I have the same defence and forwards.

I have Luiz Mahrez Maddison for your Salah Rashford Neto.

Hmmm

First draft team reveal
BiG aT tHe BaCk
532 WiTh NeTo

Yaaaawn.

Arsenal working on a deal for Zinchenko.. surely Walker is massively underpriced? Should start the first few games of the season as first choice no?

Is it just me or is everybody sleeping on De Bruyne?

Haven’t seen him in any drafts

I've seen a few people of late say Reece James is a safer pick than Chilwell as Chilwell is "injury prone" or "an injury waiting to happen". I'm still a little unsure as to where this idea has come from as his injury record doesn't stand out as being particularly bad, or why people think someone that had multiple injuries last season and has had his manager say he can't play at RWB every week due to fitness concerns is less likely to be rotated or suffer injury problems. Yes Chilwell had a bad injury last season but it's not exactly an injury that certain players are predisposed to, and he also returned on the last day of the season and is having a full preseason just like everyone else. Bit of info on Chilwell's history up to his ACL injury and James since he first broke into Chelsea's first team:

Chilwell:
- Missed 22 games through injury between 16/17 and 21/22 before his ACL injury
- 8 injuries over 5.5 seasons
- 254 days out in total
- Between 16/17 and his ACL injury in 21/22, played 10993 mins* in PL (123 starts, 10 sub apps)
- Average of 2k mins per season (averaged over 5.5 seasons)
- *only played 700 mins in first season that he broke into Leicester first team, 7 starts 5 sub apps

James:
- Missed 43 games through injury between 19/20 and 22/23
- 9 injuries over 3 seasons
- 234 days out in total
- Between 19/20 and 22/23, played 5752 mins (63 starts, 19 sub apps)
- Average of 1917 mins per season (over 3 seasons)

keep 1.5m in the bank or
strength my bench 4.5m forward to Undav

Really set on this draft at the moment. Have no idea what to change. Any suggestions?

Ederson
Trent, Chilwell, Romero, Tomiyasu, Neco
Salah, Saka, Maddison
Kane, Vardy
(Caballero, Lavia, Andreas, Greenwood)

Do we think more people would move away from Neto, and onto the likes of Gordon if it was Neto who had the hard first fixture?

For example, what if Neto had Spurs (H), Leeds (a), Fulham (H)

And Gordon had

Villa (a), Forest (H), Chelsea (H)

Sometimes I do think we become obsessed with the GW1 fixture because it looks nice on our screens, and this period is the one we will look at that screen for any gameweek the most…

Ultimate template XI

Mendy

TAA - Cancelo - James - Perisic - Tomiyasu

Salah - Diaz - Neto

Haaland - Jesus

Incoming 343 draft….
Not especially big at the back draft. Gives me big team players and big fixture coverage for Wolves/Villa. Gotta have some risks in there so no Salah. Wouldn't captain Salah in first 3 so not fussed about not having him. This captaincy point is key for me. Probs wildcard in first 5/6 fixtures.

Sa
Laporte Cash Trippier
Mount Saka Diaz Son(c)
Haaland Watkins Jimenez

Balcombe Tomiyaso N Williams Andres

*Repost, and added some extra points.

Are we overlooking Anthony Gordon?

I had written a huge thread on this, but my big thumbs ultimately meant I wasted my time, but I’m surprised more people aren’t looking at Anthony Gordon as their cheap midfield asset. I get the Neto hype with the fixtures, previous performance in the 2020/21 season, as well as the lessening of competition as Fabio Silva is loaned out, and Trincao returns to Barcelona. Wide options in an injury-stricken Podence, and a Barcelona-returning Traore certainly help the OOP Neto in a 3-5-2 formation employed by Lage in the final game of the season which resulted in Neto’s only goal of the season. But I cannot escape Wolves impotency in front of goal, and Neto’s dangerous injury record.

Here are a few reasons for choosing Gordon as the 5.5-6.0m option in your FPL teams for GW 1…

1. Lampard favours an attacking style of play. To win games, he will know Everton will have to score more than the opposition.

2. Gordon has just come off an excellent season in his first proper season, accumulating 100 points in just under 2300 minutes. He scored 4G 3A and earned 6CS. Comparatively, in Neto’s best season he returned 5G 8A and 9CS in nearly 2600 minutes, resulting in 124 points. Gordon is not fair off this well-favoured asset. After all, Gordon was part of the worst Everton performing team since Ronald Kouman’s sacking.

3. Gordon has his fair share of set pieces: 50 corners, 17 indirect free-kicks, and 5 direct free-kicks.

4. Fixtures: Chelsea (H), Villa (a), Forest (H), Brentford (a), Leeds (a), Liverpool (H) aren’t bad at all. Chelsea have found Everton to be a bogey team and will have a new defence, and the following four all have leaky defences, or is expect them to struggle defensively this season.

5. DCL, Gray and Gordon is a PL-proven attack.

6. He has just been given the Number 10, replacing Richarlison. Gordon has proven to be both a fan-and-manager favourite. You can get the quotes from Lampard ;).

7. Far superior injury record

8. Wolves are a better team, and the fixtures of Wolves probably shade Everton’s, but realistically not much is in it. I’d expect Everton to score more than Wolves, once again.

9. Alternatives. Fornals, Wissa, Benrahma all uninspiring for a variety of reasons (not as attacking, no Eriksen thus potential 3-5-2 formation change, and lack of minutes)

10. Everton have not made any attacking signings right now to cover. Talks of Dennis on the left, but that will take time to bed in, plus Gordon was favoured over Gray at the end of the season on the right.

So, whilst Neto’s ownership sits at 22.4% at the time of writing, I am flabbergasted Anthony Gordon has only been selected by 3.6% of FPL managers. Come on Folks it isn’t all about the GW 1 fixture on paper!

Currently, I’ve invested the extra 0.5m in BrunoG, but with Newcastle having short term fixtures, Gordon is my go-to-replacement, if needed. In fact, this thread has enticed me profoundly. Get ready for Gordon in my next posted opening draft on site, lol.

I could go more deeply into the stats, but this post is long enough and I’m no FPL “expert”, nor content creator and writer.

Thanks all for reading!

Random but any idea of the Porto score can't find it anywhere

Cheers

Could someone talk to me about Undav. Great numbers last season in the Belgian league, but is he likely to start/rotation risk?

I don’t feel comfortable with a draft containing no one from Spurs.
Son is a machine that always deliver while Haaland is injury prone and will be rotated.

Who do we think the best 6m forward is ?

Second try, do not be to harsh, thanks.

raya
dias, robo and tomiyasu, neco, mings to rotation
salah, son, bowen, martinelli, andreas
jota, jesus

*too harsh

I think a lot of people are going to regret going big at the back. Clean sheets can be wiped so easily. Premium defenders dont get attacking returns every bloomin game either. Then no money for Celsea or Spurs attackers or strikers from teams with good starter fixtures such as Jimenez or Watkins. All seems like everyone is hypnotised towards this template.

Thoughts on this draft?
Mendy
TAA, Robbo, Laporte, Chilwell
Salah, Gordon, Neto, Rashford, Saka
Kane

Balcombe, Tomiyasu, Undav, Greenwood

Mendy,
Cancelo,TAA,James,Tomiyasu
Salah,Diaz,Rashford,Neto(or Ransey),
Jesus,Kane.
Begovic,Andreas,Neco and Archer.Have 0.5m in the bank.
Any thoughts or suggestions?

A) Cancelo, Trippier
B) Robertson, Walker
C) Cancelo, Walker

Which do you prefer

a) Kane, Saka, Walker, Mendy
B) Jesus, Sterling, Laporte, Allison

Any one a fan of zaha? Nailed on not the best fixtures but should tick along. On pens aswell

Is going without luis Diaz a school boy error or is there a cheaper alternative ? Thanks

thoughts on Awoniyi? seems a good cheap differential

Draft 20 🙂 , your thoughts please!!

Mendy
TAA-Cancelo-Chilwill-Trippier
Salah-Diaz-Rashford-Neto
Kane-Jesus

Going with the strategy of 10 core players that play every game and then keeping 1 space open for ultimate budget players

Core:
Raya
TAA - James - Trippier - Perisic
Salah - Son - Gordon
Haaland - Jesus

Then last spot between N Williams, DaSilva or Andreas

Martinelli or Bruno G? Is Guimaraes more of a holding midfielder or box to box?

I'd say a) if Walker wasn't in it.

A - 5-3-2 (Mendy, Perisic + Tomiyasu)
B - 5-3-2 (Raya, Perisic + Trippier)
C - 4-4-2 (Raya, Trippier + Neto)