Gameweek 1 has been and gone, but before we look at gameweek 2, let analyse who performed well in the first gameweek. Without further ado, here is our Gameweek 1 FPL Review:
Goalkeeper
Jonas Lossl – Huddersfield and Lossl, couldn’t have asked for a better to start to their season in the Premier League. They faced a, what was supposedly a tough away match, at Crystal Palace, but that wasn’t case. A brace from Mounie and a Ward own goal ensured a 3-0 win for the Terriers. Defensively, Huddersfield were sound and Lossl made a couple of decent saves to prevent the Eagles from scoring. In total, he made 4 saves which subsequently lead to the Dane grabbing himself 2 bonus points to top off a great day for the goalkeeper. He was owned by less than 1% of FPL managers going into gameweek 1 but that figure has doubled since the performance against Crystal Palace. His low ownership made him the least selected starting goalkeeper on the game!
Defenders
Ahmed Hegazi – Hegazi scored the crucial goal to secure a 1-0 win against Bournemouth at the Hawthorns. His header from a Chris Brunt set piece, along with his defensive work also earned him the 3 bonus points on FPL. This 15 point haul meant the Egyptian was the highest scoring player on FPL this gameweek. His low valuation of just £4.5m, which is cheaper than Dawson and McAuley, has lead to many FPL managers making an early change in their defence. He is on loan at West Bromwich Albion, meaning he may not be at the Baggies for seasons to come but FPL managers won’t mind that as long as he scoring a decent amount of points week in week out.
Ben Davies – Ben Davies, a lot like Hegazi, scored and kept a clean sheet for his club, but in this case a 2-0 win away at Newcastle. Davies was the alternative to the injured Trippier and a great alternative at that. The Welshman played fantastically against the Magpies, but his yellow card denied him of replicating Hegazi’s points tally. The 14 points that Davies scored, may be the first of many double digit returns for him as he played very far down the left hand side for Spurs, but did only look particularly dangerous after the sending off of Jonjo Shelvey.
Zanka – Mathias Jorgensen, or known as Zanka on FPL, is the second Huddersfield Town player to feature on the Gameweek 1 Dream Team, after their impressive above mentioned result away at Crystal Palace. Zanka grabbed an assist for the own goal scored by the unfortunate Ward. To add to that he was award 1 bonus point to his solid performance against the Eagles, offensively and defensively. A lot like his fellow Dane, Jorgensen was not owned very highly heading into the gameweek.
Midfielders
Christian Eriksen – The second Spurs player and surprisingly, the third Dane to feature in the Gameweek 1 Dream Team, which next to no people would’ve foreseen. Eriksen performed to his very best against Newcastle on Sunday and will certainly be a good option going forward on FPL. He grabbed the two assists for Dele Alli and Ben Davies respectively. His performance in total earned him 12 points and the most for a midfielder this gameweek. The maestro ran the midfield against the Magpies, especially when they were reduced to ten men due to Jonjo Shelvey.
Henrik Mkhitaryan – Henrik Mkhitaryan showed the talent he has, which he failed to produce last season against West Ham on Sunday. He set up Lukaku’s second goal and Martial in a dominant performance by the Armenian. He played what looked like a central role in a 4-2-3-1 formation, in between Rashford and Mata, but it can be interpreted as a 4-3-3 with Mkhitaryan in the right hand side, either way he had a great game for the Red Devils and will have more great games to come I’m sure. The addition of Lukaku up front will only help Mkhitaryan this season which has been proven in the result against the Hammers.
Mohamed Salah – Salah impressed on his second debut in the Premier League agent Watford. He claimed a goal and an assist, in a dramatic 3-3 draw with the Hornets. His assist came from a penalty won by the Egyptian who was brought down by Gomes after going round the Brazilian. Looking at the overall performance by Salah, I believe that he will win more penalties in the coming season and may become a must have in terms of FPL. He racked up 11 points this gameweek which earned him his deserved spot in the Dream Team.
Granit Xhaka – A name you wouldn’t have expected to be in the first Dream Team but the Swiss international has managed it. Despite being predominantly a defensive midfielder Xhaka was the fourth highest scoring midfielder on the game this gameweek. His 10 points came from 2 assists which resulted in the midfielder grabbing 2 bonus points on top. This impressive points haul has caused his price to rise already at this early stage of the game.
Forwards
Sam Vokes – Another name, many people ruled out of being in the Gameweek 1 Dream Team, given he had a difficult fixture away at the Champions, Chelsea. However, he miraculously grabbed 13 points at Stamford Bridge. He scored Burnley’s first and third goals in a fantastic day for the Clarets. The Welshman was a great ariel threat against a makeshift Chelsea defence. Vokes’ point tally meant he scored the most points in the forward category and has a favourable fixture at turf moor against West Brom where he will be looking to add to the points he earned on Saturday.
Jamie Vardy – Jamie Vardy rediscovered the form of the Premier League winning season with two goals against Arsenal, albeit the defence Arsène Wenger set out was questionable to say the least. He looked sharp throughout the whole game and his work rates were second to none which is promising considering he is only getting older. His two goals were both from crosses. The first coming from an inch perfect delivery from open play by Albrighton, and the second a header from a Mahrez corner. However this wasn’t enough as the Foxes slumped to a 4-3 defeat at the Emirates after a comeback from the Gunners.
Romelu Lukaku – Lukaku marked his Manchester United debut with a fantastic performance which saw the Belgian score twice at Old Trafford. In total, he racked up 13 points which was matched by both Vardy and Vokes. He linked up brilliantly with Mkhitaryan and Pogba, which was evident to see with the two goals that Lukaku scored. The former Everton talisman, was captained by over a million FPL managers and has certainly left them satisfied by their decision. His aerial threat and hold up play makes him a must to every FPL team and will continue to perform in the Premier League, and be a strong contender for the Golden Boot.
Written by Ryan Nevin (@RNevin7)
