3 Hidden Gems for Fantasy Football: Player 1 Dusan Tadic

3 Hidden Gems for Fantasy Football

Part 1: Dusan Tadic

Is your fantasy team lagging behind your mates? Need some cheap players who will score you some well needed points? Have no fear us at The View From The Stand have some hidden gems that could help you out!

So after the long summer wait, premier league football is now truly underway, with 2 games gone the season is starting to take shape, and with it, fantasy football has returned. If your like me you'll be continuously scouring scout reports, upcoming fixtures, the never ending debate of who will be your captain and trying to predict which players will come good in crucial games. This season has thrown up a few interesting points, extremely expensive players such as Yaya Toure and Wayne Rooney have scored poorly in the opening couple of games, both looking like different players compared to last season. Others such as Sterling and Ramsey have continued from where they left off, and some surprise packages such as Steven Naismith, Jovetic and Sigurdsson have been extremely impressive. However there are a couple of sleepers who i believe will have an excellent year, who have been quietly getting to grips with the new season and should most definitely be looked at as potential recruitments for your fantasy team; 

1. Dusan Tadic (Southampton) (6.7 mil)

Signed in the summer from FC Twente in Holland, he was bought in as a replacement to Adam Lallana, and from his first couple of games it is easy to see the similarities, a tall, pacey and very skillful midfielder, Tadic has the capability to play anywhere in the midfield. Bagging 16 goals and 14 assists last season, as well as grabbing the Eredivisie's Player of the season he is highly thought of by new Southampton boss Ronald Koeman, who knew all about Dusan from his time managing Feyenoord, so is almost guaranteed to start games. He looked very impressive in both of Southampton's opening two games and seems to have adjusted to the pace of the premier league, and with upcoming fixtures such as West Brom, West Ham, Newcastle, Swansea and QPR there is a run of games that he will impress in, in my opinion Tadic is a hidden gem that not many have chosen but in the next 6 games or so will rack up points for fun due to his undoubted quality and upcoming opponents. 

The View From The Stand: With many players under-preforming Tadic is a player who should be given a chance, playing in a new attacking Southampton, with easy games to flourish coming up, he is certainly worth a gamble. 

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The Lowdown: Arturo Vidal

The Lowdown: Artuo Vidal 

Get the lowdown on Arturo Vidal and what the View From The Stand Is!

Name: Arturo Vidal

Age: 27

Nationality: Chilean

Position: Midfielder

Current Team:         Juventus                    (95 Apps 28 Goals)

Previous Teams:      Bayern Leverkusen     (117 Apps 15 Goals)

                              Colo-Colo                  (36 Apps 2 Goals)

He has be christened Il Guerriero ("The Warrior") by the Italian press for his hard-tackling and tenacious style of play, his game shows very few weaknesses and is the box to box midfielder that Manchester United have been crying out for, he is Arturo Vidal. 

The now infamous purchase of one Marouane Fellaini by ex-united manger David Moyes showed that the position of a world class box to box midfielder was desperately needed at the Red Devils. For all the attacking threat with midfielders such as Mata, Kagawa, Januzaj, Young etc. there was no effective anchor to keep the midfield balanced. After promise from Anderson early in his career, once touted to replace Roy Keane, he has now faded away and looks like the exit door will be shown to him by new manger Louis Van Gaal, players such as Fletcher, Cleverly and Carrick all show flashes but are mainly 'safe' players who will very rarely show flashes of the extraordinary but are reliable back ups to have. But United are crying out for a truly world class central midfielder who's defensive display is equally as impressive as his attacking, and one answer is Vidal. 

Vidal had an extremely productive year last season at Juventus, playing 39 games, scoring 18 and assisting 5, not too bad for a central midfielder. He amassed 11 yellow cards and was awarded 8 Man of the matches throughout all competitions, it can be said that he enjoys a tackle and does not hold back, however he is a very smart player s despite his very physical approach he has only had 2 red cards in his entire club career (he has a total of 56 yellows). In the premier league this may come to haunt him as he could end up missing crucial games if the yellows rack up and he is banned for certain games. 

Despite this Vidal is a wonderful player to watch, a real powerhouse who can counter his aggression with intelligence, playing excellent passes and really controlling the tempo of the game, he contributes with goals and assists all from central midfield, he really is the anchor in Juventus' team, doing the hard work with his endless running, allowing Pirlo to dictate a game, without Vidal, Pirlo wouldn't be as effective (De Rossi acts similarly in the Italian National team). 

Vidal's highlights for the 2013/14 season

The price being talked about for Vidal is around 45 million pounds, despite this hefty fee United would be getting a complete player, one who has very few, if any, weaknesses in his game, he has bags of experience both nationally and at club level, playing countless European games and importantly is a big game player. Vidal is exactly what United are after and is truly one of the best midfielders on the planet today. United are still missing a piece in the jigsaw and Arturo who fill it, and it wouldn't surprise me if he goes down as one of the United greats, should he sign. 

THE VIEW FROM THE STAND
United should do everything in their power to sign Vidal, a complete player and one that they are crying out for. It would be a privilege to see him in the premier league as he is easily one of the best players in the world playing today. 

The Lowdown: Juan Cuadrado

The Lowdown: Juan Cuadrado 

Get the lowdown on Juan Cuadrado and what the View From The Stand Is!

Name:                Juan Cuadrado

Age:                   26

Nationality:         Colombian

Position:             Winger

Current Team:     Fiorentina                           (68 Apps 16 Goals)

Previous Teams:   Leece (Loan)                      (33 Apps 3 Goals)

                          Udinese                             (20 Apps 0 Goals)

                          Independiente Medellín       (30 Apps 2 Goals)

One of the joys of the world cup in Brazil was that of the Colombian team, everyone's second team whose fantastic attacking display combined with brilliant team celebrations made everyone fall in love with the 'Los Cafeteros'. Due to their somewhat surprising success that they had, many of the star players have been linked with moves away from their current teams, both Ospina and James have both moved to Arsenal and Real Madrid respectively. The spotlight has now moved onto Cuadrado with Barcelona and Manchester United reportedly ready to approach the Fiorentina man, the question is how good is he and is the £30 million pound fee justified.

Juan had his best season of his career last year at Fiorentina notching in 11 goals and 5 assists from 33 appearances, he received 8 Man of the Matches during this period meaning that he is a man in form, which he carried into the World Cup (1 goal and 4 assists). At a height of 176 cm, although not the tallest, he is extremely athletic whose pace is at times frightening, coupled with his surprisingly good touch he is a player who can be devastating at times. Due to his speed he was normally played out on the wing, although he can play almost anywhere in midfield, not shy to make a tackle (8 yellows and 1 red last season) he has also been deployed as an effective wing-back, something that new Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal will appreciate. Combining his terrific pace and control means that he can take on a defender with ultimate, effortless ease, and with a pass success rate of 85.6% over the last season he can also be a good distributor of the ball. 

Highlight reel of his 2013/14 season 

His one main weakness is that of his aerial ability, he often is out muscled and out jumped when it comes to both defending and attacking balls, due to his height he cannot get the desired leap to out compete his opponent, one element of his game that will have to worked on.

If United do sign the player, it is one that they will be crying out for, with Nani looking ever more likely to leave, Ashley Young not quite the star winger that United need and Januzaj still a raw, unpolished talent there is definitely a lack of true talented wingers at the club, Cuadrado will this need and certainly has that star quality. At 26 he has plenty of International and European experience both with club and country, however whether or not he can adapt to the harsh premier league would be an interesting. At £30 million there are not many fantastic wingers available at a better price due to the huge inflation seen by moves such as James to Real Madrid and Suarez to Barcelona. 

The View From The Stands: He has enough star quality that would make him a success for United and would be a welcome addition. His talent is worth the £30 million gamble. 

The Lowdown: Christian Atsu

The Lowdown: Christian Atsu

Get the lowdown on Christian Atsu and what the View From The Stand Is!

Name:                Christian Atsu 

Age:                   22

Nationality:         Ghanaian

Position:             Winger

Current Team:     Chelsea                 (0 Apps 0 Goals)

Previous Teams:   Vitesse (Loan)        (28 Apps 5 Goals)

                          Porto                    (17 Apps 1 Goals)

                          Rio Ave (Loan)       (27 Apps 7 Goals)

The imminent arrival of the Atsu at Everton from Chelsea will most certainly please the Goodison faithful, with numbers desperately needed for the up coming season; from the added pressure of their European adventures this year, combined with the fact that the squad at Martinez's disposal is relatively thin and the departure of one Gerard Deulofeu, both bodies and wingers are needed at the club, and it seems that Atsu is the answer. 

The small yet powerful midfielder was one of the many players Chelsea loaned to Vitesse in the Eredivisie where had an impressive campaign notching 5 goals and 6 assists from 28 appearances. Deployed all over the midfield area his main position, surprisingly was through the middle, playing 17 of his games as an attacking central midfielder, however his speed allows him to drift with ease around the pitch so most of the time he found himself on the wings with space, and that is where he is most dangerous.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogvo0Vw5-lk  (Highlight reel of his time at Vitesse)

His lightning fast pace and acceleration mean that he is almost impossible to stop unless you concede a foul in the process, in terms of raw speed Atsu wins hand down when comparing him to Deulofeu, however one of his downfalls is his touch. Unlike Deulofeu whose touch was extremely impressive considering how fast he was Atsu doesn't have the natural 'finesse' that Gerard had, often he had wayward touches and allowed the ball to run to far and not bringing it under control, albeit Christian's speed is one that the Everton faithful will embrace, and certainly one that Martinez will relish. With counter attacks rife under the new management and with players like Barkley, Mirallas and Lukaku all waiting to pounce on the break, Atsu will be a welcome addition.

Everton are also lacking in 'true' wingers, with Mirallas, McGeady and Pienaar the only recognized wide midfielders in the club, (although all three have a reputation for cutting inwards) there is a need for another payer in this position, with Pienaar's injuries last season and McGeady still adjusting to the pace of the premier league another body will ease the over-reliance on Mirallas when the games come thick and fast.

The View From The Stand

Atsu would be a welcome addition to this already young and hungry squad, his skill set is one that Everton may not necessarily have at the minute and with the reported 7 million option to buy him at the end of the loan, Everton could have yet another young and exciting prospect for a decent fee.

The View From The Stand Is: Exactly what Everton need

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