Opinion
10 August 2017 2682 comments
davidwardale davidwardale
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In the words of Cockney prophets Chas & Dave: ‘Spurs are on their way to Wembley, Tottenham’s going to do it again’.

This season, in a move that even a dreaming Ossie Ardiles might tire of, they’ll be on their way to Wembley many more times than usual to fulfil 19 Premier League home fixtures while their new stadium is being built.

And the fear is that what Tottenham’s going to be doing again is struggle.

The precedents are not good – West Ham suffered when they moved into their new home last season, while Spurs lost two and drew one of their four European matches at Wembley in 2016/17.

A strong second-place finish last campaign, fuelled by key assets Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen, would usually demand our Fantasy attention.

But will the move to Wembley change all that? Will it prompt a right old Knees Up or a case of Ain’t No Pleasing You?

We canvas the opinion of some leading Fantasy Premier League managers and Fantasy Football Scout staff to ask for their verdict on the fourth of this season’s Burning Questions: Is the Wembley factor really a concern when considering Spurs’ assets?

Peter Kouwenberg (Hall of Fame #1) Says…

A confession: I was one who skippered Kane for the Hull City and Burnley blanks last December before a rare rage-transfer out – just in time to ‘enjoy’ his festive haul of six goals in four matches.

I also became something of an expert throughout the season at swapping Eriksen in and out for Alli, just in time to miss each other’s goals and assists, before finally admitting defeat and bringing in all three players.

As a result, I am the last person qualified to comment on Spurs.

Much has been written about why they do, and may continue to, struggle at Wembley and if I was a Spurs fan, I probably would be a little bit nervous about this.

However, I would be far more fearful of not having Kane in my team, with a match away at newly promoted Newcastle and a home fixture against Burnley sandwiching the Chelsea clash.

I agree that there are viable alternatives – the Manchester City strikers and new boys Alvaro Morata and Alexandre Lacazette could all justify excluding Kane – but I’ll be riding out the first three games at least, after which the fixtures suggest it would be a brave or foolish player not to have at least one Spurs attacker.

Where I think the Wembley wariness will influence me is in not trebling up from the off. Alli was the first name on my first draft team sheet and I still think he (and Eriksen) could continue where they left off last season.

However, wagering over a quarter of my £100m budget on Spurs (including the injured Kieran Trippier) to beat their Wembley hoodoo may be a gamble too far.

Uwais Ahmed (FPL Runner-Up 2016/17) Says…

I believe that playing at Wembley for 19 home matches will make a difference, but how much this will affect the Spurs players is impossible to tell.

We simply don’t have a decent sample size of data to confirm how much of a factor Wembley will be. What we do know is that Spurs won 21 of 23 matches played at White Hart Lane last season across all competitions, and you would expect this will be difficult to match this time around.

Given Harry Kane is the most expensive player in FPL, at £12.5m, you have to take into account all factors when fielding a player who uses up such a significant portion of our budget. Playing at Wembley is one such factor.

Kane is England’s number one striker. He’s played at Wembley on a number of occasions, so we’re not talking about a novice with a complete unfamiliarity of his surroundings. What also works in Kane’s favour is that he is a nailed-on starter for Spurs so there is no rotation risk around him.

I believe that in considering Spurs’ assets, you have to play it by ear. What you can hang your hat on is that last season in the Premier League, Spurs had the joint-best goal difference at home and the best goal difference away. This tells you that they’re a very well-balanced team with FPL options across all positions.

They’ve earned the right for us to ignore the Wembley aspect to begin with, particularly with their favourable opening schedule.

But we might need to re-visit the issue once we have more evidence and information.

Ben Crabtree (Reigning FPL Champion) Says…

Stadium moves generally negatively affect performance.

Couple this with Spurs, and Kane in particular, being slow starters and there should be caution around their prized assets.

The 6-1 and 7-1 maulings they handed out in the spring were nearly three months ago. Their form – and that of all the other teams – is re-set for the new season and no-one has half an eye on the beach anymore.

I feel Spurs are less likely to win the title this season. Today’s Danny Rose story is symptomatic of the frustration at the club, with some players concerned that rivals have strengthened so much while their only business has made them weaker, ie losing Kyle Walker.

Then again, I’m open to the possibility of my thoughts deriving from confirmation bias.

Pretending Spurs have no options saves a lot of money and makes picking a team easier. There is a stadium move, but they’ve played there before so it’s not completely new. Kane hasn’t scored in August before, but that could mean he’ll score three months worth of goals this August to average it out.

Then there’s Eriksen and Alli who, as a rule, score more points each year. Even if they get ‘only’ this season, I don’t want to be missing out on that.

At the start you can only have so many top players. The tactic I generally use is to see what factors rule players out rather than in. I think Wembley is a big enough concern to put Spurs on hold for now.

Simon March (FPL Champion 2014/15) Says…

My theory when it comes to Spurs and the ‘Wembley factor’ is that their recent malaise there has less to do with the size of the pitch or the unfamiliar surroundings and much more to do with the fact that it is simply ‘Wembley’.

The venue is synonymous with ‘an occasion’ and, for the visiting teams and their fans, fixtures there take on a cup final atmosphere, irrespective of their actual significance. As a result, Spurs’ opponents typically bring along a larger, louder following and their players raise their game accordingly.

If this is true, then Spurs may have 19 ‘cup finals’ on their hands next season and this could, of course, impact on their players’ performances.

Though I expect Spurs to eventually adapt to their new surroundings and the greater pressure that comes with them, I might be concerned about their results early on in the season.

I’m less concerned, however, with the impact on Spurs as an attacking force.

Even if the results aren’t going their way, I think their usual suspects of Kane, Alli and Eriksen will still find opportunities to score.

The atmosphere might even work in their favour at times, with opposing teams less inclined to ‘park the bus’ in front of a more vociferous than usual away following.

So, while I might avoid their defence for a few Gameweeks at least, I’ll still be backing their attacking assets.

Jonty Says…

Spurs were an unstoppable force at White Hart Lane last season, racking up more shots than any home side and scoring 47 times – a tally only bettered by Chelsea.

In defence, they conceded just nine times in front of their own fans and kept 12 clean sheets – another two records for their 2016/17 stats cabinet.

Given that they effectively play 38 away matches this season, due to Wembley being their temporary home, the theory is that this fine record will suffer.

Leading the charge in pushing this theory are those that study pitch sizes. They will point out that, at 100 x 67 metres, White Hart Lane had the second smallest Premier League pitch last season and Spurs players may struggle to adjust to the extra space afforded by Wembley’s gigantic 105 x 69 metres (7,245 ) of turf.

West Ham’s travails after their move to a larger pitch at the London Stadium last season further strengthen this ‘groundsman’s argument’.

Then there’s Spurs’ track record at Wembley – a stadium where last season they were beaten by Monaco, Bayer Leverkusen and Chelsea and could only secure a draw against Belgian team KAA Gent. In fact, CSKA Moscow were the only side they managed to beat at the home of English football last season.

But I’m still not buying into the Wembley effect.

The key is that, in Kane, they have a player looking to win the Golden Boot for the third consecutive season and who still scored 12 goals on the road last season – with only Alexis Sanchez and Sergio Aguero scoring more.

In addition, their away record was superb – suggesting the tight White Hart Lane pitch is not needed for success. On the road they conceded a mere 16 times- another record – and scored 39, which was only bettered by Manchester City.

If Spurs fail to replicate 2016/17’s form, it won’t be due to playing at Wembley. It will arguably be more to do with their failure to impress in the transfer market, where they have lost one of their best players in full-back Walker and have been forced to watch in envy as their rivals strengthen.

Paul Says…

Due to Spurs’ tactics under Mauricio Pochettino, I don’t think you can rule out the Wembley issue altogether, or at least in the very early stages.

Spurs play such a high-pressing game that, with more ground and space to cover in their new home, there’s a possibility that energy levels could drop later in matches and they might not be able to close down opponents quite so effectively.

That’s essentially a fitness factor and one that their manager will presumably address by ensuring that Spurs’ levels are even greater than before. It could initially have an impact but, as the season unfolds and the players up their match fitness and become more accustomed to Wembley, I can’t see it being an issue.

Kane’s minutes per away goal last season – which was almost identical to Romelu Lukaku’s at home – underlines that he’s far from reliant on White Hart Lane. At present, he’s the only Spurs player I own as I feel he’s unparalleled as a captaincy pick.

Elsewhere, you can also point to the fact that Alli had more big chances away from home than any FPL midfielder last season. Eriksen, meanwhile, sat first for shots and key passes, and his penchant for efforts from distance is unlikely to be quenched.

Defensively, I’m going to steer clear of Spurs for now and see if they can maintain the same levels of resilience as last season.

But with Burnley, Swansea City and Bournemouth three of their first four visitors, the opening schedule should allow them to settle and give us time to assess any possible Wembley impact.

Mark Says…

While they have been conspicuous by their absence in the transfer market, in many ways it was difficult to strengthen Pochettino’s first XI and, under normal circumstances I’d reluctantly be installing Spurs as title favourites.

But the Wembley factor has to be a consideration and, coupled with the sudden unrest in the camp following Rose’s outburst today, I do have escalating concerns about their prospects.

The pitch size and sense of occasion created by the stadium move is less of a factor than the morale issues for me.

I worry that, with a ready-made excuse for a reduced title bid, the mood in the camp could suddenly plummet further.

One of the main reasons for Spurs’ success last season was the fact that they came across as the most unified and spirited of teams.

But cracks are now appearing and I do feel that the re-location will compound matters.

Having said that, I am still struggling to overlook Kane.

Based on last season’s output, he is peerless as a captain option and while there is explosivity and possibly consistency on offer from Romelu Lukaku and Gabriel Jesus, they are for my money still giving chase to Kane for these qualities .

So Kane will likely get the nod for me, regardless of my concerns.

However, I am unlikely to back him with Eriksen or Alli for fear of over-investment in a side perhaps on the verge of a transition – both in terms of venue and, perhaps, mentality and confidence.

  1. IN SANE IN DE BRUYNE
    • 9 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    Rate this out of 10 please

    Begovic
    Kompany Bertrand Hegazi
    KDB Salah Willian Ritchie
    Lukaku Jesus Firmino

    Elliot Carroll Mee Long

    1. Holmes
      • 12 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      8/10

    2. ludaslol
      • 8 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      Like it, not worried with no spurs?

      1. IN SANE IN DE BRUYNE
        • 9 Years
        8 years, 6 months ago

        Yeah sure am. First time I tried without spurs but seems well balanced

    3. fishnil
      • 11 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      Hezagi a risk. Would you downgrade firmino to upgrade hezagi?

      1. IN SANE IN DE BRUYNE
        • 9 Years
        8 years, 6 months ago

        Would rather downgrade Willian or Ritchie

    4. Unbowed Unbent N'Golo
      • 9 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      Go Bertrand to Cedric and Hegazi to Dawson?

      1. IN SANE IN DE BRUYNE
        • 9 Years
        8 years, 6 months ago

        Not 100 Cedric is nailed from GW1?

  2. fishnil
    • 11 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    Help here folks.
    A. Zaha + Daniels
    B. Puncheon/5.0 + Alonso/Cahill

    If B then whom?

  3. Colonel Shoe 肝池
    • 14 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    ritchie or JWP?

    1. Holmes
      • 12 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      Ritchie

  4. Jamie_GAWA
    • 9 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    Foster - should I avoid?

    1. KISSES
      • 12 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      yes

    2. Doosra - ☭DeclanMyGenius…
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 16 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      No, certainly not. Pay no attention to the naysayers.

      1. Adam West - Team Serbia for…
        • 15 Years
        8 years, 6 months ago

        Nay 😉

    3. G-Whizz
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 8 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      No.

      I think we would be foolish to overlook him at our peril. Hence why I've doubled up and got Dawson too 😆

  5. Lone Wolf
    • 9 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    Who roatetes best with Huddersfield? Cant find that article.
    Cheers!

    1. Pigeon
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      Brighton

      1. Lone Wolf
        • 9 Years
        8 years, 6 months ago

        Lowe + Suttner it is. Thanks!

  6. Ronnies
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    G2G ?
    Any thoughts or advice ?

    DDG

    Kompany - Kolasinac - Yoshida - Dawson

    KDB - Zaha - Ritchie

    Kane - Lukaku - Firmino

    (Elliot - tcarroll - Chalobah - Long)

    Any feedback welcome.
    Tnks

    1. fishnil
      • 11 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      Nice. Dawson to Daniels?

    2. King Kohli
      • 13 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      I've got Chalobah as well. Is he nailed on to start?

      1. thekingiii
        • 8 Years
        8 years, 6 months ago

        I have Chalobah. I think he's overlooked - I reckon he'll start but won't get a lot of points

        Good team, Pelle - I like it

  7. Tabbara
    • 9 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    Risky to start abraham?
    Is he likely to be on the bench ?

  8. Dr. DOOM
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    Can this midfield do anything?

    Kdb - Willian - Zaha - Jwp - Carroll

    1. MFC86
      • 10 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      Yeah pretty template

    2. Orion
      • 15 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      just like mine it is

  9. Galza
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    FoRster + Dawson or
    Foster + Bertrand......
    I know which way I'm going, but interested to know what you lot think........

    1. King Kohli
      • 13 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      F + B

      1. Galza
        • 8 Years
        8 years, 6 months ago

        Thanks for reply. I've actually gone F + D. Just feel Dawson edges it on his danger from set pieces.

  10. Dimen
    • 12 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    Tadic or Zaha?

    1. Orion
      • 15 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      Zaha

  11. MFC86
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    Iwobi for week one anyone ?

    1. Ling
      • 16 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      I've gone for him as a punt. Can go through good patches. Saying that I have picked him so he is doomed to fail now...

  12. King Kohli
    • 13 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    Anything you would change?

    DDG Elliott
    B.Davies Yoshida Stephens TAA Mee
    KDB Alli Willian Carroll Chalobah
    Jesus Lukaku Firmino

  13. Madfox
    • 16 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    Hi guys, I was wondering if you could join my H2H league, the code is 476137-681919. Would very much appreciate it, thanks.

    Reply
    0

  14. Pep's Money Laundry
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    Is Mitrovic an option whilst gayle is injured?

    1. TorresMagic™
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • Has Moderation Rights
      • 16 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      yep

    2. RAFA THE GAFFA
      • 9 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      Yes, but he's cr@p!!

  15. Winter_is_coming
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    Last question for my team, help please!

    Which Newcastle defender is the most nailed? Dummet, Clark, Lejeune?

    1. RAFA THE GAFFA
      • 9 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      Clark and Lejeune. Avoid dummett

      1. Scratch
        • 16 Years
        8 years, 6 months ago

        Wont Lascelles take the place of Clark or Lejeune ?

        1. Winter_is_coming
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 12 Years
          8 years, 6 months ago

          Exactly, analyzing summer Dummet loock like the most nailed

    2. DD
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      Dummet

  16. Weeb Kakashi
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    Done 442 setup

    Begovic|Elliot
    Luiz|Danilo|Cedric|Stephens|Mee
    Mane|Salah|Mkhi|Zaha|Carroll
    Kane|Jesus|Quaner

    1. Pep's Money Laundry
      • 10 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      I like it apart from begovic.

    2. Harry Ball Bag™⚽⚽…
      • 15 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      Looks very good

  17. Red Rock
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    Lost on the last page:

    Will the lack of Coutinho for Liverpool affect their creativity and attack output? Seemed that they didnt score as many goals last season with him out injured, wondering if starting with Salah or Mane is ideal.

  18. ludaslol
    • 8 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    Foster
    Valencia Bertrand Dann (rotates well with Mee)
    Pogba KDB Alli Zaha
    Lukaku Gabbiadini Firmino

    Elliot, Mee, T Carroll, Brad Smith

    1-10 for a Kane less team?

  19. ninja101
    • 12 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    a) Firmino + Fraser + JWP + Mee
    b) Quaner + Salah + Atsu + Stones

    1. Dr. DOOM
      • 8 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      A

  20. Harry Ball Bag™⚽⚽…
    • 15 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    I've gone with no spurs attack and doubled on KDB and Jesus

    Should I swap KDB for alli/eriksen?

  21. Teror
    • 11 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    Does anyone that owns a Mounie expect him to be anything more than absolute horseshite? I remember I had Gray in my team last year because of suggestions here and that turned out to be a pretty pants decision.

    1. Adam West - Team Serbia for…
      • 15 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      Reverse psychology FPL sounds like a hilarious strategy * loads up on Brighton players 😉 . Preseason band wagons on here are very dodgy I usually ignore them .

  22. LewanGOALski
    • 14 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    which 4.5 DEF:

    A. Suttner
    B. Hegazi
    C. Lascelles
    D. other?

    ?

    1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
      • 16 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      Hegazi

  23. Nice to Finally Michu
    • 12 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    Draft team looking pretty feeble for GW1 but do you guys reckon there's anything worth changing?

    Forster (Heaton)
    Azpilicueta Luiz Vertonghen Otamendi Mustafi
    Iwobi Bernardo Silva
    Batshuayi Lacazette Rondon

    1st Sub: Sigurdsson
    2nd Sub: Sanchez
    3rd Sub: Son

    Bernardo or Mustafi to get any minutes this weekend? If not is it worth swapping them or anyone else out?

  24. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
    • 16 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    How's me 4-3-3 looking? Moving away from power trio now with Firmino looking better with potential pens. Jones is a flat out gamble, will likely swap to Daniels or Dawson/Hegazi/Stephens/Yoshida etc

    DDG
    Kompany, Bertrand, Jones, Cedric
    KDB, Zaha, JWP
    Kane, Kaku, Firmino
    (Elliott, Aké, Carroll, RLC)

    1. RAFA THE GAFFA
      • 9 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      Very nice

      1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
        • 16 Years
        8 years, 6 months ago

        Cheers Rafa!

  25. Ling
    • 16 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    I have KDB & Lukaku. Do I pick:

    1/ Fabregas & Kane (0m in bank)
    2/ Miki & Jesus (1m in bank)

    It's killing me!

    1. MY DJ NAME IS PIMP CURRY
      • 15 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      2

    2. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
      • 16 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      Definitely, definitely Kane imo... KDB has you covered if City to large

    3. Harry Ball Bag™⚽⚽…
      • 15 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      2

    4. Scapegoat Salah
      • 9 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      Depends what you will do with the spare 1m

      1. Ling
        • 16 Years
        8 years, 6 months ago

        Planning to jump on the gameweek on bandwagon with the spare cash. Provides flexibility. But so does selling Kane if he doesn't bag I suppose

  26. MY DJ NAME IS PIMP CURRY
    • 15 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    Gomes or Foster? Second keeper is Elliot

  27. RAFA THE GAFFA
    • 9 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    Think I've exhausted every avenue and going with this. G2G? 😀

    Foster
    Kompany • Yoshida • Daniels
    KDB • Salah • Willian • JWP
    Kane • Lukaku • Chicharito
    (Elliot • Carroll • Suttner • Long)

    1. MY DJ NAME IS PIMP CURRY
      • 15 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      Nice team!

    2. Lord.
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      I prefer Firminio and Zaha to Salah and Chicharito, but on judgement calls I definitely defer to you, so good to go.

  28. Wings Fan
    • 12 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    I've bottled it on Tammy...

    Can't back him when I'm also backing Southampton to keep CS, and he has Man United second game.

    Thoughts on J Rod?

  29. MJFainty
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    Evening all!

    So a new season is upon us, here's how I'm lining up for GW1, any glaring mistakes?

    Foster
    Keane/Cedric/Dawson
    Pogba/Alli/Redmond/Zaha
    Lukaku (c)/Kane/Chicharito

    Hart/Daniels/Loftus-Cheek/Rangel

    Cheers in advance guys

  30. dashdriver
    • 10 Years
    8 years, 6 months ago

    Best pick for a 5.5 mid?

    Iwobi, Fraser, JWP, Mooy, Shelvey, Fer, Routledge or Allen?

    1. Dr. DOOM
      • 8 Years
      8 years, 6 months ago

      I've gone JWP. Wanted Ritchie though lol.