In the latest article from our team of Hall of Famers and guest contributors, seven-time top 10k finisher Zophar reveals his big team decisions for Gameweek 21 and beyond.
I’m probably in the minority that is glad to not have any Fantasy Premier League (FPL) decisions to make this weekend. December was quite hectic with deadlines coming thick and fast and it’s great not to have any dilemmas but have football to watch at the same time.
I am expecting several teams to put out strong lineups in the FA Cup, with a free midweek for most before and after.
Teams like Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United might also want to give players minutes who have seen limited game time before AFCON/the Asian Cup, such as Said Benrahma (£5.6m), just to see how they gel in the starting XI.
So there is a lot to be learned this weekend. I am not going to go into the doubles/blanks scenario as we will be in a better position to discuss that next week, so this blog will primarily focus on my current thoughts on the best Mohamed Salah (£13.2m) and Son Heung-min (£9.8m) replacements, as well as Erling Haaland‘s (£13.9m) return.
I am writing this on Friday morning so I do not yet have clarity on Haaland’s availability for the FA Cup tie against Huddersfield Town, but he has been pictured training and there is every possibility that he makes the Gameweek 21 tie against Newcastle United.
If he is looking like starting that game, he will very likely be my captain with St James’ Park no longer looking like the fortress it once was. So getting him back soon will form part of my thoughts, as will getting Salah back eventually.
With Haaland’s return, there is also the question of which forward he replaces – do I switch to a 3-4-3 formation by removing Cameron Archer (£4.5m) or do I replace Dominic Solanke (£7.1m), who could potentially be a season keeper with a Double Gameweek possibly on the horizon?
The winter break in Gameweek 21 also has me thinking; teams that miss the second weekend of Gameweek 21 will likely play a stronger lineup in the FA Cup to get rhythm etc, and with Gameweek 22 and 23 following soon after, will those teams suffer some rotation, more so than the teams that play in the first weekend of Gameweek 21? This could apply to Manchester City.
The big question I am asking myself though is which teams will still be good without key players such as Son, Mohammed Kudus (£6.9m) and Salah?
Sure it can be argued that the likes of Jarrod Bowen (£8.1m), Richarlison (£6.9m) and Diogo Jota (£7.7m) will have to pick up the slack when they’re gone but there is no denying that they are all worse assets now in my opinion with the big dogs gone.
My grandfather often calls me “the best amongst the worst” of his grandchildren and I sort of feel that phrase applies here. These picks are worse than they were a week ago but they are still the best picks we have available to choose from.
THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR MY TRANSFERS
Here are some early ‘guiding principles’ I want to keep in mind:
- When replacing Son and Salah, pick one long-term midfielder who is stable for minutes and who I am happy holding onto for the long run.
- The second midfielder can be a shorter-term pick as he will likely make way for Salah when he returns.
- Getting Salah back should not require more than two transfers at any point and this should not be at the expense of Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.5m).
- I really don’t want to get rid of Solanke right now. I need a few more weeks of eye test and data to be comfortable with that decision.
- Haaland needs to come back when he is fit. Some might delay it looking at Newcastle but it might be the opportunity to get a ‘differential’ Haaland for a week.
- I am potentially willing to go without Son but Salah needs to come back right away.
- Don’t ignore good picks just because they could blank in Gameweek 26, such as Richarlison. There are still plenty of points to pick up on the way.
- Don’t spread funds too much and ideally have a clear 8th attacker for my mental peace and simple decision making, just to minimise regret.
So let’s discuss some of the options.
Cole Palmer (£5.6m) and Bukayo Saka (£9.0m) are obvious picks who are the easy go-tos if you don’t own them. I still back Saka to come good despite his recent dip in output.
Douglas Luiz (£5.5m) isn’t really on my radar despite his consistent stream of points. I was looking at a Crystal Palace midfielder but with Michael Olise (£5.9m) out, I am not keen on going there.
LONG-TERM PICKS
