Which players are going to make it onto the squads of these two excellent teams this season? I’ve been looking at their options and recent matches to consider.
Chelsea
GK: Not a convincing choice for the first week with Cech possibly ruled out by injury and with Hilario and Turnbull playing equally well in pre-season. Indications are that Turnbull will be starting but Cech’s return to football will be timed about right to cause us some problems. After the first week of football, Cech will play for whatever matches he’s fit for. It’s a difficult selection choice; I initially put him on my team but have reconsidered due to the possibility of returning injury and missing the first match.
DEF: The starting line-up seems much more consistent in defence than in goals, with Ferreira-Terry-Ivanovic-Cole the likely back four. However, with players like Alex, Carvalho, Bosingwa and Zhirkov ready to regularly challenge those places later in the season (with Bruma, Mancienne and van Aanholt hoping to step in), it isn’t necessarily set in stone. And if they don’t have a consistent goalkeeper behind them, their clean sheet bonuses could be through the window – so bear that in mind.
MID: Depending on your fantasy football game (and which match you pick in real life) you’ll find some discrepancies between playing positions. Zhirkov played, in only the last two matches, in both midfield and defence. Kalou and Malouda have flitted between midfield and attack. Depending on your fantasy football provider, midfielders could score more points per goal than attackers – so keep your eye out for bonuses. If Zhirkov regularly starts, and sits in defence on your provider, he might be worth a punt. In one game, Malouda sits in midfield and Kalou up front – judging by previous matches, the two are often interchangeable and simply by picking the midfielder there’s a chance of a couple of extra points. On the other hand, there are some excellent alternatives for Chelsea. Lampard is definitely going to start and J.O. Mikel and Essien could complete the set with Benayoun hoping to get a decent number of starts. My gut feeling is that Kalou won’t start ahead of Anelka, Drogba and Benayoun but that’s probably because I don’t think he’s as good as the others. And, as always, Sinclair, Matic, McEachran and others are going to push hard for a chance in the first team.
ST: Drogba and Anelka are both, as always, expensive but solid choices, though will continue to miss occasional matches to some of the midfield choices (either as attackers or with the other half a lone striker) and in competition with Kakuta, Sturridge, Di Santo and even Borini for the two highly-revered places. If they make it through to the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup, there’s a good chance that the pair will miss a few games to rest between high-frequency matches.
Liverpool
GK: Riera and Cavalieri have both started with Middlesbrough’s Brad Jones on the cards. Riera is, allegedly, going to see a £23M bid from Arsenal pry him away from his new 6-year contract and that will make a difference to the values of all three players, and indeed Arsenal’s pair. I would usually doubt that Riera could be pried but, well, £23M is more than he’s worth at the moment and would be hard to turn down when they bought him for only £6 million.
DEF: As with Chelsea, I am able to predict the back four as Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel and Insua. Again, however, there are some good players pushing for those same positions – from right to left, Degen, Agger, Kyrgiakos, Ayala, Kelly, Aurelio and Wilson will challenge. Aurelio, Wilson and Agger could get a few matches but it would be a risky gamble to put any on a fantasy football team without seeing them play a few consecutive matches.
MID: Gerrard and Cole will form the core of Liverpool’s midfield with a large number, again, of consistent midfielders looking at the other places. Aquilani, Rodriguez, Kuyt, Jovanovic, Riera, Mascherano, Lucas and Babel will push for places in the team, whether midfield or further forward, and Aquilani-Jovanovic will probably make up the other two places.
ST: On the other hand, Jovanovic could play up front alongside Torres. Babel or Kuyt could also fill the second attacker place – or Torres will play alone up front as he has done on many previous occasions. What’s certain is that Torres will play every match that he’s able to and that Liverpool are still lacking a good back-up or strike partner. They’re still looking, however, and the transfer window is still open. Depending on who they sign, and what their price is, a bargain might be on the cards.
Manchester United will be the next team up for analysis – and with both age and youth filtering through, with a shaky team still looking to win the Premiership, it’s going to be a difficult selection to predict. But whilst Liverpool play Arsenal in the opening week, both Chelsea and Man Utd have a good run – so hold that thought whilst choosing your teams.
