As the Premier League season edges closer, Fantasy Football enthusiasts are making their decisions as to who can lead their quirkily titled teams to glory. Which player will be the Michu of 2013/14, what bargain can be picked up prior to Liverpool hosting Stoke City tomorrow and who will be the star man in the starting XI assembled to match the needs of the gamer.
As new players showcased their skills in pre-season, pushing for a place in the managers teamsheet on the opening day of the new campaign, there are those have given indications that they’re set to do well over the coming 9 months. As such, WhoScored.com have highlighted four players that are set to make an impact for their club in the upcoming season.
Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool)
After making just 1 start and 6 substitute appearances in the league for Chelsea last season, Daniel Sturridge was sold to Liverpool in January and took just 7 minutes to net on his debut against Mansfield Town in FA Cup. Playing a peripheral role with the Blues saw his impact limited significantly, but leading the line with the Reds has seen the young striker regain the form that saw him win plaudits as a Manchester City trainee.
Following his Anfield arrival, Sturridge netted an impressive 10 goals in 14 appearances - only Christian Benteke (14), Robin van Persie, Gareth Bale (both 12) and Romelu Lukaku (11) scored more since the turn of the year - while his average WhoScored.com rating of 7.62 was bettered only by Luis Suárez (8.09) at Liverpool in 2013. With the Uruguayan suspended for the initial six games of the upcoming campaign, not to mention continuous reports linking him with a move away from Merseyside, Sturridge will provide the focal point of the attack under Brendan Rodgers.
Should he continue his form, the loss of Suárez, be it through a move away or suspension, won’t be as hard a hit as initially feared. During the four final games of the 2012/13 season, Liverpool gained 10 points following wins over Fulham, Newcastle and QPR, coupled with a draw against Everton, the most points the club picked up over any four-game span throughout the campaign.
With the inventive duo of Iago Aspas and Philippe Coutinho supporting the striker, the 23-year-old has the potential to build upon his 11 Premier League goals last term. Converting 5 clear-cut goalscoring chances since he signed denotes his prolificacy in front of goal and exactly that will aid Liverpool in their quest to secure their first top 4 finish since 2009.
Emanuele Giaccherini (Sunderland)
It’s little surprise to see Sunderland invest heavily this summer following an underwhelming season which saw the side finish 17th last term. Of the new arrivals at the Stadium of Light, however, the most impressive is undoubtedly the acquisition of Italian Emanuele Giaccherini. With James McClean sold, the 28-year-old will be tasked with providing the attacking threat on the left flank, while his industrious approach will only strengthen an often weak midfield.
Giaccherini created a clear-cut chance every 29.4 minutes in Serie A last season; the 5th most often of players to make 10+ appearances, accentuating his innovative attributes, a vitally important facet in a team the scored just 41 Premier League goals last season; only QPR (30) and Stoke (34) netted fewer. While Di Canio has gone about addressing the issue with the acquisition of Jozy Altidore, someone to provide the ammunition for the powerful American is crucial.
Averaging 1.9 key passes per game, Giaccherini will bolster an attacking threat that appeared limited across the duration of the Premier League campaign, while his 87.9% pass success was bettered only by David Vaughen (88.7%) of every Sunderland player last season. With the World Cup looming also, Giaccherini is undoubtedly eager to impress Italy head coach Cesare Prandelli and that alone will benefit Sunderland significantly.
Jay Rodriguez (Southampton)
Following Mauricio Pochettino’s appointment in January, Southampton won over a number of admirers across the Premier League as the fans quickly took to the methods of the Argentine. Momentous victories over Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool exiled the thoughts of loyalty to former manager Nigel Adkins and while Saints spent big this summer solidifying key areas, the form of Jay Rodriguez under Pochettino has excited many a supporter ahead of the new campaign.
Rodriguez saw his average rating leap from 6.26 in the 19 appearances prior to Pochettino’s arrival to 7.08 in the 16 appearances after. Picking up 2 Man of the Match awards as he netted 4 goals and assisted a further 4, Rodriguez flourished under the new regime, having scored 2 and assisted 1 under Adkins.
Operating in the any of the four attacking positions in Pochettino's 4-2-3-1, he was a threat going forwards but also hard working without the ball. Averaging 1.3 tackles and 1.6 interceptions per game under the Argentinine highlights how well he took to the new regime and the high pressing game that was introduced.
Fans will be hopeful he can continue his fine form that served him in good stead between January and May and should Rodriguez hit the ground running this season, there is no reason why talk of international recognition should cease. Adding goals to his all-round game will be the striker’s primary focus next year and if he can do that; Rodriguez is likely to have a successful campaign.
Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United)
Following a successful two-year spell in Germany, Shinji Kagawa made the decision to leave Borussia Dortmund for Manchester United. The decision to depart Die Schwarzgelben upset Dortmund boss Jürgen Klopp - “We cried for 20 minutes, in each other’s arms, when he left” - and for good reason. In his final year with the Bundesliga side, Kagawa accrued an average rating of 7.36; only Robert Lewandowski (7.49) and Mario Götze (7.47) scored higher as Dortmund secured the domestic title.
Sadly for Kagawa, he saw that figure drop to 6.89 last season as Sir Alex Ferguson utilised the Japan international on the left rather than his favoured central role as the conventional ‘number 10’. It saw the 24-year-old average just 0.95 key passes per game - a fall from 1.8 with Dortmund the previous year - and with just 3 assists to his name, it’s right in saying he failed to live up to the hype in his debut campaign.
Yet, as Wayne Rooney’s future continues to linger in purgatory, an opportunity for redemption is within Kagawa's grasp. Should new manager David Moyes adopt the 4-4-1-1 he favoured with Everton last year, a place behind first-choice frontman Robin van Persie would grant Kagawa the necessary freedom in order to find space in which to create chances, thereby helping the Dutchman to build upon the 26 league goals he scored last season.
Kagawa netted 6 times - not necessarily a poor return for a player in his debut season playing in a peripheral role - but it’s likely this figure would improve in a more central position, especially when taking into consideration the 13 Bundesliga goals he scored for Dortmund in the year before his move. “Shinji Kagawa is one of the best players in the world and now he plays 20 minutes at Manchester United – on the left wing,” Klopp said of the player back in May and if Moyes wants to endear himself to the United supporters early on, utilising Kagawa in his best position would surely profit the player, manager and club.
