In the latest article from our team of Hall of Famers and guest contributors, FPL General reflects on his Gameweek 15 red arrow and reveals his big team decisions for Gameweek 16 and beyond.
GAMEWEEK 15 REVIEW
Midweek action in December is never fun! As FPL managers, we get very excited about this part of the season but, in reality, it’s all about surviving it without too much damage happening to our overall rank or mini-league positions.
The increasing number of injuries has made the last few weeks very frustrating. Rather than bringing in key targets, we’re forced to fight fires. I’ve had to sell James Maddison (£7.8m), Jarrod Bowen (£7.6m), Eberechi Eze (£6.0m) and now Bryan Mbeumo (£7.1m) throughout five Gameweeks. Mbeumo had to be shipped out on Thursday night to catch the Cole Palmer (£5.4m) price rise.
The Chelsea attacker was always going to come in near this point, so this injury made it a no-brainer. Surely he’s not the next one to end up crocked!
Meanwhile, my 50k green arrow from Gameweek 14 was quickly reversed by a 60k red arrow in Gameweek 15. But I’m currently at 158k and hopeful of reaching the top 100k by Christmas. It was simply one of those rounds where it was a good week to have a bad week. No real damage.
The Konstantinos Tsimikas (£4.9m) no-show was frustrating but expected during this busy period, as Jurgen Klopp said he can’t play every game. Now that he’s fresh from a rest, I’m confident of a Saturday start at Crystal Palace. Gameweek 15 was the second – and hopefully last – time where I’ve only managed to field ten players.
As a new Pedro Porro (£5.3m) owner, it was very encouraging to see him pass the eye test with flying colours on Thursday night. His underlying numbers from the game against West Ham United were great, registering five goal attempts and creating five chances. In a season where clean sheets are hard to come by, Porro is a great asset with lots of attacking potential.
However, Son Heung-min (£9.6m) blanking for the fourth time in five is concerning. Especially when he hobbled off towards the end of the game. It’d be nice to get a definitive update on his status for Sunday.
As a non-owner of Bukayo Saka (£8.9m), I’m willing to take a four-point hit to bring him in for Son if we get news that the South Korean international won’t be fit enough.
In goal, it’s six blanks from seven for Sam Johnstone (£4.7m) – I now know what it feels like to be an Alphonse Areola (£4.3m) owner! Palace are facing a difficult run of fixtures so I’ll be looking to sell Johnstone soon, maybe even for a hit.
Despite conceding three to Everton, Martin Dubravka (£4.0m) is the most likely replacement. But with Newcastle United away to Tottenham Hotspur this weekend, that move can wait until Gameweek 17. Chelsea stopper Robert Sanchez (£4.6m) is under consideration too but seeing the Blues concede 4.17 expected goals (xG) to Manchester United doesn’t fill me with confidence.
FPL GAMEWEEK 16 BUS TEAM
Best of luck for the Gameweek, folks.
There will be a new 59th Minute Podcast episode before the deadline.
