Togga Forwards: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

That was a tough GW2 for many of the most popular Togga strikers. As Al Pacino’s Coach D’Amato correctly pointed out, “Life is just a game of inches.” So is Togga.

Up & Down for Lacazette, Down & Up for Lukaku, Down & Out for Kane

Arsenal’s shiny new toy, Alexandre Lacazette, was thiiiis close to scoring a goal and having a passable scoring week. Instead, he was ruled offside by an inch or two, and his Togga managers had to settle for a very disappointing week. Inches... The difference between a 13 point haul and the two that he earned.

Romelu Lukaku was another star striker who looked headed for a very disappointing outing only to be redeemed late. With just 10 minutes to play, I’m sure many a Togga manager was looking nervously at the hullking Belgian forward’s score thinking they’d have to deal with a “Lukaku Two Point Special”. But, unlike Lacazette, Lukaku came through and earned his Togga managers a decent 14.5 point return. Crisis averted just a few minutes before the end of the match against the Swans.

Inches also played a crucial role in what could have been a 20-point game for Harry Kane, who hit the post on a spectacular play. The unfortunate turn of events left his Togga managers grappling with back-to-back disappointing scores (4.5 in GW1; 8.5 in GW2) and fearing that the sky is falling. Hint: Kane is a notoriously slow starter; don’t go trading him for 85 cents on the dollar!

Good Fortune but Mixed Prospects for the Less-Heralded Snipers

On the other hand, three unheralded forwards did very well. West Ham United’s Chicharito’s brace resulted in a monster 30.5 Togga score; Watford’s Richarlison earned 24 points from his goal plus lively creative display; and newly arrived Stoke City loanee Jese sent every Togga manager running to the waiver wire desperate to place a claim on the back of an impressive offensive display that included a goal and a Togga return of 22.5 points.

Heading into GW3, I like Chicharito versus Newcastle’s depleted defense and shaky goalkeeping, and I like Richarlison versus the relegation-quality defensive corps that Brighton & Hove Albion have stitched together for this Premier League season. I’m not expecting scores of 30.5 or 24 respectively, but I would be disappointed if we don’t see at least 18 point returns from each.

I am, however, a little worried about Jese’s prospects next week. The Arsenal three-man defense he faced in GW2 was wide open and easy to run against. It also featured only one natural central defender (Shkodran Mustafi) plus two players better suited for fullback or wingback roles (Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolasinac). Jese is on the road next at West Bromwich Albion where he’ll have to go up against some of the more rugged defenders in the business: Craig Dawson and early season surprise Ahmed “the Egyptian Tower” Hegazi. I’m tempering my expectations here and would expect a Togga score in the 3-5 range.

What’s in Store for the Manchester United and Arsenal Stars?

As for Lukaku and Lacazette, I’m thinking I’d be happy with scores in the 8-15 range respectively this coming weekend. Lukaku goes up against the Leicester City’s tall and physical central defenders Wes Morgan and Harry Maguire. However, the Foxes’ fullbacks (Danny Simpson and Christian Fuchs) can be had on the run, so perhaps we see a wicked cross that the Red Devils’ Belgian international is able to blast past Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel.

After facing Stoke City’s very physical defenders in GW2, Lacazette will have a slightly more fun outing against Liverpool’s sloppy defense. I don’t know if the Gunners’ French international striker will score, but I do believe he’ll have at least a couple of shots on target and, hey, you never know what can happen when Simon “Butterfingers” Mignolet is keeping goal.

So, how was your GW2 Togga striker experience? Did your team win your league’s matchup on the strength of a striker explosion? Did Lacazette sink your Perfect XI hopes and dreams? What are your thoughts for GW3? Let us know in the comments!