Captain Links
To supplement the weekly captain stats, I am going to try and post the relevant links from around the league with regards to the key players' status. Some weeks there won't be much to say, but given that I spend a good couple of hours looking though these reports anyway I figure they're worth sharing:
Robin Van Persie
I speculated last week that the Dutchman is probably due for a rest at some point and some 'news' sources seem to be indicating this could be the week. The logic makes sense (supposedly easy game this week and AC Milan on the horizon) and Wenger has confirmed as much, suggesting he is 'tempted' to rest Van Persie. The generally accurate Guardian squad sheets have Van Persie starting, though that may well have been written before Wenger's latest comments. With Chamakh still away, and Henry and the Ox struggling for fitness it would be a surprise to see Van Persie miss out, but the option is clearly there.
The good news is that if he's rested, you'd suggest it would be likely that he takes the whole day off, and thus can be captained with knowledge that your VC will come on. The issue is that if Arsenal were being held by Blackburn he might come on for half an hour, but I don't see that as a particularly bigger risk than you take every week that a player may be injured, have a bad game etc.
Verdict: There's risk here and he will get a rest at some point but the upside might justify the risk. It shouldn't be a factor, but I wonder if Wenger would be somewhat influenced by the backlash that would inevitably come if he rests Van Persie and they don't win. If you have another elite option then it's safer to go there but Van Persie isn't the worst option for the week.
Demba Ba
Of the captain options, Ba has the most uncertainty, though most sources seem to suggest he will play. The Guardian pencil him in alongside new arrival Cisse (who I think is a bigger risk) and the BBC are also bullish on the chances of a Senegalese front line. Pardew clouded the issue a bit with this cryptic quote: "Whether Cisse starts, whether Demba starts or whether they come off the bench, they are going to have an impact of some type".
Verdict: With a trip to Spurs due up next week, it looks like bringing Ba in this week might be too risky as being optimistic you're only going to get around 60 minutes against a comparatively weak opponent then 60-90 against a very good one.
Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko
The City front line has been somewhat tricky to work out this year with Dzeko in particularly a tough player to predict. With Balotelli sidelined, the Guardian and BBC both forecast this pair to start up top, with the only real threat coming from Mancini going with a 5-man midfield behind just one of this pair.
Verdict: Little concern here, especially for Aguero who looks like a must-start player for this team. Dzeko is always slightly riskier but he too looks like a nice option for the week.
For what it's worth I'm going with Aguero as captain with Van Persie as my VC. I've had too many bad captain performances of late to take a 1 pointer here.
More comprehensive updates can be found in FFS's excellent Team News section.
Robin Van Persie
I speculated last week that the Dutchman is probably due for a rest at some point and some 'news' sources seem to be indicating this could be the week. The logic makes sense (supposedly easy game this week and AC Milan on the horizon) and Wenger has confirmed as much, suggesting he is 'tempted' to rest Van Persie. The generally accurate Guardian squad sheets have Van Persie starting, though that may well have been written before Wenger's latest comments. With Chamakh still away, and Henry and the Ox struggling for fitness it would be a surprise to see Van Persie miss out, but the option is clearly there.
The good news is that if he's rested, you'd suggest it would be likely that he takes the whole day off, and thus can be captained with knowledge that your VC will come on. The issue is that if Arsenal were being held by Blackburn he might come on for half an hour, but I don't see that as a particularly bigger risk than you take every week that a player may be injured, have a bad game etc.
Verdict: There's risk here and he will get a rest at some point but the upside might justify the risk. It shouldn't be a factor, but I wonder if Wenger would be somewhat influenced by the backlash that would inevitably come if he rests Van Persie and they don't win. If you have another elite option then it's safer to go there but Van Persie isn't the worst option for the week.
Demba Ba
Of the captain options, Ba has the most uncertainty, though most sources seem to suggest he will play. The Guardian pencil him in alongside new arrival Cisse (who I think is a bigger risk) and the BBC are also bullish on the chances of a Senegalese front line. Pardew clouded the issue a bit with this cryptic quote: "Whether Cisse starts, whether Demba starts or whether they come off the bench, they are going to have an impact of some type".
Verdict: With a trip to Spurs due up next week, it looks like bringing Ba in this week might be too risky as being optimistic you're only going to get around 60 minutes against a comparatively weak opponent then 60-90 against a very good one.
Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko
The City front line has been somewhat tricky to work out this year with Dzeko in particularly a tough player to predict. With Balotelli sidelined, the Guardian and BBC both forecast this pair to start up top, with the only real threat coming from Mancini going with a 5-man midfield behind just one of this pair.
Verdict: Little concern here, especially for Aguero who looks like a must-start player for this team. Dzeko is always slightly riskier but he too looks like a nice option for the week.
For what it's worth I'm going with Aguero as captain with Van Persie as my VC. I've had too many bad captain performances of late to take a 1 pointer here.
More comprehensive updates can be found in FFS's excellent Team News section.
Comments
He has left the pitch and is no where to be found. I saw his picture on the side of my milk carton this morning. Ba as a replacement is a wise choice, as NU will be pushing hard for a CL spot. The addition of Demba Cisse will only enhance Ba's prospects as far as I am concerned.