PLAYER ANALYSIS FROM EACH TEAM
Starting from Arsenal, their defence never really looked good on any of the two matches. But Ainsley Maitland-Niles particularly impressed going forward with an assist in the first GW showing potential for points. And especially it was a home debut to remember for Ceballos who recently joined from Real Madrid on loan. His spectacular performance showcased the missing piece in the Arsenal midfield. He almost got himself a goal if it wasn’t for Pope’s diving save. With his couple of key passes and excellent dribbles that could open any defence, he is absolutely worth that bargain £5.5 with excellent fixtures starting from GW5.
After losses in both the opening GW’s for Aston Villa, there were some positives in the form of Heaton after they spent more than £100m in the summer. But apart from him, it was Elmohamady who caught the eye due his claim of maximum points despite conceding twice in the 2nd GW. With some good fixtures around the corner, he could be a gem to fantasy managers who is currently owned by only 2.0% of the managers. But seeing the way they play, it seems like we should be focusing our attention to their forwards rather than defenders as it feels they are going to get a lot of goals rather than a couple of Clean Sheets. After seeing McGinn scoring the opener in the game vs Spurs, He made his claim by constantly moving forward firing in 6 shots, 3 of which were on target. He is undoubtedly on my radar with Ceballos being the only competition in that price range.
After the match against reigning champions, Bournemouth have a kind run of fixtures which could provide some FPL points. The cheapest route into their attack comes in the form of loanee H. Wilson who has had a fine season with Derby County. And in the forward role, nothing can be better than £6.5m rated penalty taker King.
Things quite turned out like a dream for Brighton after that away win at Vicarage Road. But it didn’t turn out that well from the FPL perspective due to the uncertainty in the attacking line-up. But the save points from Ryan could serve you well. While it was Dunk who caught the attention of most of the FPL Managers, it was Burn who was a threat in the opposition box and could be a Duffy if he can keep his starting berth. Talking about attack, all the goals were scored by the substitutes who didn’t lineup in the 2nd GW. And if Trossard could keep his starting place, then he can prove to be a differential considering the fact that Brighton have created the most chances this season.
Talking about Burnley, it’s all about their defensive prowess and goalkeeping magic that has been attracting FPL Managers since some seasons ago. And that’s exactly what Nick Pope has been doing pulling off some excellent saves. And there is some forward interest in the form of Barnes who has been lively in front of goal.
After the loss for Crystal Palace to Sheffield United and the frequent red marks on the difficulty rankings, it will take quite a brave manager to turn to them for points except for Kelly who can be used as an enabler to bring more premiums to your teams.
The team with the easiest fixtures that has failed to impress is Chelsea. Probably, they have the easiest fixture of all the teams in the long run. But it will be hard to pinpoint a single player from the team for success. However, managers who want to take a risk can turn to Emerson who can prove to be a new Alonso at a reduced price.
At the end of GW2, there is only one team that hasn’t conceded a goal, Everton. But problems certainly persist in their attack after a singular goal that resulted in their only win. The go-to player is surely Digne, who is currently owned by about 25% of the managers and this is surely likely to increase.
If any outsiders can break into the Top 6 ahead of the favorites, then it’s going to be Leicester. The response they gave after a quiet first half against Chelsea was superb and reminiscent of what they can do with Maddison being the focal point of almost every attack that builds up around them. Another player that managers should consider is £4.5m rated Söyüncü who is the cheapest way to get into their defence.
Before the start of the season, the most owned defenders and goalie were from Liverpool. But it is FPL, and things almost never work out as we think. That’s exactly what has happened with Liverpool after injury to Alisson. They didn’t manage to keep a Clean Sheet in any of the two matches. But the efforts from TAA going forward was highly appreciable as he was moving high up the pitch. Other things apart, who can ignore a goalkeeper from a team that is fighting to win the league title and priced at a mere £4.5m? And the attacking trio of Mane, Firmino and Salah is the deadliest in the league. Nobody can afford all three of them but one of them is a must-have – no matter who you pick, they are going to get you points.
Manchester City can batter anyone on their day, no matter which team they are. In addition to that, the sea of green on the fixtures can get no better. After firing in 19 shots on target in the first 2 games of the league and they don’t seem like stopping anytime soon. Truly, I think they are the only team in the league of which investment of three players is worth it. The cheapest route into the City defence, being Zinchenko, is the most favorable option at the back. And the return of De Bruyne back to his best assisting Raheem Sterling cannot get any better. It is worth it to invest in both of them unless one of them slows down provided the frequent rift between Aguero and Guardiola hampering his game time.
It was absolutely nothing Manchester United and de Gea could do about that stunner by Ruben Neves. But if he can build anywhere near his 18 Clean Sheets which was achieved 2 seasons ago, he would be a bargain regarding the no. of saves he makes each game. But it was particularly Wan-Bissaka who impressed in the game against Wolves constantly going forward to test the defence. He was really unlucky not to get a couple of assists in the game thanks to poor control from Lingard. And regarding the attackers from United, a guaranteed forward who is classified as a midfielder in FPL at £7.6 at the time of writing can’t be ignored considering the threat he provides.
One team that will be surely fighting against the relegation this season will be Newcastle United. After two consecutive losses, I can’t see them improving soon with the fixtures being against them.
Even after being battered by Liverpool, Norwich didn’t seem to change their playing style which is good news for FPL Managers. They proved they were right against a weak Newcastle side. There is a plenty of options in the team, starting with Hanley at £4.0m and Cantwell at £4.5m. The former can be a enabler but latter is no-brainer after attacking two straight games in an attacking position with a fine display. The man no one can go wrong with is Teemu Pukki who did put on some fine displays against Liverpool and Newcastle United and currently is the joint top scorer of the league along with most shots on target.
Despite being everyone’s favorite tipped for relegation, Sheffield United are living their dream in the Premier League but it will be hard to continue this with the Top 6 sides coming to haunt them in the next 11 GW. However, John Lundstram has been on everyone’s lips since before the beginning of season due to being used as a midfielder despite being categorized as a defender who is available at the price of only £4.1m at the time of writing.
There haven’t been any positives from Southampton in both attack and defense. So, it is worth waiting for a while if you are considering to move for any Saints player.
Tottenham hasn’t had the perfect start to the season after getting lucky lately in both the games. However, the way Kyle-Walker Peters moves forward has caught my attention and being the cheapest defender from the side, he is worth a punt. When Pep Guardiola calls a team as great as Spurs “the Harry Kane team”, then you must know why. Given that his price has declined to £11.0m after the release of game, he is a no-brainer for any manager given he has already played against City away from home.
Being at the bottom of the table is the worst feeling one can have, regardless of the time. But Watford are not a side that anyone expects to get relegated this season. So, keep an eye on them during their resurgence and pounce on them at the right moment.
West Ham almost never live up to the hype created by their super signings in almost every summer. The case is same again. Powered by the attacking philosophy of Pellegrini, we haven’t seen enough from the Hammers to consider any of the attackers. At the moment, for the kind run of fixtures, Lanzini is the best attacking option after he recovered from the injury that kept him out for most of the previous season. The only points we can expect in defence is from Fabianski who is praised for no. of saves he makes each game.
Wolves are a nightmare to play against for Top 6 sides and they showed why. But considering the tough fixtures they have ahead of them, the only player worth considering in the team right now is Leander Dendoncker due to his price. I still think Cantwell is a better option unless you are considering both of them to have a team full of premiums and enablers.
5 years, 2 months ago
Firstly a LFC defender is still on the shopping list.