Dugout Discussion – Man United vs Stoke City

The blanks and doubles are going to spruce things up a bit as well.
But I agree that there is a very set template at the moment

i have 5 of those and therefore should be fine with my 1m OR.

KDB is my differential

There is Mahrez, Eriksen, Sane......a few still out there to mix things up

That's exactly why I went Vardy over Firmino.

My team is what you've listed there with Vardy the only difference.

I just felt I had to try "something".

I have 8 of those. Correct. There is no way to gain with the template.
I am 60k now but thinking a Mahrez and Vardy double up as my diff.

Calculated luck will play a big part now.
With or without Kane.
DGW planning.
Captain picks.
TV.
Choice of back line.
For me the main areas that make a difference.

Every time I've tried 'different' it fails (Jesus, Hazard, Morata, Silva). Also due to stubbornness about being wrong.

There’s a fair chance you’ll pass many of the ones above you when they try to be different. Probably not an ‘exciting’ way to play, though.

I still think there’s plenty of options. I’ve only got half of the players you mention there for example.

But I do welcome even more - especially around certain price points. Would love more choice among 5-6 mids and third strikers especially.

Sanchez could be the ultimate, rank boosting differential.

Good points... but I’ve gone too different and dropped like a stone this week.

What's the problem? Teams airways converge in the second half of the season. Who cares, still play to maximise your rank.

Lots of differentials this season

Can't remember a season where there are so many great options

KDB, Kun, Alli, Sané, Mahrez etc all great options as pseudo-differentials

I think FPL is about finding the balance between 75% following the template and 25% trying to predict it.

I have the same team except no Jones (I've got DDG though for Utd cover, which I think is impossible with the above team) and no Son, with RLC warming the bench.

The only way I can get Son in is by selling Arnie or Lingard. And with 3 hard fixtures for Spurs coming up, I feel like fate is telling me to take a risk. So instead I'm looking to upgrade RLC to Ibe or maybe Oxlade-Chamberlain instead.

Yep, my thinking too so I have Lazini, Masuaku, Pogba & KDB in my team. Want to bring in a LEI player (Mahrez/Maguire/Vardy) also but cant manage it atm.

I am thinking Sanchez.
Got two frees at the moment. So may be worth just keeping one transfer in my pocket for now. And get money built up itb

The problem is that the template is the template for some reason. This reason, unexpectedly:), is good form of those template’s boys. If you are chasing you need to find 3 or 4 differences and some of current template's player must stop to produce. If you have just one or two differences your advantage will be cancelled quickly because your rivals my get them within 2 GW. The real difference can be obtained only when two or three big tickets player start to put up big numbers constantly and adoption of them requires significant surgery in your rivals squad’s (i.e. Sanchez, Lukaku and Mane start do something).

Another point is that 'the template' is different for each player depending on where they are.

Those in the top 5k and top 10k have a completely different 'template' to either follow or compete against to those further down the rankings.

For example in the top 10K the top owned mids are Sterling, Salah, Lingard, Son, Arnautovic.

But overall Son and Arnautovic are nowhere to be seen - the top five owned mids are Salah, Sterling, KDB, Lingard and Eriksen.

So currently Son and Arnie are great differentials for those out of the top 10K, so a great template buster. Those with such players in their team are already smashing the template. When they get into the top 10K then they can reconfigure their options - as they face a new template.

In the top 10K Eriksen is more of a differential. And in both cases Alli is a strong diff.

https://fpldiscovery.wordpress.com/2018/01/13/17-18-gw23-team-selection-and-stats/

Really. I’m stuck in the Top 10k and not going up or down by much.

Main rivals in cash leagues have pretty much the same team.

Firmino is probaly the only template player I don’t own and I’m going try something different in that position to get me up the ranks.

Same here. I have that exact team, and so does the person I'm chasing in my ML(100pt behind). I can't see that changing any of those players ( except son->mahrez) will cause me to gain ground.on him. Any advice on what I should try? Considering using my extra funds to buy VVD and Wilson, and try to use rotation to gain points when the template team has bad fixtures.

Just 4 of those here and gone from 300k to 50k in last 6 weeks without using any chips or wc.

I am taking a hit this week to get that template team.

I don’t agree with getting differentials just for the sake of it. There is a template now but new options will emerge over the next few weeks - and critically you are the most well placed to jump on these differentials IF you already have the high scoring template team.

Not sure it's totally template, perhaps the midfield mainly - Kane is a captain troller, Kun (c) this weekend looks an option - the paucity of striker options is a major issue in FPL, and was so last season. If Laca / Morata / Lukaka were 9m or so each then we would have so many more options.

7 weeks ago I had 4 of those players and was ranked 2.1m. 7 weeks (and about as many hits) later, I have 9 of those players, and have gone to 208k. They might be template now but I think that team will still rise you up the ranks.

My suggestion would be that you can find 'differential's in how you play, not just who you own. Of course it seems like there's a template because we always look at it in the moment e.g. Lingard, Arnie, Son are being called template, but what were they 6 weeks ago? They were differentials. So you had adopted any or all of those early, you would be well ahead of the curve.

Likewise if you identify new trends early, you can gain ground. What if loses his OOP advantage and shifts wide? Can Lingard really keep going? Is Firmino due another dip just as Mane is looking good again? The whole point of this great game is to keep getting yourself the 'template to be', then readjusting faster than everyone else.

I wouldn’t say that, you argue that since we can’t have them all there is loads of differentiation.

We are in our own world here where every man and his dog gravitates towards the mean, but not a single person in my league kept Arnie or Son, and only a few brought Lingard.

Play your own game and enjoy the rise for the blanks/doubles.

Aguerooooo

Sigh. How did I end up having ten (10) of those players

I think it is not a good time to differ from template while they all do very good and helping to build up a team value as well. We will need that money after GW30 to differentiate, especially in DGWs. Having differentials over the above template is very risky. I

I'll definitely put this in our Scoutcast Notes for the community issues section - really interesting subject especially with a few fixture swings.

The only way to deal with this is be aggressive and take a -4 to rotate the key ‘other’ players on a game by game basis - and yes this is high risk. Silva, Pogba, Eriksen, Mahrez etc

Alternatively you play your own game with that team and climb the ranks with that team - but shake it up in the last 10 games with the above strategy

Thats exactly my team.
I'm happy, current rank 1k. All chips in hand.

But flummoxed by what to do now.

mine are going to be Aguero (c), if that counts, and Wilson this week.

This is almost definitely stupid, but being around 400k seems more difficult; feels like I'm battling the 'template' on one side and the Salah/United heavy ghost teams on the other. As soon as Lukaku/Salah/DDG do something I go nowhere. I'm in no-mans land 😀

Looking forward to the BGW/DGWs when I can break free from the ghost ship teams.

I see GW28 as the catalyst for change. Not only the possible GW28 blanks but there are huge fixture shifts at that point, and the current template will be torn up. Following the shift is the madness of the blanks and doubles, with chips flying everywhere.

This next month is the calm before the storm

Pogba is very tempting now especially since Lingard might be coming to the end of his run and may end up getting benched shortly.

It's not the players you own, but WHEN you own them

I'm looking at Sanchez if he goes to Utd. Ownership is ridiculous and could be a real differential for a while as not an easy player to get in for many sides.
Sanchez & Firmino in for Son & Kun.

I've gone Mahrez over Sterling for the next few and have Kun instead of Kane and Pogba instead of Lingard. Now I'm planning for choosing my 3rd def and GK carefully over the next few weeks, apart from Azpi and Stones (currently have Lloris and Kenny/Ogbonna rotation).

One thing that's helped is getting some benchwarmers in. Already gone for Joel Pereira and Quaner, and may get a 4.0def in as well since rotation is not going to be too much over the next few and can FH in 28.

Morata won't carry on being this rubbish

Plus Sanchez to Utd could... COULD... smash things up a bit

This. All my rivals have exactly the same sides, amazing how this has all come to a head in the last week or two.

Favorite post of this year. My situation too.
Re some of the above comments,
Instead of Arnie, Son, Firmino... I had Hazard, Pogba, DCL.. The last two weeks saw me drift from 32k to 55k thanks to Spurs/WestHam's non-DGW performances... So, reasonable looking differentials cause you loss of ranks...
I am now doubting between Hazard+DLC to Firmino/Lanzini or Agüero/RLC.
I am not sure what the difference will be, tbh, unless I captain Agüero and he hat-tricks.

I understand where you're coming from Rover, but it's too easy to see the similarities and forget that it only takes 2-3 different players and captain pick variability and two very similar looking teams can end up with wildly different scores, in a given week but also consistently.

I'm doing OK, OR 17k, and I don't have Lingard, Son or Otamendi.

Current rank 1208 .

I have 8/15 players above 40% ownership . Out of Which 7 are my core players . Son is owned by 37% which is near 40% mark so again not so differential.which makes it 8/15 players (core) highly owned players.

Have only 3 players with less than 10% ownership , out of which 1 plays regularly and 1 keeps rotating.

I can't really go differential / maverick because the points difference is so close that one bad move and you are bound to get a red . It's high risk high reward kinda thing

Shipping Son for Ox, and buying Aguero here!

If you are stuck in a League with similar team set ups, as stated above in the thread, you rely on form and visionary(lucky) differential picks. With scrimping for transfer funds really not an issue any more would a tactic of mirroring a rival's transfers a week after them work? Keep a form player and avoid the uncertainty of transferring in a new player?

I’m 4k and happy to play with the template, it’s incremental steps with a strategic game plan now for me.

Any effect? Things will change, Pogba, Ramsey, Lanzini, Ox, Sane, Mahrez, Kun, Vardy, Azpi, Stones, Valencia etc etc... could affect things.

honestly this is just whinging.

Lots of choices in all positions this season. That group has performed well(ish) but that doesn't mean they will going forwards. And seriously, you just mentioned arnie in a template so obviously there's something wrong here. Reminds me of my mate yesterday saying that chelsea were looking at andy carroll!!!

Anyways, their owners will all suffer from the sunk costs of value and past points and the nimble will leap upwards! Lots of season to go + presumably all your chips.

fwiw I went dcl/alli ---> aguero (c) / carroll this week. 3-4-3 ftw.

that's why I have Pogba and Lukaku (and keeping them) - it just feels nicer and different

Straight in my team as soon as it's confirmed.

Own him since he was 4.9 then scored goals and went to 5.1 then got banned and lost his spot now down to 4.7.

Have kept him all this while because of rumours in November only that he’ll be looking for a move away.

Top choice third striker for those with 3-5-2 by miles when that happens.

Not sure how that would work at Palace with Zaha and Tekkers, however at BH&A or WBA he would seem first choice and then a great option.

BHA to juiciest destination?

He can fill the 2nd striker role perfectly in Palace attack with Benteke is the tower and Zaha / Townsend / RLC are flanks.

If he goes to Palace he's straight in my team. Not interested if he goes West Brom.

Got him in as an enabler for Alonso last week. Risky, but a move has been on the cards for a while and I’ve got a strong enough bench for now. Would prefer Palace as a destination

The mother or tepid hot topics - can't see him being nailes first choice at any of those clubs.

If he goes to Palace their March fixtures are BRUTAL. West Brom offer much kinder fixtures for him to settle in and get a few starts and goals for a new team.

Everton quoted £13m

3 teams say, 'okay!'

Everton regret not saying £14m instead

It's just like Monopoly

He was maybe my first early transfer this season and immediately I was punished for that and his was banned. Since then I am playing with 2 strikers, Kane and first Vardy, then Morata and now Firmino. Then the rumors started and Everton signed Tosun, so I was happy to hold Niasse. Hope he will soon make a transfer and help sometimes from the bench.