As the final round of the WSL Fantasy season arrives, @Schurrle_FWSL reveals their current Gameweek 22 squad, transfer plans and captaincy thoughts ahead of the deadline.
With one last opportunity to gain rank, key fixture swings, differentials and final-day motivation all come into play as we assess the best options for the closing week of the campaign.
Last week’s Triple Gameweek certainly delivered. A huge 113-point haul pushed my team up to 13th in the world, marking my highest rank of the season so far. With just one Gameweek remaining, and still one chip left to play, here’s how my squad is shaping up ahead of Gameweek 22.
TEAM REVEAL
GOALKEEPERS
Selecting Daphne van Domselaar as my third Arsenal player for the Triple Gameweek definitely didn’t work out as planned. The Dutch international started just one of the three matches, and frustratingly, that ended up being the only game where Arsenal failed to keep a clean sheet. I feel pretty unfortunate with how it played out because had Arsenal still been fully in the title race after the Brighton draw, I think she would’ve started at least one more match.
That now leaves me with a difficult decision ahead of activating the Wall chip in Gameweek 22. I can either stick with Dvan Domselaar and hope she returns to the starting XI for Arsenal’s final game, while risking having to rely on Elene Lete from London City, whose side have recorded the joint-fewest clean sheets in the WSL this season, or I can move across to Courtney Brosnan (£5.3m), who has an excellent home fixture against Leicester.
DEFENDERS
Even with a difficult fixture against United, I fully expect Ellie Carpenter to remain in my team for the final Gameweek. Since returning from the Asia Cup, she has looked extremely dangerous going forward. Her attacking numbers continue to impress. Chelsea may concede, but Carpenter still has every chance of delivering attacking returns or bonus points.
Last Gameweek, Rebecca Knaak turned into an unlikely hero. Her late winner against Liverpool secured a huge 15-point haul. Unfortunately, she injured her shoulder in the same match and now looks set to miss the final weekend.
At the moment, her replacement will most likely be Hannah Blundell (£6.0m). Everton’s home fixture against Leicester stands out immediately. Leicester have managed just 11 league goals all season. Add in Blundell’s visionary status and she suddenly becomes a very appealing captaincy option while using the Wall chip.
Without Knaak, I’m hoping Jade Rose keeps her place in the City defence. City will want to wrap up their title-winning season with a victory away to West Ham.
Originally, I planned to sell Manuela Vanegas this week. However, issues elsewhere now make it look far more likely that she keeps her place for one final Gameweek. Brighton’s fixture against fifth-placed Tottenham isn’t ideal on paper. Still, Brighton arrive in excellent form. Vanegas also showed her quality again last weekend by scoring the opening goal in their comeback win, which booked a historic first-ever FA Cup final appearance.
Another possible transfer out is Alejandra Bernabé. If I move her on, I’ll probably target another Everton defender, potentially Maz Pacheco (£4.0m). The final decision really comes down to structure. Do I trust Elene Lete in goal if van Domselaar misses out again? Or do I settle for a back four while playing the Wall? My midfield fixtures look extremely strong this week, so it’s honestly a very difficult call.
MIDFIELDERS
Last Gameweek didn’t quite go to plan for Kirsty Hanson and Mariona Caldentey. Across five combined fixtures, neither midfielder managed an attacking return, which definitely disappointed given the expectations. Still, both remain excellent assets heading into Gameweek 22. Hanson faces a London City Lionesses side she has already scored against this season, and she’ll also want to cement her position as the league’s second-highest scorer. Meanwhile, penalties and bonus-point potential continue to make Caldentey one of the standout premium midfield options.
Although Sjoeke Nüsken only played 45 minutes last Gameweek, she still came close to returning after seeing a big chance saved late on. Chelsea will want to finish the season strongly, and her visionary status still offers strong value despite the fixture difficulty. I’m also hoping she continues her amusing streak of only scoring or assisting against teams that wear some shade of red.
As mentioned earlier, Madison Haley’s place in my starting XI depends heavily on the transfers I decide to make. Benching her feels incredibly difficult right now, considering she has scored four goals across her last four starts for Brighton.
Most likely, Lucia Kendall drops to the bench this week. She still carries value thanks to her visionary status, but realistically, I struggle to see her points ceiling matching the rest of my midfield options.
FORWARDS
The easiest decisions in my squad come in attack. Triple-captaining Alessia Russo last Gworked out perfectly. She scored twice and added two assists on her way to a huge 23-point haul, which tripled to 69 points. Arsenal still need a result to secure second place. Alessia Russo also heads into the final day in excellent form. There’s no reason to overthink keeping her in my starting XI.
The same applies to Khadija Shaw. The league’s top scorer delivered again last weekend. She netted a brace to send Manchester City to Wembley for the FA Cup final. Backing her for the final Gameweek feels like the obvious move.
Even after scoring in back-to-back Gameweeks, Shannon O’Brien stays on my bench.
With this being the final Gameweek of the season, I’d also like to thank everyone who has followed and supported my team reveals throughout the campaign. I’ve loved writing these every week. Huge credit also goes to the Aerial Fantasy team for all of the hard work they’ve put in across the last three seasons.
Best of luck for Gameweek 22, everybody!
