CRY-ARS (0-2)

While Eze and Ayew took some chances, but they were not enough for Ramsfeld. Zaha and Edouard got help from Andersen but could not score a goal. Arsenal defence did put a stop to all ‘nay’ sayers. Zinchenko although provided substantial return, he might be rotated in later GWs. Saka played relatively deeper role but linked up well with Martinelli and later on with Nketiah, who might may start next match. Gabriel Jesus disappointed many FPL managers.

FUL-LIV (2-2)

Fulham played really well in 1st half. But that’s it for them. MItrovic scored twice. Andreas really impressed alongside Reed & Kebano. TAA looked a bit shaky in defence. Robbo can prove to be a good differential. LIV maintained a high line and at some time, Matip even made a solo run to final third with Van Djik alone in defence. Diaz made some good runs and attempts but was unlucky. Firmino did not impress. Nunez is explosive but he is likely to come off bench at least for a while now in the beginning. Salah remains the FPL King.

BOU-AVL (2-0)

Travers is a good GK. He won the championship golden glove. BOU was predicted by many to be relegated, but they had started very strong. Lerma and Moore did well. AVL disappointed for sure as they missed out CS.

LEE-WOL (2-1)

Rodrigo definitely stood out in pre-season and he continues the same for Leeds as they beat Wolves. Coady did not start for Wolves as he is linked with Everton. Podence was always better but Pundits had suggested Neto which hurt many FPL managers. Bamford is a good differential but costlier than Tony or at par with Wilson. Meslier will provide save points. Collins seems to stay regular in Wolves defence, can be a good differential.

NEW-NFO (2-0)

Henderson probably is the best GK a newly promoted team could ask for. But defence also has to be good which NFO did not have. Henderson can be a differential pick for his save points. Saint Maximin drew attention aside from Wilson. Schar can be an easier route to NEW defence. Trippier started but Botman was in bench.

TOT-SOU (4-1)

It is August and Kane got shy again, so he played a deeper role. Son’s one assist was not worth his price. Kuluseviski impressed well, so did Emerson Royal and Sessegnon. However, the defenders might be rotated. Ahead of Chelsea game, Conte probably had told Kane and Son to take it easy. Ward Prowse impresses again. He is every season’s differential as most FPL managers ignore him. A 4M defender, probably starter, has emerged, Valery. Djenepo is another differential to look at. Bazunu starts ahead of McCarthy.

EVE-CHE (0-1)

Patterson starts. Doucoure impressed. Sterling can be a decent differential. Jorginho continues to be penalty taker. Mount disappointed. Chilwell started and assisted the penalty. James provided some good crosses.

LEI-BRE (2-2)

Raya started. Rico Henry and Da Silva can be good differential. Tony remains marked most of the time, while Mbeumo is open. Tielemans and Dewsburry Hall can be good differential beside the premium players like Maddison and Vardy. Maddison and Tielemans definitely stood out.

MUN-BHA (1-2)

Absolutely shambolic performance from Man United in first half. The goal for them in second half was own goal by Brighton. Lisandro Martinez starts. Gross impressed, so did Welbeck. Trossard disappointed in FPL terms.

WHU-MCI (0-2)

KDB can be a good differential, Gundogan/Foden too. Cancello got an yellow but impressed. Although it seems Ake and Walker seems nailed on in starting GWs, doubling up City def might prove to be hurting due to rotation in future. Also in the last pre-season match as well as against WHU, Ederson seemed to have hurt his head; although they were minor in nature, Ederson seemed uneasy a bit. Haaland silenced his doubters with a brace although the first was a penalty.

Approximately 17 GWs are left now. And this is January – with the transfer season going on and the new WC available, it is very easy to get tempted and tinker with your team.

Let’s look at the teamwise “little plays” up to GW 24.

ARS:
CRY (A), SHU (H), CHE (A) & BUR (A) 3 away match out of 4

Records:
1. Against CRY: Last 5 matches ARS 2, CRY 1, DRAW 2. NO CS for any team. On avg. both teams scored 2 goals/match. ARS defence usually scores/assists in this fixture.
Notable players: Milivojevic (Watch out), Ayew, Aubameyang, Lacazette (Differential)

2. Against SHU: Last 5 matches ARS 3, SHU 2, DRAW 0. Alternate CS for each team implying ARS should get CS in this match. On avg. ARS scored 2 goals/match. Except the last match, all other matches are before 2009.

Notable players: Aubameyang, Moussette (Differential)

3. Against CHE: Last 5 matches ARS 1, CHE 3, DRAW 1. Only 1 CS for ARS. On avg. CHE scored 2 goals/match and ARS scored 1.4 goals/match. ARS defence usually scores/assists in this fixture whereas CHE mid usually does the same
Notable players: Willian, Jorginho, Lacazette (Differential)

4. Against BUR: Last 5 matches ARS 5, CRY 0, DRAW 0. Only 2 CS for ARS. On avg. ARS scored 2.8 goals/match. ARS defence usually scores/assists in this fixture.
Notable players: Aubameyang (MUST HAVE), Lacazette, Barnes (Differential)

Takeaways for next 4GW for ARS: Keep Aubameyang if you already have him. Sokratis would be a gamble.

GW 22 is yet to begin but why the title is called reflection then? Because it’s time for a double GW (for LIV and WHU) in GW 24 and fpl managers need to plan ahead accordingly.

Do not transfer out DGW (i.e. LIV &WHU) players

You will often see managers transferring out players because they have either poor form or fixture. First, let’s have a look at LIV then WHU.

LIV players have good form but bad fixture in upcoming 4 GW with TOT (A), MUN (H), WOL (A) & WHU (A). With 3 Away matches out of 4 and 2 difficult matches at the beginning with difficulty rating 4, you might be tempted to transfer out LIV players. But remember their form. Fixtures may be difficult along with Away disadvantage, but you should not forget that these LIV players can bring you fpl points against anyone.

WHU has moderate fixtures with SHU (A) EVE (H) LEI (A) LIV (H), with the last two matches particularly being difficult. Yet, If you already have players from WHU like Fornals, Haller, Snodgrass, Ogbonna, Rice I would suggest hold on to them rather than transfer them away. Rip the benefit of double GW without making unnecessary transfer.

Rotation fears may materialize into reality

It is not certain but likely that, some rotation might take place. The top 3 position in points table seems already locked with LIV already ahead by 13 points from the second positioned LEI and 14 points from third positioned MCI.

It’s not a title race any more this year; it’s like the runner up race which LEI and MCI will fight.

CHE is already 8 points behind MCI and Man Utd is 13 points behind MCI. Competition from them might not at all take place. TOT and WOL both have 30 points but only the goal difference made them 6th and 7th position holder. ARS is just around the mid table with 10th position and 27 points only.

Being this far ahead from competition gives coaches some space for experimentation. Ahead of double GW we may see Salah and Mane getting rests in alternative matches, the same goes with Robertson/TAA. Only VVD and Allison seems more likely to play all 4 matches at a stretch. But focusing on defense might not be a good idea when the fixture is bad. Salah and Mane might play less minutes but a brace from either of them might give more points than from the defenders in 2 GWs. I would double up Salah and Mane both for double GW 24.

Time for Planning ahead:

For having 3 to 6 double gw player in GW 24, I would suggest you making transfer upto GW 23 in such a way that, you can maximize the number of double GW players. Most likely you have already atleast 2 players from LIV and WHU together. You can just transfer 3 players to bring 3 players more to make 5 double GW players in GW 24.

As for LIV, I would prefer Salah, Mane both with VVD behind. Because I need both weeks of playtime from my LIV defense. As for WHU, Haller, Fornals and Ogbonna should be the key targets.

Looking elsewhere … we will have a team by team analysis for other teams in next 3 GWs. Watch out for tomorrow’s post.

At last I got some time to sit down and look back at how I did last few GW.

Template Team:
Transfer Made: 1
Transfer Out: Robertson
Transfer In: Van Dijk
Goalkeeper: Ryan 4.5M (BHA), Button 4.0M (BHA)
Defenders: Van Dijk 7.0M (LIV), TAA 7.0M (LIV), Digne 6.0M (EVE), Kelly 4.0M (CRY), Lundstram 4.0M (SHU)
Midfielders: Salah 12.5M (LIV), Sterling 12M (MCI), Sigurdsson 8.0M (EVE), Fraser 7.5M (BOU), Dendoncker 4.5M (WOL)
Forwards: Wilson 8.0M (BOU), Jota/King 6.5M (WOL/BOU),
Greenwood 4.5M (MUN)

Playing 4-4-2, the team would have scored 57 points with Sterling as Captain in GW 2.

Transfer Made: 1
Transfer Out: Willson
Transfer In: Pukki
Goalkeeper: Ryan (BHA), Button (BHA)
Defenders: Van Dijk (LIV), TAA (LIV), Digne (EVE), Kelly (CRY), Lundstram (SHU)
Midfielders: Salah (LIV), Sterling (MCI), Sigurdsson (EVE), Fraser (BOU), Dendoncker (WOL)
Forwards: Pukki (NOR), Jota (WOL),
Greenwood 4.5M (MUN)

Playing 4-4-2, the team would have scored 66 points with Salah as Captain in GW 3.

Transfer Made: 1
Transfer Out: Sigurdsson
Transfer In: D. Silva
Goalkeeper: Ryan (BHA), Button (BHA)
Defenders: Van Dijk (LIV), TAA (LIV), Digne (EVE), Kelly (CRY), Lundstram (SHU)
Midfielders: Salah (LIV), Sterling (MCI), Silva (MCI), Fraser (BOU), Dendoncker (WOL)
Forwards: Pukki (NOR), Jota (WOL),
Greenwood 4.5M (MUN)

Playing 4-4-2, the team would have scored 63 points with Salah as Captain in GW 4.

Template team’s total points = 93+57+66+63 = 279

My main team performed poorly. Having no Salah and Sterling costed a lot. Playing 5-2-3, I managed only 47 points in GW 2. https://fantasy.premierleague.com/entry/114799/event/2

I could not help but play Wild Card in GW 3. Brought in Sterling, DeBruyne and Mane but it disheartened me again with only 48 points.
https://fantasy.premierleague.com/entry/114799/event/3

Brought in Salah but still the team performed bad mainly because Sterling did not shine. Again got 47 points in GW 4.
https://fantasy.premierleague.com/entry/114799/event/4

Total points for my main ID is = 78+43+48+47 = 216

My second ID on the otherhand (which I made just for fun) is doing well. Total Points = 76+62+62+47 = 247 points
https://fantasy.premierleague.com/entry/546099/event/4

Starting without Salah and Sterling proved out to be a disaster. Salah punished me with a goal and assist but it was Sterling who did the most damage with a hattrick.

The template team was:
Goalkeeper: Ryan 4.5M (BHA), Button 4.0M (BHA)
Defenders: Robertson 7.0M (LIV), TAA 7.0M (LIV), Digne 6.0M (EVE), Kelly 4.0M (CRY), Lundstram 4.0M (SHU)
Midfielders: Salah 12.5M (LIV), Sterling 12M (MCI), Sigurdsson 8.0M (EVE), Fraser 7.5M (BOU), Dendoncker 4.5M (WOL)
Forwards: Wilson 8.0M (BOU), Jota/King 6.5M (WOL/BOU),
Greenwood 4.5M (MUN)

Playing 4-4-2, max points that could be achieved was 93 with Sterling as a captain. I probably would have gone for the template team but could not resist the temptation of experimentation.

My team scored 78. If Liverpool kept a clean sheet then it could score 90 which is close to the template team. Kane saved the GW with all premium defenders performing well.

Team Link: https://fantasy.premierleague.com/entry/114799/event/1/

I had 1 FT which I thought I would accumulate till I have two FTs, but seeing Man Utd’s play could not resist to bring Martial and Rashford both in after transferring out B. SIlva and Wilson. Hope they would not be too costly.

B.Silva will most likely start against Spurs but I think he will share gametime in future GWs so had to pull him out of the team Wilson lacked initiative in 1st match. Had to transfer him out too.

The playing eleven has now 3 Liverpool, 3 Man Utd, 1 Everton, 1 Man City, 1 Leicester, 1 Arsenal and 1 Spurs player. The risk is spread out except for Liverpool and Man Utd. If Liverpool does not get a CS then my team would definitely lose 12 points that could have been possible. If Man Utd fails to score, I will be deprived of attacking returns that my team direly needs.

I don’t have Salah or Sterling. So will probably have to WC soon if their blistering form continues.

Let’s see what GW 2 has in its store. Usually after such a heavy GW, a lean GW of 30-40 odd points do appear and I sincerely am expecting one.

Here we go again. Another season, lots of new faces!

The dilemma continues; about whom to pick, whom to avoid and whom keep as bench fodder.

For many, the team template would most likely end up as

Goalkeeper: Ryan 4.5M (BHA), Button 4.0M (BHA)
Defenders: Robertson 7.0M (LIV), TAA 7.0M (LIV), Digne 6.0M (EVE), Kelly 4.0M (CRY), Lundstram 4.0M (SHU)
Midfielders: Salah 12.5M (LIV), Sterling 12M (MCI), Sigurdsson 8.0M (EVE), Fraser 7.5M (BOU), Dendoncker 4.5M (WOL)
Forwards: Wilson 8.0M (BOU), Jota/King 6.5M (WOL/BOU), Greenwood 4.5M (MUN)

One can also go for Jiminez 7.5M (WOL) or Haller 7.5M (WHU) or Kean 7.0M (EVE) and make any other combination possible for the forwards (3 players with a total cost of 19M); but Jiminez has tough fixtures whereas Haller and Kean needs some time to accomodate and prove themselves in premier league.

Purpose of this blog is to keep myself accountable. I built a team based on popularity – that’s a no brainer. If everybody loses then so am I.

Goalkeeper: Ederson 6M (MCI); McGovern 4m (Norwich).
Defender: Robertson 7.0M (LIV), TAA 7.0M (LIV), VVD 6.5M (LIV), Digne 6.0M (EVE), AWB 5.5M (MUN)
Midfield: B.Silva 8M (MCI), Perez 6.5M (LEI), Stephens 4.5M (BHA), Hayden 4.5M (NEW), Dendoncker 4.5M (WOL)
Forwards: Aubameyang 11M (ARS), Wilson 8M (BOU), Kane 11M (TOT)

I chose Ederson to think of him as a keeper for the whole season. Had to choose him instead of Allison because I wanted all 3 defenders from Liverpool; the liverpool trio, Digne and AWB completes my defense based on solely popularity (Teams selected by %). The forwards are also selected in the same way. But when you spend much on defenders and forwards, there is very little to do with midfielders. Still managed to bring in B.SIlva and Perez. However, starting season without Salah or Sterling can prove fatal but I decided not to. The decision was underpinned by two factors mainly: 1. Points per million calculation. 2. Flexibility in future transfers. This year I decided to stick on to a strategy and let’s see what happens.

I will let you know what happened to my team after GW 1. I will also make a comparison with the template team and see whether I did good or bad. Till then let’s say goodbye now.

P.S. you can also track my team live from here once the GW starts: https://fantasy.premierleague.com/entry/114799/event/1/