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TFL scout, part 4: Midfielders

SINGAPORE — We now know that Gareth Bale won’t be turning out for Tottenham for the rest of this month, making it a whole lot easier for us to assemble a midfield for our TODAY Fantasy League (TFL) teams before the 2013/14 season kicks off tomorrow (Aug 17).

SINGAPORE — We now know that Gareth Bale won’t be turning out for Tottenham for the rest of this month, making it a whole lot easier for us to assemble a midfield for our TODAY Fantasy League (TFL) teams before the 2013/14 season kicks off tomorrow (Aug 17). Spurs manager Andres Villas-Boas confirmed yesterday that Bale, the costliest midfielder in the TFL at £6.2 million, will ostensibly remain sidelined with a foot injury until Sept 1 — which is when the transfer window closes, incidentally. Bale, 24, is hoping to leave for Real Madrid, who have tabled a €100 million (S$169.4 million) bid for him, and is upset that Spurs won’t let him go. When asked about his mental state, Villas-Boas said that Bale is “not speaking” to anyone at the club. As of the afternoon Aug 15, Bale was the most popular midfielder in the TFL, selected by 41 per cent of managers. With this morning’s news, and the fact that you have unlimited free transfers until the season begins tomorrow, expect that number to dive. Moving along then ... MUST-HAVES Chelsea’s Eden Hazard (£5.5m) may have been outscored by team-mate Juan Mata (£5.6m) last term — leading more managers to pick him over Hazard — but he’s a good bet to outdo the Spaniard this time around. Belgium international Hazard was one of the most played men in the Blues’ pre-season tour, often on the pitch for over hour while the rest of the squad would be changed almost wholesale at half-time by Jose Mourinho. You can be sure Mourinho will rotate his squad mercilessly, but it’s a fair bet that Hazard will see more playing time in the Premiership than Mata, who will likely be saved for Champions League outings. If can afford it, get both Arsenal midfielders Theo Walcott (£5.6m) and Santi Cazorla (£5.4m). Both scored 121 points in the TFL last season to end up joint third among midfielders, behind Bale and Mata. But if you had to pick just one, consider Walcott, who managed his tally with less time on the pitch then Cazorla. MAYBES Chelsea’s Frank Lampard (£5.3m) and Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard (£5.4m) once were warriors, midfielders you ignored at your peril. But age catching up with them and they both managed only so-so seasons in 2012/13, leading us to question why they’re still priced so high. That said, they might be worth drafting next month, after we get a better idea of their form. Gerrard picked up the pace in the second half of last season to end up the seventh highest-scoring midfielder, one ahead of Lampard, and could step up should Luis Suarez keep up his sulking or just up and leave for another club. Lampard, meanwhile, could be in for a revival under Mourinho who, as a fan of Lamps’, could tap on his experience and hand him more playing time. Both Gerrard and Lampard take penalties for their sides, which not to be sniffed at. Note that 17 of the 20 Premiership clubs have midfielders as their designated penalty-takers. Two prospects you might to consider, if you’re splurging on three strikers in a 3-4-3 or 4-3-3 formation, would be Man City’s young Jack Rodwell (£3.7m) and new Chelsea signing Kevin de Bruyne (£4.0m). As a full-back at Everton, Rodwell quickly broke into the first-team and played most of the season out-of-position in midfield. It would be far harder to repeat the feat at City, with its abundance of talent, and he might end up this season’s Javi Garcia-gamble, so keep him on your radar. De Bruyne is also up against it in a Chelsea squad of fantastic depth, but his pre-season performances with the Blues, and on international duty with Belgium, mark him as a star in the making. I’m also keeping an eye on Marouane Fellaini (£4.7m). The afro-ed Belgian of Everton benefitted from David Moyes’ playing him out of position as a second striker but was also yellow-card magnet. We’ll have to see how he fits into the plans of his new boss Roberto Martinez. MAJOR MISTAKES Any midfielder from Manchester United. They scored hardly anything last season as van Persie stepped up, with Shinji Kagawa (£4.6m) somehow managing to emerge the tops in fantasy points from the United midfield. Add to that the rotation policy Moyes is set to continue, it’s best to just invest in van Persie. I had tipped Swansea’s Michu (£5.0m) last season, and the Spanard duly delivered on his debut season in the Premiership, defying the odds and emerging as the sixth highest-scoring midfielder in the TFL last season. I’m not so sure this time around. I’m definitely sure I’m staying clear of Michu for the first few months as Swansea look set to endure a fixture list from hell. Ask me again in two months, who knows what will happen between then and now. YOUR TFL PRIMER Part 1: Watch the fixture list — http://tdy.sg/TFLprimer1 Part 2: Spotting the difference — http://tdy.sg/TFLprimer2 Part 3: Rotate the armband — http://tdy.sg/TFLprimer3 Part 4: Help from the bookies — http://tdy.sg/TFLprimer4 Part 5: Musical chairs at the big clubs — http://tdy.sg/TFLprimer5 TFL SCOUT REPORT Part 1: Goalkeepers — http://tdy.sg/TFLscout1 Part 2: Full-backs — http://tdy.sg/TFLscout2 Part 3: Centre-backs — http://tdy.sg/TFLscout3 Part 4: Midfielders — http://tdy.sg/TFLscout4 Part 5: Forwards — http://tdy.sg/TFLscout5 Click here to take part in the TODAY Fantasy League now — Manager of the Season wins US$5,000.

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