As anticipated, Gameweek 30 is already an edgy affair.
With so much uncertainty surrounding the Fantasy Premier League captaincy decision, we’ve already seen the “big two” put in their shifts and ultimately disappoint.
Backed by 14.5% and 13.5% respectively, Diego Costa and Romelu Lukaku both endured frustrating afternoons, although their efforts, at least statistically, were worlds apart.
Costa shook off concerns surrounding his fitness to take on Palace and predictably earned the top billing for armband, nudging out Lukaku by just over 40,000 managers.
But, having failed to produce double-figures at Stamford Bridge all season, Costa again huffed and puffed without impact. A staggering nine attempts on goal, all from inside the box, were repelled by a determined Eagles rearguard.
A booking meant that the Spaniard has produced back-to-back single point returns, while his dry spell now means he’s provided just two goals from his last seven Gameweeks.
With Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic now back from his suspension, that kind of output will surely lead to further ownership losses; Costa shed 55,000+ FPL managers heading into Gameweek 30.
The Chelsea man is already the third most sold asset since today’s deadline, as one of only two non-flagged players in the top eight being jettisoned.
The other is Lukaku.
While Costa did at least show willing in the defeat to Palace, Everton’s talisman made little impression in the earlier Merseyside derby.
While the two-point return represented his first blank in five Gameweeks, Lukaku failed to muster a single effort on goal. Over his two matches with Liverpool, he’s produced just one shot in total.
Significantly perhaps, the only other two matches in which he’s failed to register a shot on goal were against Chelsea in Gameweek 11 and Manchester United in Gameweek 14, suggesting that Lukaku is still struggling to make an impression on the big stage.
Tuesday’s trip to Old Trafford will be key, then, with the Belgian also under increased pressure now that Ibrahimovic is back in the equation, with a trip to Sunderland and a double Gameweek 34 beckoning.
While we consider our future approach up front, the issue of the Gameweek 30 captaincy remains unsettled.
Jamie Vardy and Eden Hazard also made their contributions today, with the Leicester City striker’s goal, his fourth in as many Gameweeks, offering a seven-point reward.
Certainly handy, but perhaps not the haul expected by the 197,000 who brought him in, particularly for those who may have spent a four-point hit alongside their sale of Seamus Coleman.
It remains to be seen if the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Sergio Aguero and Gylfi Sigurdsson can produce a genuinely big return to help their backers steal a march.
Sanchez and Aguero will square off at the Emirates wearing the armband for 5.7% and 8.8% respectively.
Prior to that, Gylfi Sigurdsson will make his pitch. He claimed just over 62,000 backers or 1.4%, although interestingly, twenty of the top 100 FPL managers opted for the Swans playmaker, making him the top choice among that elite group.
