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January Transfer Window: SLAMMED SHUT!!
Many thanks to the team from @FourFourTweet for submitting this great review of the January Transfer Window
Guest Post by @jonnywarburton
Premier League clubs contemplate future as January Transfer Window concludes.
Deadline day has been and gone with plenty of deals that will impact clubs seasons across the Premier League.
The toughest time to chop and change your squad is in January but many Premier League mangers use this window to bring in extra depth to depleted squads and to find that hidden bargain that can change a season’s fortune. Plenty of teams have been busy over the last couple of weeks and here is the summary of the key ins and outs at every Premier League side.
Arsenal
Current League Position 6th
Arsenal failed to bring in more than one senior player despite persistent links with Barcelona striker David Villa. Nacho Monreal was added late on in the window to provide significant quality at the LB position. Arsenal fans have been crying out for several new signings that will help lift the gunners into the champions league places. Arsene Wenger’s reluctance to spend significantly signals a very frustrating end to the January transfer window.
Verdict
They needed a couple of quality players and to ship out the dead wood from years ago, Monreal is a nice pick up and should adapt to the Premier League well.
5/10
Players IN: Nacho Monreal (10m)
Players OUT: Johan Djourou (Loan), Marouane Chamakh (Loan), Chuks Aneke (Loan), Emmanuel Frimpong (Loan)
Aston Villa
Current League Position 19th
Villa failed to strengthen an inexperienced squad with only one senior signing through Ligue 2 forward Sylla. It is tough to see the Villa staying up with such little experience throughout the spine of the squad. Premier League experience was a must as other relegation candidates spend the cash in a bid to stay up
Verdict
Failed to address the need for experienced players which could cost them their place in the Premier League. Defensive and Midfield quality was a must but instead an unproven Frenchman fits the bill.
1/10
Players IN: Yacouba Sylla (2m) Simon Dawkins (Loan)
Players OUT: Stephen Warnock
Chelsea
Current League Position 3rd
The signing of Demba Ba from Newcastle United was the main signing for the European champions who replace outgoing Daniel Sturridge. Ba proved to be a hit on Tyneside and the talented Senegalese international will be looking to compete with out of sorts Fernando Torres for a regular spot in the Chelsea line up.
Verdict
With Benitez only seen as ‘Interim’ manager, there wasn’t much surprise that the blues didn’t bring in more players to complement their squad.
5/10
Players IN: Demba Ba (7m)
Players OUT: Lucas Piazon (Loan), Sam Walker (Loan) Billy Clifford (Loan) Todd Kane (Loan) Daniel Sturridge 12m, Patrick Bamford (Loan)
Everton
Current League Position 5th
The toffees took the approach of if it’s not broke don’t fix it. They managed to keep hold of key players Baines and Fellaini which will be vital in their push for a European campaign next season. There only addition of the window was young Barnsley defender Stones, who they pipped Wigan Athletic for his signature – one for the future.
Verdict
Quiet window for Everton, which will suit David Moyes down to the ground by keeping his core together.
5/10
Players IN: John Stones (£3m)
Players OUT: Ross Barkley (Loan) Anton Forrester, Magaye Gueye (Loan)
Fulham
Current League Position 12th
The oldest average aged squad in the league have added younger talents to their side through Frimpong and Emanuelson both on loan. The former Ajax prodigy adds significant experience alongside the midfield powerhouse that is Frimpong. Emanuelson had a OK time in Milan and will be hoping this loan move reignites his career with Fulham. Manolev will offer international experience and is a solid pick up from Holland.
Verdict
Like there two midfield signings in particular and will help bolster the ageing midfield.
6/10
Players IN: Chris David , Emmanuel Frimpong (Loan) , Urby Emanuelson (Loan) , Stanislav Manolev (Loan) , Eyong Enoh [loan from Ajax]
Players OUT: David Stockdale (Loan) Stephen Kelly (Loan), Richard Peniket [loan to AFC Telford]
Liverpool
Current League Position 7th
Liverpool splashed the cash for another transfer window with a double swoop of Sturridge and Coutinho. Two quality signings with real technical skill that will be on show for years to come at Anfield. The two young players are the only real business the Reds side have completed despite reported links that Tom Ince was due a return to the club.
Verdict
Spent a lot of money again so it will be interesting to see if it is money well spent, face value looks good.
7/10
Players IN: Daniel Sturridge (£12m), Philippe Coutinho (£8m)
Players OUT: Danny Wilson (Loan), Nuri Sahin , Joe Cole , Adam Morgan (Loan) , Alexander Doni, Michael Ngoo (Loan)
Manchester City
Current League Position 2nd
With no real additions to the Man City squad it is difficult to see City really giving Man Utd something to think about in the final few months of the season. The sale of Mario Balotelli to AC Milan has been met with split views as the hot headed Italian has undeniable talent but an attitude that offers anything from bizarre to crazy just wouldn’t cut it any longer.
Verdict
Relatively quiet month for the club, splashing the cash on a new striker should have been the main focus for the champions to provide significant competition for Tevez, Aguero and Dzeko.
4/10
Players IN: Godsway Donyoh
Players OUT: Mario Balotelli (19m) Alex Nimely (Loan) Godsway Donyoh (Loan) Jeremy Helan (Loan) Reece Wabara (Loan)
Manchester United
Current League Position 1st
The Red Devils sign and loan back Wilfried Zaha to Crystal Palace after beating many top flight clubs for the England internationals signature. The technical winger will become an instant hit at Old Trafford next season with the basis to learn from one of the best managers in the game, the potential is there for Zaha to become a real hit in the North West.
Verdict
Would of liked to of seen a centre midfielder come in to strengthen the squad however the signing of Zaha will prove to be a gamble worth taking.
6/10
Players IN: Wilfried Zaha (£15m)
Players OUT: Davide Petrucci (Loan) Scott Wootton (Loan) Robbie Brady, Angelo Henriquez (Loan) Josh King , Luke McCullough (Loan) Wilfried Zaha (Loan) Federico Macheda (Loan)
Newcastle
Current League Position 15th
Alan Pardew brought in five senior signings from Ligue 1 which has prompted the call of a French revolution. The signings of Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and Moussa Sissoko will be key as both have international pedigree that will emulate the North East club in the coming months. The first French signing of the window was Debuchy from Lille who is well known to be good friends with Yohan Cabaye. A successful window for the magpies as they conclude their business early on.
Verdict
Strengthened squad with real quality players in key areas of the pitch. The bargain of Moussa Sissoko will be the January signing of the window for the Toon – great signing.
9/10
Players IN: Mathieu Debuchy (5m) Kevin Mbabu, Moussa Sissoko, Massadio Haidara, Yoan Gouffran , Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa (6.7m)
Players OUT: Demba Ba (7m) Conor Newton (Loan) Xisco, Mehdi Abeid (Loan) Bradden Inman (Loan)
Norwich
Current League Position 14th
Norwich head back to Leeds for another signing with Luciano Becchio the latest export from Elland Road. The Argentine scored a lot of goals in the championship and will prove to be a steady signing for the canaries in an effort to avoid the drop zone.
Verdict
Like the Becchio signing and will be interesting to see how he fairs against top class defenders. Steady Window
5/10
Players IN: Luciano Becchio, Kei Kamara (Loan)
Players OUT: Jacob Butterfield (Loan) Elliott Ward (Loan), Steve Morison, Declan Rudd (Loan), Tom Adeyemi (Loan)
QPR
Current League Position 20th
Rangers add defensive steel through the signing of Chris Samba from money bags Anzhi Makhachkala. The powerful Congo international will prove to be a fantastic purchase in QPR’s bid to avoid relegation. The signing of Samba was prompted due to the retirement of Ryan Nelsen who takes up management with MLS side Toronto FC. Loic Remy swapped the south of France for West London in an £8m move that will provide a genuine goal threat in firing the hoops to safety.
Verdict
Added much needed defensive help which was key to QPR’s transfer window and the experienced Samba will prove to be vital in both penalty areas as the London club attempt to stay up
7/10
Players IN: Loic Remy (8m) Tal Ben Haim, Christopher Samba (12.5) Yun Suk-young, Jermaine Jenas, Andros Townsend (Loan)
Players OUT: Djibril Cisse (Loan) Frankie Sutherland (Loan) Michael Harriman (Loan) Alejandro Faurlin [loan to Palermo], Michael Doughty (Loan) Anton Ferdinand (Loan) Jordan Gibbons (Loan) Rob Hulse (Loan)
Reading
Current League Position 17th
The Royals lie in a delicate position in the table and this has led the club to bring in four players to their first team squad. Reading looked to the lower leagues for the majority of their signings by securing Akpan and Blackman from Crawley and Sheff United respectively. Kelly will add great depth and experience throughout the Reading ranks.
Verdict
Some decent business in this window for the club, still remain to see whether it is will be enough come May.
5/10
Players IN: Daniel Carrico , Stephen Kelly . Hope Akpan , Nick Blackman
Players OUT: Gozie Ugwu (Loan) Dominic Samuel (Loan) Jordan Obita (Loan) Michael Hector (Loan)
Southampton
Current League Position 16th
The Saints brought in only one player to help strengthen the defence during the window. Vegard Forren was a man in high demand with Liverpool closely watching the former Molde man. After the departure of Nigel Adkins earlier in the window, it was expected that Pochettino would bring in some of his own players.
Verdict
Expected the new Saints manager to bring in a couple of players but failed dramatically. Will be interesting to see if they have enough in the second part of the season.
3/10
Players IN: Vegard Forren
Players OUT: Dan Seaborne (Loan) Ryan Dickson (Loan), Sam Hoskins (Loan) Jonathan Forte (Loan), Steve de Ridder (Loan) Ben Reeves (Loan)
Stoke
Current League Position 10th
The Potters didn’t have too much business to do during January, however the deadline day signing of Birmingham City’s goalkeeper Jack Butland will be a shrewd move. The England international has been in hot demand from the majority of Premier League sides and it was confirmed that he turned down Chelsea. USA international Shea will provide competition down the left hand side of the pitch as the MLS product will look to make his mark.
Verdict
Solid bit of business as Butland will become an International regular for years to come.
6/10
Players IN: Jack Butland (3.5m) Brek Shea (2.5m)
Players OUT: Michael Tonge, Danny Higginbotham, Rory Delap (Loan) Ryan Brunt, Jack Butland (Loan) Matthew Upson (Loan)
Sunderland
Current League Position 11th
The Black Cats had a three in three out policy this window with Danny Graham headlining the Sunderland imports. The goal scorer was desperate for a move back to the north east and the signing may highlight a need to help Steven Fletcher out in the goal scoring department.
Verdict
Graham will be a good signing and N’Diaye will provide a dominace in midfield that is much needed for the club.
6/10
Players IN: Kader Mangane (Loan) Alfred N’Diaye, Danny Graham (5m)
Players OUT: Blair Adams, David Meyler (1.5) Ahmed Elmohamady (Loan) Jonny Maddison (Loan) Fraizer Campbell (600k)
Swansea
Current League Position 8th
Swansea City did not bring any players in during the January window however they decided to sell Danny Graham to Sunderland for £5m. Michu still leads the line for the Swans and this was important for Swansea to keep hold of their talisman going into the final months of the season.
Verdict
They have allowed fringe players, to leave, so no major cause for concern. The Swans just need to keep Michu, injury free, however, the Home fans I am sure would have been hopeful to see an attacking addition to replace Graham and keep Michu company.
4/10
Players IN: N/A
Players OUT: Jamie Proctor, Danny Graham (5m) Curtis Obeng (Loan) Leroy Lita (Loan), Ashley Richards (Loan), Gwion Edwards (Loan)
Tottenham
Current League Position 4th
AVB beat off competition from many top clubs across the continent by signing German international Lewis Holtby from Schalke 04. English speaking Holtby will offer craft and guile which will provide an added dimension for a loaded squad of attacking talent. A quiet month for Spurs despite their persistent approach for Leandro Damiao that inevitably proved inconclusive in a bizarre transfer saga.
Verdict
Love the Holtby signing but another striker to keep Defoe and Adebayor on their toes would have made it a fantastic window.
8/10
Players IN: Lewis Holtby (1.5m) Zeki Fryers (3m)
Players OUT: Heurelho Gomes (Loan) Alex Pritchard (Loan) Jermaine Jenas , Andros Townsend (Loan) , Tomislav Gomelt (Loan) Simon Dawkins (Loan) , Ryan Mason (Loan)
West Brom
Current League Position 9th
Very quiet window for West Brom as they held off late interest for want away striker Peter Odemwingie. Sitting steady in mid table, the baggies will look to bolster their squad in the summer.
Verdict
Sold Chris Wood to Leicester but there wasn’t much need to buy after a good start to the season.
4/10
Players IN: Roland Lamah (Loan)
Players OUT: Sam Mantom, Gonzalo Jara, Chris Wood (1m) Dawson (Loan)
West Ham
Current League Position 13th
The Hammers made a couple of signings throughout January and took to the loan market to bolster their squad. West Ham brought Joe Cole back to the club where he made his name. Cole has had a stellar career and the chance to return back to Upton Park proved too much to turn down. Big tackler Pogatetz on loan from Hannover will be a welcome addition to an injury hit defence.
Verdict
Steady if unspectacular business from West Ham, shouldn’t add too much quality to their squad. Cole will be a welcomed signing amongst fans.
4/10
Players IN: Wellington Paulista (Loan) Marouane Chamakh (Loan) Joe Cole, Sean Maguire
Players OUT: Alou Diarra (Loan) , Stephen Henderson (Loan)
Wigan Athletic
Current League Position 18th
A busy month for Wigan who brought back Paul Scharner on loan from German side Hamburg. The second spell at the DW stadium will prove to be an astute piece of business as they bring in defensive cover for an injury prone defence. The signing of Honduran winger Roger Espinoza from MLS side Sporting Kansas will be a very clever move as a need as he will provide an immediate impact for Roberto Martinez’s side.
Verdict
Small but important business for Wigan who only tinker with their squad over January, add defensive depth which is essential for staying in the division
7/10
Players IN: Angelo Henriquez (Loan), Roger Espinoza (Free), Joel Robles (Loan), Paul Scharner (Loan)
Players OUT: Mauro Boselli (Loan) Rob Kiernan (Loan)
Don’t forget to check out the official FantasyYIRMA preview also available now “GW25 Gareth Bale to sting the Hawthorns”
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Premier League: Fightback Statistics (Part 3)
Many thanks to @JonnyGrossmark for providing this excellent guest post. If you are not following him on Twitter already – get on it!
As always, Guest posts are welcome on the FantasyYirma page. If you have an idea for a new article or would like to promote a recent piece contact Ryan at fantasyYirma@hotmail.com for more information.
Part 1 of this series is available here
Part 2 of this series is available here
Relegation Threatened Teams “FightBack” Analysis
Looking at the relegation battle we see that Norwich have had an excellent season as they have consolidated on last season. I wonder if they will consolidate further next season or will they be seen to have over achieved this season.
The limitation of football models is that last season predictive models around the country gave Wigan a 81% probability of going down but they stayed up. I have not read any explanation of how they raised their game for the last few months against tough and motivated teams.
I believe that Reading (1.2) and QPR(1.58) will be relegated but the third relegation spot will be contested between Wigan (2.92), Southampton (2.3) and Aston Villa (2.90) and it could be a battle till the final whistle of the last game of the season. I personally would have Wigan as my choice as I cannot explain how they avoided relegation last season and nothing to indicate that they can avoid the trap door again.
In conclusion I leave with the thought that apart from shot strength, all the other data is available, but the problem is interpretation of the data as Newcastle season ticket holders may find they will be looking up road maps of Blackpool in the not too distant future. As a a writer of football articles I now realise that quoting figures that people cannot quantify does not help to broaden the appeal of raw data so in this article I have attempted a more user friendly approach and I hope it has worked.
Lastly here are a few graphs to show how consistently teams have faired in terms of their positions in the Premier League since 2008/09:
by @JonnyGrossmark
Premier League : Mid-Season Review (Part 3)
Guest Post from SuperGrover at www.shotsontarget.co.uk a fantastic site for insight and analysis into the Fantasy Premier League!
FantasyYirma are pleased to feature this Mid-Season Review PART 3 and the conclusion to his ongoing mini-series.
Don’t forget to drop your comments below and thanks again to www.shotsontarget.co.uk
If you would like to submit a guest post for the site, contact Ryan at fantasyyirma@hotmail.com
Midseason Team Analysis – The Bottom Half
Prediction: Jol struggles to find offensive identity all season. The Berbatov honeymoon ends as his work rate becomes a real problem while Fulham fights relegation. In the end, they manage to stave off relegation but aren’t completely comfortable until game week 37.
Fun Fact: Steven Fletcher scored 5 goals on his first 5 shots on target this season. He has scored 3 in his last 13.
Prediction: Martin O’Neil’s tactical changes results in more goals on both sides, but allows Sunderland to remain in the premier league another season.
I have to admit, I enjoy Rickie Lambert. He’s not the most gifted player and will never be more than he is, but he understands the game and he understands how to score. I have been rooting for the Saints and Lambert ever since locking onto the striker as a preseason budget option. I couldn’t be more pleased with the results.
It was presumed that Southampton started the season poorly, but much of that was due to a difficult run of fixtures that saw defeats to Man City, Man United, Arsenal and Everton in the first 6 games. Since then, Southampton are 4-7-5, accumulating 20 points in just 16 weeks. Interestingly, the underlying statistics indicated they weren’t as bad as thought all along. Further, the introduction of Jack Cork in week 11 seemed to correspond to a change in tactics. The defense was much more organized and the attack more cautious, taking chances when available but not stringing out to do so. Luke Shaw’s emergence and a more settled central pairing also helped. The results can be seen in the six week form that shows the Saints as a poor attack but stingy defensively.
Fun Fact: Rickie Lambert has created the 2nd most chances among all forwards with 45.
Prediction: The recent form is no fluke and the Saints stay clear of relegation. Rickie Lambert scores 15 goals and Luke Shaw is hailed as the next Garreth Bale.
Fun Fact: Newcastle’s midfielders have taken 118 shots, but only 34 in the box. By comparison, Liverpool’s mids have 164 but 83 in the box.
Prediction: Newcastle improve somewhat as injuries subside, but problems remain. The relegation fight goes until the very last few games of the season with a goal here or there being the difference.
Prediction: The fixtures ease up a bit, but Wigan’s record improves little. A clear relegation candidate heading into the last fortnight of the season.
Aston Villa are not a good team. The results on the field have been poor and the underlying statistics not much better. They have struggled to generate and stop shots and the resulting goals conceded should be expected.
The caveat is that Villa’s goal differential is an aberration to some extent. While they have been poor, they haven’t been 6 goals worse than everyone else. Further, unlike some other bottom dwellers they have registered a few points against some of the better teams in the league, winning at Anfield, drawing with Arsenal and taking 4 points from their meetings with Swansea. Nonetheless, this is a bad team that needs to improve quickly or face relegation.
Fun Fact: Christian Benteke has scored or assisted on 76.9% of all Villa’s goals this season, easily the highest of all players with at least 1000 minutes played.
Prediction: Benteke continues to dominate, but Villa don’t have enough to back him up. Without a turn around, Villa get demoted.
Reading are the worst team in the league and it’s not all that close. Offensively, Reading have been among a group of poor offensive teams at the bottom of the table, scoring occasionally but never generating an consistent attack. Defensively, Reading are atrocious, allowing more shots, shots in the box, shots on target, and goals than any other team in the league. They have been poor, and lucky to have the points they do. This is a team with little upside and little chance of finishing out of the relegation zone.
Fun Fact: Pavel Pogrebnyak has scored on 27.8% of all shots, 7% better than Mr. Van Persie himself. Unfortunately, the Russian has just 18 shots all season.
Prediction: Reading’s fate is sealed before the month of May.
Harry’s next big thing still reside at the bottom of the table 5 points away from safety. It seems assured the Rangers will be demoted, right? Not so fast.
GW18 – NOTHING BUT BONUS POINTS!!! #FPL
| 22 Dec 12:45 | Wigan |  |
0 – 1 |  |
Arsenal |
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| 22 Dec 15:00 | Man City |  |
1 – 0 |  |
Reading |
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| 22 Dec 15:00 | Newcastle |  |
1 – 0 |  |
QPR |
| 22 Dec 15:00 | Southampton |  |
0 – 1 |  |
Sunderland |
| 22 Dec 15:00 | Tottenham |  |
0 – 0 |  |
Stoke City |
| 22 Dec 15:00 | West Brom |  |
2 – 1 |  |
Norwich |
| 22 Dec 15:00 | West Ham |  |
1 – 2 |  |
Everton |
| 22 Dec 17:30 | Liverpool |  |
4 – 0 |  |
Fulham |
| 23 Dec 13:30 | Swansea |  |
1 – 1 |  |
Man Utd |
| 23 Dec 16:00 | Chelsea |  |
8 – 0 |  |
Aston Villa |
GW17 – The Review.. by @shots_on_target
As per usual another great roundup from our Stat-tastic regular @Shots_on_target . Check out his site at http://www.shotsontarget.co.uk
No real surprises here. Rooney and Van Persie continue to dominate chances for the most attacking team in the league. Sunderland did very well actually, beating the league average in the shot categories (green arrows). Sessegnon looks back in the kind of form which saw him attract such attention last season.
Stoke are a tricky team to play against and took a large hammer to Everton’s recent form, limiting them to just one shot on target from Jelavic (not including Shawcross’s own goal). Everton did manage to get shots off in the box but this often suits Stoke’s physical defence.
Newcastle have really picked up through the season in an attacking sense, and have started generating lots of chances. This of course is good news for Demba Ba who was doing well before hand anyway and got a goal here this week. City are moving up the gears too and deserved their win, Aguero and Tevez forming the focal point of the attack with Silva back pulling the strings.
Liverpool were tactically outdone here. Villa defended deep and in numbers and in Benteke and Weimann they have the power, pace and skill to do well on the counter-attack. Suarez continues to be the beating heart of Liverpool’s attack but it’s not an attack which can simply walk over a team like Villa who are playing well for Lambert now.
No shots on target for Swansea, and only 3 all day, compared to a quite massive 29 for Spurs. I’m going to hazard a guess that Villas-Boas’s hugely successful tactical nous from his Porto’s days was not actually a fluke and all those nights playing Football Manager must have rubbed off. There are a lot of great options in this side – Defoe and Adebayor and of course the returning Gareth Bale. Vertonghen has been promising a good game (pointswise) for a while now too.
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Contrary to popular belief QPR’s home form defensively is not too dissimilar to most team’s in the division and Redknapp’s switch to playing Taarabt higher up the pitch has perhaps released the shackles from the Moroccan. He still chose to hit all 7 of his shots from outside the penalty area and perhaps could be tagged as the the poor man’s Luis Suarez in this respect. If so represents quite a FPL asset as a midfielder. For Fulham, ‘Shots on Target’ favourite Bulgarian failed again to register a single shot, and despite QPR’s buoyancy under Redknapp this was a pretty woeful display for Martin Jol’s men.
Norwich’s fine form continues in a game in which they showed some guile to go with their grit. Pilkington and Hoolahan, two players frequently flirted with in FPL last season, scored and assisted the goals. The all round performance of Snodgrass stands out too. Wigan’s chief hope of something was with Kone this week but nothing to get excited about.
Another resilient display can be chalked up on Sam Allardyce’s record as he grabbed a point for his team after a game devoid of a lot of creativity. Carlton Cole is doing his best to lead the line for the Hammers in support of Nolan and the absence of Andy Carroll. James Morrison’s return to the lineup for West Brom saw him back amongst the think of the action.
Monday night’s final match of the gameweek brought perhaps the most thrill and excitement and Arsenal, led by Santi Cazorla hat-trick put the sword into Reading. Walcott’s inclusion ahead of Giroud will raise plenty of eyebrows and he had plenty of chances to score, as did Podolski. Is this a case for Theo’s inclusion in the team as the main striker from now on, does he create space and openings for the other players to flourish that Giroud does not? Or are Reading just warming up from the Championship?
GW17 NOTHING BUT BONUS POINTS!!! #FPL
| 15 Dec 12:45 | Newcastle | |
1 – 3 | |
Man City |
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| 15 Dec 15:00 | Liverpool | |
1 – 3 | |
Aston Villa |
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| 15 Dec 15:00 | Man Utd | |
3 – 1 | |
Sunderland |
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| 15 Dec 15:00 | Norwich | |
2 – 1 | |
Wigan |
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| 15 Dec 15:00 | QPR | |
2 – 1 | |
Fulham |
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| 15 Dec 15:00 | Stoke City | |
1 – 1 | |
Everton |
| 16 Dec 13:30 | Tottenham | |
1 – 0 | |
Swansea |
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| 16 Dec 16:00 | West Brom | |
0 – 0 | |
West Ham |
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| 17 Dec 20:00 | Reading | |
v | |
Arsenal |
Walcott
Santi Cazorla (3)
Podolski (2)
#FPL GW16: NOTHING BUT BONUS POINTS !!
| 08 Dec 15:00 | Arsenal | |
2 – 0 | |
West Brom |
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| 08 Dec 15:00 | Aston Villa | |
0 – 0 | |
Stoke City |
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| 08 Dec 15:00 | Southampton | |
1 – 0 | |
Reading |
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| 08 Dec 15:00 | Sunderland | |
1 – 3 | |
Chelsea |
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| 08 Dec 15:00 | Swansea | |
3 – 4 | |
Norwich |
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| 08 Dec 15:00 | Wigan | |
2 – 2 | |
QPR |
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| 09 Dec 13:30 | Man City | |
2 – 3 | |
Man Utd |
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| 09 Dec 15:00 | Everton | |
2 – 1 | |
Tottenham |
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| 09 Dec 16:00 | West Ham | |
2 – 3 | |
Liverpool |
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| 10 Dec 20:00 | Fulham | |
2 – 1 | |
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GW12 – NOTHING BUT THE BONUS POINTS #FPL
Nothing but the bonus points from the #FPL game from http://www.premierleague.com
| 17 Nov 12:45 | Arsenal | |
5 – 2 | |
Tottenham |
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| 17 Nov 15:00 | Liverpool | |
3 – 0 | |
Wigan |
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| 17 Nov 15:00 | Man City | |
5 – 0 | |
Aston Villa |
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| 17 Nov 15:00 | Newcastle | |
1 – 2 | |
Swansea |
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| 17 Nov 15:00 | QPR | |
1 – 3 | |
Southampton |
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| 17 Nov 15:00 | Reading | |
2 – 1 | |
Everton |
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| 17 Nov 15:00 | West Brom | |
2 – 1 | |
Chelsea |
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| 17 Nov 17:30 | Norwich | |
1 – 0 | |
Man Utd |
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| 18 Nov 16:00 | Fulham | |
1 – 3 | |
Sunderland |
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| 19 Nov 20:00 | West Ham | |
1 – 1 | |
Stoke City |
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GW11 THE REVIEW!! by @shots_on_target
Many Thanks to @shots_on_target for this weeks GW round up. For more great articles from our very own “Statto” check out his website at http://www.shotsontarget.co.uk !!
Special mention this week to new guest poster Super Grover who has provided Match reports to supplement the tables
Very accurate and clinical shooting by both teams. The game wasn’t quite as open as the score dictates as 15 shots in the box is pretty standard. Just one of those games where everything goes in, except Arteta’s penalty that is!
As for individuals, Giroud is the obvious star here. Superb game all around. Berbatov continues to be superb and appears almost fixture proof at this point. Ruiz would be interesting if listed as a MID.
Cazorla’s numbers weren’t bad, but at his price range he needs to produce more in this kind of fixture. Suspect a number of owners will be rethinking their elite MID options with Mata on fire and Silva back from the injury list.
Sunderland managed to find the back of the net again although Everton were clearly the better side in this one. Everton continue to press forward and are susceptible to counters. All the Blues offensive players were involved (Fellaini, Pienaar, Baines, Jelavic, Mirallas) and any of them could have brought home the points. This team remains a gold mine for attacking fantasy purposes.
Wouldn’t look too much at Heitenga’s shot opportunities. Yes he kicked/headed the ball towards the goal, but if Saturday is any indication he’s going to struggle to ever put one on the goal. With any skill he could have easily netted a brace.
While Sessegnon was a handful and showed some of the form he demonstrated last season they still managed just 3 shots on goal. It is still difficult to consider this team from an offensive perspective other than perhaps Fletcher.
My model predicted about 1.5 goals for Man U this weekend. They scored 3 from onlu 5 shots on target. They continue to confound any statistical forecaster with their absurd conversion rate (now at 46% for the year). Van Persie was the most provocative player, but had 4 shots to Rooney’s 4 in 17 fewer minutes and Hernandez’ 3 in 47 fewer minutes. RVP remains a fantasy monster but at soon to be 13.7 million you certainly are paying for it.
Villa didn’t do a whole lot but everything they did was funneled through Benteke and Weimann. While Benteke is a legit fantasy option, Weimann seems like a non-entity to me. This was his first game of any real contribution and Bent remains an ever present option on the bench. I personally see no value in Villa’s offense.
Even game in which Stoke were probably somewhat fortunate to get a clean sheet. Crouch and Walters were involved, but neither are elite options as Stoke isn’t going to put up many crooked numbers this year. For QPR, Taarabt was a menace to both sides as usual, being more than a bit free with his shots. Granero was also heavily involved and Hoillet was solid as well. This is the third game in a row the trio has started together. Any of the three are legit fantasy options if QPR can click into some sort of form. All are on my radar.
Terrible game to watch. From Adebayor’s diving to Mancini’s sideline histrionics. City dominated the game throughout and probably should have scored 3. Aguero and Silva were excellent as expected while I thought Tevez was a bit subdued. Dzeko really was only involved in his goal and a corner, but his presence remains troublesome to Tevez owners. Interestingly Balotelli and Nasri weren’t even included on the bench.
To me, Aguero and Silva are the key options here, with Tevez there if you want to try and read Mancini’s mind. The defense remains stout as Totenham barely threatened and the goal was very soft. Probably should have been a clean sheet for City.
For the Spurs, there wasn’t much to talk about. Adebayor was a flopping menace but didn’t really threaten much. Bale was starved of many real opportunities for him. One thing to note is that Huddlestone took nearly every free kick and 1 of the 2 corners. If that continues that is a bit of a knock on Bale’s value. It did not occur last game though so I wouldn’t look too much into it. Besides Bale, the rest of the Spurs look like non-options right now.
Don’t look now, but Southampton’s defense is improving. It’s still not good mind you, but improvement is improvement. Swansea really didn’t generate much offense and widely-held Michu and Routledge were invisible. For Routledge, this is the 3rd straight fixture that he has been a non-factor. De Guzman was better this week and has been better recently, but probably not strong enough to warrant investment.
For Southampton, Lambert remains a well-rounded asset, especially at home. He now has 21 chances created on the season, third behind Suarez and RVP among all forwards. If he plays he is almost certainly worth the money at 6.1. Ramirez continues to rack up solid numbers in his playing time. He is now averaging 3 shots and 2.2 chances created per 90 minutes, solid numbers for a 6.0 million MID. Lallana remains a solid 6.0 option as well.
Even game. Both teams were somewhat threatening but only generated 4 chances on target. For WBA, Morrison remains the key figure although Lukaku remains a constant goal threat when he is given time on the pitch. Brunt started instead of Gera this week so that probably removes Gera as a budget option. On the other side it was more of a mixed bag. Kone scored but had only 2 shots all day and no key passes. Di Santo didn’t do much either. Watson did manage 3 shots for the second week in a row. Could he become an option with regular playing time?
Shots on target was right, Reading’s defense was the way to go this week! A pretty non-eventful game, with both teams struggling to generate anything with only 13 total chances created. Hoolahan, Snoddgrass and Holt remain interesting options on Norwich presuming rotations issues can be weeded out. For Reading, only Shorey did anything useful by racking up 3 key passes from his very advanced left-back position. Not sure he is worth investment though as they won’t be playing Norwich’s offense at home every week.
Newcastle probably deserved at least a draw here. West Ham continued their run of allowing a ton of shots and not a ton of goals. Currently, the opposition is converting just 17.7% of their shots on target against the Hammers. Don’t expect that to continue. On offense, WHM has been very aggressive getting shots close in and the pattern continued this week. Nolan remains the primary contributor here although Noble is very cheap and remains on all kicks (including penalties).
On the other side it was pretty much status quo. Cabaye outperformed HBA, but Ben Arfa did enough to keep him as a viable, albeit pricey, midfield option. Ba was Ba, with the only difference being that he didn’t score on one of his 2 shots on target. Cisse remains a non option at this time.
Entertaining game to watch. Liverpool came out in a 3-5-2 formation with Enrique and Johnson as wing backs. Seemed to confuse the Reds more than Chelsea and the home team really dominated the first half. The second half saw a switch to a more traditional back four with Enrique playing left-mid and Gerrard dropping deeper to orchestrate the offense instead of Joe Allen (who was putrid in the opening 45). Liverpool were the better team in the second half and deserved the single point.
On Liverpool, Suarez continued his excellent recent form and seemed more restrained than usual (a 5th yellow on his mind perhaps). His shot and key pass numbers were down a bit but that was more of a reflection of the dominance by Chelsea in the first half. Sterling again created a couple opportunities with his pace. I purchased Sterling at 4.7 and am thrilled with his production. At his current price, I am not sure I wouldn’t be happier trying my luck with Taarabt. On the backline, both Johnson and Enrique were involved offensively, although Enrique’s clumsiness was apparent to my eye. Gerrard was a non-factor as he spent most of the second half directing things as a holding mid. He also gave up corner duties to Suso.
For Chelsea, Mata, Hazard and Torres were all heavily involved. Oscar was excellent but he remains a bit deeper than the other two #10s and thus doesn’t have the same fantasy potential in my opinion. Torres was Torres, getting a hold of a good number of solid chances but failing to put any in the back of the net. Hazard and Mata both remain solid fantasy assets.
Big thanks again to @shots_on_target for the Stats and new guest poster SuperGrover for his match reports!! Visit http://www.shotsontarget.com for more great articles!!
GW11 NOTHING BUT BONUS POINTS!!! #FPL
| 10 Nov 15:00 | Arsenal | |
3 – 3 | |
Fulham |
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| 10 Nov 15:00 | Everton | |
2 – 1 | |
Sunderland |
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| 10 Nov 15:00 | Reading | |
0 – 0 | |
Norwich |
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| 10 Nov 15:00 | Southampton | |
1 – 1 | |
Swansea |
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| 10 Nov 15:00 | Stoke City | |
1 – 0 | |
QPR |
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| 10 Nov 15:00 | Wigan | |
1 – 2 | |
West Brom |
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| 10 Nov 17:30 | Aston Villa | |
2 – 3 | |
Man Utd |
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| 11 Nov 13:30 | Man City | |
2 – 1 | |
Tottenham |
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| 11 Nov 15:00 | Newcastle | |
0 – 1 | |
West Ham |
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| 11 Nov 16:00 | Chelsea | |
1 – 1 | |
Liverpool |
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