Midfield Generals
The cream rose to the top in this game week, with a quintet of proven midfield leaders taking up spots in the top 10 fantasy performers. Mikel Arteta (ranked no. 2 overall), Michael Ballack (3), Cesc Fabregas (5), Xabi Alonso (6) and the man who tops the overall value list for the season, Frank Lampard (9) all gave their owners exactly the kind of value they were drafted for. Only Steven Gerrard (down at 96) was missing from this list of Usual Suspects.
Alonso is giving great value for his owners, after seeming to be all but pushed out of the picture at Liverpool on draft day. Xabi has increased his pass completion rate by almost 5% to over 84%, and has completed 442 passes – 50 more than anyone in the league except Arsenal's Denilson. His tackle rate has actually fallen off from last season, but he has gone from playing just 43% of Liverpool's minutes to over 90 – could Rafa finally be seeing the error of his rotation ways? If so, that increases the value of players currently in his first XI, like Alvaro Arbeloa and Dirk Kuyt, while hurting that of those on the outside looking in – Ryan Babel, Sami Hyypia and Jermaine Pennant, amongst others.
Safe Hands
By contrast, the top goalkeepers this week were the unlikely lads – Boaz Myhill (rank 7), Scott Carson (8) and Ross Turnbull (15) the top performers at the position. In fact, it's unfair to characterise Scott Carson's five-save clean sheet for West Brom as 'unlikely' – the man recalled this weekend to the England squad is actually the best goalkeeper in fantasy so far this season. He has put his difficult times in the national jersey behind him, and saved over 80% of the 38 shots which have come his way so far, keeping a trio of clean sheets.
Carson seems to be thriving on the activity which comes with keeping the West Brom goal. Last season, at Aston Villa, he saw an average of just 3.5 shots per game sixth lowest amongst starting stoppers. At West Brom, he has faced 5.4 per game, third highest in the league. Meanwhile his save percentage has increased sharply, from 65.6% to 81.6%. It may be that being more involved in the action brings out the best of Carson, who I expect to slip slightly from his current performance, but still finish well over 70% save rate with perhaps 9 or 10 clean sheets.
Ross Turnbull is looking like an increasingly solid fantasy option in the Middlesbrough goal. Since we highlighted him in this column a fortnight ago, all the 23 year-old has done is make 11 saves while only conceding once. His save percentage won't be elite – look for something in the mid to low seventies – but he'll accumulate some nice counting stats, and help you out if your other keeper is below average in that respect.
International Break
No league games next week, but why not use the time in between watching England revert to type (with plodding displays against Kazakhstan and Belarus, weighed down by the inevitable return of the ill-functioning Gerrard-Lampard-Rooney crowd between midfield and attack) and hoping your players return unscathed from international duty, to think about a trade?
Almost twenty percent of the season is now in the books, so you should be getting a reasonable idea of your team's strengths and weaknesses – and those of your opponents. Take a look at the standings and see where there may be a good trading match. Remember, a good trade can help both teams out, trading away surplus stats in one category and adding strength to the chase in weaker areas.
By Sandy King
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Wednesday, October 8, 2008
The Boot Room: Week 7 in Review
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Premiership Predictions: Week 7
This weekend's Premiership games feature several intriguing matchups as the early season honeymoon period fades and the pace-setters begin to distance themselves from the pack.
There are just four matches on Saturday, and of those the clash between Blackburn and Manchester United is most appetizing. Paul Ince will encounter his former boss Sir Alex Ferguson for the first time as a manager. It was Ferguson who labeled Ince a "fucking big-time charlie" and shipped the midfielder off to Inter Milan after the 1994/95 season, a campaign that ended with United finishing second in the league to...Blackburn.
Another of Fergie's former players, Roy Keane faces the unenviable task of stemming an Arsenal attack that put four past Porto in midweek. Arsene Wenger will be keen to get back to winning ways in the league after last week's shock home loss to Hull.
Rounding out Saturday's action, Wigan host Middlesbrough and Fulham travel to the Hawthorns.
The pick of Sunday's six games, and probably the whole weekend, is the showdown between 1st place Chelsea and 3rd place Aston Villa. Chelsea haven't lost a league game at Stamford Bridge in 85 attempts, but Aston Villa have as good a chance as any of breaking that run. The match provides a great opportunity to assess how far Villa have come and just how serious Martin O'Neill's top-4 intentions are.
In Sunday's other clash between top-4 establishment and wealthy upstarts, Liverpool journey the M62 to take on Manchester City. Rafa Benitez can be pleased with his side's progress so far and the icing on the cake was Robbie Keane's first goal for the club in midweek.
Goals could be in short supply at Upton Park as the Hammers welcome Bolton. With Dean Ashton missing and Bolton's Johan Elmander still working his way back from injury, the stage is set for a midfield battle.
After shipping 12 goals in their first five Premier League fixtures, Harry Redknapp will be hoping his Portsmouth side can keep a second consecutive clean sheet at home against Stoke.
For Hull's Phil Brown, it is very much a case of picking up where they left off after last week's stunning victory at the Emirates. Another win in North London would set the Tigers well on their way to a Premiership survival. In contrast, anything but a win for Juande Ramos's side would only raise more doubts over the Spaniard's future at White Hart Lane.
The final match of the weekend is a must win affair for both clubs, Everton and Newcastle. Everton were outplayed in midweek, but at least David Moyes seems set to sign a new contract and extend his 6 year stay at Goddison. There is no such stability on Tyneside. After their shambolic recent performances, Joe Kinnear would be better served saving his ire for the players rather than "innocent" journalists.
Lots of fascinating fixtures then. All that remains is to make our predictions. Let's away...
SATURDAY
Sunderland v Arsenal (Kick-off 1500 GMT)
Prediction - 1-3
Sunderland at home will be dangerous, but Arsenal should pick them apart and take the points.
West Brom v Fulham (Kick-off 1500 GMT)
Prediction - 2-0
Fulham are less impressive away from Craven Cottage and West Brom have steadily improved. Home win.
Wigan v Middlesbrough (Kick-off 1500 GMT)
Prediction - 1-1
Wigan have been excellent at JJB and Zaki has been the find of the season so far. Middlesbrough's bad luck has to end sometime and I feel they might sneak a draw.
Blackburn v Man Utd (Kick-off 1730 GMT)
Prediction - 1-2
Ince will make sure Blackburn are fired up. Will it be enough? With Berbatov off the mark and Ronaldo regaining his sharpness, United should overpower Rovers.
SUNDAY
West Ham v Bolton (Kick-off 1330 GMT)
Prediction - 2-1
Zola's arrival appears to have galvanized West Ham. Bolton will still be sick after the "penalty that wasn't" at Old Trafford, but in truth they rarely threatened the United defence.
Chelsea v Aston Villa (Kick-off 1500 GMT)
Prediction - 2-2
Villa beat Chelsea at home last season but Stamford Bridge is a different story. Chelsea hold on to their undefeated record...just.
Man City v Liverpool (Kick-off 1500 GMT)
Prediction - 3-2
The Brazilians appear to be more comfortable at Eastlands so Carragher and co. might be in for a torrid afternoon.
Portsmouth v Stoke (Kick-off 1500 GMT)
Prediction - 2-0
The Crouch-Defoe partnership is clicking. Now if that Pompey defence can just get it's act together. That said, Stoke won't pose a major attacking threat.
Tottenham v Hull (Kick-off 1500 GMT)
Prediction - 1-0
Uefa Cup progression will give Spurs some confidence but Hull have no shortage there. Expect a close game, but Spurs should edge it.
Everton v Newcastle (Kick-off 1600 GMT)
Prediction - 4-1
Both teams need to turn a corner. Everton will get there first.
Finally, here's a quick recap of how we did last week:
Row ZZ prediction - Everton 1-2 Liverpool
Actual result - Everton 0-2 Liverpool
Row ZZ prediction - Aston Villa 2-0 Sunderland
Actual Result - Aston Villa 2-1 Sunderland
Row ZZ prediction - Fulham 1-0 West Ham
Actual result - Fulham 1-2 West Ham
Row ZZ prediction - Man Utd 5-1 Bolton
Actual result - Man Utd 2-0 Bolton
Row ZZ prediction - Middlesbrough 3-2 West Brom
Actual result - Middlesbrough 0-1 West Brom
Row ZZ prediction - Newcastle 1-1 Blackburn
Actual result - Newcastle 1-2 Blackburn
Row ZZ prediction - Stoke 1-3 Chelsea
Actual result - Stoke 0-2 Chelsea
Row ZZ prediction - Arsenal 4-0 Hull
Actual result - Arsenal 1-2 Hull
Row ZZ prediction - Portsmouth 2-1 Tottenham
Actual result - Portsmouth 2-0 Tottenham
Row ZZ prediction - Wigan 2-2 Man City
Actual result - Wigan 2-1 Man City
Row ZZ picked 5 correct results and no perfect scores.
What do you think of this week's picks? Let us know by commenting here.
The Daily Five: Footballing Egyptians
- Amr Hassan Zaki - Wigan hot-shot leads the Premier League scoring charts with 5 strikes in 6 games, and is ranked number 1 striker in the international game by FIFA.
- Hossam Ahmed Mido - The talented but temperamental Middlesbrough forward also boasts Ajax, Marseille, Roma and Spurs on his CV, and 19 goals for his country.
- Mohamed Abdullah Zidan - The man with five-sixths of the famous name has showed himself to be more than just a sound-alike for Zinedine. His talents persuaded Borussia Dortmund to spend €5million to bring the skillful forward to the Westfallenstadion this summer.
- Mohammed Al-Fayed - Born in Alexandria, London's most upmarket greengrocer and foremost conspiracy theorist has been the owner of Fulham FC since 1997, in which time the club has risen from third-flight obscurity to Premier League regulars.
- Hassan Shehata - A star player for the national team in the 1970s, the man voted player of the 1974 African Cup now coaches the Pharaohs, leading them to victory in the 2006 and 2008 tournaments.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
The Boot Room: The First to Know
To mark their own 10th birthday, and perhaps to remind us all of just how far they've come in that time, Google has made their oldest surviving index of the internet available to search here.
It's very strange to step back to a world before 9/11, youtube or the i-pod, never mind – gasp – our own Row ZZ. This is a time when the name “Barack Obama” appeared on just 671 web pages, while “Sarah Palin” does not even return a single result. 2001 is both a short and a strangely long time ago, and nowhere is the latter more true than in the world of football.
This is a time where a search for “Lionel Messi” returns a single result; as does “Emmanuel Adebayor”. So too, amazingly, “Theo Walcott”: 'Theo Walcott says "I play for Southampton Academy under 12's”'. “Cristiano Ronaldo” will deliver you seven reports of the young winger's progress in the Sporting Lisbon academy.
Football is clearly a game in which news moves fast, but it's striking that, even back when these players (who now return a combined twenty billion pages) were only just into their teens, and the internet itself was some way from the presence it is today, there were just a few people out there who were already becoming aware of their remarkable talents.
This is the dream of fantasy sports: to be the one competitor who becomes aware of the talent before it shows itself to its fullest. In tribute to the ten people who knew enough about the potential of those players, and of the internet, to combine the two, here is the Boot Room's list of 5 players who have already gone from anonymity to top fantasy value, and 5 who may be on the verge of the journey...
5 you're too late to hear about
• Amr Zaki (FW, Wigan): Zaki's average draft position was outside the top 140 players, but he now sits on top of both the Premier League scoring charts and the Roto FC index of fantasy value. The powerful Egyptian striker is showing technique to match his strength, and has used that to produce more shots than any other player has had, as many shots on target, and sure enough, more goals.
• Denilson (MID, Arsenal): On draft day, Denilson had started eight league games for Arsenal, and was taken at an average draft position of 156. Seven weeks later, he is the third most valuable player in this season's fantasy game, and a fixture in the Gunners' midfield. His fine passing game was a given for an Arsenal academy graduate, but his ability to dictate the game in Fabregas' absence, create chances and even get into the box to finish moves himself have been surprises – to most managers.
• Jonathan Greening (MID, West Brom): The onetime Manchester United youth player never made it at Old Trafford, but the talent which United coaches saw in him years ago is now in evidence in a very mature midfield performer. A cautious user of the ball with a very high pass completion rate, Greening is currently eighth on our player rater.
• Shaun Wright-Phillips (MID, Manchester City): Drafted as a bench player in both leagues, the resurgence of the elder Wright-Phillips brother is proof that there really is no place like home. Only eight players have delivered more to their fantasy owners.
• Scott Carson (GK, West Brom): Taken deep in drafts as a second keeper, only Petr Cech has so far done more for your fantasy team, when paired with an average GK. Jose Reina and Edwin Van Der Sar have marginally higher save percentages, but Carson has made a league-leading 26 stops while conceding only 7 times. Most impressive is that Carson has played three games away from home, while conceding just once – in the fourth minute of the first game.
5 you can catch if you're quick
• Carlos Villanueva (MID, Blackburn): Manager Paul Ince has been easing his Chilean wing-forward into English football, but the talented player is rapidly approaching first team status. He marked his first league start this weekend with the beautifully flighted delivery that gave Blackburn the lead over Newcastle, as Christopher Samba provided the headed finish.
• Rafael Da Silva (DEF, Man Utd): Rafael and his brother Fabio are the Neville brothers mark II, only with a Samba twist. The Brazilian twins are the future of the full-back positions at Old Trafford, and Rafael, as well as seeing plenty of action in pre-season, made Alex Ferguson's starting XI for the Champions League tie against Aalborg this week, ahead of Gary Neville and Wes Brown.
• Freddy Sears (FW, West Ham): With Dean 'Anderton' Ashton out for several months, Sears becomes a key member of Gianfranco Zola's attacking options. Used this year as a substitute, Sears has been unable to add to the goal he scored on debut last campaign. However, the young striker made waves at Upton Park last year, scoring 25 goals in 24 games for the West Ham academy and reserve teams, and could make an exciting impact on the league as the season wears on.
• Frazier Campbell (FW, Tottenham): Spurs assistant manager Gus Poyet has said of late that the club management would prefer to play with two strikers, rather than leave Roman Pavlyuchenko or Darren Bent unsupported up front. However, the Uruguayan went on to admit that it is “difficult” to play Pavlyuchenko and Bent alongside each other, suggesting that the young Campbell, on loan from Manchester United, may see plenty of playing time. The man with the least popular surname in N17 has made some exciting cameos for the lilywhites, setting up a goal on his debut against Wisla Krakow in the UEFA Cup.
• Valero Borja (MID, West Brom): While his countrymen were triumphing at Euro 2008, the quiet Spanish playmaker with shades of Mikel Arteta in his game arrived at The Hawthorns this summer for a club record fee of £4.7million, but attracted very little coverage. A little hesitant in his early games, the 23 year-old product of the Real Madrid cantoneira is fast settling into Tony Mowbray's team and produced a fine display at the weekend. Borja has created 11 attempts in the past two games.
By Sandy King
New North Poll: The Blame Game
Whoops!
At the beginning of the season, Row ZZ predicted a top-4 finish for Spurs and, while nothing is impossible, that looks less likely with each dropped point.
Tottenham's worst league start since 1955 has prompted serious questions from the Spurs support.
How did the club end up with only two recognized strikers who, according to management, cannot play together? Does Ramos possess the necessary knowledge of English football, or indeed the communication skills to fix the problems at White Hart Lane?
Have your say in our latest North Poll (in the right sidebar), and tell us what needs to be done by commenting here.
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