ALEX FERGUSON WASN’T the only one who was left to rue Wayne Rooney’s unexpected absence from the United team against Stoke last week.
The dozens of Fantasy Football players who selected Rooney as their captain were left stunned when the team was announced shortly before kick-off last Saturday – or at least those of us who don’t regularly follow Coleen Rooney’s Twitter feed were.
Rooney, however, is reportedly back from injury this week, much to the relief of Ferguson, and anyone who made their substitutions prematurely for this week, i.e. me.
Anyhow, moving on from Rooney, we have a fantastic weekend ahead of us, with not one but two major derbies taking place…
Two players to pick this week
Nani (Man United): Without Rooney last week, United desperately needed someone else to step up to the plate, and the 24-year-old Portuguese winger did precisely that. His cracker helped United salvage a point against a highly determined Stoke team. Thus, the winger is finally beginning to justify the hype that greeted his €25.5 million transfer to United in the summer of 2007. If he can continue this new-found consistency, expect Ronaldo-esque levels of reward for any fantasy player willing to risk signing him.
Joe Hart (Man City): Amid the chaos and revolving team selections that currently characterise Roberto Mancini’s Man City at the moment, Joe Hart has been the epitome of reliability in contrast with all those around him. Expect the England goalkeeper to be decidedly less busy than he was in midweek, against a Blackburn side that currently has several problems of its own.
Two players to avoid this week
Wojciech Szczesny (Arsenal):
You may remember Spurs v Arsenal games from such scorelines as 3-3 and 4-4… Seriously though, when these two teams meet, the goals tend to fly in. So picking Szczesny, or indeed any of either side’s defenders, is a risk you should avoid if possible. Both teams’ defences have looked vulnerable at times this season, and expect this trend to recur on Sunday.
Jamie Carragher (Liverpool):
Carrragher has undoubtedly been a terrific servant to Liverpool, but criticism of the player has gotten louder of late. He was badly exposed on a few occasions in their recent 4-0 loss to Spurs and it would be no surprise to see him struggling again, against an Everton side that have invariably posed Liverpool significant problems in recent years.
Predictions for the week:
Everton 2-2 LiverpoolAston Villa 2-1 Wigan
Blackburn 0-2 Man City
Man United 4-0 Norwich
Sunderland 2-1 West Brom
Wolves 1-1 Newcastle
Bolton 2-3 Chelsea
Fulham 1-1 QPR
Swansea 1-1 Stoke
Tottenham 3-2 Arsenal
How my team got on last gameweek: Not terribly, 47 points was just above average. I’m especially relived, given that my captain – Rooney, as I’ve already mentioned – was injured, and Richard Dunne scored a disastrous last-minute own goal that cost me in the region of 18 points (I also have Given and Warnock on my team).
Who’s leading TheScore.ie’s league*? Pa Morrissey’s ‘Bullcelona’ are now leading the way. His team scored a solid 61, which was enough, given that last week’s leader, Mark Kilgallon, registered a disastrous 24 points.
*Entries to TheScore.ie’s Fantasy League are now closed.
