I really do love a midweek game week UNLESS I see red arrows at the back end of it. After a run of three green weeks in a row we have now had 2 red’s in a matter of a few days. Our double swap to bring in Dele Alli and Hyeung Min Son worked out beautifully but we were once again let down by that bloody Diego Costa. Even more painful given that we brought him in for Sergio Aguero. Points by Costa since the transfer: 3. Points by Aguero since taking him out: 15. It’s moves like this that have killed us all season. I was really hoping we would be back inside the top 1m but that hasn’t happened so we go again. As easy as it is to be bitter it is worth noting that four of our five scoring returns came after the 88th minute!
We went with Eldin Jakupovic between the sticks and scored just 1pt. Obviously Hull v Middlesbrough was going to be a six goal thriller. How silly of us,
At the back it was actually the other half of our Hull duo that delivered as Harry Maguire scored his first of the season. He’s been threatening this for a while now so it’s about time. Unfortunately Leighton Baines and Chris Brunt couldn’t match that and combined for just 3pts.
Our midfield was where the points were at. As mentioned we brought in Dele Alli and Hyeung Min Son for Sadio Mane and Etienne Capoue and up until the 88th minute it was looking like 4pts lost. That was until Spurs gave Swansea a late spanking and meant our two new boys walked away from The Liberty with a cool 19pts between them. Josh King also left it late as his injury time goal rescued a point for Bournemouth at Anfield. His 9th attacking return in his last eight games. Even more impressive seeing as he had only managed five returns in the previous 23 game weeks. Last up was the only midfielder to blank, Kevin De Bruyne. Just two assists in his last seven mean the price tag is starting to weigh heavy. Especially given the far more generous price of Leroy Sane.
Up top it really is a case of the less said the better. Romelu Lukaku, Andy Carroll and captain Diego Costa all blanked in a week where Ibrahimovic, Vardy, Aguero and Origi all scored. Not ideal.
So with a small drop in our rankings we really need some bouncebackability! Looking at our line up for this week I feel we can hold onto the transfer for next week so here we are
Ben Foster comes in for the start. Home to Southampton we will be hoping Manolo Gabbiadini is still not fit enough to start. Claude Puel’s men have actually scored nine in their last three away games so this is not as great a match up as it would have been a few months ago.
The only change at the back is John Stones coming in for Harry Maguire. Playing each other we obviously don’t fancy Hull chances at The Etihad. Leighton Baines get’s the start at home to Leicester and Chris Brunt home to Southampton as part of a WBA defensive double up. Not holding my breath with too many points here but certainly attacking potential.
Our midfield sees just the one change too and it could be a silly one but is being done purely on match up. Josh King drops to the bench for Tom Davies. This is subject to me bottling it at 11.25 tomorrow morning. Our Spurs duo (Son & Eriksen) get the start again as they face a Watford team really struggling for available defenders, so this could well be an attacking feast for them. Cue a 1-0 with both blanking. Last up is Kevin De Bruyne. I really would rather Leroy Sane for the end of season run in given the difference in price but I’m not going to waste a transfer on it this week. We just need to hope the Belgian comes to play. He blanked in the reverse fixture but I’m confident he does something here.
Up front we have given Diego Costa the armband for the 3rd week in a row and he better deliver. He is actually our only player playing away from home but I can’t see him going three weeks without scoring. Romelu Lukaku will also be looking to bounce back from a poor couple of games as he faces Leicester at home. Leicester may have turned a corner under their new gaffer but Rom will fancy his chances of extending his lead at the top of the scoring charts. Last up is an injury doubt (obviously). Andy Carroll has Swansea at home and it is a game we have to start him in, so we will just have to hope he’s wrapped up in cotton wool between now and kick off.
So that’s 10 of our starting 11 at home this week with generally pretty favourable fixtures across the board. 50pts is an absolute minimum requirement if we want any chance of making a very late run at the top 100k. That contract extension is looking even less likely now (insert sad face emoji here).
Spurs and Man City coverage looks absolutely essential right now so if you are using your transfers this week I’d suggest stocking up. The fact we don’t own Aguero right now is not sitting well with me so I would strongly suggest getting him in if you can afford him. I’m going to make sure I’m not watching Soccer Saturday as I’m not sure I can take hearing Paul Merson creaming himself as Kun hits his fourth goal of the game.
Good luck to all and have a great weekend.
Written by FPL Guru (@FPL_Guru_)
Good line-up. You don’t think Alli(Eriksen?) in red hot form, at home against a defenseless watford is the best option? Costa has been ice cold, and a very low ceiling, doesn’t score more than 6-8 pts even when he delivers.
Thanks. Yeah I certainly thought about Alli as captain but I have a real concern when it comes to a Saturday lunchtime captain. Damn superstitions. Also, I’m stupid enough to think Costa is worth a redemption day lol!