With Fantasy Premier League (FPL) underway for 2023/24, we’re welcoming back our team of Hall of Famers and guest writers for the new campaign. Here, two-time Indian FPL champion Lateriser preaches patience after just one Gameweek of the season.
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And just like that, the first week of football is over.
The main thing about Gameweek 1 is to figure out what we can take actually forward as information because one Gameweek is a really small sample size. All of the information from the first weekend of football isn’t worth drawing conclusions from. Imagine if this were Gameweek 27. Any FPL manager worth their salt wouldn’t draw conclusions from the Gameweek 27 data alone. Filtering out that information in terms of what to pay attention to and what to ignore is what our responsibility as FPL managers is.
VILLA AREN’T A BAD SIDE
For example, Aston Villa are not suddenly a bad team. They’re not going to concede five goals every time they play. Unai Emery is a good manager who will no doubt learn from this.
That said, it is worth paying attention to the stat that Aston Villa were 14th for big chances conceded in Emery’s tenure last season. If they continue to play this high line, which they did in 2022/23, this fixture might suit teams that are good in transition.
I still expect them to finish somewhere in the top eight. Their game against Newcastle United was something that suited the Magpies’ strengths as a team.
BE PATIENT WITH UNITED
In my opinion, there is a similar case for FPL managers that own players from Manchester United. Yes, that performance against Wolverhampton Wanderers wasn’t really convincing, but Bruno Fernandes (£8.5m) and Marcus Rashford (£9.0m) owners should show some patience. They got in these players for a period of three weeks and they should see it out. There is a good fixture against Nottingham Forest at home awaiting in Gameweek 3 and that aside, the game against Tottenham Hotspur could actually play into the United attackers’ hands.
In fact, it might be good for both sets of attackers, which is why the ‘be patient’ advice also applies to owners of Richarlison (£7.0m). Spurs look pretty impressive in their outing against Brentford, with Ange Postecoglou fully intending to stick to his system no matter the pieces he has at his disposal. This is going to likely be good for Spurs midfielders throughout the season but I’m not confident about their clean sheet prospects just yet.
When it comes to Manchester United, it says a lot when the only player to come out of any form of credit from that Manchester United game is Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£4.5m). Most of the players on the pitch had a really poor game and they looked behind on fitness, as well as sharpness. This isn’t the actual ability of the players and whether they come around to it in Gameweek 2 is only for us to guess but they will eventually get there (I say, cautiously and optimistically).
I am very intrigued about the striker position for Spurs but until someone is signed for that spot, Richarlison remains a good pick and you should show some patience with him. Especially when Postecoglou is talking about wanting his players to find the Brazilian more.
I’m not particularly feeling confident about Manchester United’s defence, as well, given that they are playing with two free-roaming ‘8s’ – which is why I decided to swerve them at the start of the season. Basically, what I am saying is: I see goals in that game.
PLENTY OF GUSTO INTEREST
In terms of news that actually might impact team structure, it looks like Reece James (£5.5m) could be out for a while. A lot of people have already spoken about Ben Chilwell (£5.6m) so I don’t need to repeat what I’ve been saying all pre-season with regards to him: i.e. he’s an obvious pick, get him as soon as you can. He just reminds me so much of Leighton Baines in terms of his instinctive attacking ability and is a joy to own and watch. See, I always get carried away when it comes to Chilwell.
Anyway, coming back to James and his potential injury. We could have a huge enabler like Malo Gusto (£4.0m) on our hands. Watching him play for Chelsea once or twice is going to be enough for us to jump; he was really good in pre-season and is very highly rated.
But the macro takeaway from this, for me, is that if he comes through as a pick, it enables spending more funds on expensive attackers, one of which has a captaincy fixture this week. You need to think about which spot you will potentially want to upgrade when you eventually get an enabler like Gusto. Taking a step back and thinking about where to spend your funds, rather than thinking about the next move or the move after that, might give you a different lens in terms of how to view this game, especially from a team structure and a strategy point of view. Keep that in mind while making your transfers in the next few weeks.
CAPTAIN SALAH
For those that have plumped on Liverpool attackers not named Mohamed Salah (£12.5m), be patient with them despite their questionable minutes. This is the money fixture. If it comes through, it comes through. If it doesn’t, move on swiftly and go scouting for your next FPL opportunity.
Those like me that have plumped for Salah, extend him a hand of friendship (he needs it these days with his temper flaring), give him the armband, and hope and pray that fortune favours the brave.
