So FINALLY the international break is over and the players return to their respective sides for another gameweek of Fantasy Premier League football, hopefully one with a bit of excitement! As we move into gameweek 5 we look back on a chaotic summer transfer window that saw every side purchase at least one player, so with that in mind there could be some new FPL differentials to look out for. However we’ll be holding onto our wildcard for at least one more gameweek as we look to use it once we know which new boys will start and can avoid those that will be warming the bench.
Anyway let’s have a look at our gameweek 4 performance.
So as you can see, not the most impressive performance, and despite scoring an above average score of 39 the differentials were still faced with red arrows come the end of the gameweek. Despite goals for Jermaine Lens and Jamie Vardy and unexpected clean sheets from both Reid and Rose, we still scored poorly in gameweek 4.
So moving onto gameweek 5 we look to make one transfer as a result of Jamie Vardy’s ownership percentage rising to 5.5%. A straight swap sees him come out for new boy Nikica Jelavic. Now despite earlier mentioning that it may be best to hold off on newly transferred players as they aren’t guaranteed starters, we thought that a risk was necessary, particularly on a player who has a proven goalscoring record in the Premier League.
Now that the transfer has been cleared up let’s look at the team for gameweek 5.
Starting XI: Boruc (1.6%), Schlupp (1.6%), Reid (0.9%), Rose (2.2%), Montero (2.3%), Lens (0.7%), Navas (1.6%), Shaqiri (3.4%), Jerome (0.9%), Rodriguez (1.0%), Jelavic (0.0%).
Bench: Adrian (3.6%), Young (1.1%), Gibbs (0.8%), Jones (0.3%).
So as you can see with Adrian still suspended Boruc remains in goal as we see the first newly promoted clash of the season where Bournemouth face Norwich away.
The same three that featured in gameweek 4 remain in defence as Rose’s Tottenham travel up north to Sunderland, where they’ll be looking to improve their leaky defensive record.
No changes in midfield accept one relating to the captain’s armband, where another risk sees the captaincy shift from Stoke’s record signing Shaqiri over to Swansea’s pacey winger Montero. Hopefully Montero can replicate his stunning form against Newcastle and bag an assist or goal for the side.
Finally, up top, we see new boy Jelavic partner Jay Rodriguez, who is still looking for his first Southampton goal upon returning from injury, and the out of sort Cameron Jerome, a player who really remains in the side to fill the gaps.
So that wraps up this week’s edition of the differential XI, hopefully you enjoyed and thanks for reading.
By Dan Rahilly
