The Offside Fantasy League: Are You Going Without Cesc?

By: Daryl | October 4th, 2007

Are You Going Without Cesc The SquadGod Manager of the Month results for September are in, and The Offside Fantasy League is all over it. Though the actual manager of the month was Homer Simpson’s Left Nipple from the Who ate all the Pies? league, four of the the top 10 teams were born and bred right here. So we’re not just the league with the most teams in the top 10, we’re the only league with more than one team. And we all know it’s quantity that counts, right?

So well done to all of us, sort of. More specifically, well done to Red Angels, Zara United, fruit and Shamrock Fc. Let’s have a sneaky peak to see what the rest of us mere mortals can learn from these four, so maybe next month the entire Manager of the Month top 10 will be filled with teams from The Offside Fantasy League.

The only player in all four teams is Cesc Fabregas. No surprise that he’s worth so many points with his goals, assists and all action displays in a winning Arsneal midfield. He’s currently the highest scoring player in the SquadGod game. So if you’re are currently Cescless, and you’re wondering how to improve your team, then I’ll trust you to put two and two together and make a load of Fantasy League points.

The second most popular player is Jose Reina, with three of the four successful teams having the Spaniard between the sticks. While Liverpool have found goals a little scarce reently (just one in their last three Premier League games) Reina and his defenders have kept it tight at the other end, and so picked up plenty of points for clean sheets.

Joint third most popular players are Martin Laursen, Gael Clichy, Joleon Lescott and Richard Dunne who each feature in two of the four teams. Laursen has been part of a respectable Villa defence, but also gained an extra 40 points by netting twice in the 4-4 draw with Spurs. Clichy picks up a lot of points because Arsenal are keeping clean sheets while the Frenchman is getting forward a lot, making plenty of passes and interceptions. ANd while Everton haven’t been particularly frugal, Lescott has been on hand to score not once, not twice, but four times. The central defender is Everton’s top scorer so far, and with his aerial presence and Mikael Arteta’s delivery from set pieces, there’s no reason this can’t continue. Dunne has been a revelation ever since he realized that no one likes fat professional footballer, and he and Micah Richards have formed an impressive partnership at the heart of the Manchester City defence.

The biggest thing I realize when looking at all four successful teams is that they haven’t skimped on defenders or keepers. The majority of the defenders are from big teams who’ve been keeping clean sheets like Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United. In the end it doesn’t matter who the individual is, as long as he’s playing regularly in a team with a solid defence and getting the credit for clean sheets.

Two players who are back playing and seemingly back in form are Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba. If either hits their stride it’s going to rain Fantasy League points. On the other hand they both cost the earth (£15 million each) so it’s a lot of your money gambled on one player. Who would you choose out of the two. I’d hedge my bets and go for Drogba, if only because reliable strikers are few and far between. A safer, or at least less expensive, gamble would be Gabriel Agbonlahor. His name may by hard to pronounce, but his £9.5 million price tag could be a bargain given the sort of form he’s been in the last couple of games.

More important than tinkering with your strikeforce though, learn from the four teams who’ve reprazented The Offside Fantasy League so admirably this month by getting yourself some Cesc and beefing up your backline.