Fantasy Premier League – Player List Analysis – Premium Midfielders

We continue our assessment of the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Player List this Thursday lunchtime. Having run the rule over the Goalkeepers, Budget Defenders, Mid-Price Defenders, Premium Defenders, Budget Midfielders, and Mid-Price Midfielders, we take a look at what’s on offer in the premium midfield bracket.

As previously discussed, the changes to the Bonus Point System (BPS) scoring are worth considering when deciding on the make-up of our five-man midfields.

The decrease to the BPS for pass completion will hit a number of premium options plying their trade for teams that dominate possession, in particular – the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Yaya Toure, Santi Cazorla, Eden Hazard and David Silva were amongst the top six midfielders for completed passes in 2014/15.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at what’s on offer from 8.0 and above…

With five Arsenal players available in the premium price range, Fantasy managers are spoilt for choice when it comes to Arsene Wenger’s midfield options. There’s little to choose between 8.5-priced trio Santi Cazorla, Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil, though looking at last season’s returns, it was the German, despite missing a number of matches through injury, who proved more consistent, with 4.7 points per appearance compared to Cazorla (4.5) and Ramsey (4.0). Ozil produced a key pass at a quicker rate than any other midfielder in 2014/15 and was somewhat unlucky only to bring home six assists. The downside here is he managed only 19 shots inside the box last season.

Cazorla’s appeal surrounds his penalty-taking and set-piece duties, which helped him rack up seven goals and 11 assists last term, although he is expected to continue in the double-pivot alongside Francis Coquelin, lessening his chances of registering attacking returns from open play. Ramsey perhaps offers the possibility of goals and assists in equal measure, but with the Wales international keen to return to a more central role after ending the previous campaign playing on the right, it remains to be seen where Wenger fits him in.

Theo Walcott (9.0) is proving a real headache for Fantasy managers. A role up front in the final match of 2014/15 saw him grab a hat-trick against West Brom to suggest that, providing he remains injury free, he could be a real Fantasy force this time out. There are still some doubts over whether he’ll find a space in Wenger’s first XI when the squad is fully fit, though, with strong competition from Ramsey and Olivier Giroud on the right and up front respectively.

Alexis Sanchez has been slapped with a 11.0 price tag after a hugely successful first season in England saw him serve up 16 goals and eight assists. Having played for Chile in the recent Copa America, though, he looks set to miss the start of the campaign, which hands us a real quandary when constructing our initial squads. Sanchez, who made 34 starts last season, looks immune from rotation once he returns, and given his powers of recovery, it’s no surprise his manager has admitted “it takes a bit less” for the Chilean to reach match sharpness than most players. Having led all midfielders last year for goal attempts from inside the box (71) Sanchez conclusively offers the biggest goal threat from the Arsenal midfield and found the net at a quicker pace than any other midfielder (192.4) in 2014/15. Once fully fit, it’ll be difficult to look past him as the chief source of points for the Gunners once again and finding the cash to accommodate him will be key.

Over at Stamford Bridge, the picture is much clearer. Oscar comes in at 8.5, but given the Brazilian was replaced on 20 of his 26 starts last season and was an unused substitute five times, there is too much uncertainty surrounding his playing time to warrant the outlay. Cesc Fabregas is available for 9.0 and holds plenty of appeal, given he topped the assists charts (19) last term. There is no reason why that figure can’t be matched this time around, given Chelsea’s aerial threat from set-pieces, but after only finding the back of the net three times, his lack of goals is a slight concern.

Eden Hazard was the highest scoring player in FPL last season and needs little introduction. The hugely consistent Belgian international has racked up 190, 202 ad 233 points in his three seasons at the Bridge so far and despite a hefty 11.5 price tag, his ownership currently stands at a massive 54% – more than double the number of any other midfielder. The captaincy quandary is perhaps an important factor to consider for those who are considering a punt on Fabregas instead, with Blues spot-kick taker Hazard offering a strong armband contender for our starting XIs.

With Raheem Sterling now gone, Philippe Coutinho (8.0) will be hoping to step up another level, having tallied identical returns (five goals and seven assists) in each of the last two seasons. The Brazilian has yet to really deliver upon his strong underlying stats, though, and with Jordan Henderson offering a cheaper (7.0) option, the jury is out once again until we get a better idea of Brendan Rodgers’ formation for the campaign ahead.

Certainly, an advanced central role would be beneficial but with Roberto Firmino (8.5) now on board, we’re unclear of where Coutinho will feature, though the pair could be twinned behind a lone striker if the Reds boss opts for a 3-4-2-1 again. Intriguingly, both Brazilians averaged 2.9 shots per match last season, with Firmino holding a slight edge when it came to average key passes (2.1 to 1.7), though the new signing offered far more of an end product, with ten goals and 12 assists across 36 appearances. Should he acclimatise quickly, he could be an explosive option, given the Reds host Bournemouth, West Ham, Norwich and Villa by Gameweek 7.

Raheem Sterling’s move to Manchester City means we now have three premium options to choose from at the Etihad. Sterling appears most likely to feature on the right for City, although a central role behind Sergio Aguero is also a possibility, depending on formation. Playing alongside one of the best forwards in the league should certainly boost Sterling’s assist numbers, and given he registered ten last term, with Daniel Sturridge missing for much of the campaign, his 9.0 price tag appears pretty reasonable. Playing with the likes of David Silva and Yaya Toure should also boost his scoring potential, although his 8.3% goal conversion last term illustrates he can be wasteful in front of goal.

Toure is available for 8.5 in FPL this time around, despite netting ten goals last season. While the Ivorian didn’t live up to the heights of the 2013/14 campaign, that price tag looks pretty generous, particularly if he is sometimes used in a more advanced role behind Aguero in the 4-2-3-1 system, with Silva and Sterling playing out wide. When Manuel Pellegrini starts with two forwards, however, Toure will most likely be forced to play in the double-pivot, limiting his appeal. Silva’s breakthrough campaign, which saw him register 12 goals and as many assists, sees him valued at 10.0 for the 2015/16 season. Like with Toure, where Silva plays will dictate whether he is worth that extra spend, with five of his 12 goals coming in 11 appearances playing behind a lone striker, whereas he managed six goals in 19 outings playing on the left in a 4-4-2 formation.

Across the city, we also have three players priced in the premium category, with Juan Mata, Angel Di Maria and Memphis Depay all coming in at 8.5. Di Maria showed flashes of returning to his best form for Argentina in this summer’s Copa America, but the hamstring injury he picked up in the final against Chile means he could miss the start of the season, while it remains to be seen where he will fit into Louis van Gaal’s plans, given Ashley Young kept him out of the starting XI during the final months of last season.

Depay arrives at Old Trafford having served up 22 goals five assists for PSV Eindhoven last season, with his ability to score from dead-ball situations worth noting, having scored seven free-kicks last term. The Dutch international is expected to line up on the left flank in van Gaal’s preferred 4-3-3 formation, while he may also offer cover for Wayne Rooney in the central attacking role. Depay certainly looks to have great potential, but his manager has already stated he expects him to take time to adapt to the Premier League.

In that sense, Mata is much more of a known commodity, and seemed to find himself in favour under Van Gaal during the final months of the previous campaign. The Dutchman heaped praise on the Spaniard, who thrived playing on the right of the front three. With the exact make up of United’s midfield an unknown heading into the new season following the additions of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin, there is, however, a small chance that could affect Mata’s role. Having scored United’s last penalty against Crystal Palace, the former Chelsea man looks set to continue with spot-kick duties, although that will need to be monitored during pre-season.

Southampton’s Sadio Mane has been handed a price rise on the back of 11 goals and four assists in his debut campaign. Crucially, Mane’s average of 204.3 minutes per goal last term was second only to Sanchez amongst regular midfielders and if he can earn more pitch time this season (he managed 2,247 minutes in 2014/15), he could make a mockery of a 8.0 price tag. Certainly, the opening schedule bodes well for the Senegal international – with matches against just three of last year’s top seven in the opening 13 Gameweeks, his pace and eye for goal (18.3% conversion) looks a key weapon for Ronald Koeman’s outfit.

Despite a poor end to last season, scoring only one goal and picking up a single assist in his final 15 appearances, Christian Eriksen has seen his starting price rise to 8.5 for the new campaign. The Denmark international did end the season with ten goals and four assists, but with so many other strong options to choose from at the same price, many Fantasy owners may choose to look elsewhere. Certainly, having made 37 starts last season, Eriksen does look a safe pick in terms of guaranteed pitch time but should Nacer Chadli (7.0) earn more minutes this term, he could well be the better bet, given he outscored his team-mate for goals (11) and assists (six) despite playing over 700 minutes less.