FPL Dilemma – Ighalo vs Deeney – Fantasy Football Tips

Arguably the hottest strike pairing in the country last season and one of the toughest FPL Dilemma’s. Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo took the premier league by storm, scoring a whopping 28 league goals between them. Over the summer period, Watford have rejected nearly £70m for the pair, proving how vital they were, and are, to the club. Both are great options to have in Fantasy Premier League due to their relatively low prices, but one would be taking a risk to own both.

So that poses the FPL Dilemma; which one should I have in my Fantasy Premier League squad?

Odion Ighalo (7.5m)

I plan to keep this short and sweet. With Ighalo, you are investing in one of the finest poachers in the country. He seems to pop up with a goal out of nothing. He scored no goals outside of the box last season, and has that natural goal scoring instinct which sees him always being in the right place at the right time. Last season, he averaged nearly 3 shots per game and held up an impressive average rating of 6.96. He and Deeney are the focal points of the team and nearly every goal Watford scored last season was through one of the front men. Priced at a generous 7.5m for a man who scored 15 league goals, Ighalo is always an option upfront and is guaranteed game time. He played a total of 3,153 minutes last season.

On the other hand, a key theme of Watford’s season, and particularly the second half of the season, was that Ighalo and Deeney became isolated. Ighalo is a striker who finishes off what others have created. This means that if Watford are struggling in a game, Ighalo is often left frustrated and seems invisible. He does not take set pieces and because of this and his relatively selfish nature, Ighalo picked up only 3 league assists. Often he decides to shoot, when the pass seems the better option. He is a player who thrives off of good form. Due to this, I would only recommend picking up Ighalo once he has scored a couple of goals and is finding form.

Troy Deeney (7.0m)

Deeney scored only 13 league goals last season, but picked up an impressive 7 assists. This means he was involved in over 50% of all of Watford’s goals; more than any other player in the league. He is the heart and soul of Watford and is their captain. With Deeney you are investing in a player who not only scores goals but racks up a few assists as well. He is the focal point and is subject to regular long balls which he flicks on to Ighalo. He won an impressive 6.2 aerial duals per game last season. Deeney is also guaranteed to start every game when fit, as Watford have nobody else like him. He played 3,293 minutes in the league last season and started every game. Finally, probably the key difference between Deeney and Ighalo is that Deeney is the club’s designated penalty taker. He scored 6 out of a possible 7 penalties taken last season.

However, a disadvantage to Deeney is that he often tracks back and is not involved in attacks. He is also prone to the odd yellow card, accumulating 6 in the league last season. Compared to Ighalo, Deeney averages a lower shot per game stat, at only 2.5.

Who to pick?

As a Watford fan, I would recommend you pick up Troy Deeney over Odion Ighalo for your FPL team. He is 0.5m cheaper, allowing you to strengthen other areas. He is the club’s designated penalty taker in a squad who win a fair few penalties throughout the season. With Deeney you are guaranteed assists as well as goals, something which Ighalo does not offer. He is rarely taken off in games. He is also a player who does not thrive off form, and consistently picks up points, opposed to Ighalo who often gets 13 points one week and then 2 the next. I would definitely recommend picking up Deeney as a third striker for your FPL team.

Written by Jack (@jeaton__)

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