Eight-time top 10k finisher Zophar hosts his weekly Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Q&A ahead of Gameweek 22. The topics include the best Liverpool picks, captaincy and Nicolas Jackson (£8.1m).
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Q: Mohamed Salah (£13.7m) aside, who are the best Liverpool picks for Double Gameweek 24 and should we be looking to triple-up?
(via BOD)
A: I think picking at least one defensive asset makes sense – Alisson (£5.4m), Virgil van Dijk (£6.4m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.2m) all appeal while Ibrahima Konate (£5.1m) is also one to look at if budget is tight. I’m not a fan of premium goalkeepers and Liverpool could still blank in Gameweek 29 so that might be a problem for Alisson if you don’t have a backup like Lukasz Fabianski (£4.1m).
Trent is still capable of a big score on any given day and he would be my preferred second Liverpool asset if money was no object. Yes, some people may argue there is some rotation threat from Conor Bradley (£4.7m) but I think his starting spot is secure, with Bradley deputising in the remaining UEFA Champions League and FA Cup games.
Now while picking the third Liverpool asset, I think it’s important to note what their schedule is like around Gameweek 24.
Liverpool are comfortable in the Champions League so some rotation can be expected in the Lille fixture with more wholesale changes in the PSV game. So you can expect their first-choice players to start against Brentford in Gameweek 22 and Ipswich Town in Gameweek 23, given they just dropped points to Nottingham Forest.
What’s interesting in Gameweek 24 is that they have two cup games in between the two Premier League matches. Bournemouth have proved to be a tricky opponent so there will likely be no rotation there, while the Reds also need to overturn a deficit in the League Cup, so we can expect strong sides in these two fixtures. The Plymouth Argyle game in the FA Cup is one where we might see players like Bradley and Darwin Nunez (£7.0m) step in with a strong team again for the Merseyside derby.
Given the above schedule, I think if you have the third spot open now a punt on an attacker appeals. Liverpool comfortably top the expected goals (xG) and big chances charts so I think the ceiling is higher there rather than going for a defensive pick.
Ideally, you want to make this decision as close to Gameweek 24 as possible, depending on which players are rested for the PSV match. You could alternatively even bring one in for Ipswich in Gameweek 23, for example, if Cody Gakpo (£7.4m) starts v Brentford and is benched v Lille. The Dutchman has started the last nine league matches for Liverpool but it is worth mentioning that this was while Diogo Jota (£7.2m) was injured/building fitness. Luis Diaz (£7.5m) was often being used as the centre-forward so there was less ‘competition’.
My attacker pick would be Jota. I think he’s Liverpool’s first-choice centre-forward and Diaz’s best position is on the left wing, competing with Gakpo. The Portuguese international’s fitness has been built up slowly by Liverpool but he did start the two cup games before the Nottingham Forest league fixture and I do expect him to come back into the starting lineup against Brentford after his goal.
I’m very tempted to go for him myself this week, but I think I will leave that move until Gameweek 23 and bring Jota in if he starts against Brentford and is benched midweek v Lille.
Q: Is Chris Wood (£6.9m) a serious captain shout with Southampton up next?
Q: Who do you captain next gameweek?
(via CORACALD2831 and FREE HAT)
A: I think based on what we have seen this season, a captain against Southampton is never a bad idea but despite three goals in the last six Gameweeks, I can’t get behind the idea of captaining Wood this week.
Yes, he has scored three goals in the last six but he has had just eight shots in the box and been afforded four big chances. Compare that to Alexander Isak (£9.3m), who has had 19 shots in the box and 11 big chances. Of course, this does not mean Wood is a bad pick, he’s in the form of his life and is Nottingham Forest’s talisman but I think we need to curb our expectations of a sub-£7m asset. He’s probably the second-best forward pick in the game at the moment but I would put Cole Palmer (£11.4m), Salah and Isak all above him as captaincy options given the higher ceiling.
Between Isak, Palmer and Salah I am currently leaning towards the Egyptian king. Palmer has had just seven shots in the box over the last six Gameweeks and has been afforded just two big chances. Salah has had 32 shots in the box and eight big chances over that time. Isak as mentioned above, has had 19 shots in the box and 11 big chances.
So it’s close between these two but as we saw last weekend, Bournemouth are not an easy matchup for any team. The Cherries might make it difficult for the Magpies. Meanwhile, only West Ham United (79) have allowed opponents more shots in the box than Brentford (71) over the last six Gameweeks. Salah was unlucky to blank against Nottingham Forest and I’m backing him to get back to scoring ways with the armband.
Q: Does Nicholas Jackson have to go and, other than Isak, who are the best replacements?
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4 hours, 7 mins agoLot of people will captain Palmer based on last return but over last 6 weeks Salah has had much better xGI. And even if you're an eye test manager Salah has had way more chances