The Offside Fantasy League: No Winter Break for You

While other European leagues luxuriate in the winter break, the English Premier League will be putting on its biggest gloves and braving the cold. Those poor Premiership millionaires played this weekend just gone, and will be in action twice more before 2007 is done and back for more on New Year’a Day. Sucks for them. But fantastic news for you as this three gameweeks in seven days pile up is a chance to bank untold fantasy football points in The Offside Fantasy League, and also a chance to really shake up your team, as you’ll get one free transfer for each gameweek.

Here’s a breakdown of the gameweeks:

• Gameweek 18: Wed, 26 Dec - Thu, 27 Dec
• Gameweek 19: Sat, 29 Dec - Sun, 30 Dec
• Gameweek 20: Tue, 01 Jan - Wed, 02 Jan

Complete fixture list available via SquadGod

With a free transfer coming every few days, the Christmas period is a bit like January transfer window for SquadGod managers. It’s a chance to fix any problems with you team by bringing in fresh blood. So here’s some player advice with an expensive and a budget option depending on what you’ve got to play with. But remember you have to use your free transfer before the next gameweek starts, or it’s wasted.

Goalkeepers

Expensive: Jose Reina Liverpool, £10.5m
Whatever Liverpool’s problems, Reina is keeping enough clean sheets to be the games top scoring keeper.
Budget: Robert Green West Ham, £10.5m
Unfathomably cheap for the third best keeper in SquadGod, and the man who could be England’s next goalkeeper.

Defenders

Expensive:Gael Clichy Arsenal, £8.2m
Not actually that expensive, but he really should be. The Arsenal defender is racking up points via the Gooner’s consistent clean sheets but also through his own hard work, making incredible numbers of interception, tackles and passes to add on plenty of juicy bonus points.
Budget: Martin Laursen Aston Villa, £5.5m
Solid if unspectacular tackling stats are balanced by Laursen’s perfect attendance in Villa’s decent defence and his uncanny ability to pop up and score.

Midfielders

Expensive: Cristiano Ronaldo Man Utd, £15m
The most you can spend on anyone, but the winger is worth it. Finds the net with a regularity any striker would be proud of (scored another two yesterday) as well as laying on plenty of assists. Plus he takes penalties, so he’s now replaced Cesc Fabregas as the man you can’t be without.
Budget: Clint Dempsey Fulham, £5.5m
The American midfielder has the knack of arriving in the box at just the right time to score, but had hit a dry spell recently. But turned it around the second Lawrie Sanchez and his thick-rimmed glasses were out the Craven Cottage door, and was back on the scoresheet this weekend.

Forwards

Expensive: Nicolas Anelka Bolton, £11.5m
The Frenchman keeps finding the net for Bolton, almost like he’s playing for that move to Chelsea. Will likely keep up the good work until the money materializes from Stamford Bridge, which makes him a good investment over Christmas and New Year.
Budget: Marcus Bent Wigan, £7.1m
After a longish career doing pretty much nothing, Bent has suddenly hit form at Wigan. A mind-boggling three goals and an assist last weekend, and another goal this weeked could be the start of a purple patch.






Category: English Premier League, World Football
Tags: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bolton Wanderers, Clint Dempsey, Cristiano Ronaldo, English Premier League, EPL, Fulham, Gael Clichy, Jose Reina, Liverpool, Manchester United, Marcus Bent, Martin Laursen, Nicolas Anelka, Robert Green, The Offside Fantasy League, West Ham, World Football, World Soccer


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