Fantasy football
If a Fifa international break means frustration for some fans, who would, frankly, just prefer to watch club football all the time, it has at least given Fantasy Premier League players a time to take a look at their squads, and if necessary, make some changes.
It may be that some FPL players have even decided, after a disappointing first four weeks, to play a first wildcard, allowing them a total overhaul of their squad, and a chance to include more players who have been racking up the points in the early stages of the season.
For those players lucky enough to be in Phakaaathi’s Private Fantasy League, there is an added incentive to do as well as possible in September, with the winner of this month’s competition snapping up a Canon Powershot SX730 HS camera, valued at R4 999.
Just as a little helping hand, if you are thinking of making drastic changes to your team, here is an analysis of three players who could make a difference in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, you can still join our fantasy league, by following these steps:
1. Register your team at fantasy.premierleague.com. (if you already have an FPL team, go straight to Step 2)
2. Go to https://citizen.co.za/ competitions/1989138/join-ourphakaaathi-fantasy-premierleague/ and fill in the entry form, once you have done this, we will supply you with a code for our private league. If you’ve lost your code, please SMS the keyword FANTASY, followed by your full name, date of birth and email address to 33521 and the code will be re-sent to your phone (SMSs are charged at R1.50 each and errors will be billed. Free and bundle SMSs do not apply). Neil Etheridge (£4.6 million)
Somewhat surprisingly, Cardiff City goalkeeper Neil Etheridge is the top-scoring shot-stopper four weeks into the Fantasy Premier League, eight points clear of Southampton’s Alex McCarthy. Etheridge has kept two clean sheets already, against Newcastle and Huddersfield, picking up a massive 16 points in one week after also saving a penalty against Newcastle. Sadio Mane (£10 million)
If Mohamed Salah was the player every FPL manager simply had to have last season, it is Senegal international Mane who is threatening to take up that mantle this time around. Mane has already picked up 39 points in four gameweeks, failing to reach double figures in only one of those weeks. Frankly, any of Mane, Salah and Roberto Firmino, Liverpool’s fearsome attacking threesome, are worth having in your team, and if you can only afford one, Mane may well be your best bet. Romelu Lukaku (11 million)
Romelu Lukaku (below) grabbed a double in Manchester United’s 2-0 win against struggling Burnley in the last gameweek, and with United’s next four games – Watford (yes they are at the top, but it won’t last), Wolves, West Ham and Newcastle – looking fairly gentle, this may be a good time to get the striker into your FPL team. The Belgian striker also grabbed a goal in his country’s 4-0 thumping of Scotland at the weekend, and should be in high spirits for the games ahead.