The Premiere Football League opens next weekend. Mark and I are competing in the Guardian's Fantasy Football League. I plan to dominate. Wanna meet my team?
Strikers:
I'm playing a two-striker offense, with Liverpool's Fernando Torres on one side and Portsmouth's Peter Crouch on the other. In reality, these dudes can't really play together (as shown when Crouch played for Liverpool and ended up on the bench the entire season), but given the individual way fantasy football is scored, I think they're a good pick. I expect them both to have good seasons. On the bench, I have Middlesbrough's Dutch striker, Afonso Alves. I am hoping not to have to use him. If both Torres and Crouch could stay healthy all season, that would be great.
Wingers:
On the wing, I am playing Arsenal's Cesc Fabergas on the left and Liverpool's Yossi Benayoun on the right. Benayoun may not be the wisest choice, but I can't help it, I just like him. Fabergas I expect to have a fantastic season. I have a healthy bench here too, with Arsenal's Sami Nasri ready to come in.
Defensive Midfield:
I am playing a two-man defensive midfield, with the Tottenham Hotspur duo of Jamie O'Hara and Tom Huddlestone. Tottenham are ripping up the pre-season, so I have big hopes for these guys. Nobody is behind them on the bench, but I can switch to a single defensive midfielder if I need to later on.
Defense:
I am not messing around with my defense. Left to right I have Tottenham's Gareth Bale, Liverpool's Martin Skrtel, Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand, and Portsmouth's Glen Johnson. My bench is a little weak here--just Arsenal's Johan Djourou. If any of my starting four get hurt, though, I'll probably just switch up the defense.
Finally, in the goal, I have my all-time favorite goalkeeper, Manchester United's Edwin Van Der Sar. Expensive, but worth it. He's backed up by a fairly new Prem keeper, Sunderland's Craig Gordon. I love Craig Gordon. I hope he shines this year. If he gets really good, I may sell Van Der Saar, buy another midfielder, and put him in my goal full-time.
So that's my squad. I'm so exicted!