BPL Fantasy - Did You Know?

With Leicester left needing only one win to secure the league title after Spurs fumbled badly…

Did you know…

… that Wayne Rooney has now started three matches in 8 days? LVG clearly values him enough. So his starting spot is pretty much secure as he builds up fitness for the Euros (but does anyone seriously think he’s not going?) However, his midfield role means that for his price and being listed as a striker, it’s hard to justify his purchase. I must admit he does seem to be doing the business, for now anyway, just not fantasy-wise.

….that for Gameweek 37, Norwich, West Ham, Sunderland and Liverpool all have TWO matches at home? West Ham are the safest team to invest in, with minimum rotation and a strong overall squad. Liverpool could very well be flattened by the time GW37 comes around though, and with Klopp’s rotations, it’s very risky to bank on them. Origi’s injury,has definitely increased Sturridge’s chances of starting every match though, unless Klopp plays the false nine formation again. Norwich and Sunderland are fighting relegation, meaning they are calculated risks that could generate value, but Sunderland appears to be more stable where personnel and performance is concerned at the moment.

… that for Gameweek 37, West Ham will play at the Boleyn Stadium for the very last time? They will definitely want to sign off with a blast, and under Bilic, they definitely have the potential to go ballistic. Their second match for GW37 is against Manchester United though, and we know how defensive they can be. However, there’s also the chance Man United may also have lost their chance of making the Top 4 by then, and Louis Van Gaal might want to take care of his players in view of the FA Cup final.

… that where the Premier League is concerned, Sunderland have only let in 2 goals in 4 matches for April? That’s equal to Leicester and Manchester City and Spurs. I don’t care enough to pick their defenders, but it should definitely affect your choices when picking players playing against them. Their defensive resilience has improved, and their goal difference is less than their fellow relegation strugglers.

…that Roberto Martinez is rubbish? Sorry, of course you knew that one. There’s no point firing Martinez now after getting kicked out of the FA Cup, but it astounds me that a team with such players like Lukaku, Barkley, Baines, Coleman, Jagielka, Deulofeu, Besic and even Mirallas can underperform so badly. The last match they won in the Premier League was 2 March, and that was against Aston Villa. Morale must surely be at an all-time low, and even though Gameweek 37 is a double week for them, it’s hard to justify picking any of their players.

… that Bayern Munich need just one more match to win the Bundesliga? If you don’t have Lewandowski, already, then this weekend might not be a good time to start if you’d like to maximise your Euro pick’s playing time as Bayern might rest him more often in view of  the Champions League tie with Atletico Madrid as well as their DFB Cup final against Dortmund.  Higuain, however has four more matches to go with Napoli, while Barcelona and Real Madrid have just three (although they are embroiled in a three-way battle with Atletico Madrid for the league title, which should confirm the participation of Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar in all 3 matches).

Hope you found something useful for your transfer plans as we enter the final stretch of matches. Now we’ll see if there are midweek casualties from the teams involved in European competition (Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Liverpool).

Take care!