Budgeting In Defence

Since the launch of this year’s Frantasy Premier League (FPL), many managers have begun planning and tweaking with their squads. Over the last few weeks here, I’ve noticed that the main area people seem to be having trouble with is defence. The pricing system has allowed for a much greater freedom in my opinion this year with the relatively low pricing of players like Giroud (8.5), Rooney (10.5) and Dzeko (8.5). The transfer window has also made certain areas of our teams more budget-friendly with the likes of Sigurdsson (6.0), Snodgrass (6.0) and de Jong (7.0) coming into our midfield thinking. Other dangerous players such as Silva (9.0), Mata (9.0), Ramsey (9.0) and Eriksen (8.0) have also been generously priced as opposed to the heavy-hitting mids such as Yaya (11.0), Sanchez (10.5) and Hazard (10.0), which may become a luxury as the season unfolds.

With a plethora of attacking choices available for us Fantasy managers, many have struggled to try and spot who the cheap, secure defenders are and how to work with a smaller budget in defence. The transfer window has made a few quality defenders available to us at the mid-price range and will hopefully provide us with a few more clear-cut choices before September.

Cheap Goalkeeper Rotation

The most popular keeper pair so far seems to be Vito Mannone and Tim Krul. For 9.0, the Tyne-Wear pair offers good rotation for the first 14 Gameweeks (with Gameweeks 4 and 9 the only tricky ones) for a very nice price. Some concerns may be over how new signing Pantillimon may challenge Mannone for the starting spot. Although clean sheets aren’t top of Sunderland’s list of strengths, the Italian shot-stopper did chalk up the most saves last year, which will boost interest in him.

Next up, another popular pairing is David de Gea and Matt Gilks. For 5.5, it would be expected to use De Gea for the first 8 fixtures with Gilks as backup at 4.0, amidst reports of first-choice Burnley keeper Tom Heaton picking up an injury. An alternative is to swap De Gea to Hugo Lloris for the same price after Gameweek 8, when United’s fixtures become tougher and Spurs’ become easier.

Again for 9.5, another rotation pair can be found in Asmir Begovic and Tim Krul. The two offer great rotation up until January, with only two tough Gameweeks during the campaign (GW15 and GW18). Stoke will be hoping to grab a few clean sheets from their decent home fixtures, with Newcastle hopefully picking some up too as Pardew looks to avoid replicating the miserable finish to Newcastle’s 2013/14 season.

Lastly, for another 9.5, Allan McGregor and Kasper Schmeichel offer decent rotation for the majority of the first half of the season. Leicester are the most defensive of the promoted teams this year, with Hull looking to capitalise on their great opening run of fixtures. However, it remains to be seen if the pair can deliver.

Mid-Price Defenders

For this section, it is probably best to exclude 5.5 defenders since we’re looking towards getting the best defence from a tight budget. Although a 5.5 defender might be affordable, it could be the difference between having an extra 4.5 defender instead of taking the risk of a 4.0 defender who might not start.

First up, Joel Ward and Scott Dann are fantastic choices for Crystal Palace. Under Pulis, the Eagles picked up 12 clean sheets in their last 28 games, earning him Premier League Manager of the Year. Fantasy managers will be hoping the same returns can be produced for a mere 5.0 this year.

Another player worth watching is Tottenham’s new signing Ben Davies. The 21-year-old will surely be first choice for Spurs under new manager Pochettino, who racked up 15 clean sheets with Southampton last year (one fewer than Chelsea). His attacking returns will also be a prospect that Fantasy managers will want to profit from, with two goals and an assist from the fullback last year. For 5.0, he is certainly worth keeping an eye on as this year’s Seamus Coleman.

What was an unfortunate season for José Enrique last year was an even more disappointing one for Liverpool in terms of defence. The Merseyside back-line has been progressively declining under Brendan Rodgers over the last two years, with the former Swansea manager looking to strengthen. However, had Enrique not been injured, it might have been a completely different season for Liverpool. The Spanish left-back picked up three clean sheets and two assists in the first seven games before picking up a season-ending injury. For 5.0, he should establish himself in the left full-back position after an encouraging pre-season performance so far. Liverpool are rumoured to be looking for another left-back, yet with European games on the horizon I personally think Enrique will be first choice in the league when fit.

Lastly, Thomas Vermaelen at 5.0 could also be an essential pick should he complete his rumoured transfer to Manchester United. The Belgian centre-back has a an eye for goal as we learned a few seasons back, yet the Arsenal captain has found himself out of favour at the Emirates recently. Should he become Van Gaal’s missing man, he will surely be established in the heart of defence and become a key man in United’s season.

Low-Priced Defenders

In the 4.5/4.0 range there is a huge selection of defenders available to us; finding out who the starters are is the most difficult task though.

As mentioned earlier, Hull have a great opening run of fixtures and James Chester seems the safest pick at 4.5 with a lot of mixed opinions on Rosenior and co. Elsewhere, Neil Taylor also at 4.5 offers a cheap route into the Swansea defence with the departure of Davies to Tottenham, yet according to reports Swansea are looking for a replacement (possibly Kyle Naughton at 4.5). Stoke offer great rotation with Swansea and Geoff Cameron is likely to nail down the right back spot after an impressive World Cup with the USA, who is also 4.5. West Brom offer two cheap alternatives in new signing Sebastien Pocognoli at left-back for 4.5, with fellow new signing Chris Baird priced at 4.0 offering as a cheap prospect should he earn a starting place for the Baggies. Burnley offer great rotation with Hull and Michael Duff, at 4.0, is likely to start unless the Clarets sign a new centre-back (namely Craig Dawson from West Brom at 4.5). One player to watch in the transfer window is Dutch defender Ron Vlaar (4.5). He is being linked to clubs such as Southampton, Spurs and United, and should he make a move to any of these sides he will certainly be a fantastic choice (particularly if he ends up playing for the latter). A final interesting pick could be Rio Ferdinand for QPR at 4.5, who will have a point to prove this season after leaving United after some poor performances.

There are cheaper options available, yet may carry some risk in owning them. For instance, Adrian Marriapa (4.5) could fight for a spot in Palace’s defence yet preseason suggests he may not be in Pulis’ thinking. Likewise Newcastle’s Steven Taylor (4.0) could also push for a spot with Collocini getting on in age. The departure of Dejan Lovren to Liverpool and rumours of José Fonte leaving for Cardiff opens up a centre back spot for Maya Yoshida (4.5) and Jos Hooiveld (4.0) to battle for. Likewise, the move of Calum Chambers (4.5) to Arsenal could see youngster Matt Targett (4.0) fight for a starting spot in the Southamton side, but it is likely he will act as cover throughout the season. With the transfer budget available to Koeman, we would expect to see defensive additions. Andre Wisdom was loking like a fantastic 4.0-priced pick until West Brom announced the signing of Cristian Gamboa. It remains to be seen whether the young Liverpool man can claim the right-back spot or if he will simply be cover. Finally, for Leicester, hopefully the last few preseason games will reveal who is most likely to start between Liam Moore and Matt Upson (both 4.0).