Vorm leads the league with 4 clean sheets. Do you own him?
Another great weekend of Premier League action, summarized by a Liverpool – Manchester United score draw that saw Manchester City climb to the top of the table, and at the bottom – Bolton picking up a crucial away win (3-1 at Wigan) to move from 20th to 18th…
But where have all the clean sheets gone? Manchester City, Swansea and Stoke have been the best bets thus far this season – returning a superb 4 clean sheets out of their first 8 games. Are they worthy of our fantasy investment going forward? Let’s take a look…
Stoke, not surprisingly, have kept 3 out of their 4 clean sheets at home (they’ve struggled on the road and after Europa League matches) but they’ve also suffered defeats to Sunderland (4-0) and Swansea (2-0) which points to their potential future lack of consistency.
The Fantasy Premier League purchases on the ‘top shelf’ are Begovic and Shawcross – both 5.1M – and both players that you can start with a lot of confidence at home. On the road, however, that’s 5.1M that perhaps should get moved to the bench.
In the Stoke bargain bin is Andy Wilkinson (a product of the club’s youth academy who has been with Stoke for 10 loyal years) and priced at just 4.0M, he provides an attractive home value if he can hold down a spot in the starting lineup at right back. That said, Wilkinson has never scored for Stoke in 111 appearances. 111 appearances – 0 goals. So you’re not looking at any upside, there, though the price is great. Remember that Robert Huth can also play RB and Wilkinson’s starting position is up for grabs and threatened by the mighty German as well as by youngster Ryan Shotton. Proceed with caution.
Swansea, like Stoke, have also kept 4 league clean sheets – and perhaps have been the most surprising outfit from that perspective in the league this season. Of course, all 4 clean sheets have been at home.
Worryingly, Swansea’s 4 successes have come against Wigan, Sunderland, West Brom, and Stoke – 4 of the worst attacking teams in the league. Will the Swans be able to keep out more attack-minded teams at home? Probably not…
I think Swansea’s start is a bit deceiving and the clean sheets could start to disappear in the coming weeks with a schedule that sees 2 away matches in the next 3, followed by a home encounter with Manchester United.
If anyone can produce the heroics, it’s GK Michel Vorm – the bargain buy of the season thus far at 4.3M. Play him at home, but perhaps not with as much confidence as you would have in August and September…
At the back Neil Taylor costs just 4.1M if you need a 5th defender to ride your bench.
And finally, Manchester City are your best bet to keep the clean sheet streak going. They’ve also kept 4 clean sheets out of 8, but look the most likely to finish the season with 17-20 clean sheets, and a great return on investment in their assets.
Joe Hart costs 6.9M but should win the Golden Gloves award this season. Captain Vincent Kompany is perhaps the best investment in the City defense, coming in at 6M and less prone to rotation than his teammates. Joleon Lescott (6.4M) was also a great option over the first two months of the season but Kolo Toure is now fit, so that could mean rest and rotation – and let’s not forget about Stefan Savic (4.8M) who could also spell Toure, Lescott, or Kompany.
Michah Richards has made the RB position his own this season but Pablo Zabaleta threatens, and at LB it’s a Clichy vs Kolarov battle which most fantasy managers should just avoid, unless one goes down with a long term injury.
In summary, Kompany and Hart are your two “automatic” selections. Look for those two to be in the top 3 points scored, respectively, for goalkeepers and defenders, at year’s end.
So there you have it. Manchester City, Stoke and Swansea are the only three teams providing clean sheets on a consistent basis thus far this year.
Chelsea have only kept 1 clean sheet. Liverpool just 2. While Manchester United and Arsenal have been a bit better, with 3 each.
We’ll keep an eye on the upcoming trends for you in the coming months – so you can take advantage of potential bargains and win your mini-leagues.
Good luck to all managers. And may you keep it tight at the back.
Related posts:
What are your thoughts on Aston Villa’s clean sheet potential. They haven’t conceded much, apart from the City game, and McLeish has generally been a defensive manager. Do you think it likely they will improve, defensively, as the season progresses?
My current GK combo includes Given and Vorm and I’m pondering changing it.
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