Gameweek 6: Fantasy Football Preview

So, we face our winter of discontent.

It’s not like we haven’t been warned. They do say that all the Hollywood movies and TV shows are secretly designed to prepare us for the future. We know what to expect when the aliens come from Independence Day. We know what to expect from cataclysmic climate change from The Day After Tomorrow. And we know what to expect from a hard, brutal winter from Game of Thrones. Winter is indeed coming.

Food shortages. Power outages. Fuel costs rocketing. Soda streams banned. Covid lockdown after covid lockdown on the horizon. It’s all ahead of us during the bleak, dark months ahead.

Thanks be to goodness we have this fun, amazing game to make us all happy right? Right?

Onto GW6!

Written by Mr. Niall http://twitter.com/niallhawthorneHawthorne

Defender: Gabriel, Arsenal

Tipping an Arsenal defender, the man has clearly gone simply mad.

Well, yes, I have, but over some other issues. For FPL I’m clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.

Arsenal are off the back of two clean sheets (admittedly against Burnley and Norwich) but they are facing a Spurs side featuring Sulky McSulkerson up front (also known as Harold Kane) and have looked as threatening up front as a baby lamb in spring over the past two weeks. Roy Keane was not impressed, and nobody could really say he was wrong.

If Gabriel keeps a clean sheet here, dreams really do come true.

Arteta can make it three wins on the spin in a North London derby, and in doing so he’ll effectively secure his position until after Christmas at least. I reckon we’re going back to simpler times here.

1-0 to the Arsenal.

Midfielder: Allan, Everton

Remember when you had to be a really, really, REALLY good player to just have one name? Pele. Maradona. Zico.

Now every no-mark has one, and while I’m including Allan in this list, I’m also tipping him to be a peach of an outsider bet for your midfield this week.

Everton host a truly woeful Norwich City side who are on a run of 124,862 consecutive Premier League defeats under Daniel Farke (or something close to that number). They’ve lost every game this season in the league, were just battered by Liverpool B/C in midweek and are there for the taking.

They’ll play three at the back again, try and sit deep and contain, so Everton need the right tool for the job.

Allan’s key.

Forward: Michail Antonio, West Ham United

If you knee-jerked and sold him after his red card in GW4, then you’re either slapping yourself in the face repeatedly, or doing all kinds of transfer nonsense to get him back in for this week.

If you were calm and patient while benching him for GW5 then yours is the world and everything in it.

Antonio returns nice and refreshed against a Leeds side leaking goals at an alarming rate in the Premier League. In four appearances it’s four goals and four assists for Michail and you’ll be a brave man to back against him improving those figures.

Captain: Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United

Aston Villa visit Old Trafford this Saturday lunchtime having conceded three goals in each of their two away games this season.

While it’s no disgrace to concede three at Stamford Bridge, conceding three at Vicarage Road is well dubious.

Ronaldo is no doubt seething about last weekend where he was hauled down at least twice in the box only to have both the referee and another referee staring straight at a TV screen turn down his appeals. Presumably just for a laugh. There’s no other logical explanation.

If I know Manchester United, and I think I do, Ronaldo is going to be awarded at least two penalties in this game and I reckon he nets a hat-trick too.

It’ll be a torrid time for Aston Villa’s defence but surely, it’s a d:ream to play Ronaldo. After this, Mings can only get better….

Outsider: Jordan Brian Henderson, Liverpool

If you cast your mind back a couple of seasons, before pandemics were a thing and Liverpool were chasing a league title (which they missed out on by a point), Jordan Henderson was moved to a more advanced ‘8’ role by Jurgen Klopp, and it worked.

Well, here we go again. Henderson is playing far more advanced, getting in the box, creating, and shooting with regularity. He’s just £5.0m and owned by less than 1%. You could do worse.