The Digest – Gameweek 2

We bid a final farewell to Gameweek 2 via The Digest – our weekly summary of the big player, a notable source of Fantasy talent and the major talking point to emerge over the ten fixtures.

For this week, Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso reminds us of his qualities as a premium asset, Watford show promise under new manager Marco Silva and Pep Guardiola’s tactical tweaks leave many unconvinced over Man City’s attacking options.

The Player

As the costliest defender on offer in Fantasy Premier League, Marcos Alonso was mainly overlooked in the quest to balance budgets for our opening squads.

Only 11% of managers started the season with the Spaniard on board and he was jettisoned by a further 72,000+ thanks to a zero-point haul at home to Burnley in Gameweek 1.

If we chose to ignore the Spaniard’s five attempts on goal against the Clarets, then his brace away to Spurs has grabbed our collective attention.

A 16-point haul at Wembley on Sunday served as a very timely reminder of Alonso’s Fantasy potential under Antonio Conte, with over 150,000 clambering to snap him up ahead of a weekend visit from Everton.

Historically, most tend to baulk at buying a 7.0-priced defender, yet the recent trend for wing-back formations means that Alonso offers so much more than the occasional goal or assist.

Despite failing to start a match until Gameweek 7 last term, he still finished as the top-ranked defender for shots, efforts in the box and attempts on target.

After two Gameweeks of 2017/18, he sits at the summit for those statistics again.

Alonso averaged 5.7 points per match in his first year under Antonio Conte, racking up six goals and five assists.

He already looks on course to replicate or even better that output, with both his minutes per shot and key pass rising considerably.

All of a sudden, that 7.0 price tag is starting to look a snip.

The Team

Over at Vicarage Road, the appointment of Marco Silva looks set to transform Watford’s Fantasy fortunes.

The Hornets toiled under former boss Walter Mazzarri last term, with a total of 40 goals better only than Burnley and the three relegated sides.

But five strikes in two matches with the new manager in charge – second only to Man United’s eight – piques our interest as we scour for value in attack.

Tellingly, last season’s main sources of FPL points – Troy Deeney and Etienne Capoue – have yet to start a league match with the Portuguese at the helm as he looks for more pace on the counter.

Granted, the latter has done himself no harm with back-to-back goals in league and cup outings, yet the teamsheets indicate that he’s still a risky pick.

Instead, Silva’s need for more dynamic players in the final third means that summer signings Richarlison and Andre Gray have the platform to profit.

Costing just 6.0 to Capoue’s 5.4, Richarlison has already grabbed a goal and assist. He also leads all FPL midfielders for shots inside the box.

Having supplied an assist on his first start in last week’s 2-0 win at Bournemouth, Gray (6.5) now has the chance to throw his hat in the ring as a budget frontman ahead of a plum home clash with Brighton.

At the back, things are a little cloudier as a raft of defensive injuries means that only Heurelho Gomes, Miguel Britos and Jose Holebas have started both matches.

We were all set to extol the Greek’s virtues, but his dismissal against Bristol City last night merely underlines the disciplinary problems that earned him 15 yellow cards last year.

Yet with the likes of Gomes, Britos and new right-back Kiko Femenia all priced at 4.5, we’ll be keeping an eye on Silva’s teamsheets once the treatment room empties for signs of budget regulars.

Britos’ last-gasp leveler against Liverpool in Gameweek 1 extended Silva’s home league record to just two defeats in 43 and suggests that the Hornets are made of sterner stuff this season.

At present, Capoue – with 5% ownership – is the most popular Watford player in FPL. But if his new manager can build Vicarage Road into a fortress, it won’t be too long before more come flocking.

The Talking Point

Heading into the new season, our chief concerns over Manchester City centred around rest and rotation.

With such a wealth of attacking talent at his disposal, the fear was that Pep Guardiola would chop and change to keep everyone happy.

But while the Spaniard has kept faith in his big-hitters across the opening two Gameweeks, City’s new 3-3-2-2 formation seems stuck in first gear.

A look at the numbers backs this up.

Although Sergio Aguero has one goal to show for his endeavours, his frequency of shots – down from last year’s 17.3 minutes to a mere 43.3 –hints that he’s struggling to make the same impact as part of a two-man frontline.

Last season’s number one player for assists, Kevin De Bruyne’s minutes per key pass has dropped from 28 to 45. He’s yet to have a shot inside the box.

With Man United pair Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan both in fine form and far cheaper, the Belgian has been shipped by over 124,000 FPL managers this week alone. That’s despite offering a very favourable trip to Bournemouth this weekend.

And Gabriel Jesus’ price has already dropped to 10.4 after he was hauled off at the break against Everton due to Kyle Walker’s dismissal.

At a point where the FPL market has gone into overdrive, City’s current lack of cohesion is a major concern.

It appears that Pep needs a little more time to fine-tune his new formation yet, at this point of the season in particular, the impatience of FPL managers is unforgiving.

Fail to produce the goods against the Cherries and the exodus will be substantial across the first international break of the season.