The Digest – Gameweek 3

We wrap up our take on Gameweek 3 with The Digest – our summary of the ten previous fixtures which picks out the top player, the major source of Fantasy talent and the big issue raised.

The Player

As the first player in Premier League history to produce a goal and assist in each of his first two home matches, Alvaro Morata could barely have asked for a more convincing start to life at Stamford Bridge.

Double-figure Fantasy Premier League hauls in both his home appearances for Chelsea have persuaded over 165,000 new owners to invest in the summer signing from Real Madrid as he wastes little time in settling into life in England’s top-flight.

At 24 years old, and after numerous campaigns as a squad player, Morata finally has the chance to establish himself as a regular under the guidance of Antonio Conte.

A glance back to 2016/17 shows that only 14 of his 26 league outings came in the Real Madrid first XI – yet he ended the season as their second-top scorer in La Liga.

It was a similar story for Juventus in both 2014/15 (11 starts, 18 sub appearances) and 2015/16 (16 starts, 18 sub appearances), with the Spaniard unable to cement a place on the teamsheet for the Old Lady.

Yet Morata’s output at Real last year bodes well for both the Blues and would-be Fantasy suitors – in spite of that limited pitch time, an average of 88.9 minutes per league goal was bettered only by Harry Kane (87.3) among FPL forwards.

His impact merely adds to a growing list of FPL frontmen jostling for our attention.

Of the 12 forwards to be initially priced at 8.5 or over in FPL this season, eight have started at least two matches. And only one of that eight – Harry Kane, who has produced more shots and efforts in the box than any player in the league – has failed to find the net.

Encouragingly for Conte, his big-money frontman has been quick to insist that he needs more time to settle.

That’s good news for the Blues, then, but the imminent return to action of Eden Hazard – at 10.5 to Morata’s 10.1 – also has to be factored in here.

Despite the heroics of Diego Costa last time out, the Belgian remained Fantasy royalty – he’s served up 190+ points in four of the last five seasons, with spot-kick duties a key weapon in his armoury.

But if Morata can maintain his momentum, there’s a chance he could even rival Hazard as our go-to Chelsea option as the campaign unfolds.

The Team

Three Gameweeks into the new season and we’re experiencing déjà vu with Liverpool.

They may have been devoid of want-away playmaker Philipp Coutinho so far but Jurgen Klopp’s side continue to offer Fantasy managers a wealth of prolific options.

A weekend demolition of Arsenal merely served a reminder of the Merseysiders’ unquenchable thirst for goals, with Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino all finding the net.

The former two sit inside the top four midfielders, while Firmino – reclassified as a striker – ranks joint-first in the overall standings.

We shouldn’t be too surprised by this. As evidenced last season, where six Liverpool midfielders returned at least 139 FPL points, relying on the concept of “coverage” when it comes to Klopp’s side can be a fruitless task.

So far, all three of their key men merit our attention. Mane has scored in every league match, Salah has registered more shots on target than any player, while Firmino now boasts spot-kicks and looks the bonus darling of the trio.

Their big-match mentality under Klopp also enhances Liverpool’s attackers as fire and forget options. In 2016/17, Liverpool won five and drew five of their 10 fixtures against top six sides – a total of 20 points accrued was more than any of their rivals and double that of both Manchester clubs, for example.

As highlighted by Salah’s benching at home to Palace, the Champions League schedule may throw us a curveball every now and again.

But as the 212,000 FPL managers who transferred out the Egyptian ahead of last week’s deadline can attest to, turning our back on Liverpool due to the occasional threat of rotation looks a very risky move.

There is also growing optimism surrounding Klopp’s defence.

Liverpool ended last season keeping five clean sheets from their final six matches.

They have now earned two shut-outs over their three Gameweek fixtures this season and have allowed just 14 shots in the box – second only to Manchester City.

We may still presume a vulnerability at set-pieces, but if Klopp can possibly close a deal for Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk, that could also be corrected.

At that point, we would have to consider the merits of defensive investment. That would possibly bring full-backs Andrew Robertson and Alberto Moreno into the equation. Both appear to be competing for the left-back berth and, if a dominant party emerges, they could offer strong value at 4.9 and 4.5 respectively.

The Talking Point

There’s no real right or wrong time to play an FPL Wildcard – mostly, the decision is relative to both the state of your 15-man squad and the fixtures ahead.

Yet as the transfers in and out escalate over the first international break of the season, the reset button is a temptation.

On the one hand, there’s a fear that three Gameweeks worth of data isn’t enough to base our alterations on. We’ve also yet to factor in the impact of the likes of Hazard, Coutinho and Alexis Sanchez – wherever he lands up – into our thinking.

Yet we’ve also borne witness to a number of scenarios that can help steer our selections and help navigate the imminent price drops brought about by the frantic FPL market.

Despite failing to find the net, Kane’s goal threat has not been diminished by Spurs’ move to Wembley. Neither has Dele Alli’s.

Klopp’s “heavy metal football” will ensure that Liverpool’s attackers will still dazzle, even if Coutinho departs.

Man United’s midfield will benefit from the pace of Romelu Lukaku up front, with Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan looking the value options. Indeed, the Belgian’s spot-kick miss against Leicester could now strengthen Pogba’s chances of snatching penalties.

At Man City, Sergio Aguero’s role as a regular is up in the air after a switch to one up front brought about his benching at Bournemouth. And Pep Guardiola’s 3-3-2-2 may not get the best out of Kevin De Bruyne.

In defence, Marcos Alonso has been quick to replicate last season’s heroics, while an injury-free Phil Jones, at just 5.1, could help save the pennies as the best route into the Red Devils’ rearguard.

Add in the recent addition of wing-back systems at Stoke, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Swansea and there’s arguably plenty to go on.

Currently, just over 119,000 Wildcards have been activated, that’s a far cry from the 310,000 that were used at this time last season, with this first international break the most popular time to play the chip in 2016/17. It remains to be seen if events on Thursday’s transfer deadline will urge more into committing to a rebuilding programme.