SO THE INTERNATIONAL break was kind of fun, and not having the looming deadline that goes with writing a fantasy football column was nice for once on a Friday, but let’s be honest with ourselves: we missed it, didn’t we?
Thankfully, normal order has now resumed: the Premier League’s finest are prepared to do battle, the Match of the Day producers are frantically working away and Wayne Rooney is back to looking like a decent player again.
Two players to pick this week
Micah Richards (Man City): Richards has surprised a few people by featuring in the majority of Man City’s games this season, despite strong competition at full back at the club. City generally perform solidly at the back and Richards is no exception. Moreover, at £6m, he undoubtedly represents value for money, given his performances so far.
Jon Walters (Stoke): Walters was excellent in mid-week for Ireland after coming on as a substitute and the player has also looked good in the Premier League so far this season. Stoke playing at home against a Fulham team that has looked less than convincing is one reason to select Walters. The fact that he is adjudged by the Fantasy Football Gods to be a midfielder, despite invariably playing up front, also helps.
Two players to avoid this week
David de Gea (Man United): Despite improving since the start of the season, the 20-year-old is far from the finished article. United, meanwhile, appear to have lost some of the momentum they gained from their excellent start to the season, if their recent 1-1 draw against Stoke was anything to go by. And it would be no surprise if they struggle again away from home against a Liverpool side that have looked impressive at times this season.
Tim Howard (Everton): The goalkeeper has, unsurprisingly, been one of Everton’s more reliable performers this season. However, only the most optimistic Everton fan would tip Howard not to concede this weekend, given that Everton face a patently superior side in Chelsea. So despite Howard’s excellence, it seems likely that Chelsea will prevail.
Predictions for the week:
Liverpool 2-2 Man UnitedMan City 2-0 Aston Villa
Norwich 1-1 Swansea
QPR 2-1 Blackburn
Stoke 2-0 Fulham
Wigan 1-1 Bolton
Chelsea 2-0 Everton
West Brom 1-1 Wolves
Arsenal 3-1 Sunderland
Newcastle 1-2 Tottenham
How my team got on last gameweek: Pretty well, considering everyone else seemingly did terribly. My captain Rooney didn’t really perform, but all my other players did, thankfully.
Who’s leading TheScore.ie’s league? Paddy McKenna’s ingeniously named ‘Ride Me Sideways’ are now in the lead, pushing last week’s leader, Pa Morrissey, into third.
