FPL Question Time – Spending big in defence, end of forwards and Arsenal fixtures

Our panel of Fantasy Premier League managers are back to answer more questions, this time ahead of Gameweek 3.

We may have one Gameweek 2 match left to play, with Crystal Palace hosting Liverpool in Monday Night Football, but there are still plenty of talking points.

Not least that of how much money to spend in defence, how best to cover an unpredictable Manchester City attack and the upcoming good fixtures Arsenal are about to enjoy.

Once again, we had an overwhelming response to our request for questions. Unfortunately, we can only answer a handful each week but keep your queries coming in for the rest of the season.

Here’s a reminder of who is on the panel for your Gameweek 3 Question Time:

Lee from FPL Family – One half of the popular married couple who play FPL together and run a YouTube channel.

Simon March – Winner of FPL in 2014/15.

Ben Crabtree – Winner of FPL in 2016/17.

QUESTION ONE – SIMON MARCH

Should we be giving up on forwards and putting that extra cash into having at least four premium wing-backs? I’m thinking of getting Robertson and Alonso to partner Mendy who I already own.

Simon: “After two weeks of watching the likes of Mendy, Robertson and Alonso marauding forward, getting goals and assists while also chipping in with the odd clean sheet, it’s pretty tempting to go big at the back.

“It’s hard to argue that, right now, 6-6.5m spent on a defender doesn’t yield better value than the same amount spent on a forward.

“However, one challenge is that while you can get decent value from a budget defender, you can currently get almost no value from a budget forward.

“If it takes a 4.5m forward to afford an additional 6m+ defender, that’s a big collective outlay on what is, effectively, one active player.

“It might improve your first eleven but it could also substantially reduce your squad’s strength in depth, increasing your exposure to rotation and reducing your ability to adapt to changes in fixtures and form.

“You could go without a premium forward but, as Aguero demonstrated on Sunday that this, in itself, can be a huge risk.

“A premium defence might be a viable strategy, but it has its trade-offs to take into account.

“Also, it only takes a week for things to change in FPL so I’d be wary of writing-off forwards this early in the season.”

QUESTION TWO – BEN CRABTREE

Given their run of fixtures I currently have three Man City attackers (Bernardo Silva, Sterling and Aguero) – is this too much given possible rotation and the cost of the investment overall?

Ben: “I see it as a necessity to have three Man City players so that if they turn it on, as it looks like they will often, you maximise your chance for a share of the points.

“It looks like the build-up to Pep Guardiola’s team sheet is destined to cause palpitations but the stress can be reduced with maximum coverage.

“Aguero, Sterling and Bernardo Silva is a lot of money and the value of the outstanding Mendy, probably one of the more secure starters, means you should prioritise him pretty much over all other transfers.

“Aguero has to stay in your squad. Sterling looks the most sensible to remove given his omission against Huddersfield and the extra expense.

“However, he will come back in the team at some point and does have the potential to be a great explosive differential compared to Bernardo Silva who looks more susceptible to small scores in big wins.

“The safe move is probably Sterling to Hazard and get Mendy as your third City player. The ‘in it to win it’ move would be keep Sterling and change Bernardo Silva to Mkhitaryan.

“Rotation is a huge problem for us and owning great players that are certain starters is ideal. One or two rotation risks is okay, but many more and every week you leave yourself open to a disaster week.

“I don’t like the idea of a strong squad of 15 to cover many risky players due to too much money on the bench. £4.5m defenders can come to the rescue with potentially 6 points entering the fray.

“Throw in an element of attacking capability and the ceiling points potential is higher than most 5.5m mids.”

QUESTION THREE – LEE FROM FPL FAMILY

Who are the best Arsenal players to fit into your side with their upcoming fixtures so good? It’s tricky with lots of other in-form options in the early Gameweeks. For me, the only spots that could be a straight swap are Pickford (for Cech/Leno) and Aguero (for Auba/Laca), as I don’t feel like ditching any of Mendy, Robertson, Alonso, Salah, Mane, Bernardo, Richarlison or Zaha. What would you do?

Lee: “I was not at all convinced by Arsenal defensively against either Man City or Chelsea. Emery is asking them to play out from the back and they just don’t have the personnel to do it right now – Cech in particular.

“In attack though, Aubameyang is class. He hasn’t shown it yet – but he will.

“If like many though, getting him in means losing Aguero, I would be sticking with the in-form City man.

“The one player who does look good for Arsenal so far is Henrikh Mkhitaryan. If you can fit him in among those other big names, get him in.

“Otherwise, keep a watching brief and potentially be prepared to switch out the more expensive Mané or Bernardo Silva if the Arsenal man shows some serious form.”

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