Fresh off the IB
Hello! The international break (IB) is over and we are back at it again. In case you noticed the missing visualization in the last issue, it was purely because of a lack of FPL ideas in my mind to design. So I am expanding my horizon to also include quotes from footballing entities. The first one is by, arguably, the best manager of all time and a living knight, Sir Alex Ferguson.
“If you're going to be a footballer, be a great one. If you're going to have a dream, dream big.” - Sir Alex Ferguson
This post brings you FPL advice from this week’s free podcasts:
Topics Covered
🔚 Run-in Talk
🃏 Chip Talk
🎃 Differentials
🌞 Essentials
🥗 Potpourri of topics
🔚 Run-in Talk
Liverpool have an incredible run of fixtures coming up, especially their last 4 matches. Their defense seems to have improved and Trent/Robbo can be shrewd picks. And Jota who has been in good form since coming back from injury can be the mid-price go-to option. However, given what we have seen, both pods were enticed but a little skeptical till they see good performances. You know how it goes - Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!
Arsenal have good 6 fixtures coming up and the team seems to be in ascendancy. Lacazette has especially emerged as an interesting option and Saka is the standout cheap pick. However, their defense is suspect and due to lack of bankable clean sheets, Tierney is not worth the price.
West Ham should be in everyone’s thoughts. They have a good team, in good form, with affordable assets who are highly motivated to do well as they are competing for a European spot.
AC folks discussed that an ideal setup in their mind for the run-in would be - triple City, double West Ham, Chelsea defense, Bruno, and Kane.
🃏 Chip Talk
If you got Triple Captain still with you, here are some options to consider:
With a double game week in 32, Kane will likely be a popular TC that week.
Given Leed’s propensity to concede and City’s propensity to score, TCing a City player in GW31 is worth considering. However, rotation ruining your plans is a genuine concern.
Everton vs Villa is an unscheduled fixture. Depending on when it moves to, Grealish/DCL/Martinez can be worth considering for that double game week.
With an amazing run of fixtures, if Salah roars back to his best, he is the one to monitor.
If you still have your Wildcard, then you should weigh playing it early that is now/next game week vs later. Wildcrding now gives you the ability to get some of the upcoming assets early for the run-in before other people get them in. However, you won’t be able to plan as well as you could have for the upcoming doubles. It’s something worth thinking about and see what suits your individual situation.
🎃 Differentials
The story of the season has been - team value doesn’t matter. AC folks discussed that we should be looking to target mid-price assets right now. However, they don’t think you should stick to one or a few for the rest of the season. It’s best if you plan to rotate some of them in-and-out, depending on fixtures and form.
Grealish - if he comes back fit, Lindgard - with his current sublime form, Gundo - with his continuing good performances, and Raphinha - playing well on an attacking team, are all good assets to target.
Both the pods also discussed Chelsea, the old kid back on the block. Both pods feel that their attack is too inconsistent and susceptible to rotation, hence not really worth considering. However, they agree that Chelsea's defense is back to being *chef kiss*. Mendy and Rudiger are the standout options, with Azpi a differential worth considering.
With the announcement of Aguero’s departure from City at the end of the season, FMLFPL boys got emotional and discussed that getting him in will be a ‘fun punt’, for old time’s sake.
🌞 Essentials
At this stage, you can only consider two players essential for your team. Bruno - who is 56% owned and regularly gets points, and Kane - who is in the form of his life and consistently delivering.
Between Son/Salah/KDB, at least one will end being the third essential. But there is too much uncertainty at this point to call that out. So pick the one you believe the most in and start making offerings to the god you pray to.
🥗 Potpourri of topics
Below are a bunch of varied topics that the pods discussed.
What to do with City?
With City being alive in all competitions and the title race almost wrapped up, you can expect heavy rotation. But what are you gonna do? Not have players from the best team in the league? Pfft! FMLFPL folks believe that getting more attacking players than defense may be worth the upside despite increased chances of rotation.
Defenses worth giving a second chance to
Life is all about second chances. And so is FPL. Chelsea defense’s revival since Tuchel is commendable and worth changing your opinion on. However, the same cannot be said for Wolves who continue to play they used to and while their fixtures are tempting, you should try and avoid this trap. Similarly, while Liverpool's defense has shown signs of improvement, we haven’t seen enough to go back to their assets yet.
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