Mendy creativity could make him essential Man City defender

I never have a plan when to use but I always end up using it during first int break to catch bandwagons, ditch deadwoods etc.

This year probably won't be any different

You can't plan to use your wildcard because there are too many unforeseen circumstances that get in the way.
Play it when the time feels right.

I will try to get to the break after GW8. Always the aspiration and only achieved it once in about 15 seasons! The first break after GW4 will be very tempting.

I've tried to optimise for a GW12 wildcard, but I can see myself playing it earlier (possible GW8) if there are too many surprises with lineups and form.

I'm not planning to use it. Neither will I hold off if I think I have to use it GW3. Just gotta see how things go and react well.

No real need to wildcard in the international break imo. Those times are over!

I hope to use it fairly late. It doesn't take long to catch up with the WC template with FTs, since the template changes everyweek, early WCers can be chasing the same player as you the following week, to chasing players they shouldn't have sold.

I'll change my mind if necessary.

I’d love to have the luxury of saving it but as I usually don’t start brilliantly I often use it early.

2nd international break for me. Team will be structured for first 8 gameweeks as a number of fixtures turn at this point and gives me plenty of time to asses formations and preferences after players return from the world cup.

Strongly suspect I will wildcard around GW3/4 but hoping my punty team manages to hit the ground running. Gambling by playing attacking Arsenal players from the off.

I'm looking at between GW5-8 if things aren't going to plan. I think quite a few will use it early this year once the world cup stars start coming back.

After GW8. Hopefully by then teams will have settled down after the world cup, and we have an idea of the shape of the season and the price performance lanscape that exists. Theres an international break around then too which gives chance to think.

Theres also a fixture swing around then too, I'll be wanting to jump off palace, everton and bournemouth assets and jump on west ham. Its also a good time to get onto huddersfield, leicester, newcastle and brighton.

Same, maybe GW5 but hopefully not needed. I also plan to take more hits this season, especially at the start so that might negate the need for an early wildcard.

Use the WC when your team needs it, not plan for a specific GW

So called dead end strategy worked fine for me last spring, so I will at least try to use it again and wc after gw8. WC players coming back for gw2-3 means that casuals wildcarding early have no info enough during first break. They will be in trouble after 2nd when fixtures change for CP for example. With good fixtures and good bench I hope to manage with mini wc:s after gw2 and gw4 if necessary and not knee jerk.

I normally plan to use it in the second international break. However, with players returning from the WC, I may have to use it earlier.

Going to leave myself in a position where Im not forced to use it early. Means picking mostly fairly nailed players from the start as opposed to the likes of Lamela, world cup players etc. Dont want to have planned transfers like Auba in for GW3 so I think I'll just get him from the start.

I haven't planned it but it will possibly be around GW 4 again this year, when everyone is back from vacation and most of my punts have failed.

Probably in the second international break.
May even hold on to it longer if I don't see the need for multiple changes then.

Will try to resist the temptation to play it earlier. Played it GW5 last season and GW2 the year before, and regretted it both times.

Ideally during the 2nd International break (post GW8).

All depends on how the early team does I suppose...

I dont ‘plan’ when to use my wildcard and throw it away. It’s a precious chip and I use it when my team needs it. I didn’t use it until GW10 last season because my team did great until then.

People make it seem like the WC has made a huge difference this season but there are plenty of good nailed players that are either already back from the WC or didn’t participate in it.

Arsenal’s fixtures from GW3 are hardly that great. They’ve got 2 away games until GW5 where they were trash last season. Looks pretty good from GW6 though.

It's an interesting paradox.

Plan an early WC.
Invest heavily in prime fixture players for the first 3-4 gameweeks, hoping they smash it.
But then on the other hand if they do well, perhaps hold on to it for a few more weeks...?!

I'm going in without a WC plan at the moment. I decided to play it GW8 last season as despite weathering an injury storm, I felt good about the players I had, and took the opportunity to change things up with Chelsea and City assets once the fixtures were favourable and players had established themselves in their roles (e.g. Sterling)

I'm not sure I can genuinely gain an advantage by playing mine early - I'll watch carefully and hopefully things will become clearer as players return and squads begin evolve accordingly.

really depends on the start.
Being able to delay until GW14/15 last year paid off well for me last year.
Never really like knee-jerking in 1st international break. Teams and players need time to settle. Making wholesale changes based on 3 games can be rash

Not planning on when to use it but I usually have an itchy trigger finger at the first IB. Hoping to make it to the second but I would have to have a great start to do so.

Il be amazed if I get passed week 4. Planning on getting to week 10 or so if I can

Always try to hang on as long as possible, but injuries, bad fixtures or just feeling i need to change things around often mean i use it earlier than i wanted to....

Normally I played it in Game week 2 - and make some money....maybe I'll wait longer this time...depending ... lol

good work

Thanks for this, it backs up my plan to swap to Auba week 3.
Fingers crossed I get the HUD game out of Aguero.

+1

I really like Aguero as a player and he can be FPL gold but for 11 million you need a striker who always starts. The pain when you see Jesus scoring two goals versus Huddersfield with Aguero only playing the last 10 minutes.

Cheers. Great work

Isn't this forgetting that Pep said he can play Jesus and Aguero together because of Mendy? Seemed to be his preferred choice too when he was fit.

Have Aguero, will get Auba in gw3.

Great work.
*switches to Auba

What about starting with Kun and swapping to Jesus? Saves 0.5m

Thanks for info. Going to start with Aguero and just hope he starts their first home game against HUD. Cannot see Auba hauling vs Chelsea. Perhaps famous last words... After gw2 he becomes Auba anyway.

All that gameweek stuff seems a bit unnecessary?

You could have said looking at thier apperances last season?

It probably would not have got the hulk?
To get the hulk bamboozling with a list of stats and or percentages is to paraphrase a ffs term 'essential'?

Anyway after I skipped the unnecessary bit in the post above, to the part the point was actually made.
It is a good point,
But for me it is simple transfer aguero out for another strikerthe first time he is benched I already have Aubameyang.
Simple?
So a chelsea striker could fit in nicely for example.

Provided that things are still the same as last year, I'm not concerned about Aguero's minutes - he was the clear first choice when both he and Jesus were fit, even when Pep was playing only one striker. The match vs. Stoke that Aguero was an unused substitute is an aberration since he was still recovering from the car accident - he just had a quicker recovery than was expected and was brought back into training.

The main takeaway for me, which I knew before the breakdown but the stats and history help to ground it in reality, is that you're never sure how much or if at all aguero plays.
Ability to rack up points has never been in doubt, his frequency for injury used to put a bit of a dampener on him as an option but now he can be fully fit and not even play, for his price it's a big gamble.
Fortune favours the brave, but I think I'm not that brave / lucky 🙂

I will also go for Auba, and not for Aguero because I also think he might very well get benched in GW2 or 3.

This being said, your research above also makes clear that when Mendy was fit at the start of the season, Pep seemed determined to start both Kun and Jesus (and benched Sané).

Owning Aguero or not is defo gonna be a difference maker in the first few GWs. Remains to be seen if it's the owners or non-owners who will suffer the most... that's unpredictable

Im considering avoiding all 11m options. While I don't really love Salah at 13m I feel that starting with him is the better option then tearing a team apart trying to get him in if he smashes it early doors. The fact that I will be permanently captaining him makes the 11m forwards a lot less appealing. The above worries outlined about Kun throw more water on the fire and the fact I think Laca could close to match Abu is also not helping the case.
Food for thought and I would love to hear what others think about this

I think there’s one assumption that’s not being questioned here.

That is that City, with virtually no preseason, probably without KDB (or at least an undercooked version) will hit the ground running.
Meanwhile Huddersfield stroll across to the Etihad and lie down to have their tummies tickled.

FYI the corresponding fixture last year was nil-nil.

I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see City start very slowly, particularly if their key player (who complained about fatigue from January on) is introduced gently.

I think they'll both start as Mendy is back

Huge, thanks for this great stuff

Your analysis suggests that of the 1960 minutes Aguero played, he was available for all bar 8 due to injury, with an additional 3 games around his periods of injury, when he might have not been available.

That means he played 73% to 80% of the minutes where he was available. Given his underlying stats ate strong over multiple seasons, I don't think that's too bad for his price.

City got to QF of Champs League and wrapped up the title early, so his minutes would have been managed (well, depending on his injury status). And the car crash wasn't a predictable event.

Let’s face it. Pep actively chose to play two strikers when he had Mendy, and even he didn’t know a better route than rotation with being forced to play Sane!

No reason to think both his world class strikers won’t play but thanks and interesting conclusions!

Thanks!

Can’t really justify the 11m long term for someone who might not always be starting.

Isn’t it obvious that we pick Aguero for first couple then switch to Auba though? That is my plan unless Aguero is on fire then I’ll keep him. Low risk strategy this way

Amazing analysis..