Who is the best captain for FPL Gameweek 4?

Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers have a plethora of options for the Gameweek 4 captaincy, and as per usual, the Captain Sensible article is here to highlight which assets have the best chance of hauling.

First, we will assess the fallout of the Gameweek 4 captain poll, before then analysing the best options, the Rate My Team (RMT) algorithm pick and the Premier Fantasy Tools ratings ahead of Saturday’s 11:00 BST deadline.

THE CAPTAIN POLL

Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) is the runaway leader in this week’s captain poll, with just over 60% of total votes from our users at the time of writing.

No other player has garnered more than 13% of votes at this stage, with Gabriel Jesus (£8.1m) in second backed by 12.2%.

Erling Haaland (£11.7m) occupies third place with just under 9%, with the top-five list completed by Ivan Toney (£7.2m) and Harry Kane (£11.4m), with 5.77% and 2.6% respectively.

HOW HAS CAPTAIN SENSIBLE PERFORMED SO FAR THIS SEASON?

THE CANDIDATES 

MOHAMED SALAH/TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD

Mohamed Salah was heavily backed by FPL managers with the armband in Gameweek 3 and headed home a late consolation goal in Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat at Manchester United on Monday. 

The goal threat of Liverpool’s Egyptian was blunted by the Red Devils’ tenacious rear-guard effort that limited Salah to one shot on target. 

Salah, once again, turned provider by creating four chances for the Reds on the night and leads the division for chances created (13) across the opening three rounds. 

Salah has yet to find his rhythm with his shot volumes lacking the almost metronomic regularity of his vintage best. 

The Egyptian has registered seven shots in the box, three shots on target, and two big chances over the last three matches. 

However, Salah has an incredible record against Bournemouth, scoring eight goals in six Premier League matches, and has never blanked against the Cherries. 

Liverpool face AFC Bournemouth in a hugely favourable tie and the Cherries are in poor defensive form suffering consecutive defeats against Manchester City and Arsenal. 

Bournemouth rank second-worst for goals conceded (seven) and total goal attempts conceded (48) after three Gameweeks.

Furthermore, the Cherries rank worst in the division for crosses conceded from the left flank (48) – the zone which Salah exploits with impunity. 

Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.5m) has provoked the ire of 300,000+ FPL managers who have lost patience with the premium defensive asset and sold en-masse.

Surprisingly, the West Derby native is without either an attacking return or a clean sheet across the opening three rounds. 

Defensive failing aside, the Liverpool full-back has produced strong underlying creativity numbers – ranking joint-best among defenders for chances created (eight), and big chances (two). 

Alexander-Arnold leads the division for successful crosses (10) which will be aimed towards the Cherries’ flimsy left flank – an area of significant zonal weakness.

The imminent Bournemouth fixture represents an opportunity for Liverpool to end their clean sheet drought, given the Cherries’ poor goal threat. 

Bournemouth rank worst in the division for goal attempts (16), shots inside the box (11) and big chances (one) after three Gameweeks. 

Furthermore, Scott Parker’s side rank second-worst for goal attempts conceded from set plays (14) – an ominous statistic considering Alexander-Arnold’s considerable dead-ball expertise. 

Above: Bournemouth goal attempts conceded (48) after three Gameweeks

GABRIEL JESUS

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