FPL Q&A: Stick or twist Slot + Emery, keep or sell Palmer

Eight-time top 10k finisher Zophar hosts his weekly Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Q&A ahead of Gameweek 26. Here, the focus is on Assistant Manager conundrums for Arne Slot (£1.5m) and Unai Emery (£0.8m) owners, Cole Palmer (£11.2m), and Cody Gakpo (£7.6m).

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Q: If you have the Assistant Manager chip on Arne Slot since Gameweek 24, should you stick or twist?

(via FPL VIRGIN)

A: Liverpool‘s front three looked a bit disjointed last night without Cody Gakpo (£7.6m). If we hear from Arne Slot (£1.5m) that the winger is available for the weekend, I think it is reasonable to stick with Slot, especially if the switch to another manager is going to entail a hit.

With the Blank and Double Gameweeks approaching, even if you don’t have to take a hit for the manager now, using the transfer might cause you to take a hit further down the line. So, I would look at every transfer now as an opportunity cost of four points. 

Looking at options, the safest one this week is Mikel Arteta (£1.5m0 in my opinion. The Gunners have the opportunity to close the gap to five points before Liverpool play Manchester City and despite the injuries to their front three, I think they have the firepower to do so. They have the highest win, goal and clean sheet odds this weekend. But of course, even in a 3-0 win, you’re looking at about 11 points. If you think Liverpool get a draw at least at Man City by scoring a couple of goals, you’re looking at five points for Slot. So, the gain is six points, fewer if Arsenal only score a couple or end up conceding. 

Does that warrant a transfer? Spending -4 on a player gets you benefits for a longer period of time than just one week. I think sticking with Slot over moving to Arteta makes sense, unless you’re in the luxurious position of having multiple transfers banked. Fabian Hurzeler (£1.1m) and Andoni Iraola (£1.1m) also offer good matchups but again, I don’t think the gain from Slot is enough to warrant a transfer. 

In fact, I think similar applies to Unai Emery (£0.8m) as well. I think Villa will at least get a draw against Chelsea, so you’re looking at 5-7 points from Emery anyway.  

Let’s look at the table bonus options in the next question. 

• READ MORE: New! FPL Assistant Manager points projections

Q: Is there any worth in switching from Arne Slot to another Assistant Manager (such as Unai Emery/Oliver Glasner/Kieran McKenna) to try and catch a bit of upside? What are your thoughts?

(via @FPLSpoonman)

A: From the teams available for table bonus, I am not keen on any of the three promoted sides: Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Southampton. Brentford have been much better on their travels recently and Leicester have been woeful at the King Power. Brighton and Hove Albion will likely have too much firepower for the Saints.

The Ipswich one does merit some discussion. Kieran McKenna’s (£0.5m) side did come out trumps in the reverse fixture but Spurs are getting their first team players back and more importantly, they have the entire week off. If this fixture was after a Thursday Europa League game, I would consider backing it.

Wolverhampton Wanderers at Bournemouth does merit some consideration, despite how formidable Iraola’s side have been on home turf. The West Midlanders have been impressive in their last two matches and with Matheus Cunha (£6.8m) to call on, I think they can score a few goals. I still don’t like betting against one of the most form teams in the division, though.

The game I am tempted by is Crystal Palace away to Fulham. Yes, Fulham have been incredible this season and have merited their place in the table. The Cottagers have the fewest expected goals conceded (xGC) over the last six matches and have only lost to Villa, Wolves and Manchester United at Craven Cottage this season. 

These lines from this thoroughly researched article caught my eye:

“On the flip side, Fulham have only won two of the eight games they’ve contested against a side who themselves would have qualified for table bonus. So, in 15 pertinent Premier League fixtures involving the Cottagers, 13 of them have seen a side emerge with a win/draw bonus!”

Also, worth mentioning on Palace from the same piece:

“On the other end of that scale, Crystal Palace have lost only one of their last seven fixtures (one win, five draws) against sides 5+ places above them.”

The Eagles have won five and drawn one of their last six away matches (Manchester United, West Ham United, Leicester, Bournemouth, Brighton and Ipswich) and while the fixture list has been kind, it is still impressive from Oliver Glasner’s (£0.8m) side. If the Eagles do manage to win 2-1, you’re looking at 18 points. 

Of course, there is also the flipside here. A 1-0 Fulham win means a zero-pointer for Glasner. So it comes down to your playstyle, current rank and goals. If you are comfortable where you are, you either stick with Slot or go with Arteta.

If you’re chasing, or just want to have some fun, take a swing for the home run with Glasner. 

• READ MORE: How often does the Assistant Manager table bonus happen?

Q: I used the Assistant Manager chip in Gameweek 25 on Unai Emery. Which two table bonus games would you prefer in Gameweeks 26 and 27? I think Wolverhampton Wanderers are the choice with Bournemouth (A), Fulham (H).

(via @FplMumenRider)

A: For the managers who activated their Assistant Manager chip in Gameweek 25, ideally you want to identify two fixtures so you can avoid a further transfer in Gameweek 27. In terms of fixture difficulty as per the Scout ticker, Brentford have the best two games against Leicester and Everton. Neither are eligible for table bonus, however. Bournemouth have a decent two games in Wolves and Brighton as well. I don’t think these are necessarily better than Emery’s match-up against Chelsea though in 26. 

In that case, I think I would stick with Emery for Chelsea and then look to switch to Wolves for the Fulham home fixture in Gameweek 27. 

Like I mentioned earlier, I don’t like backing the promoted sides so if you want a double shot at table bonus, Wolves are your best bet. 

Q: What to do with Cole Palmer after Gameweek 29?

(via Non-template FPL is for Kinnear)

A: Chelsea and Cole Palmer’s (£11.2m) form has dipped considerably. With Nicolas Jackson (£7.7m) out for a while, I don’t see that improving. 

However, I do think that the Blues still have enough to put a few goals past Southampton and Leicester. So, I think Palmer is a hold till 28 at least.

Your question references after Gameweek 29, but I think Palmer is sellable in Gameweek 29 as well if you need money to afford a captaincy option like Erling Haaland (£14.7m) that week. The Blues travel to Arsenal, a fixture I don’t see them getting much joy from. Haaland has Brighton and Leicester in Gameweeks 29 and 30.

Chelsea do have Spurs and Brentford right after but given the current malaise, I am not optimistic about wins in those games. 

Q: Now that it’s had time to settle and sink in, would you say the Assistant Manager chip has proved to be successful, after the initial mostly negative reaction to its reveal?

(via Haa-lala-land) 

A: Having had two weeks of the chip, I dislike it even more than when I initially heard about it. FPL has not been about supporting a team for me. I should be able to enjoy Everton and Villa’s exploits against Liverpool rather than cheering for a Reds win. FPL to me is just picking good players who score points; this whole match result thing is not for me. I’d bin it, 100%.

Q: I’m considering whether to Free Hit in Gameweek 29 or keep it for later. What are the deciding factors and what would an ideal Free Hit in Gameweek 29 look like?

(via @fpl_positivity)

A: I think if you have something like 7-8 players from Newcastle, Palace, Liverpool and Villa at this point, the Free Hit in Gameweek 29 is a viable option. Basically, if you can only field something like eight or nine players in Gameweek 29 with free transfers as it stands, that would be where I would consider using it. 

There is plenty of merit from a fixture perspective, especially with the Double Gameweek announcement in Gameweek 32 now. That does depend on what other chips you want to use though. If you plan to Wildcard in Gameweek 31, Triple Captain in Gameweek 32 and Bench Boost in Gameweek 33 then it’s only in Gameweek 30 you’re gaining the good fixtures for Villa/Liverpool/Newcastle.

I still like the idea of saving it for Gameweek 33 but that totally depends on how the FA Cup results/draw pans out. 

A Free Hit in Gameweek 29 would probably be big on Manchester City, Bournemouth, Wolves and Nottingham Forest. 

• READ MORE: Free Hit or no Free Hit in Blank Gameweek 29?

Q: Cody Gakpo to Matheus Cunha or Danny Welbeck?

(via @spygunner1)

A: If Gakpo is back for the weekend, I would be inclined to hold him. The fixture against Man City could be a high-scoring one and then it’s Newcastle and Southampton at Anfield after. His returns have been excellent in home matches so those fixtures are particularly enticing.

Looking at replacements, Cunha is the standout. Wolves are top of the Scout ticker up to Gameweek 31 and Cunha looks to be over his ‘lack of motivation’.