The Watchlist Updated – Midfielders

After our analysis of the latest goalkeeper and defender rankings, our series of Watchlist articles continues with a review of the recent changes in midfield.

Our current reckoning can be found in your sidebar on desktop, or via your slide-in menu on mobile or tablet.

They give an indication of our thinking on player selection for each position, listing the factors that are contributing to the given rank.

It’s no surprise to find Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (9.4) at the very top.

His stock continues to soar after chalking up a season-high 15-point haul in the 4-1 victory at West Ham United.

The Egyptian was fielded alongside Roberto Firmino up front in a 4-2-2-2 formation by Jurgen Klopp, although the likely return to fitness of Philippe Coutinho (8.8) could find the Reds revert to a more familiar 4-3-3 setup. Coutinho was in training with Brazil but did not feature from the bench against Japan on Friday; he could make an appearance against England on Tuesday.

But even Coutinho is unlikely to dent Salah’s stock. He remains top for shots in the box from midfield, with 32, while a total 24 efforts on target is more than any player across the positions.

Having already been well clear as the most owned midfielder in FPL, he is the most bought asset since Saturday’s deadline, attracting over 143,000 new owners.

Sadio Mane (9.3) returned from injury to provide both assists for Salah at the London Stadium. He will also be expected to profit from Liverpool’s kind forthcoming fixtures (SOT CHE stk bha EVE WBA bou).

Salah’s average of 6.5 points per match, compared to 5.3 for Mane, ensures that he remains our favoured Reds’ attacker. Nonetheless, Mane – sitting in under 8% of squads – could prove a powerful differential for those looking to double up on Jurgen Klopp’s midfield.

After Salah, the Manchester City midfield has to be the main consideration.

Pep Guardiola’s attack is showing no signs of reaching for the handbrake as yet, with three goals against Arsenal in Gameweek 11 taking them to a staggering 38 for the season.

With rotation perhaps a bigger concern when considering the huge outlay on either Sergio Aguero or Gabriel Jesus – midfielders Raheem Sterling (8.2) and Leroy Sane (8.9) take up the next two positions on our ladder. Doubling up on the duo, who are currently being deployed either side of one of Aguero or Jesus, is clearly a viable strategy.

Sterling – who withdrew from England duties with a minor back complaint – holds a slight edge in terms of goals (seven to six), and is averaging a shot every 25.4 minutes, slightly superior to the German (33.8). Crucially, his points per match (6.9) is also superior to any midfield team-mate, with Sane next best on 6.6.

The pair remain compelling options for the forthcoming period, with the league leaders avoiding the current top nine over the next four Gameweeks (lei hud SOT WHU).

With just a single assist over the last three Gameweeks, and one goal all season, David Silva (8.5) sinks down slightly in our estimations. Yet the Spaniard perhaps remains a more secure pick, having been named on Guardiola’s teamsheet in all 11 Gameweeks.

With the scramble for Salah and the City options intensifying, Spurs’ midfield candidates have almost been drowned out.

Admittedly, with Harry Kane the favoured option in Mauricio Pochettino’s attack, both Dele Alli (9.3) and Christian Eriksen (9.7) face a challenge to reverse the current trend of sales.

They are the two most sold midfielders in Gameweek 12 after supplying just a single goal apiece in the last five Gameweeks.

Yet, having both scored in the recent win over Real Madrid, the pair could still plunder the points from a favourable schedule (ars WBA le wat STK BHA) over the next six Gameweeks.

Given that Spurs have already qualified for the Champions League knockout stages, Pochettino could rest Alli and Eriksen (and Kane) from European duties as they give pursuit of City at the summit.

Like Sterling, we’re also expecting Alli to recover from injury in time for Gameweek 12.

Chelsea’s Eden Hazard (10.6) is poised to emerge as the main challenger to the top three.

The Belgian may have blanked in the 1-0 win over Manchester United, but the return of N’Golo Kante from injury allowed him to take up a No 10 role up in support of Alvaro Morata.

Hazard hit the target with all three of his goal attempts against United and has chipped in with a goal and assist over the last three.

With the upcoming fixtures (wba liv SWA NEW whu hud) just the start of an extended obliging run, Hazard – as one of the few premium midfielders to also boast spot-kick duties – could soon see his 5.1% ownership rise as a route into Chelsea’s attack.

In terms of our preferred mid-price and budget midfield options, Watford’s Richarlison (6.4) continues to lead the pack.

Incredibly, the Brazilian is ranked top among midfielders for total shots (39) and is second only to Salah (30 to 32) for efforts in the opposition box.

Richarlison has bagged all four of his goals (and two of his four assists) on the road, which may be a concern given that Hornets play three of their next four (WHU new MUN TOT) at Vicarage Road.

Yet having picked up points against the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal at Vicarage Road, owners look set to hold, with the schedule looking very favourable from Gameweek 17 onwards.

Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha (6.8), Stoke City’s Eric Choupo-Moting (5.7) and Brighton & Hove Albion’s Pascal Gross (5.9) can continue providing value for money.

Fielded up front following a recent switch of tactics, Zaha could yet usurp Richarlison in our pecking order – he sits joint-third among FPL midfielders for shots in the box (10) over the last four Gameweeks.

But with Christian Benteke back in training, it remains to be seen whether Zaha will be switched back to a role on the wing. That shift could slow his recent output, having scored goals in each of his last two at Selhurst Park as a central striker. However, manager Roy Hodgson may even retain Zaha alongside Benteke, having shown a preference for a 4-4-2 formation.

Sitting in just 4% of squads, the fixtures (EVE STK bha wba BOU WAT) could barely be kinder as the Eagles look to clamber away from the drop zone.

Choupo-Moting continues to deliver a steady stream of points, and still largely playing as a central striker, offers convincing value.

He travels to Brighton and Palace in the next two before hosting Liverpool, Swansea and West Ham’s dodgy defences in the subsequent five.

Those home matches could be particularly profitable – the Cameroon international has delivered 32 points in his last five at the bet365, blanking on just one of those occasions, which includes two goals against Man United.

Shaqiri is an alternative in the Potters ranks. He sits one point ahead of Choupo-Moting and has attracted far more acquisitions ahead of Gameweek 12; some 36,000 have moved for the Swiss international.

However, we currently prefer Choupo-Moting’s goal threat, while Shaqiri’s propensity to pick up injuries remains a concern.

As for Gross, his long-term prospects suggest he is worth retaining. Brighton’s boast five encouraging home fixtures (STK CRY LIV BUR WAT) in the next eight Gameweeks and also travel to Huddersfield over that spell.

Similar to Choupo-Moting, it’s the upcoming home schedule that boosts the German’s potential – he has scored or assisted 83% of his side’s goals at the Amex, averaging an impressive 7.2 points per appearance in front of his own fans.