Shaqiri -> Perisic
Perisic --> Ozil
Griezmann --> Muller
Muller --> Morata
Perisic --> Sigurdsson
Living On Imagination
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Saturday, June 11, 2016
Friday, April 29, 2016
BPL Fantasy - The Race to the Finishing Line Heats Up
With Leicester only one win away from the Premier League
Title, let’s tune in to the Stadium Astro overall competition instead! With only
three Gameweeks left, let’s see how it looks right at the top of the overall
standings:
The top 4 only have a FIVE point gap between them, with 5th
place Destroyer lagging by 15 points. It certainly looks like a four horse race
at the moment. The Supremos is still hanging on to the lead but True Champs
dropped to 4th from second. A look into both Suremos and True Champs
transfer history reveals that one of the key causes of the drop in period
points was not having Sanchez for his two goal haul against West Brom, while Alia FC (one of my Q&A respondents from
last week) and Maluri XI both did. Incidentally, Alia FC (one of my respondents
from last week’s Q&A), is currently No 5 in the Best Team of the Period,
which shows the progress she’s made since the previous period.
Let’s take a look at The Supremos team:
From the outset, it’s a pretty solid team, with good fantasy
producers everywhere, with the possible exception of Scott Dann, who has been
very poor in the past few months. Here’s the list of players for the other
teams in the Top 4:
Alia FC: Buffon, Fuchs, Adrian, Alderweireld, Bellerin, Alli, Payet, Sanchez, Townsend, Kane, Sturridge, Messi, Ronaldo, Cresswell, Mahrez,
Wenger
Maluri XI:
Hennessey, Bellerin, Fuchs, Pique, Kouyate, Sanchez, Milner,
Firmino, Ozil, Messi, Lewandowski,
Buffon, Moreno, Alli, Ronaldo, Bilic
True Champs: Adrian,
Dann, Cresswell, Bellerin, Mahrez,
Payet, Ozil, Sanchez, Messi, Ronaldo,
Aguero, Hennessey, Fuchs, Alli, Kane, Pellegrini
Analysing the Top 4, here’s a few points to note:
1. They all have the following 5 common players:
Bellerin, Messi, Ronaldo, Fuchs, Alli. Aside
from Alli (who is now banned for the season), the rest could be kept till the
end as they have generally strong points
potential. However, with Ronaldo out
this weekend, will any of our Top 4 risk selling him?
2, The Supremos is the only one with Neymar, while
Maluri XI is the only one with Lewandowski. This Euro striker differential
could help their points if they come good. For the record, I can’t tell if
anyone has still kept their Euro Code for April, if they have, they could still
transfer them in.
3. Alia FC is the only one without Ozil, in fact
from the looks of it, she hasn’t had him for quite some time, and this is
possibly another key factor in her rise, with Ozil having only recorded 1 goal
and zero assists for March AND April.
4. The Supremos is the only one without Sanchez,
the best point producer for Arsenal right now. Against Norwich, he will
seriously want to consider transferring him in or run the risk of being
overtaken, although funds could be an issue.
5. Everyone except True Champs has dropped Aguero, but
it’s most likely because City’s match this weekend is a later one, allowing us
to transfer him in later if need be.
6. With the
loss of Alli, a key cog in the Spurs attack, Kane’s output could drop,
affecting both The Supremos and Alia FC. Given that Spurs play the very last
match of the week (a potentially tough game against Chelsea at Stamford
Bridge), they might be forced to keep him for Gameweek 37 as well or burn a
playing slot. With Alli already burning one playing slot, the latter could be
hard to do.
7. In view of the extra games taking place on the
11th and 12th of May 2016 (before the last day finale),
our top 4 currently have the following players (incl. managers) that have an
extra game: The Supremos (3), Alia FC
(5), Maluri XI (5), True Champs (3). So actually no one has a clear advantage
in numbers, but expect everyone to start stocking up this week.
Note that The Destroyer, sitting in 5th as shown
above, is realistically the only person outside the top 4 who could catch up,
and even he is 15 points away from 4th. The next team, RU11, is 18
points away from the Destroyer.
That’s it for now, see my previous article for more thoughts
on weekend transfers. Players you should keep in mind are those trying to win
their leagues, those fighting relegation, those chasing European football,
those going for the Golden Boot and those fighting for a spot in their national
squads for Euro 2016.
BPL Fantasy - Perlumbaan ke Garisan Penamat Semakin Hangat
Dengan Leicester
hanya satu kemenangan dari Kejuaraan Liga, bagaimana pula perlawanan di Stadium
Astro? Dengan hanya 3 minggu tinggal, mari kita lihat siapa yang masih mampu
merebut kejuaraan keseluruhan:
Top 4 mempunyai
jurang hanya LIMA markah di antara mereka (Destroyer FC, di tempat kelima terkebelakang sebanyak 15 mata). Jelas empat
pasukan ini akan hebat bertarung sehingga hujung musim. The Supremos masih di
depan tetapi True Champs telah jatuh dari tempat ke-2 ke tempat ke-4. Kalau
kita jenguk sejarah transfer Supremos dan True Champs, salah satu sebab
kekurangan mata mereka adalah kerana tidak mempunyai Sanchez ketika dia
menjaringkan dua gol menentang West Brom, manakala Alia FC dan Maluri XI mempunyainya.
Untuk
pengetahuan, Alia FC (salah satu tetamu
saya untuk artikel Q&A minggu lepas), ketika ini di tempat ke 5 dalam Team
Terbaik untuk Period Terakhir musim ini, yang menunjukkan betapa tinggi
prestasinya kebelakangan ini.
Mari kita jenguk
Team No 1, The Supremos:
Pasukan yang agak
kuat, dengan penjana mata kuat di setiap posisi, kecuali mungkin Scott Dann,
yang agak tidak memberangsangkan akhir-akhir ini. Berikut adalah senarai
pemain-pemain untuk pasukan lain yang berada di Top 4:
Alia FC: Buffon, Fuchs, Adrian, Alderweireld, Bellerin, Alli, Payet, Sanchez,
Townsend, Kane, Sturridge, Messi, Ronaldo, Cresswell, Mahrez, Wenger
Maluri XI: Hennessey, Bellerin, Fuchs, Pique, Kouyate,
Sanchez, Milner, Firmino, Ozil, Messi, Lewandowski, Buffon, Moreno, Alli,
Ronaldo, Bilic
True Champs: Adrian, Dann, Cresswell, Bellerin, Mahrez, Payet,
Ozil, Sanchez, Messi, Ronaldo, Aguero, Hennessey, Fuchs, Alli, Kane, Pellegrini
Kalau kita
menganalisa setiap pasukan di Top 4 sekarang, berikut adalah beberapa hasil
kajian ini:
1. Mereka
semua mempunyai 5 pemain sama: Bellerin, Messi, Ronaldo, Fuchs, Alli. Selain Alli (yang digantung sehingga akhir
musim), selainnya mungkin disimpan hingga akhir kerana potensi mata mereka agak
kuat. Tetapi, adakah ada yang berani menjual Ronaldo (yang tidak akan beraksi
minggu ini akibat kecederaan)?
2. Hanya
The Supremos memiliki Neymar, dan hanya Maluri XI memiliki Lewandowski.
Perbezaan ini mampu membantu, tetapi saya tidak dapat melihat samaada ada yang
masih menyimpan Euro Code mereka untuk April. Jika ya, mereka masih boleh
memasukkan mereka.
3. Hanya
Alia FC yang tidak memiliki Ozil, dan sebenarnya dia sudah lama tidak mempunyai
Ozil. Ini mungkin keputusan yang agak bijak, memandangkan Ozil hanya
mencatatkan 1 gol dan 0 assist untuk Mac dan April.
4, Hanya
The Supremos yang tidak memiliki Sanchez, penjana mata terbaik untuk Arsenal
ketika ini. Adakah dia berani tidak memilikinya untuk perlawanan menentang
Norwich? Duit mungkin menjadi isu di sini.
5. Semua
kecuali True Champs telah menggugurkan Aguero, tetapi kemungkinan ini adalah
kerana perlawanan Manchester City agak lewat, membolehkan kita memasukkan
Aguero kemudian.
6. Dengan kehilangan Alli, yang penting dalam
serangan Spurs, hasil Kane kemungkinan besar akan jatuh, dan ini akan memberi
kesan negatif kepada The Supremos and Alia FC. Memandangkan perlawanan Spurs adalah
perlawanan terakhir untuk Minggu 36
(perlawanan mencabar menentang Chelsea di Stamford Bridge), mereka mungkin
terpaksa menyimpannya untuk Minggu 37 juga atau membazirkan satu transfer untuk
menukarkannya. Penukaran Alli sudah membazirkan satu slot, jadi menggunakan
lagi satu untuk Kane pasti sukar.
7. Memandangkan
ada 8 pasukan liga yang masih mempunyai lebihan permainan iaitu pada 11 dan 12
May 2016 (sebelum hari terakhir), berikut adalah jumlah pemain bagi setiap
pasukan fantasi Top 4 yang mempunyai lebihan permainan: The Supremos (3), Alia FC (5), Maluri XI (5)
dan True Champs (3). Saya menjangkakan nombor-nombor ini akan bertambah pada
minggu ini.
Harus disebut
bahawa Destroyer FC, kini di tangga ke-5
seperti dipamerkan di atas, secara realistic hanya dia di luar Top 4 yang mampu
mengejar yang lain, dan dia pun mempunyai jurang 15 markah. Pasukan seterusnya
ialah RU11, dengan jurang 18 markah daripada Destroyer FC.
Cukuplah setakat
ini, lihat artikel saya sebelum ini untuk perkara yang harus difikirkan untuk
pemilihan pemain anda.
Secara ringkas,
untuk minggu ini, pemain yang anda harus ambil kira adalah mereka yang masih
cuba memenangi liga masing-masing, mereka yang melawan penyingkiran, mereka
yang mengejar pertandingan Europah, mereka yang mengejar Golden Boot dan juga
mereka yang mengejar tempat untuk skuad Euro 2016.
Semoga berjaya
semua!
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
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!
BPL Fantasy – Tahukah anda?
Dengan
Leicester hanya memerlukan 1 lagi kemenangan untuk me, setelah Spurs dihalang
West Brom pada Selasa pagi, mari kita lihat beberapa factor untuk difikirkan dalam
perancangan transfer anda akan datang.
Tahukah anda…
… Wayne Rooney kini telah
memulakan 3 perlawanan dalam 8 hari? Ternyata LVG clearly values him
enough. Dia pasti memulakan setiap perlawanan dalam usaha bersedia untuk Euros
(adakah sesiapa yang merasakan yang dia tidak akan pergi?) Namun begitu,
tanggungjawabnya sebagai midfielder dengan harganya yang murah (dan
disenaraikan sebagai striker) membuatkannya sukar untuk kita membelinya.
Walaupun setakat ini prestasi permainannya agak baik, dari segi fantasi, ia tidak
memberangsangkan..
….pada Minggu 37, Norwich, West
Ham, Sunderland dan Liverpool semuanya bermain DUA perlawanan sebagai tuan
rumah? Untuk
perancangan transfer sewaktu Minggu 36,West Ham boleh dikatakan pasukan yang
paling selamat untuk membeli pemainnya, dengan pertukaran pemain yang minima
dan skuad yang kuat dalam keseluruhan. Liverpool kemungkinan pancit tatkala
Minggu 37 tiba, dan dengan pertukaran pemain yang diusahakan Klopp, agak
berisiko untuk membeli pemain mereka. Kecederaan Origi seperti menaikkan harapan Sturridge
untuk memulakan setiap perlawanan, kecuali kalau Klopp bermain formation false
nine sekali lagi. Norwich dan Sunderland sedang bertarung hebat untuk
mengelakkan penyingkiran, jadi pemain mereka mungkin membuahkan hasil, tetapi Sunderland
lebih stabil dari segi pemain dan prestasi ketika ini.
… untuk Minggu 37, West Ham akan
bermain di Boleyn Stadium untuk kali terakhir? Pastinya mereka ingin memberikan
memori terakhir yang terbaik, dan di bawah Bilic, potensi untuk meletup
sentiasa ada. tatkala mereka juga sedang mengejar tempat Europe. Amaran: perlawanan
kedua mereka untuk Minggu 37 adalah melawan Manchester United, yang biasanya
bermain agak defensive. Ada juga kemungkinan Manchester United tidak lagi mampu
mencapai cukup mata untuk Top 4 apabila perlawanan ini tiba, dan LVG pasti ingin
menjaga pemain utamanya untuk menghadapi perlawanan akhir Piala FA.
… Sunderland hanya bolos 2 gol dalam
4 perlawanan untuk April?
Rekod ini sama dengan, Leicester, Manchester City dan Spurs. Sukar untuk saya
memilih defender Sunderland, tetapi faktor ini wajib diambil kira apabila
memilih pemain menentang mereka (pemain pilihan popular Ozil dan Sanchez gagal
minggu lepas contohnya). Pertahanan mereka memang bertambah kuat (berkat
sentuhan Big Sam), dan jurang gol mereka kurang berbanding pasukan lain yang
menghadapi penyingkiran.
…Roberto Martinez pengurus yang
amat mengecewakan?
Maaf, yang ini tidaklah mengejutkan. Tiada gunanya membuang Martinez sekarang
setelah ditendang keluar dari Piala FA, tetapi saya masih tertanya-tanya
bagaimana pasukan dengan pemain-pemain berkaliber seperti Lukaku, Barkley,
Baines, Coleman, Jagielka, Deulofeu Besic dan juga Mirallas boleh begitu
merosot prestasinya. Perlawanan terakhir yang dimenangi Everton adalah pada 2
March, itupun menentang Aston Villa. Semangat mereka pastinya rendah, dan
walaupun Minggu 37 mereka mempunyai dua perlawanan, susah untuk mengharapkan
sebarang pulangan.
… that Bayern Munich need just
one more match to win the Bundesliga? Sekiranya anda belum lagi mempunyai
Lewandowski, mengambilnya sekarang mungkin bukan keputusan yang bijak sekiranya
anda ingin memaksimumkan masa bermain untuk pemain Euro anda. Pep Guardiola
mungkin akan menjaga Lewandowski untuk memastikan dia akan sedia untuk
perlawnanan Juara Liga-Liga menentang Atletico Madrid dan juga perlawanan akhir
DFB Cup menentang Dortmund. Higuain pula
ada 4 lagi perlawnan dengan Napoli, manakala Barcelona dan Real Madrid cuma
tinggal tiga perlawanan (tetapi mereka dalam pertarungan sengit dengan Atletico
Madrid untuk Juara Liga Sepanyol, dan ini akan memastikan Messi, Ronaldo dan
Neymar bermain tiga-tiga perlawanan yang tinggal).
Cukup
setakat ini. Harap anda terjumpa manfaat untuk perancangan transfer anda
semakin hampir kita ke penghujung musim..Sekarang kita perlu tunggu dan lihat
sekiranya ada pemain yang tercedera dari pertandingan di Europe (Manchester
City, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid dan Liverpool).
Sekian
dulu dari saya!
Friday, April 22, 2016
BPL FANTASY – Q&A with the Experts
In today’s
article, I feel very privileged to be able introduce to you four more football
fantasy stars to provide opinions and thoughts about football fantasy and
football in general as we approach the end of the 2015/2016 season. I thank
them for spending the time to answer the five questions I posed for this feature.
Before we get to the questions, let me give a brief introduction for each of my
respondents.
First up we
have Omar Azman, manager for the Redeem
Team that is currently occupying the top spot in the Awani Premier League*. He
has appeared before in the Bual Bola show on Astro Awani 501 to share tips and
strategies.
Next we have
Isfandi Adi, the main administrator
for the Official SK League – Thomas Cup, one of the many competitions being run
through the Kaki Fantasy Football Facebook groups. I’ve been told that Isfandi
Adi is one of the MVPs in terms of organising our local competitions.
BPL Fantasy - Sesi Soal-Jawab bersama Pakar-Pakar Fantasi Football
Untuk artikel kali ini, saya bertuah kerana dapat menghubungi empat
personality bola sepak fantasi Malaysia untuk memberi pendapat dan pandangan
tentang bola sepak fantasi dan bola sepak umumnya ketika kita semakin ke
penghujung musim ini. Terima kasih kepada semua kerana sudi mengambil sedikit
masa menjawab soalan-soalan saya. Sebelum kita bermula, izinkan saya memperkenalkan
tetamu saya.
Pertama sekali ialah Omar Azman, yang menguruskan pasukan Redeem Team yang
ketika ini menduduki tempat pertama di Astro Premier League. Beliau pernah
dijemput ke rancangan Bual Bola di Astro Awani 501 untuk memberi tips dan
strategi.
Seterusnya, ialah Isfandi Adi, admin utama untuk Official SK League – Piala
Thomas. Seperti Piala Thomas badminton, setiap pasukan diwakilii tiga singles
dan dua doubles (7 pasukan fantasi) untuk bertarung menentang pasukan lain
sepanjang musim. Mengikut pandangan
ramai, Isfandi Adi merupakan seorang MVP dari segi pentadbiran pertandingan
tempatan.
Saturday, March 05, 2016
BPL FANTASY – Week 29 Is it Aguero time again?
We’re into the last 10 matches of the season! Can you feel
the heat?
As most of you know, they’ve had a mishap with the points.
Fortunately it looks like it’s been fixed.
I don’t really have the time to recap the midweek results in
detail. In short, Chelsea continued their unbeaten run, Liverpool got their
revenge, while Leicester managed to increase their lead thanks to both Spurs
and Arsenal both messing up.
The second London derby (Spurs vs Arsenal) for the week kicks
off the weekend, and, admittedly, although the first London derby (West Ham vs
Spurs) was exciting, the final 1-0 scoreline disappointed fantasy-wise.
Hopefully the second one does not disappoint, you should have your players
ready for this one. By the way, two key
parts of Arsenal’s defense, Cech and Koscielny, will both be out due to injury.
We saw what happened against Swansea without Koscielny. Just saying.
There’s a dilemma here though: If you have Arsenal players,
what do you do with them once they’re done with this match? Currently, Arsenal
are scheduled to play West Brom next weekend. However, if Arsenal win against
Hull in midweek in the FA Cup replay, that would rule them out of the weekend
match as they’ll be playing the FA Cup. You have to decide whether or not Arsenal
will go through. The safe way would be to transfer them out if you can.
Whatever the case, do remember when conducting your live
transfers that aside from the question on Arsenal and West Brom, there are
other teams who are definitely not involved forGameweek 30.
These are:
Liverpool, Manchester United, West Ham, Watford, Everton,
Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Chelsea.
Anyway, the next batch of matches are:
Chelsea v Stoke
Everton v West Ham
Man City v Aston Villa
Newcastle v Bournemouth
Southampton v Sunderland
Swansea v Norwich
Obviously, Manchester City vs Aston Villa is the match
you’ll be looking to exploit. City also have a great matchup the following week
(Norwich away). Of course, you’d assume they’ve recovered from the beating
Liverpool gave them.Aguero as usual, and their defenders are fair game as well.
YayaToure should be back. Sterling or Silva are fair game too, but check their
starting status.
Chelsea is another good match, but if you don’t have their players
already, do remember that they have no match next week. Otherwise, Costa and
Willian are your regulars.
Bournemouth continue their up and down season, and with
Newcastle almost non-existent in attack against Stoke in midweek, you’d think
this would be one of those ups. Matt Ritchie or Afobe are both viable picks
this week. If you really want to gamble, then Townsend or Wijnaldum would be
ideal. Remember, Newcastle are always better at home, especially where Wij is
concerned.
I have to admit I really thought that Sunderland would have
started to pull away from the relegation zone by now. As it is, they’re still
hovering there (separated only by goal difference). I’m still keen on Khazri,
but doubts have started to creep in. I’m not sure about their strikers though,
as they seem to be taking turns to score. Nevertheless, their match against
Crystal Palace showed they’ve found the heart to fight back after a setback.
Southampton have lost their last two matches, after a very good run of form,
but now, with both Austin and Long out, it’s hard to recommend anyone from
them. Mane should start but he’s in very
poor form.
Swansea will be buoyed from their Arsenal victory.
Sigurdsson should return to the starting lineup, and work the attacking
midfield very well. I think there might be a fightback from Norwich though
(with them getting increasingly desperate) so Swansea defenders are probably
not the best this week.
Here’s the rest of the matches for the week:
Watford v Leicester
Crystal Palace v Liverpool
West Brom v Man Utd
The glaring thing to take with these matches is that out of
these 6 teams, only Leicester have a match the following week. In the interests
of optimizing your team’s playing time, I just can’t see a case for buying
players from any of these teams. And you know what, even Leicester’s key assets
aren’t that attractive as Leicester has been given a hard time by their
opponents of late. For the rest, the lack of consistency from any player
specifically in these teams makes it
hard for me to recommend purchasing anyone knowing they won’t get a stab next
week.
Another month, another Euro code.For March, Napoli probably
have the better fixtures, but Napoli have the slight advantage of not being
involved in European competitions anymore, making Higuain a relatively more
attractive pick.
Captaincy should be from either Ronaldo, Higuain, Messi or
Aguero . Just so you know,Neymar will miss the next match as he’s suspended.
Here’s my team:
This week Neymar is suspended, while I can only play one
keeper as they both play at the same time.
I can’t stop making mistakes. I
transferred Depay on a whim (and he’s been useless), and have no way of
transferring him out without wasting a playing slot. He plays the last match of
the weekend, at a time where ALL teams available for selection including those
in Europe would have all played. I also have two Arsenal players who may or may
not play next week. With Nyom and Adrian also not playing next weekend, I’m
looking at wasting 5 playing slots in total. I keep telling people to plan
properly, yet here I am. I have yet to decide what to do with my two transfers.
Okay, enough ranting. All the best folks!
Tuesday, March 01, 2016
WEEK 28 London Derby Alert!
Very
fast turnaround this week, we have matches on Tuesday and Wednesday evening
followed by the weekend. All teams play in midweek and the weekend. Take note
you’ll only have three transfers to use during this period (the third only
during the weekend) so plan carefully.
I have
already dealt with the first batch of matches in my last article, but here’s a
quick summary for your thoughts, again, in case you have injuries:
Aston Villa v Everton – 0-2 Lukaku, Barkley
Bournemouth v Southampton - 0-0
Leicester v West Brom – 3-2 (Vardy, Mahrez, Berahino)
Norwich v Chelsea – 0-3 (Costa, Willian)
Sunderland v Crystal Palace – 3-2 (Khazri (he’s now
available at 8.5m), Defoe, Bolasie)
Note: With
Saido Berahino back and firing, it’s no longer a straightforward win for
Leicester, but a helter-skelter type of match. Leicester have the quality and
discipline to still win though.
Let’s
take a look at the matches on Wednesday:
Arsenal v Swansea. For Arsenal, it’s yet another
game where they need to bounce back from previous disappointment. Seriously,
how did Arsenal lose against a team patched up with youngsters and a makeshift
defence? Lack of mental strength, that’s what. I can’t see Giroud not starting
this one, after Walcott bombed, and boy will he need to set the example. Ozil
did well last week, he’s still the best pick of the bunch. Arsenal have their
London derby with Spurs this weekend, which could rain points. That derby is
ALSO the first match of the weekend, take note.
Stoke v Newcastle. Haven’t got Arnautovic in?
Here’s another chance. I went for the wrong midfielder (Shaqiri) because I
wasn’t sure of Arnie’s fitness. Newcastle are well rested though, so it could
be the difference. Stoke play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next though, so not
sure if you’d want to keep your Stoke players.
Liverpool v Man City. It’s a Wembley rematch, and
Liverpool will be looking to exact some revenge on home soil. It’s a dangerous
one to invest in, but Sturridge, Aguero, Coutinho are possible options. Do note
that City play Aston Villa this weekend, so it’s not a bad idea to invest early
(Liverpool will play Palace).
Manchester United v Watford. No doubt Manchester United
have found a spring in their step, which could very well be thanks to the
injuries they’ve sustained. Having thirsty youngsters can certainly be a plus. Mata
was brilliant in the middle, I think he likes having speedy youngsters in front
of him, instead of a plodding balding billionaire, unfortunately it’s not
translating into fantasy points. This will still a tough match though. Martial
might be back for this one. Sorry folks, Rashford is not in the database yet.
Feel free to remind Silent Manager to get him in, like we did for Khazri. (Man
U play West Brom this weekend, another potential points banker). On Watford’s
side, they’ve been blunt in recent weeks, so it’s hard to recommend their
strikers.
West Ham v Spurs. I left this match for last
because it’s a potentially explosive London derby encounter. Spurs are now in
second, with visions of grandeur ahead. Payet, Antonio, Kane, Alli are your
regular suspects in what could be a high goal-scoring match. West Ham play
Everton during the weekend. Spurs as mentioned earlier, play Arsenal at White
Hart Lane. That’s TWO London derbies in a row, if ever there was a period for
Spurs to prove their title credentials, this is it!
My team:
Surprisingly,
I went up 4 spots to 71. My free transfers Daniels and Shaqiri did ok while
Defoe bombed. For my live transfers, Vardy gave me points but Sanchez and Depay
did zilch. Nothing spectacular (Oh, Arnautovic!) With the Depay transfer, I’ve
taken two huge risks and sold off Ronaldo and Payet. We’ll see how that pans
out later this week. If I have an injury before Tuesday, I’m definitely
bringing in Khazri.
This
Friday, you’ll get a new Euro code, so it’s another challenge on the cards.
We’ll deal with that in my next article.
Good
luck everyone!
Monday, February 15, 2016
MyEGL BPL Fantasy – Intermission - The Ola Bola Edition
I finally watched Ola Bola and boy was I
impressed. Relegation zone teams should definitely give it a watch, as well as
teams like Liverpool, Manchester United, Everton and Stoke, teams that should really
be doing better than they are currently. Back home, FAM should watch it, again
and again, and remember the importance of serving your country.
There’s naturally some controversy on
how some of the story did not reflect history. Let’s be clear though, even
though this movie was based on actual events, it’s still a fictionalised
account! Hollywood does it all the time, but because we don’t take the trouble
to learn the true story, we tend to take the Hollywood edition as gospel. Here
we scream bloody murder when the filmmakers change a few things around. Of
course we hold local stories dearer to our heart, but people need to relax and
remember the overall message.
Ultimately, the objective was to inspire
and I’d be lying if I said I was unmoved. Some scenes were a bit corny
admittedly but overall it was a great movie, with some excellent
cinematography. The scenes that brought tears to my eyes was not actually about
the footballers themselves, but the radio announcer’s story. How his family
helped him along the way, never giving up their belief that he would make it,
and when her daughters heard his voice on radio. “Ayah?” That last one released
the floodgates for me.
Anyway, here’s some quick thoughts ahead
of Tuesday morning’s Stadium Astro free transfer deadline:
Here’s the next three fixtures for the
first two batches of teams that are playing:
West Ham – Sunderland, Spurs, Everton
-----
Watford – Bournemouth, Man Utd,
Leicester
Leicester – Norwich, West Brom, Watford
Stoke – Aston Villa, Newcastle, Chelsea
Southampton – Chelsea, Bournemouth,
Sunderland
These are the teams you should be giving
priority for your free transfers. Leicester and Stoke have the best next two
matches. You can bank on your usual suspects for Leicester (Vardy, Mahrez) but
it’s not so certain for Stoke, who have gone off the boil of late ( Check
Arnautovic’s status, Shaqiri is a safe pick though.
Spurs, Manchester United have their
Europa match on Thursday, but Manchester United also have their FA Cup match up
tonight! Not that you should be seriously considering Manchester United players
anyway….
Chelsea only play their CL match next
midweek, so they’ll be ready for Southampton which should be a tough match.
Chelsea just whacked Spurs in their FA Cup tie though, so they’re in the mood.
Speaking off the FA Cup, Spurs out,
Manchester City out, West Brom out. If nothing else, it makes players from
these teams a bit more safer to pick long-term. Everton, Watford, Chelsea, West
Ham and Crystal Palace all made it through so their
Arsenal will have an FA Cup replay,
which is very annoying and I’m not sure how Week 30 will work out with them.
We’ll have to wait and see. Manchester United play later today.
Remember, after this weekend, the next
batch of matches starts the following Tuesday, followed by another round on
Saturday. Plan your free transfers carefully.
On another note, if you want to get
involved in fantasy football based on local games, Stadium Astro has launched
their Fantasi Liga Malaysia. I’ve never played it before, and from the
community I’m aware of the many issues it has, but I’m sure the organisers are
doing what they can to improve it.
Take care folks. And remember,
“GOOOOOOLLLLLL!!!! GOL GOL GOL GOL
GOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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