses, a really hot prospect for Wigan. Roberto Martinez once said he would be the key man for Wigan in years to come. Expect him to be firing all evening. As for Leon Osman, again I have only one thing to say - that is he looks to start this season where he ended off last - scoring goals. Other midfield picks include Sessegnon, Larsson, Lampard, N’Zogbia, Taarabt, Malouda, Cahill, Arteta.


Finally, strikers.. Suarez was the first man on the team as soon as I saw his name in the Liverpool starting 11. This guy will not stay at 15.xx for long, so get him before it’s too late. The fixtures don’t really matter when it comes to him. For those who have Aguero at 6.xx, you know what to do.. As for those who have him at 11.xx, my advice would still be to get him. His case is extremely similar to that of Suarez’s - get him before it’s too late. The final striker spot is taken by none other than El Nino, Fernando Torres. Once seen as one of the world’s leading strikers, he has really struggled to find his feet over the past two seasons. Against Stoke last week however, he showed signs of his old self, weaving past defenders with ease, only lacking the lethal finishing touch he once possessed. If you were to pick a Chelsea player against West Brom (whom they thrashed 6-0 last season), it would definitely be Torres.  Other striker picks include Rooney, Saha/Beckford.


What are your player picks for Week 2? Share it with us!


Clarence