At this late stage of the
season, performance is mainly affected by some factors that make it break the
rules sometimes. In this article I'm going to suggest some scouted nominations for
the rest of the season, but with a quite different eye.
The three main factors we are
going to focus on are the motive, pressure, and the club's objective and
strategic goal, with players' form in mind.
Speaking of a team or a
single player, what really affects their performance at this stage is
"their motive", be it a personal achievement for a player looking to
catch the eyes, or a club goal of staying in the middle of the table or
reserving a European seat or even fighting relegation.
A club's goal varies, and the
urge for achieving it differs from one club to another, and that's what generates
pressure, one of the factors we will consider in our choices today which is a
double-edged weapon that could drive a team to glory or stress them to huge loss.
Today I'm going to focus on
teams and players that got the motive either pushed by their own self or by
their goal as a team, being under positive pressure or having no pressure at
all, yet still have the potential or recently in form.
Manchester United is now pressure-free as they're crowned champions,
however, it's common from Sir Alex Ferguson that he does rotations at this
stage specially after claiming the title. With Van Persie's unearthly
performance at the title winning game and looking to claim a personal record as
the league top scorer for the second consecutive year, he could be allowed a
more fixed place in the starting squad for the next few weeks, but still not
invulnerable to sitting on the bench sometimes. He's still the best but he
could rest for a couple of games out of their remaining games or play less
regularly, specially when facing his old teammates at the Emirates stadium.
The three rivalry London
leaders in the table are in a heck of war in search for UCL seats, with motive
and positive pressure to achieve an automatic club goal beside personal achievements
for some players, the likes of Bale, Mata, and Hazard
could play such an important role, beside Defoe who could be differential
as well if only given more time on the pitch.
Cazorla also could be a firm choice in Arsenal's
bid for a UCL place, driven by his own hard working character and outstanding
stats for his first ever Premier League season, but the previous London
As Southampton and Norwich City
are having a constant performance level during the whole season and relatively
in a much safer place, the likes of Sunderland, Newcastle , and Wigan will look to bid for better fortunes in their fight against third
relegation place. Some of their players seem to shine recently, with Wigan
known for being a strong relegation denier from previous seasons, supported by
their managing skills of Roberto Martinez, beside their recent confident
mentality after reaching the FA cup final in style for the first time in their
history, they will look to be a stubborn side in the next weeks, as their
performance against Man City has proven lately. The likes of Maloney and
Kone will be under the spot from the Latics side; Figueroa also
could be a good choice from their defensive line for his price and regular
contribution. They still got a bonus of a DGW too.
The other two relegation neighbors
have lots of quality players that refuse to surrender and by all means disobey
relegation calls. Newcastle United, previously trolled for becoming
France national team, who were placed fifth in the last season, has suffered a
lot this term, coming back from relegation a couple of seasons ago, they will
refuse to return down there again. Hatem Ben Arfa's return from longtime
injury could suit some who look to spot a differential, if only he's back to
playing the full 90 minutes.
On the other side comes the
red and white stripes. After his controversial reception at the Stadium of
Light, Paolo Di Canio led his side to a great form with the full mark six out
of six, two clean sheets, and four scored goals. Sessegnon, Mignolet,
in addition to Adam Johnson are their best assets to rely on. With
midrange prices, ranking pretty high in stats, and a proven recent form, they
could be your Fantasy heroes when the curtain falls and everybody goes home.
Although Aston Villa and
Stoke City don't look like strong nominees in the relegation fight, both Benteke
and Begovic are players who could single-handedly make a difference.. at
least a personal difference in their squads.
So, bottom line, beside your
statistics analysis, make sure to pick those who have additional reasons to do
their best.
As numbers could fool.. Beware
of those without a motive or a GOAAAL!
I hope you enjoy my first
article for Fantasy Transfer Tips, and Good Luck FPL managers!!
Author: Alterno
