With gameweek 1 less than ten days away, our squads are finally taking shape. To Salah or not is the current thought process of FPL managers around the world. With over half of them already invested heavily in midfield through Mo Salah, that first and second premium midfielder slot just became a bit more crucial.
Both Eriksen and Mane didn’t have a long world cup tournament, reporting back to their clubs mid-July. Both look set to be fit for the start of the season, but who should be in your team?
Christian Eriksen (£9.5m, Tottenham)
The Dane had an excellent season under Poch during Tottenham’s final season at White Hart Lane scoring 8, assisting 20 and racking up a whopping 218 points (only 4 points shy of Harry). Last season, Spurs arguably struggled a bit being away from home, but he still managed 199 points (again, 18 points shy of Kane), scoring 11 and assisting 10. It’s worth noting that he got 23 bonus points compared to Mane’s 8. Eriksen also hasn’t picked up a single booking over the course of the last two seasons.
Eriksen is undoubtedly one of the best play makers in the premier league. He’s on corners, free kicks and is the go-to Spurs option for consistency or a double up alongside Kane.
It looks like Spurs will miss some of their players for the opening few games of the season and there’s a chance that this could impact their fantasy prospects. They also play away from home 4 games out of their first 6. There’s so much uncertainty around Spurs players featuring and managers should invest with caution. Eriksen will start the season for sure, but much will depend on other players utilizing his brilliance (could the curse of August be real?). That Said, he’ll still end the season with a huge haul and it’ll be a matter of investing in him at the right time.
Saido Mane (£9.5m, Liverpool)
Liverpool’s new number 10 looks set to have his biggest season yet under Klopp. Liverpool are expected to challenge for the title this season and if they do, then Mane will be a steal at £9.5m.
He’s not a bonus point magnet like Eriksen due to his shots off target (total shots 70, on target 26 last season) and offside runs. In addition to this, last season he missed 12 big chances compared to Eriksen’s 2. He was also one of the first names to be subbed out by Klopp when Liverpool were winning and didn’t get many double digit hauls. Unlike Eriksen, Mane managed to pick up 4 cards including one red.
That said, it could all change this season if Mane lives up to his true potential. There’s no doubt about the chances created around him, but it’ll be interesting to see if he can finish them off. Liverpool have added quality to their squad this year and this will surely improve Mane’s fantasy potential. He’s an excellent double-up option alongside Salah or even as the only Liverpool attacking coverage.
The verdict
It’s a tough call as I’d ideally have both in my team. But if you need to pick one of them, then I’ll consider Mane over Eriksen due to Liverpool’s intriguing opening set of fixtures. Doubling or even tripling up on Liverpool’s attack seems an interesting during the first few game weeks. It may be wiser to see how Spurs deal with their current situation before investing in their FPL assets as there are better options in the same price bracket with both form and fixtures.
Written by FPL Wolf (@FPLWolf)
