The desire for a Manchester United defender seems to be growing off the back of two clean sheets in the first two Gameweeks. While the fixtures may not be kind in the short term, that hasn’t stopped investment into a United backline that seems to be more solid with defensive midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin in front of them. While we attempt to save as much money where we can, and avoid players like Chris Smalling, who started in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) at 6.0, in favour of his cheaper counterparts, who should we be looking at – Luke Shaw or Matteo Darmian?
At the time of writing Darmian’s price in FPL had risen by 0.2 to 5.7 and probably means we’ll start seeing Shaw entering more teams. I still feel there is a discussion to be had, especially with the prospect of Shaw rising to 5.6, bringing them back to within 0.1 of each other.
Bonus Points
The initial thinking for most people is going to be Darmian; he should be less injury prone and less susceptible to rotation, and he looks more likely to pick up bonus points in FPL when United keep a clean sheet. But should we be ignoring Shaw?
If we look at the first two Gameweeks, Shaw received 26 and 28 points on the Bonus Point System (BPS), which is used by FPL to allocate bonus points. Meanwhile, Darmian gained 32 and 29. Darmian is the slight winner here but we also have to take into account he got a yellow card in the second match and still beat Shaw.
For clearances, blocks and interceptions (CBI), which contributes to a high BPS score for defenders, Darmian is also ahead with 18 versus Shaw’s 13. Currently, it does look like Darmian is going to win the battle for defensive points and the bonus points that come with them (though we do only have a small sample size).
Attacking Points
Attacking-wise, though, I feel Shaw has more potential. Granted, both of these two have started poorly in comparison to the likes of Manchester City’s Aleksander Kolarov when it comes to attacking stats but comparing the two of them makes for some interesting reading.
In terms of crosses Darmian actually wins again (three v zero for Shaw), and has also created a chance, whereas Shaw has created none. Where I feel the potential for better returns for Shaw are in touches in the final third. Shaw has nearly double the number of touches in the final third compared to Darmian: 47 v 24, and more in the opponents’ half: 87 v 53. With Memphis Depay potentially moving over to the left side for the majority of games from the number 10 role, we could see a lot of United’s attacks going down the left hand side and Shaw is likely to see more and more of the ball.
Looking at the heat maps for the first two Gameweeks Shaw’s average position is slightly higher up the pitch and he is seeing more of the ball. Whether he can turn that into assists and goals remains to be seen. The problem of Wayne Rooney also needs to be considered here. Even if Shaw is getting more of the ball and starts putting more crosses in who’s actually going to finish the chances? Rooney certainly looks lethargic in his play right now and is coming too deep for my liking.
Rotation Threat
Lastly is the competition for places. The main consensus is that Darmian has less competition for places, with only a makeshift right-back available in the form of Antonio Valencia competing for his spot, whereas Shaw has both Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind to contend with. As Fantasy Football Scout community member Van Klinkert Delarosa pointed out recently, it’s likely that Rojo or Blind will be deployed at left centre-back for the foreseeable future, which leaves only one other player fighting for a place at left centre-back or left-back. In that respect Shaw only really has one player fighting for his spot – a player that is also potentially fighting for the left centre-back position too. We also have to take into account that manager Louis van Gaal has had positive things to say about Shaw pre-season, although did hint at rotation.
I think that it shall be the season of Luke Shaw, that I believe. I believe in him and he has to feel that and I hope he shall show it. But he’s 20 years old. How many players of that age are playing in the Premier League?
Conclusion
I feel that Darmian is still the safer option and if the attacking returns remain as they are he’s more likely to pick up more Bonus Points in FPL based purely on defensive contributions. If Shaw can convert some of the possession he’s seeing into more chances then perhaps he can start coming out on top in terms of attacking points and will start to overtake Darmian in total points.
I’ve opted for Luke Shaw in my Wildcard. Am I looking into attacking potential that just isn’t there? Is there any reason to go for Shaw when Darmian seems to offer better defensive points potential? Will Darmian continue to pick up yellow cards or even a red when he faces Montero? Who will you go for?
8 years, 8 months agoGood comparison. Shaw certainly one to watch. Darmian the pick on current evidence though.