Marouane Fellaini appeared to be headed for the exit door at Manchester United when Louis van Gaal took over. Few could have foreseen the clumsy, abrasive Belgian being a fit for his new boss’s possession based philosophy. Even throughout the first few months of the new regime, it was difficult to see a place for…
Monday Manager: Talking Points
The Premier League may have been dormant over the weekend, but many of its players were in action for their respective countries. We discuss some of the notable talking points from the international break so far. English players in form A 4-0 victory over Lithuania will serve as a timely confidence boost for some of…
International Break: Winners and Losers?
The international break can throw the best laid plans and contingency strategies into disarray, for even the most experienced Premier League managers. With all league action suspended until the 4th of April, the Analyst examines the sides and players hit the hardest. Arsenal Call Ups: Welbeck, Walcott, Gibbs (England), Giroud, Koscielny (France), Sanchez (Chile), Paulista…
Player of the year candidates: Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard is one of several potential candidates for the PFA Player of the year award. The Analyst runs the rule over his claims for the Premier League’s top individual honour. Last May, after watching his Chelsea side bow out of the Champions League at the hands of Atletico Madrid, Jose Mourinho offered a scathing…
PlayON Team of the Season (So Far)
With the PFA awards now open for voting, the Analyst has put together together our top candidates for PlayON’s team of the year. Eight games remain in this season’s Barclay’s Premier League and the title race is beginning to edge towards a procession, while at the bottom this year’s promoted sides are circling the drain…
Analyst v Pundit: Who is fantasy football’s best goalkeeper option?
With Southampton ‘keeper Fraser Forster out for the rest of the season, many fantasy football managers are faced with a gaping hole between the sticks and a tough decision to make over who should fill it. We debated the best man for the last eight weeks of the season. The Analyst: Kelvin Davies Forster is…
Juan Mata thriving in right sided midfield role
Player Profile: Juan Mata Club: Manchester United Starts/Subs: 19/6 Goals: 7 PlayON Price: ÂŁ11.6m PlayON GW30: 3300 pts Juan Mata’s regular blog posts often reveal him to be a thoughtful and intelligent man, with a well rounded view on life. On Sunday, in case anyone had forgotten, he gave us a timely demonstration that he…
Premier League Gameweek 30: Champs And Chumps
Every week, the PlayON Analyst takes a look at the best and worst of the previous round of Premier League action. Here are the latest batch of stars and suspects. Champs Juan Mata Man Utd’s victory over Liverpool has been widely heralded as the finest display of the Louis van Gaal era. The same could easily…
Premier League Recap: Gameweek 30
Review of all of the action from Gameweek 30 of Barclay’s Premier League. All of the goals, misses and incidents can be found here in our Gameweek Round Up. Man City 3-0 West Brom Sadly, this fixture was over as a contest as soon as referee Neil Swarbrick controversially sent off West Brom’s Gareth McCauley…
Monday Manager: Talking Points
Every week we bring you our take on some of the big talking points from the weekend’s Premier League action. Mata Magic Yesterday’s victory over Liverpool was vindication of a sort for Louis van Gaal and his Manchester United players. Skepticism has reigned at Old Trafford all season, as United have clumsily strung together results…