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Football related Car Commercials – how bad could they be??
Football and wheels – is there a better combination of hobbies for men? Possibly, but while you are thinking about it, here is a fun list of curious football-related commercials sponsored by leading car manufacturers.
Arsenal
Let’s start with something quite nontraditional – famous football players who are taking ballet lessons. Yes, that actually happened and it actually worked out pretty well, too. Citroën, an official sponsor of Arsenal since 2008, and in 2012 it was high time they got some publicity for that. The DS5 make was released under the motto “The Refined, Redefined” and it was presented to the world in a rather unconventional TV commercial.
Four Arsenal players – Wojciech Szczesny, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Alex Song and Bacary Sagna were shown dancing ballet next to professional ballerinas. You’ve got to check it out below – Clumsiness Level: 9000. Favorite moment – when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain seems to intentionally pick up the tutu of one of the dancing ballerinas. On another shot you can see Alex Song wandering how he is to repeat a complicated set of steps .By the end Wojciech Szczesny makes a quite elegant jump. Who would’ve guessed? As Jules Tilstone, the Marketing Director at Citroën UK, put it: “With this project, we wanted to take their top-class footballers, renowned for their refined style of football, and put them into a new environment that would redefine their sporting talents.” I really hope that Citroen DS5 does not redefine refinement in a similar fashion! Jokes aside though – good job Citroen for a funny and catchy commercial.
FIFA WORLD CUP
Having seen a European car commercial, it would be interesting to compare it to an Asian competitor. In 2010 Hyundai was a sponsor of FIFA World Cup. Thanks to the leader in the advertising business M&C Saatchi, the South Korean car company released very intriguing short TV series on ITV. The clips were replaying the highlights of the football games with the main characters being replaced by Huindai vehicles. The “wheelball” look of the short broadcasts was rather weird though the spots were fun and well-made.
Again for the 2010 World Cup Hyundai signed with another advertising agency called Innocean. The promotional campaign included both print advertisements and TV commercials. The latter became very popular mainly for their insightful approach towards admiring the football fans’ dedication and loyalty. The first one: Die Hard accents on the true commitment to the game. Quoting directly from the ad:
“Most soccer fans are loyal to the day they die… Some like to take it a bit further…”
The second ad Baby Name focuses on a happy baby girl father who harbors a true passion for the game and for his favorite team.
GERMAN NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM
The final football commercial in this list is an amazing modernistic ad of Mercedes Benz A-Class. A great execution, fantastic idea and splendid special effects; starring the German national football team. A class performance, enjoy!
If you know of another football related car commercial drop the link in the comments below… I’m expecting a Va Va Voom link from someone!!
GUEST POST: By David Drasnin
David is a freelance writer sharing a passion for great movies, cars and of course football! Always keeping busy and active David is currently engaged on multiple large projects including working with http://rrecovery.co.uk/ .
If you know of another football related car commercial drop the link in the comments below… I’m expecting a Va Va Voom link from someone!! #FY
Premier League’s potential assist makers
Guest Post:
Strikers always grab the headlines for their wonderful goals and dramatic missed opportunities, which is why they’re worth so much in the transfer market and fantasy football.
However, the most successful strikers over the years are ones that had great assistants behind them and created opportunities for others. It goes without saying that players like Gerrard, Lampard, Fabregas, Scholes (The list goes on..) all have over 100 Premier League assists. Cristiano Ronaldo amongst others proved a world-class player with his ability to find others as well as the goal.
When planning your fantasy football team for next season don’t just look at how many goals strikers and midfielders may score. Instead, focus on their contribution to the game. Here are our (affordable) picks for next season’s top providers:
Jean Beausejour:
The Wigan midfielder earned nine assists last year despite playing for a relegation-threatened team all season. Now the Latics have gone down football betting fans can hope for Beausejour to find a new club before the summer transfer window is out. He shouldn’t be too expensive and the Chilean will always offer great service.
Lukas Podolski:
The German didn’t have the best of debut seasons in the Premier League but nevertheless provided Arsenal with nine goals on top of his 11 tally. Podolski is a cheap buy in fantasy football and coming off the left will often look to hit the central striker rather than the goal, making him a decent buy especially if Arsenal land Gonzalo Higuain this summer.
Rickie Lambert:
It wasn’t just his 15 goals for Southampton last season that made Lambert so valuable. He was involved in 24 of the Saints’ 49 goals last term and is one of the best box players in the Premier League. He’s always a good punt to score with fans who bet on sport and is a good reserve to have in your fantasy football squad too.
Robert Snodgrass:
The Scot earned a reputation at Leeds United for his dead ball expertise and he’s taken to life at Norwich City with ease. Snodgrass made nine last season and can be relied upon to find the head of Grant Holt and Michael Turner. His personal tally may not be too impressive but Snodgrass will always offer a chance for the team.
Selecting a fantasy football team is a difficult task. Remember, your reserves play as much a part in earning you points as those big-money strikers. Be smart with your funds and don’t simply go for a player who grabs the headlines, for there are some decent cheap buys out there if you see past goal tallies.
About the author:
Joe is a freelance sports journalist and staff writer for FC Copenhagen. As a Leeds United season ticket holder for nine years in his youth, he’s seen the best and worst English football has to offer. A frequent fantasy football player, you may (or most probably may not) have seen his team Borussia Teeth languishing at the foot of many a league table. That trend is set to continue.
If you would like the opportunity to guest post on FantasyYIRMA.com email Ryan at FantasyYIRMA@hotmail.com
Fantasy Football Preview: Santi to shine as the curtain falls?
Mini-leagues are being furiously checked and the points difference between you and your rivals are being totted up. It’s the final day of the season.
Unlike the Premier League this one was always destined to go down to the wire, and so the key question as we enter the final weekend of Fantasy Premier League matches is whether or not you need to find a left-field pick to try and catch up with those around you.
Whilst the likes of Gareth Bale (£11.0m and surely the weekend’s safe captaincy choice), Theo Walcott (£9.2m), Juan Mata (£10.2m) and Robin van Persie (£13.7m) are sure to be the popular picks, perhaps your net needs to be cast a little wider in the search for a player who can give you that extra push over the finish line.
That player could well be Arsenal’s Santi Cazorla (£9.6m).
Fresh from providing four assists in the Gunners’ 4-1 victory over Wigan on Tuesday night, the Spaniard goes to Newcastle to face a side who conceded six goals in their previous home game against Liverpool.
With Arsene Wenger’s men needing a win to secure a top four finish ahead of rivals Tottenham, Cazorla is sure to be crucial on an afternoon when he is likely to be a creative force.
Those four assists against Wigan took the Spaniard’s tally to 13 for the season, level with the likes of Walcott, Van Persie and Steven Gerrard for the campaign, with only three players registering more.
Add that to his 12 goals and you’ve got an extremely successful first campaign in England for the former Villarreal and Malaga man, but he’d only look back on it fondly if he can help his club into the top four. He has every chance to do just that at St James’s Park.
Elsewhere, Tottenham’s attempts to secure their own European football for next season will of course be helped by Bale as they host Sunderland, but it could be a rejuvenated Emmanuel Adebayor (£9.0m) who proves crucial following two goals in his last two games.
Following their Europa League heroics, Chelsea host Everton seeking to make sure of their third place finish. Demba Ba (£7.8m) was cup-tied for the Benfica victory and so he could prove crucial as the Blues seek to make it an unhappy last game in charge for David Moyes.
Away from the challenge for Europe, Liverpool draw the curtains on their campaign with a home game against relegated QPR.
The Reds and retiring defender Jamie Carragher (£5.0m) will fancy their chances of keeping a clean sheet, but further forward in-form striker Daniel Sturridge (£7.3m) will be seeking to follow up last weekend’s hat-trick at Fulham with another impressive display. Against QPR’s defence he has a great opportunity.
As the campaign draws to a close, those who have impressed throughout it such as Michu (£7.8m) and Rickie Lambert (£6.9m) have chances to finish their seasons on a high as Swansea and Southampton host Fulham and Stoke respectively, whilst the champions Manchester United go to West Brom seeking a winning end to their season. Javier Hernandez (£6.5m) started and scored against Swansea last week and will be looking to do so again amidst the uncertainty surrounding the future of Wayne Rooney.
Everyone knows about the future of Roberto Mancini by now, and in his absence Manchester City will be looking to round things off with a victory at home to Norwich.
Their forwards have impressed at various stages throughout the campaign, but with two goals in his last two league appearances perhaps it’ll be Edin Dzeko (£6.8m) who steps up to the plate again this time.
His addition could prove vital as the campaign draws to a close and we all look forward to the next one.
Roll on August.
We’ll see you then.
Premier League: And now, the end is near…
And so in a flash of Robin van Persie’s left boot, of Shaun Maloney’s set-pieces, of Luis Suarez’s nutmegs and of Santi Cazorla’s passes it was all but gone. The 2012/13 Premier League season has nearly finished.
In terms of games played and of goals scored it might not be remembered as a vintage one, but it will always be recalled as the last campaign of the greatest old campaigner of the lot.
Sir Alex Ferguson has called it a day at Manchester United, something that will not perhaps hit home until we see David Moyes sat in his fellow Scotsman’s seat in the dugout when the new campaign begins in August.
United without Ferguson is a little like salt without pepper, like eggs without bacon and like Ant without Dec. It doesn’t look right, it doesn’t feel right and we don’t necessarily want to consider one without the other.
Typically, Ferguson bowed out with a Premier League title success which was as serene as any of the 12 he’d won previously, something in part down to the lack of a credible challenge put up by others but largely due to the remarkable consistency shown by his team.
With Van Persie leading from the front and thriving on the proper title challenge that he had left Arsenal for, United never really looked like letting the lead slip once they took it in November, and there have been few more worthy champions.
Previous holders Manchester City were never quite so convincing, with their failure to mount an impressive enough challenge ultimately seeing Roberto Mancini fall upon the sword which had been dangling nearer and nearer to him following yet another failed Champions League campaign. Next season promises to be an interesting one for a new look City.
But then the same can be said for United, Everton, Chelsea, Jose Mourinho and quite possibly Wayne Rooney. It’ll be more than just the kits that have changed come 2013/14, it’ll be the men wearing them too.
They, as ever, will be the focus of so much drama, glory, outrage and expectation.
Suarez, Gareth Bale, Juan Mata, Christian Benteke, Michu, Rickie Lambert. There were so many stars that lit up this campaign that it was hard to keep track of them.
You always knew where QPR and Reading were throughout their seasons, but that they have been joined by Roberto Martinez’s Wigan in being demoted to the Championship is a great shame.
Just 72 hours after completing one of the greatest stories in modern English football the Latics set a rather unwanted record. They are the first team to win the FA Cup and be relegated in the same season.
Yet their Wembley success as well as that of Swansea City – and indeed League Two’s Bradford City, their beaten opponents in the Capital One Cup final – has shown that the potential for glory is there whoever you are. Perhaps we’ll see more teams grasp the nettle and go for broke in the Premier League next season as a result.
With United, City, Everton and Chelsea all in somewhat of a transitional stage – although Chelsea have one of those every six months – perhaps this could be a time for Arsenal, Tottenham and maybe even Liverpool to shine?
All have impressed at various points throughout this campaign and all can do so going into the next, when they’ll be joined by promoted Cardiff City, Hull City and one of Watford and Crystal Palace.
Such talk is for another day though, a day when we can really look forward to the new campaign as we put the old one behind us.
That day will come on Sunday, about 30 seconds after the final whistle on a season which sadly brings an end to the careers of men as distinguished as Ferguson, Paul Scholes and Jamie Carragher.
They’ll be gone but not forgotten, just like this season will be too.
See you in August for the next one.
Fantasy Football GW37: Nothing but BONUS points!!
Nothing but BONUS points!!
GW37 Is done and dusted and we have only one week left.
As usual we take a look at the bonus points allocated by the Official game.
Do you agree / disagree??
Who was overlooked? Who got Bonus points and left you scratching your head thinking …How??
Tweet us your thoughts @FantasyYIRMA
In the Tuesday night games Santi Cazorla had the sort of game FPL managers remember for years with the Spaniard managing all FOUR assists in Arsenal’s 4-1 win which sees Wigan relegated only days after their magnificent FA Cup win.
Despite this Podolski’s 2 goals trumphed Santi’s 4 assists with the German striker getting the 3pt bonus allocation.
Mancini didn’t win anything for 12 months and as such was sacked. Harsh? Certainly in my opinion. Without him City had a decent 2-0 win against Reading with Aguero and Dzeko getting the goals. Special mention to Reading keeper who not for the first time this season came out of the game with double figure number of saves.
Silva takes the maximum 3pts with Auguero not far behind on 2.
Lampard got the maximum bonus for Chelsea against Villa and fair play to him for breaking the Chelsea goalscoring record. Fantastic goal record that many top forwards would be proud of!
Dempsey took the maximum for Spurs in their match up against Stoke with Adebayor receiving 2, to be completely fair this could have been swapped around and no one would have questioned it in my opinion.
Mirallas continued his great form for Everton and gets the max bonus allocation.
Suarez who?? Sturridge has really stepped up in the absence of the feisty Uruguayan and takes home 3 bonus points to sit nicely with his 3 goals against Fulham.
Howson and Snodgrass share the spoils with 3 bonus points each for Norwich in their 4-0 rout against WBA.
On a memorable day at Old Trafford, match winner Rio Ferdinand takes the 3 bonus points as Manchester United gave Sir Alex a great send off with a 2-1 win against Swansea.
Elsewhere Adam Johnson and Gouffran took the maximum spoils for Sunderland and Newcastle respectively.
*R
| 11 May 12:45 | Aston Villa |  |
1 – 2 |  |
Chelsea |
| 12 May 13:30 | Stoke City |  |
1 – 2 |  |
Tottenham |
| 12 May 15:00 | Everton |  |
2 – 0 |  |
West Ham |
| 12 May 15:00 | Fulham |  |
1 – 3 |  |
Liverpool |
| 12 May 15:00 | Norwich |  |
4 – 0 |  |
West Brom |
| 12 May 15:00 | QPR |  |
1 – 2 |  |
Newcastle |
| 12 May 15:00 | Sunderland |  |
1 – 1 |  |
Southampton |
| 12 May 16:00 | Man Utd |  |
2 – 1 |  |
Swansea |
|
|||||
| 14 May 19:45 | Arsenal |  |
4 – 1 |  |
Wigan |
|
Bonus
Santi Cazorla (2)
Podolski (3)
|
|||||
| 14 May 20:00 | Reading |  |
0 – 2 |  |
Man City |
Fantasy Football Preview GW37: Walcott to worsen Wigan’s woes?
With next season already promising to be hugely different given the dramatic developments at Old Trafford this week, cherishing this campaign suddenly looks to be even more important.
For Wigan Athletic, that seems to ring true more than loudly than for others.
The Latics will be FA Cup finalists at the weekend, but come Tuesday they could find that their eight-year stint in the Premier League is over. Should results go against them at the weekend, then nothing less than three points from their next match will do if they are to stay in the top flight. Unfortunately for them, that next match is at Champions League-chasing Arsenal.
The Gunners may have lost this fixture last season, but they simply can’t afford to do that now.
With Theo Walcott (£8.9m) returning to fitness and form then they certainly don’t look like doing that, and the England man could play a large part in confirming the Latics’ relegation.
Walcott scored and completed 90 minutes in both of his last two matches for the Gunners, taking his tally to 13 strikes and 13 assists during a hugely productive season.
As Arsene Wenger’s men close in on a top four place Walcott looks to be a hugely important figure, and he’ll enter the Wigan game high on confidence, which could end up spelling trouble for Roberto Martinez and his boys.
Any discussion about the battle for the top four – and of course your ongoing battles in Fantasy Premier League – isn’t complete without a mention of Gareth Bale(£10.9m), who takes his considerable talents to Stoke City this weekend.
Bale and Spurs might find it tough going there, but they should eventually come out on top in a match which is sure to see defender Jan Vertonghen (£6.8m) come under threat from Stoke’s attack.
Elsewhere, Everton’s Marouane Fellaini (£7.2m) is sure to find support ahead of their Blues’ match against mid-table West Ham at Goodison Park.
The Belgian has been in fine form throughout the campaign and he’ll be determined to impress in his side’s final game in front of their own fans this season. Following the Blues’ goalless draw at Liverpool last week he could be one to back as they look to find the net again.
As for Liverpool, they go to a Fulham side still not safe from relegation just yet, and with both Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez unavailable then the onus is sure to fall on Philippe Coutinho (£6.7m) and Daniel Sturridge (£7.0m). Dimitar Berbatov (£7.1m) will of course be vital for the hosts.
At Berbatov’s former club, Sir Alex Ferguson’s last home match in charge of Manchester United brings selection issues with it, but he is likely to once again start with Robin van Persie (£13.7m) upfront for the visit of Swansea. Those prone to a little bit of nostalgia might like to back a few Fantasy points for Ryan Giggs (£6.0m) and Paul Scholes (£5.0m) too.
Back in the cold hard world of chasing the Champions League, Chelsea will be happy that Aston Villa are now all but safe as they prepare for a trip to Villa Park early on Saturday.
Rafael Benitez’s side will be in no mood to let up now as they look to finish as high as possible, and with the battle between Fernando Torres (£9.3m) and Demba Ba (£7.8m) sure to be dominating many thoughts, it is Juan Mata (£10.1m) who continues to make his team tick.
Somewhat bizarrely denied the winning goal at Old Trafford last weekend, Mata will be doubly determined to impress at Villa Park.
He could be a vital addition for your side.
Fantasy Football: Michu to who?…bless you!
Michu’s Successor
by @Fplmaestro
Swansea manager Micheal Laudrup watched his opposition draw to the now former champions Manchester City 0-0 on Saturday and revealed he now has no option but to field his squad without his top scorer and currently most selected FPL player, Michu.
The Spaniard has managed to net an impressive 21 goals from the midfield position during an absolutely immaculate first season in English football and has gained several plaudits with his ‘Magic touch’ and not to mention has been one of the bargain buys of the season being signed by the Swans for only a fee of 2 million pounds! However, he had to be withdrawn during the second half of the league game against City carrying a hamstring injury. In his post match press conference Laudrup said- “He has a hamstring problem. I am not sure if he has torn it but even if it is less than that, this will be his last game of the season”
It’s now nearly the end of a stressful season of FPL and the last thing that we that we could have possibly asked for is yet another injury to our long list of woes! And I’m sure the vast majority of you are already considering who to bring in for GW1, of next season, however it’s time to focus on the present and attempt to replace the lad, which is not going to be an easy task given the fact that he’s currently the cheapest FPL attacking player on the dream team! However, it’s a task which simply cannot be avoided.
What to consider from the players you pick-
Towards this stage of the season, consistency is only a minor aspect to consider! The main reasoning one should be putting in before making any changes at this moment of time is if the player has relatively easy fixtures in the up and coming 2 GW’s and that is mainly what the list below is based on!
Players you should consider-
Going through the list of possible midfield options within £1.5M of Michu’s current value, I have picked the following players as potential options to replace the Swansea talisman from now up until the end of the season-
Santi Cazorla-
Yet another Spaniard who’s endeared himself to his team’s fans is Santi Cazorla, having hit the ground running in his first year in English football, acquiring an impressive 12 goals and 9 assists for the Gunners since joining at the start of the season , he looks more than capable to add to his tally and help his team secure a place in the top 4! However, a recent slump in form has seen several FPL managers part company with him causing his price to drop considerably from £10.1-£9.5 Million, fixtures do look to be in his favor playing Newcastle and Wigan, both in the relegation scrap, which could really benefit those who do choose him to be the one to replace Michu.
Eden Hazard-
Eden Hazard is one of the latest Belgian success stories in the premier league. Having such an immaculate start, his drop of form in the middle season was rather disappointing, however he has recently been on an impressive run of form and could be the right man to join your FPL team as his next games are to Aston Villa and Everton. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised to see him rack up a descent tally of points and finish the season in style!
Theo Walcott-
Walcott has had his best season in Arsenal colours, being the clubs top scorer and even being compared by his manager , to a certain French lad who wore the infamous number ’14’ on the back of his shirt! However, his injury and slight dip in form has seen his price fall down to an extremely attractive £8.8m at the moment he’s on a half descent run of form. He finishes this season playing Newcastle and Wigan, which are must win games for the gunners if they are to stand a chance of finishing in a Champions League positions and he could, yet again, step up to the plate and be a vital part of his teams ambitions of finishing in the top 4!
David Silva-
Yet another one of the several Spaniard to have graced the premier league, is David Silva despite not reaching the standards he had managed to set for himself last year, in a rather dismal season he might well be finishing the season in flying colours! Despite the fact his City have had a rather poor season and have nothing much really left to play for in the league, they finish this season playing Reading and Norwich. Now priced at an descent £9.2M I’d be surprised if Silva didn’t hit some big points for your FPL team and help City secure that 2nd place position.
![By Dean Jones (Flickr: Coutinho Goal) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://fantasyyirma.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/coutinho_v_swansea.jpg?w=604)
By Dean Jones (Flickr: Coutinho Goal) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons
Phillipe Coutinho-
Philippe Coutinho has been an instant success at Anfield since joining in January.
The Brazilian international, has lit up Liverpool‘s side with attacking flair and has managed to build a stunning partnership with both Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge in only three months. However, with Suarez injured himself and Sturridge will have to rise to the occasion for Liverpool and will have to be key in their goals of finishing in a Europa League place! He even comes at a mouth watering £6.7m and could be set to light up your FPL teams finish to this season.
Many thanks for reading my guest post on FantasyYIRMA.com, feel free to give me a shout if you’ve got any queries in choosing between the bunch or anything FPL related on twitter @Fplmaestro Hopefully we all have a stunning finish to brilliant season.
If you would like to submit a guest post for the FantasyYIRMA.com website drop an email to FantasyYIRMA@hotmail.com or tweet us at @FantasyYIRMA
CHECK OUT OUR GOAL OF THE SEASON POLL – WHO GETS YOUR VOTE?? CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE CONTENDERS
Premier League: Team of the Year 2012/13 by @Mark_Jones86
The players themselves have had their say, and so it’s high time that we should all give our view on the 2012/13 Premier League team of the year.
There are plenty of matters to take into consideration – this isn’t just going to be a team of eleven players who picked up the most Fantasy Premier League points – and so with that in mind take a look at the XI and tell us just what yours would be.
Get involved in the comments section and on Twitter @FantasyYirma.
David De Gea – Manchester United
A tough category and one in which the likes of Simon Mignolet, Asmir Begovic and Brad Guzan deserve mentions, but it is Manchester United’s Spanish shot-stopper who takes the No. 1 jersey.
De Gea had a tough start to life in England and hadn’t really got over those problems by the beginning of this season, but he has gradually learned more and more about Premier League and Old Trafford life and only looks like getting the confidence to do better and better.
Having a league winners’ medal around his neck will do that for you.
Rafael – Manchester United
De Gea’s Old Trafford teammate gets the nod at right-back at the end of a season in which he was forced to grow up.
With his twin brother Fabio shipped out on loan to QPR, Rafael grew into his position in Sir Alex Ferguson’s side and even popped up with important goals at venues such as Anfield and against his brother’s team at Loftus Road.
At just 22 years old, United look to have found their right-back for the next few years.
Matija Nastasic – Manchester City
A name that will surprise many, but Manchester City’s Serb deserves recognition for a fine first season in English football.
Nastasic only turned 20 last month, but the composure and quality he showed during a campaign in which he ousted Joleon Lescott from the side makes you believe he’s much older.
City kept five clean sheets in Nastasic’s first six Premier League 90 minute appearances, and that wasn’t a coincidence.
Jan Vertonghen – Tottenham
A stellar first season in England for Tottenham’s Belgian, who has scored five goals as well as showcased his fine defensive attributes.
The highlight of those goalscoring exploits came with two goals in a 3-2 defeat at Anfield, but Vertonghen has been a key man in the many games that Spurs have won this season and looks like being around in these teams of the year for years to come.
He’s set the bar pretty high for himself.
Leighton Baines – Everton
There have been plenty of calls for the nation to recognise Baines as the No. 1 left-back in the country for the past couple of years, and this has been the season in which he’s confirmed those beliefs.
An ever-present threat from set pieces, Baines is so important to everything that Everton do, and can arguably be viewed as the key attacker in David Moyes’ side.
He’s likely to attract plenty of attention this summer.
Juan Mata – Chelsea
The twinkle-toed Spaniard has faced competition from teammate Eden Hazard this season, but he remains the best thing about the current Chelsea side.
A player with gifts which would light up any team in the world, Mata has registered 10 goals and an astonishing 17 assists in the Premier League alone during the campaign, and there is little wonder that Stamford Bridge fans love him.
Whoever the Chelsea manager is next season will be inheriting a gem.
Marouane Fellaini – Everton
Previously seen by many as merely a clumsy figure who could often look like a foul waiting to happen, Fellaini silenced any remaining doubters with a fine season which began with a stunning display and the winning goal against Manchester United.
He and Everton went from strength to strength from there, and with Fellaini playing in a variety of positions the Blues went on to enjoy surely their most consistent season under Moyes.
The Belgian was the key figure behind that, and is another who could attract bids this summer.
Michu – Swansea
Easily the most impressive of the Premier League players in their debut season, Swansea’s Spaniard had a terrific campaign and provided the inspiration for a comfortable top half position and success in the Capital One Cup.
Often used as a forward – although squeezed into midfield here – Michu’s penalty area predatory instincts frequently saved Swansea in tight contests, as the stylish Spaniard followed up strong goalscoring seasons in his homeland as he took to Premier League life like a swan to water.
The task now is to repeat it again next season.
Gareth Bale – Tottenham
The professionals’ choice as Player of the Year was arguably the first name on our teamsheet following a season which saw him elevate his game to yet another level.
There was a time over the campaign when the Welshman looked simply unstoppable, and even if he doesn’t reach that level again in the closing weeks of the season a total of 19 league goals and nine assists is pretty special.
Bale can seemingly be as good as he wants to be, and next season he’ll be fascinating to watch again.
Robin van Persie – Manchester United
When last season’s second best team buys the forward and main source of goals from the third best team then what do you think will happen?
The title happened for Manchester United in the most emphatic of manners, with 25 goals from their Dutch forward going a huge way towards sealing a 20th domestic league triumph for the men from Old Trafford.
The outlay on a player who will turn 30 before the start of next season doesn’t look so silly now, and Van Persie will already be eyeing goals in next season’s defence of what is his first league title.
Luis Suarez – Liverpool
You don’t have to like him, but you do have to respect his quality.
The most entertaining player to watch in the Premier League either scored or assisted 33 goals during his 33 appearances in the competition this season – a season which is now over following the much publicised against Chelsea at Anfield.
Suarez is box office though, and at times dragged Liverpool through matches during a campaign in which he was simply a compelling watch.
He’s a force of nature.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————–
So that’s it then, that’s the 2012/13 team of the year.
Yes, it may be a bit too attacking but would you fancy playing against them? Who’d be in your team?
Drop your comments/advice/abuse either in the comments box below or on Twitter. See you there!
Fantasy Football GW35 preview: Defoe to take a bite out of Wigan?
Well he was never going to exit quietly was he?
Sunday saw the last action of one of the Fantasy Premier League stars of 2012/13, with Liverpool’s Luis Suarez leaving the game for the season with a goal in the 97th minute of what was an 11-point performance against Chelsea – not that everyone was talking about that come full-time.
In his absence, forward options are being scoured and teams are being altered, but perhaps his direct replacement was seen earlier on Sunday afternoon.
After failing to start since the 3-2 loss at Liverpool last month, Tottenham’s Jermain Defoe (£7.9m) – another with a history which includes biting opponents – came off the bench to score in Spurs’ fantastic comeback to beat Manchester City at White Hart Lane last weekend.
With Emmanuel Adebayor (£9.0m) struggling having scored just three league goals all season, Defoe’s return to fitness could be perfectly timed for Andre Villas-Boas’ side as they chase the Champions League.
As far as the Fantasy game goes, Spurs head for Wigan at the weekend before a double Gameweek next week when the north Londoners face Southampton and Chelsea, meaning that Defoe is likely to get plenty of playing time as the campaign draws to a close.
The England forward could prove to be a key man for both Tottenham and for your team as the scramble for league positions becomes more intense, and he could just be the forward to trust in Suarez’s absence.
Those fixtures for Spurs and the return to fitness of Gareth Bale (£10.5m) mean that the Welshman is sure to find himself thrown back into plenty of teams following his recovery from injury, whilst defensively the likes of goalkeeper Hugo Lloris (£5.8m) and defender Jan Vertonghen (£6.6m) could also offer much.
Elsewhere, the battle for the Champions League places will go up a notch at Stamford Bridge where Chelsea entertain a Swansea side who seem to have been on a downward spiral ever since they won the Capital One Cup.
Juan Mata (£9.8m) took his tally to 16 assists for the season after being credited with laying on both goals in the draw at Anfield, and with the Spaniard so key to everything his side do then Rafael Benitez surely won’t risk leaving him out for the clash with the Swans.
The form of both Eden Hazard (£9.6m) and Oscar (£7.8m) has been encouraging in recent weeks, but it is still Mata who makes Chelsea tick and who they’ll be looking to in a contest that the hosts will really need to win in their challenge for the top four, especially given that Suarez took a bite out of their hopes on Sunday.
Arsenal are the other one of three clubs that cannot go into the two still available top four places, and they’ll be hoping that champions Manchester United will have taken their eye off the ball as they visit The Emirates.
The absence of Olivier Giroud through suspension means that Lukas Podolski (£8.1m) is likely to come in from the start for the Gunners, whilst Theo Walcott (£8.8m) could also be restored to the central forward role that he so enjoyed earlier in the campaign.
A little higher up the table than Arsenal, Manchester City host West Ham in a contest in which Carlos Tevez (£9.1m) will be looking to keep up recent form against his former club. Having kept six clean sheets in their last seven home games, the likes of Joe Hart (£6.8m), Pablo Zabaleta (£6.2m) and Vincent Kompany (£7.0m) will be confident of keeping West Ham out.
Having scored only a second goal in 26 games at QPR last weekend, Stoke’s Peter Crouch (£6.0m) could be fancied for another strike at home to Norwich, whilst Christian Benteke (£7.3m) will be confident going into Aston Villa’s clash at home to Sunderland.
At Goodison Park, Everton will be going for a sixth home win in seven games as they host Fulham.
Marouane Fellaini (£7.4m), Kevin Mirallas (£6.9m) and Leighton Baines (£7.8m) are likely to garner the most attention, although for a cheap choice it could pay to go with Victor Anichebe (£4.4m), who has started the last six Blues games and is sure to have chances against a Fulham side who have kept just three clean sheets on the road this season.
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