20 Jan 2014

Gameweek 22 - And Then There Were…Erm, 26.

It had seemed for an eternity that if I was ever going to free myself from the asphyxiating shackles of writer’s block, the motivation would have had to be a pretty darn good one. And so it has been. I’m not one to give in to sentiment but it does bring a whiff of quiet pride to see the LoF managerial numbers on the up again. Three recent additions means that the LoF now boasts a whopping 26 gaffers. About those - it’s not just a case of your average run-of-the-mill manager, quite the opposite. Vamperoh, Timgooner and Edmanager all represent significantly good additions to the overall competitiveness of the league.

Here’s a smattering of thoughts…

• The template is back - There’s no point acting contrarian about it and feigning faux disgust. The template, motored forward by the marauding full-back foraging of Seamus Coleman, is back. While it’s composition is still uncertain, a fair few familiar faces stand out. At the back, Mertesacker stands tall alongside a gaggle of budget picks from sides battling it out in the bottom half of the table – Ward, Burner, Gabbidon and Chester to name a few. In midfield you’d struggle to find a midfield of note devoid of the likes of Eden Hazard, Mesut Ozil, Adam Lallana and Yaya Toure (casual’s delight). Up front it’s business as usual with the explosive potential of Luis Suarez flanked by the precocious Romelu Lukaku and/or Sergio Aguero. It remains to be seen how much the picture changes over the coming weeks in the face of the January wildcard.

• Top ten hotting up - While few have managed to ascend into the rarefied airs of the top ten, there’s no shortage of tales about those who’ve fallen by the wayside – if only as a metric of just how tight the competition has become. Up top, the top four continue to set the bar, seamlessly interchanging positions between themselves with the cushion of a 60 point gap from the chasing pack. At 6th place, a mini-battle continues to wage on between Football Love and Bang Average with either seeking to consolidate a place within touching distance of the top.

Everton welcome an embattled Pepe Mel-ful, Anelka quenelle-less West Brom for the final fixture of gameweek 22 this evening. On show, a glut of fantasy protagonists who most gaffers will be hoping deliver the goods to round off a decent week of points scoring. Over to you messrs Coleman and Romelu Lukaku (sans signature dreadlocks).

- denniskig at 17:59