PLFantasy

This was an enjoyable game to watch for the neutral spectator, with two teams that were fairly evenly matched on the day and a couple of quality moments which defined the game. If we're being honest, the game was generally close because of Everton's inability to really push on and dominate against the supposed "lesser" team, but credit must be given for Burnley's industry and the way Dyche had his team setup which countered much of what Everton wanted to do. The game stats show Everton dominating in overall possession (64%) though less so in the amount of time spent in the opponents' half (56%) which highlights the fact that Everton were cautious for long stretches of this game; something that was always likely to be true with Barry, McCarthy and Osman all used in the middle of the field. Though perhaps harsh to criticise a team who scored three away from home, without Mirallas, Barkley and Pienaar I believe this team lacks a bit of creativity and at times t...

Learn About Tableau Given their tough fixture list to date - Everton have already faced Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Man Utd - and having not seen too many of their games myself, I figured a deeper look at the stats would reveal a team who had either been particularly unlucky with their results or were simply victim to those tough teams. To a degree that's true, as they picked up just two points from the three games in which the data falls into the top right quadrant yet their defense has been below average in the other five contests as they've struggled along with just a couple of clean sheets. This week's 3-0 win over Villa will have many assuming the team have turned the corner but those three goals came on just eight SiB (six SoT) suggesting there is still some way to go until we see this attacking unit hit the heights of last season. It's not surprising to see that Everton have tended to favour the left side of the pitch when going forward with 49% of their cre...

Everton Learn About Tableau Everton have always been one of the sides I enjoy writing about as over the past couple of seasons they've had a pleasing blend of both ability and predictability, all while often flying under the radar of the masses. 1 For the most part those trends have continued this year with a solid back line and talented front man, although there isn't really a target player in midfield as we've had in the past with the likes of Arteta, Cahill, Pienaar and Fellaini. Starting at the back, we have Howard, Baines, Jagielka and Coleman absolutely locked into their respective positions, with at least threee of those options offering about as much security and low upside as you're going to find among premier league starters. We'll get to a comparison of the defenders potential weighed against their price in the next stats post but for now we can conclude that they are all essentially as safe as each other. The last man in when healthy is probably Stone...

Warning: some of the following lineups may cause severe depression and bewilderment. Be assured that they are indeed Premier League lineups and take solace that we still have three weeks before the transfer deadline. If the below gets too depressing, check out the other previews for comfort: The Elite The Maybes The Promoted Aston Villa Projected lineup: Given (5.0) , Stevens (4.0) , Clark (4.5) , Vlaar (5.0) , Lichaj (4.5) , N'Zogbia (6.5), El Ahmadi (4.5) , Holman (6.0) , Delph (5.0), Weimann (5.5), Bent (8.5) This lineup would be more settled if not for the one month or longer injuries to Agbonlahor and Dunne which make the opening lineup tricky to predict. Hutton and Warnock appear to deemed surplus to requirement with Stevens, Lichaj and Lowton apparently being left to fill the void. A new arrival is surely imminent with Aaron Cresswell widely regarded as the man to take the left back spot, but for now Stevens is pencilled in by default. Though this unit should imp...

Captain Picks Barring transfer mistakes or an act of God, you own at least one or two Spurs players and will surely captain them this week. Therefore, in the interest of time I am going to skip over the other candidates and focus on Redknapp's big three: Gareth Bale - leads the trio in points to date but has suffered badly from inconsistency with too many two or three pointers so far this year (9). However, his last four home games have given him 4-13-11-14 points which more than hints at the upside the young Welshman brings. His 40 shots ranks 3rd among all midfielders (Dempsey and Sinclair) and his 44 key passes can only be topped by Mata (45). Both opponents have tightened up of late but the likes of Tony Hibbert haven't faced anyone of Bale's quality for a while. His threat from set pieces is limited but his style of play tends to lend itself to bonus points so if he scores, he is likely to rack up 2 or 3 bonus points too. Summary: Rarely rested, high upside bu...

Looking back at last season 9 clean sheets for the year made the team a mid level defense but their higher cost delivered fairly poor value Managed 3 clean sheets over the final 7 gameweeks  Consistent GPG conceded at home (1.21) and away (1.16) though clean sheet split was more pronounced (6-3) Ranked 8th in home GPG (1.63) and 11th on the road (1.05). Again the number of times failing to score shows a clear distinction (2-7). Defensive unit ranked 5th in P90 including a top ranking in bonus points thanks to stellar totals from Baines (20), Distin (16) and Jagielka (10). Due to their comparatively high cost though, they delivered a P$ ranking of just 11th. The midfield really contributed little all year, ranking 11th in P90 and 19th in P$ . Full, healthy seasons from Cahill and Arteta should help improve these totals. The front line also gave a lackluster performance with 198 points only just eclipsing Tevez's individual total. To be fair, this is pa...

I have touched on the double gameweeks earlier but I think we need more analysis if we are to fully enjoy the fruits of them when playing the transfer window wildcard. Let's look at every team who has one or more double gameweeks coming up, who looks set to benefit and how you can maximise the opportunity: Arsenal Who they play and when : GW27 - Wolves and Stoke Who are the best plays : Arsenal look like a very good play both defensively and offensively. The Wolves fixture alone would likely rank Arsenal as the top defensive pick of the week and the addition of another sub-1 GPG team makes them a great play. They've only kept 3 clean sheets at home so I'm not crazy about paying the big bucks for a Thomas Vermaelen (if fit by then) but I would rate Fabianski as a very good pick and Djorou as sensational value if still in the first team. As we know, Arsenal are always a good option to score goals and my prediction tools have them scoring 4.7 goals in the two fixtures. I ...

In prior years, many fantasy players' defensive strategy has been to pick 4 players from the big four and watch the points role in, with very little need for tinkering. Three factors have conspired to reduce the effectiveness of this strategy: - the big four's defenses have not been excellent this year with Liverpool and to a lesser extent Arsenal looking vulnerable at the back - injuries and rotation have lessened the number of every week starters who are guaranteed to suit up for their respective sides. Arsenal look settled with Clichy, Gallas, Vermaelen and Sagna but each of the other big four sides have seen some form of rotation due to injury of to rest players. - several middle tier sides have emerged with improved defenses, most notably City, who are yet to concede this season and Stoke, whose home form is again stellar. Defensive points are the consistent lifeblood of any fantasy team as no striker can match the consistency of a 8 game clean sheet run, or the 25 total ...

With the season drawing ever closer its time to look at the next 5 teams in the final pre-season preview. With the transfer window open for another 3 weeks, things have the potential to change but it is vital to at least get players who are featuring regularly right from the start of the season. Without further ado then, here are the next 5 team summaries: Burnley Projected Team: Jensen, Alexander, Kalvenes, Carlisle, Duff, Gudjonsson, McCann, Eagles, McDonald, Paterson, Fletcher Owen Coyle's men had a dream season last year, gaining promotion to the Premier League along with a couple of great cup runs. However, with limited funds in the off season the squad depth has been strengthened but the overall quality appears to be lacking somewhat. The Clarets were the second top scorers last season, but also had the 7th worst defence, worse than the likes of Plymouth and Barnsley. The arrivals of Edgar (4m) and Eckersley (4m) provide depth and one of the pair may even crack the starting l...

Finally a staurday afternoon with a decent tally and wouldn't you know it, I had to miss it for the dreaded christmas shopping! Therefore I was not on hand to see Valencia and Young terrorise opposition defenses to give the Juice a decent 52 point haul on Saturday. In absence of my weekly diary and general ramblings, I'll review each game below noting any key trends and scorers and suggesting where future sleepers may lie: Middlesbrough 1 - 1 Arsenal Middelesbrough: Turnbull, Huth, Pogatetz, Riggott, McMahon, Arca, Downing, Johnson, Digard, Alliadiere, Tuncay Arsenal: Almunia, Clichy, Djorou, Gallas, Sagna, Denilson, Fabregas, Diaby, Song, Adebayour, Van Persie. I think Adebayour has staked a claim for the best premium striker around with his 11th goal in 20 games (in all competitions) and the return of Drogba to potentially limit Anelka's minutes (more on that later). With just one clean sheet since week 9, players are abandoning the Arsenal defense and the likes of Clichy...