The third game is always puzzling when a team made good and won its two first matches.
Some managers rest their best players (or those who've been yellow carded).
I have no idea what Maradonna and Baart van X will do and ask myself : should I keep the same Dutch players?
Will Maradonna rest Higuain and give Milito some action?

Van Marwijk has hinted towards the press that he'll start with the same team. Plus he's really not the kind of coach to switch around with his first team much at all.

Perhaps one or two players will get rested. Van Persie is not looking 100% fit for instance and there are 3 players on a yellow card (including Van Persie).
Maybe Elia/Affelay/Huntelaar will be given more playing time and perhaps we'll even see Robben come on in the second half.

Right or not, but in Dutch media, the whole "resting the first team"-thing is often mentioned (together with Boulahrouz' prematurely born child's death) as one of the main reasons for the quarterfinal fiasco at Euro 2008.


I just took out 13 points worth of players out of my fantasy team, so my substitutes better not disappoint me!

Thanks!


Van Persie was my main concern. I'll keep my midfielder. Van Persie's case is giving me a headache. Among my five strikers, 3 could be rested...


I did not know that.


I dropped 12.
And lined up New Zealand goalkeeper instead of Neuer. That's not as risky as it might seem. He'll be shot at 100 times. He might let in a couple of goals, but I'll be rewarded.
On my bench is 15-point Stojkovic...
Pffff...

Being number 2, then, pokkeherrie?
Thrilling, isn't it?

I have exactly the same thing with Van Persie... had high hopes for him. Finally he'd been given the centre-forward position (in previous years he was nearly always moved to the left/right in favour of Van Nistelrooij or Huntelaar) and he looked sharp in the pre-tournament games (4 goals in 3 matches, scoring with both left and right foot). Then he's also Holland's first choice penalty-taker, which can be important in fantasy football.

But in the first two matches he hasn't showed it AT ALL. He looks tired, he doesn't get the ball and instead comes collecting it on his own half... and when he does get a shot on goal it doesn't look powerful. Yesterday I even thought about transferring him... yet I still have a feeling he might start scoring again. Maybe that's wishful thinking. :(


Second place feels good, but it also makes me wish I had read about the substitution thing earlier. Bringing in Hamsik today isn't paying off though, but at least he's not doing worse than Lahm (whom I substituted him for).

today i made 5 substitutions worth of 24 points!... but i think that - as in first round - i'm actually taking too many risks looking for the perfect score. in particular, i regret bringing in Hamsik - not only because he only brought 3 points today, but because throught this last substitution i now have the minimum of 3 midfielders and cannot substitute again Hamsik with one of my three last potential players on the becnh (no midfielder among them).

i think that in the end i might have too much of a balanced team (only one of my 23 players - the 3rd NZ goalkeeper - is not a potential point-earner) - having lots of potential substitutes is good to try to correct bad choices, but maybe i need more stars and more "ghost players"...

RE: ghost players, I just noticed I have J. Yun Nam in my team... I had no idea! :)

He's the North Korean who scored against Brazil. Naturally he was on my bench, so no points for me. I doubt he'll be scoring again, but maybe I can sell him at a profit.

I'm happy so far as I didn't have to much of clue on world class players as my soccer involvement just started this year watching the English Premiere
league. I've been getting killed with my third forward as Milito hasn't been playing and the Vela of Mexico got hurt. If I had a third guy up there giving me what Messi and Robinho have been giving me I dare say I'd be in the top 3 or 4. Hopefully I can make the right transfers for the round of 16.

... while I just feel like Domenech, with a team full of Anelkas.

I am waiting for the round of 16. I finally understand what is necessary.

Van Persie will play according to Van Marwijk, because he needs to "regain his form and match fitness". Other than Robben it's very well possible he won't change much at all. The yellow card thing no longer seems important now that they're only discarded after the quarterfinals.

However, it seems like Higuain will not be playing. I don't speak Spanish, but supposedly Maradona has said that he will start with his son-in-law instead playing next to Messi.

Since he was my captain, David Villa missing that penalty costed me 14 fantasy points, dammit! On the other hand, he should've been red-carded for hitting that Honduras player in the face, so I'm actually pretty lucky here. It's even possible he may still get suspended for that.

Man, for a total futbol fantasy newbie, I feel pride in moving my way up the Liquid World Cup rankings , even if it is from dead last to 28th