Everton - WK 1
Everton match-ups have been percolating in my head for a few days lately in fact. The match with Watford should be 3 points, as I tip Watford to be atrocious and go straight back down. I think Blackburn is every bit as robust (Robby Savage comes to mind, LOL) as the Toffees, and this one will result in a dour game with lots of fouls. Everton was the 3rd lowest scoring team in the league last year, so I'm not yet convinced they are going to bulge the old onion bag with any more regularity.
Up front - Beattie has looked fat & slow the last 18 months, nothing like the guy who bagged 20+ goals for Saints a few years ago. I just don't feel he does "enough" consistently to warrant a pick this week. AJ scored 21 goals for Palace two years back, so he's a bona fide EPL player (recall that an astounding 11 were PKs though!). He's got pace and some finish to his game. I'm not sure how he will gel with Beattie and Everton's system - they played 4-5-1 last year. And their preseason has not been stellar. Johnson has fired blanks in his 2 or 3 friendly appearances, not yet hitting the back of the net. And I don't think he can sneak up on anyone in the league this time around. So, in terms of form, I think you can do better in week 1. For about the same price, you can have Saha or squeeze Harewood in there.
However, in the MF is where I believe some Yahoo points can be had. Cahill and Arteta were very solid last year and I look for them to perform again. Arteta is the free kick & corner taker and will garner some points from fouls and tackles won and successful crosses, with the odd shot on goal, but it more likely to assist on one. Cahill was a real attacking mid last season and is deadly in the air. He will also collect some fouls along the way, but is the greater goal threat. Risk-reward - it depends if you want a "safe" 8-14 points from Arteta or hope Cahill can bag a goal and some shots and stay card free. They are the same cost. A sneaky good pick could be Leon Osman - he's also about a $1 cheaper. Check his stats - he's got some game, and really came on late in the season for them.
Not sold on Howard in goal, though is price is hard to ignore for 2 winnable games. Defenders may be good selections, especially Naysmith provided he will start. I'm intrigued by Lescott - they paid $5M for this big centre back, but I will wait & see how he adjusts to the big league.
Everton match-ups have been percolating in my head for a few days lately in fact. The match with Watford should be 3 points, as I tip Watford to be atrocious and go straight back down. I think Blackburn is every bit as robust (Robby Savage comes to mind, LOL) as the Toffees, and this one will result in a dour game with lots of fouls. Everton was the 3rd lowest scoring team in the league last year, so I'm not yet convinced they are going to bulge the old onion bag with any more regularity.
Up front - Beattie has looked fat & slow the last 18 months, nothing like the guy who bagged 20+ goals for Saints a few years ago. I just don't feel he does "enough" consistently to warrant a pick this week. AJ scored 21 goals for Palace two years back, so he's a bona fide EPL player (recall that an astounding 11 were PKs though!). He's got pace and some finish to his game. I'm not sure how he will gel with Beattie and Everton's system - they played 4-5-1 last year. And their preseason has not been stellar. Johnson has fired blanks in his 2 or 3 friendly appearances, not yet hitting the back of the net. And I don't think he can sneak up on anyone in the league this time around. So, in terms of form, I think you can do better in week 1. For about the same price, you can have Saha or squeeze Harewood in there.
However, in the MF is where I believe some Yahoo points can be had. Cahill and Arteta were very solid last year and I look for them to perform again. Arteta is the free kick & corner taker and will garner some points from fouls and tackles won and successful crosses, with the odd shot on goal, but it more likely to assist on one. Cahill was a real attacking mid last season and is deadly in the air. He will also collect some fouls along the way, but is the greater goal threat. Risk-reward - it depends if you want a "safe" 8-14 points from Arteta or hope Cahill can bag a goal and some shots and stay card free. They are the same cost. A sneaky good pick could be Leon Osman - he's also about a $1 cheaper. Check his stats - he's got some game, and really came on late in the season for them.
Not sold on Howard in goal, though is price is hard to ignore for 2 winnable games. Defenders may be good selections, especially Naysmith provided he will start. I'm intrigued by Lescott - they paid $5M for this big centre back, but I will wait & see how he adjusts to the big league.
posted by D @ 4:42 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home