Pre-Season

The premium midfield options available to FPL managers in 2019/20

Fantasy managers will face a tough decision if they are opting for only one Liverpool midfielder in 2019/20 as Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are now considerably closer in price.

The Egyptian has dropped to £12.5m while his team-mate, who shared the Golden Boot with Salah in 2018/19, has risen to £11.5m.

Raheem Sterling dissects the Liverpool duo after being handed a starting price of £12.0m.


Our position-by-position analysis of the FPL price list has already seen us look at premium defenders and budget goalkeepers.

Our latest article concentrates on premium midfielders, which includes Fantasy assets listed at £8.0m and above for the purposes of this piece.

The four highest-scoring players in FPL last season – Salah, Sterling, Mane and Eden Hazard – were premium midfielders and many Fantasy managers will likely be looking at two or more of these options in their 2019/20 squads.

A Baker’s Dozen

David Silva’s starting price has dropped £1.0m from last year

Only 13 midfielders fall into this price bracket at the time of writing, one fewer than there were upon the launch of FPL in 2018/19.

Hazard has departed the Premier League for the Bernabeu, while David Silva (£7.5m), Mesut Ozil (£7.5m) and Alexis Sanchez (£7.0m) all lose their premium midfielder tag.

In their place come Bernardo Silva, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Richarlison, all of whom are priced up at £8.0m.

The Big Three

Only £1.0m separates Salah and Mane in FPL next season

Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) remains not only the most expensive midfielder in the game but the costliest asset overall.

The gap between Salah and the chasing pack has narrowed, however.

Sadio Mane (£11.5m) has risen £2.0m from his starting price in 2018/19 while Raheem Sterling (£12.0m) is up by £1.0m on his price 12 months ago.

Salah’s starting price has decreased by £0.5m this season, despite the Egypt international having topped the FPL points list for the second year in a row.

Had Salah, Mane and Sterling cost these new prices in 2018/19, their value for money (based on points per million spent – PPMS) would have been as follows:


Player18/19 Points18/19 End Price18/19 Value (PPMS)19/20 Price19/20 Value (PPMS)
Salah259£13.2m19.6£12.5m20.7
Sterling234£11.7m20.0£12.0m19.5
Mane231£10.3m22.4£11.5m20.1

Sterling made fewer appearances (34) than Mane (36) and Salah (38), though, and led the way for points per match:


Player18/19 Points per Match
Salah6.8
Sterling6.9
Mane6.4

Sterling also has the advantage of having a restful summer, following his exertions for England in the UEFA Nations League in early June.

Salah and Mane, by contrast, will be competing in the Africa Cup of Nations – a tournament that finishes exactly three weeks before Liverpool take on Norwich City in the Gameweek 1 opener.

All three players start 2019/20 with favourable fixtures: City facing only one of the ‘big six’ in the opening 11 Gameweeks and Liverpool sitting second in our Season Ticker from Gameweeks 1 to 8.

You can read more about their 2018/19 seasons in the three articles below:

READ MORE: Team of the Season – Sadio Mane
READ MORE: Team of the Season – Raheem Sterling
READ MORE: Team of the Season – Mohamed Salah

We have already explored the pros and cons of Salah and Mane in a Members’ article that is available to read here, while Sterling formed part of our analysis in our look at Kevin De Bruyne’s appeal.

Three to Monitor at £9.5m

De Bruyne will be £2.5m cheaper than Sterling in 2019/20

Salah, Sterling and Mane are the only midfielders that will set Fantasy managers back more than £10.0m this season.

On top of Hazard’s departure and Sanchez’s demotion to a mid-price midfielder, Kevin De Bruyne (£9.5m) has dropped out of the £10.0m+ bracket.

The Belgium international had an injury-ravaged season, playing only 976 minutes of Premier League football and starting in just 11 of his 19 appearances.

De Bruyne banked only two goals and three assists, having had five separate spells on the sidelines with injuries of varying severity.

If he can stay fit, the Belgian midfielder could prove to be a relative bargain: De Bruyne racked up a combined 53 attacking returns (14 goals, 39 assists) in FPL in 2016/17 and 2017/18.

READ MORE: Can De Bruyne offer better value than Aguero and Sterling?

Team-mate Leroy Sané remains at £9.5m but there may be less interest in the Germany international than there will be in De Bruyne.

Sané continues to be linked with a move to Bayern Munich but even if he stays in Manchester, there would be some doubt as to his surety of starts given that he started only three of City’s final ten league fixtures.

The German winger was only a substitute for the first four Gameweeks of 2018/19 before an injury to Benjamin Mendy (£6.0m) paved the way for his return to Pep Guardiola’s starting XI, with the City boss desiring width down the left flank.

Sané racked up 121 points between Gameweeks 5 and 23. When he started a Premier League match during this time, he averaged 7.9 points per game.

Son Heung-min has seen off a positional reclassification but has been handed a price rise – the South Korea international is the third and final midfielder who will initially cost £9.5m next season.

Son won’t feature in many Gameweek 1 squads, with two matches of a three-game ban still to serve, but the Spurs midfielder is one to monitor from Gameweek 3 onwards.

An “out of position” tag is a very real possibility again this season, given that Son was frequently chosen as one of the two attackers in Mauricio Pochettino’s 4-4-2 diamond or 3-4-1-2.

Pochettino largely favoured the diamond formation from Gameweeks 13 to 22, a rare period in which all four of Son, Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen were fit and firing.

Son scored eight goals and registered four assists in these ten matches, generally playing alongside Kane in attack and indeed often in advance of the roaming England striker.

Should that become Pochettino’s go-to formation – the Spurs boss has been tricky to pin down to one system this season – then Son could well re-enter the Fantasy radar despite the price hike.

Kane being available for only £1.5m more, of course, might be a game-changer (the difference between the two Spurs players was £4.0m in 2018/19).

Cheaper Spurs alternatives

Spurs face just one of the ‘big six’ from Gameweeks 4 to 14

There are more budget-friendly alternatives to Son at Spurs, however.

Christian Eriksen (£9.0m) and Dele Alli (£8.5m) have both fallen £0.5m in price after their least productive seasons since 2014/15.

Eriksen has been linked with a move away from north London this summer, with Real Madrid said to be circling.

If Eriksen stays with the Lilywhites, he is not without appeal: the Denmark international was among the top eight midfielders for both shots on goal and chances created, while he was a nailed pick in the final 21 Gameweeks of the season, playing all bar seven minutes.

In his “worst” season in four years, he still recorded 20 attacking returns.

His deep starting position in the final four matches of the season was a slight worry, a concern that was also applicable to Alli during the season.

The former MK Dons prospect was sporadically used by Pochettino further back, continuing his evolution as a more deep-lying central midfielder.

We saw glimpses of Alli as a “number ten” or attacking midfielder in the final few weeks of the season, however, and if he can nail down such a role in 2019/20 then he will become an attractive option at £8.5m.

Four of Alli’s five goals came in Gameweeks 13 to 23, when Pochettino largely favoured a 4-4-2 diamond with Alli at the tip of it.

Questionable appeal at £8.5m

Pogba was the sixth-best FPL midfielder for points per match in 2018/19, despite his end-of-season woes

Alongside Alli, Paul Pogba and Riyad Mahrez are the other two midfielders available at £8.5m.

For obvious reasons, we won’t delve too deeply into either option at this stage.

Pogba might be set for a summer exit after recently hinting that he would like a new challenge.

After bursting into life with 14 returns in his first nine starts under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Pogba averaged exactly three FPL points per match in his final 12 appearances and blanked in ten of them.

Should the France international stay at Old Trafford, we will assess his credentials in detail later in the summer.

Mahrez, like Sané, would be a very attractive (and cheaper) alternative to Sterling should he nail down a place in Guardiola’s starting XI but there has been little sign of that in 2018/19.

The Algerian has started just four Premier League matches this calendar year.

Mahrez will also be on duty with his national team at the Africa Cup of Nations this summer, which will disrupt his pre-season at City.

New entries

Sigurdsson’s FPL score of 182 points was his best in eight seasons as a Premier League player

As mentioned above, Sigurdsson, Richarlison and Bernardo Silva have all risen to the £8.0m mark.

We are including this trio as part of our premium midfielders analysis but the price range is disputed territory and some may group these players at the top-end of the mid-price bracket.

Whatever the definition, all three go into 2019/20 off the back of their most successful seasons in FPL.

Bernardo, Richarlison and Sigurdsson registered 15, 16 and 19 attacking returns respectively in 2018/19.

Everton’s Icelandic number ten indeed was the fifth-highest scoring midfielder in FPL behind Salah, Hazard, Sterling and Mane.

Sigurdsson ranked ninth among players in his position for points per match (4.79), too.

Richarlison matched his team-mate for goals scored (13) in 2018/19 although he recorded only five attacking returns in the second half of the season.

The Brazilian tends to start the season with a bang, though, and has recorded 11 attacking returns in the opening 19 Gameweeks of each of the last two campaigns.

Salah and Hazard were the only midfielders who had scored more goals than Richarlison (nine) at the halfway stage of last season.

While Everton’s opening run of fixtures isn’t all plain sailing, the Toffees sit top of our Season Ticker for the first ten Gameweeks of 2019/20 and there will be plenty of managers interested in players from Marco Silva’s side.

Given that they are both priced up at £8.0m, we’ll run a direct comparison between Sigurdsson and Richarlison in a Members’ article that will be published shortly.

Bernardo is the fifth-cheapest midfield option for Manchester City but arguably one of the more “nailed” picks on Pep Guardiola’s teamsheet, based on the evidence of last season.

No City midfielder made more Premier League starts than Bernardo (31), with Guardiola repeatedly singing the praises of the Portugal international, from his pre-season declaration of “it’s Bernardo and ten others” to his comments about the midfield playmaker being undroppable at the back-end of 2018/19.

We also saw the Portuguese midfielder playing in a more advanced role this calendar year, with eight of his final 11 starts coming on the right of the front three.

For all his undoubted brilliance, attacking returns remain an issue.

Sané outscored Bernardo despite playing almost exactly 1,000 fewer minutes.

Despite being chiefly deployed alongside Aguero and Sterling, he recorded only four attacking returns in the final 17 Gameweeks.

743 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Scotty B
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 9 months ago

    What do you make of this back line?

    Pickford Stekelenburg
    VVD Laporte Ake Dunk Kelly

    1. IN SANE IN DE BRUYNE
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      Felt a bit sick when I saw it :')

    2. Dannyb
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      No Robbo or TAA, when just about everyone else will own at least one is mental imo.

    3. Andy_Social
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      BOU don't keep many cleanies, Dunk is good for a 4.5 rotator and Kelly won't play. You're in the points with the keeper and 2 defenders but that third spot won't earn you much. I'm assuming you're committed to 3-at-the-back, otherwise, it's too weak. What I'd do if I were playing a back 3 is save 0.5 by downgrading Ake and spend it on replacing Kelly with a playing 4.5. That way you have a better chance of a third defender with an easy home fixture.

      1. Scotty B
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 9 months ago

        Cheers. Kelly won't fill in for AWB no?

        1. SmithyJ
          • 4 Years
          4 years, 9 months ago

          I was under the impression that kelly would play.

          Also would appreciate some help:

          A. KDB Jiménez
          B. Sterling Long

          1. Scotty B
            • 11 Years
            4 years, 9 months ago

            A

        2. The 5% Team
          • 5 Years
          4 years, 9 months ago

          I'm hopeful, but seems more likely that Palace will buy another defender. Dunk does have a nice rotation with Palace defenders though

          Could also keep Kelly as 4.0 fodder, and replace Ake/Dunk for Boly/Diop who also have a nice defensive rotation schedule

          1. Fantasy Gold
            • 9 Years
            4 years, 9 months ago

            Scotty. Go get some fresh air.

        3. Andy_Social
          • 11 Years
          4 years, 9 months ago

          I think Ward will. however if GW1 was today Kelly would start due to Sakho and someone else being injured. By the time the season starts I'd expect Kelly to be irl bench material at best.

  2. Scotty B
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 9 months ago

    Any 4.5/4.0 team GK combos besides Ryan/Button?

    1. Miguel Sanchez
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      Krul and McGovern at Norwich seems to be the only other option

    2. Root
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      Norwich

    3. The 5% Team
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      probably only the 3 promoted sides (when all squads are completed)

    4. Piggs Boson
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      There are just two nailed on 4.5m keepers at the moment, Ryan and Krul. Saints, Bournemouth, Burnley keepers are not certain atm. Sheffield and Villa will be getting keepers (Hopefully Sheffield renew Henderson's loan).

      So I guess the only other one is Krul/McGovern. But Norwich are unlikely to keep many clean sheets.

      1. Andy_Social
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 9 months ago

        Indeed. It's a matter of waiting on Burnley, Saints and Cherries to find out who their 4.5 choices are.

      2. Nomar
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        4 years, 9 months ago

        I think it will be Heaton for Burnley. I’ve gone for Heaton and Ryan as my GK combo.

        Ryan definitely starts, so if Heaton is benched from the get go then at least Ryan comes off the bench to get you points and you can then decide what to do with the other GK spot.

        Actually tempted to do Ryan and Button and upgrade Trippier to a £6m defender to triple up with TAA and Digne.

      3. Robin Cook
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 9 months ago

        I thought Norwich is also after another goalie?

  3. Scotty B
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 9 months ago

    Could Noble be a good shout as a 4th/5th mid?
    5 goals & 5 assists last season and could end up rotating well with Mili?

    I think we need to load up on pen takers as with the new rules and VAR coming in its going to be pens galore!

    1. The 5% Team
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      seems decent value, but didn't play a lot of minutes last season (injury? I can't recall). And if you have Mili, you don't want to rotate him I reckon

    2. jia you
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      Noble is a good first sub I reckon depending on the formation you're going with. Club captain and still playing pretty well, so will likely start the majority and on pens...how bad!

      1. jia you
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 9 months ago

        but wouldn't fancy having him in my XI most GWs

    3. Andy_Social
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      As a 5th mid yeah. You can't rely on him to play regularly though.

      1. pingissimus
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 9 months ago

        Quite

        The WH mids are as hard to pick as the City boys this time around. Fanderson is the only one I’d be confident of starting.

  4. NUFCAndrew
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 9 months ago

    Any better set & forgers than Ryan/Button?

    1. NUFCAndrew
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      Just realised this has been answered above. Apologises

    2. jia you
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      feel that they're the viable one if going super cheap keepers which I'm debating doing

  5. jia you
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 9 months ago

    Hmmm, I started from scratch going with super cheap keepers with a 5 man mid...and I really like it:
    Thoughts?

    Ryan
    TAA / Robertson / VVD
    Sterling / KDB / Siggy / Zaha / Maddison
    King / Arnie
    (Button, Zinchenko, Kelly, Greenwood)

    1. Emiliano Sala
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      Nice

      1. jia you
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 9 months ago

        cheers, yeah I really like it actually, might stick with it for today lol

    2. Piggs Boson
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      Who are you captaining GW1?

      1. jia you
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 9 months ago

        Sterling with KDB VC I reckon and hope its a goal fest!

        1. Piggs Boson
          • 12 Years
          4 years, 9 months ago

          Captaining him every game?

          1. jia you
            • 7 Years
            4 years, 9 months ago

            Probably not as I had 19 different captains last season so not afraid to move the armband around 🙂

    3. Andy_Social
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      Nice. you can't put 5.5 Zinky on the bench though. You'd need to go 442 in which case I'd upgrade KdB to Aguero and down either Zaha or Madders to bench-fodder.

      1. jia you
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 9 months ago

        Yup, a real coin toss but can see WHU scoring in the opening game so would slightly side with Arnie over Zinkerinho. Cheers, yeah a lot of playing around to be done yet I feel mate 😉

    4. pingissimus
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      I know you like to go rogue but captains would be my main issue beyond the triple up.

      Like it though. Be tempted to trade Zinchenko and KdB in to get Kane

      1. jia you
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 9 months ago

        Cheers, yeah, Kane's price is intriguing but think he's a wait and see for me.

    5. Robin Cook
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      It's good, that why I had a very similar team for one day. My problem is that I want at least 2 big hitters for Captain choice and ideally not 2 of the same team. That's why I want either Salah or Kane in my team, next to Sterling.

      1. jia you
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 9 months ago

        Captaincy is a valid point for those who play the game a certain way but that wouldn't bother me, enjoyed decent success last season with alternative captaincy picks targeting fixtures. Not afraid to punt again 🙂

  6. Scotty B
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 9 months ago

    Best two rotating 4.5 defenders besides Dunk?

    1. Andy_Social
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      A couple at West Ham, Diop and Freericks look decent value. Also maybe Ward at Palace.

  7. BrutalLogiC
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 9 months ago

    RMT, first attempt!

    Ryan
    Trip Mendy VVD TAA Keane
    KDB Mane Sig Zaha
    Jim

    Button Arnaut McGinn Nketiah

    1. Azathoth
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      Not sure about Trip.
      Prefer Coleman than Keane.
      Who you gonna (c)?

      1. BrutalLogiC
        • 8 Years
        4 years, 9 months ago

        Mane, regretted not having him start my team last couple of seasons, I reckon he will start strong

  8. Azathoth
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 9 months ago

    Siggy or Bilva?

    1. Thescaff
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      The one on pens, nailed & scores more goals

  9. Skribblah88
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 9 months ago

    RMT

    Foster(Button)

    Coleman/Van Dijk/TAA/Laporte(4m)

    KDB/Salah/Zaha/Siggy(Dendoncker)

    Vardy/Deulofeu(4.5)

    Toyed with the idea of going 4-51 and taking Digne instead of Deulofeu

  10. Emiliano Sala
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 9 months ago

    Every time I make a draft, second later I think about selling sterling or kdb for kane
    Just feel safe with kane and captaining him
    That city game in gw2 tho :/

    1. Andy_Social
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      That's when you captain your Liverpool wingback 😉

      1. pingissimus
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 9 months ago

        Yep

        I don’t see that Robbo and TAA are bad captain calls at home. Thing is cs are much less common away and broadly Spurs and Liverpool don’t dovetail

    2. Fordy40
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      Thoughts please ?

      Fab - Ryan
      Boly - Robbo - Diop - AWB - Zinchenko
      Brooks - Zaha - D.Silva - Siggy - Fornals
      P.E.A - Vardy - Jiminez

      1. Andy_Social
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 9 months ago

        Mmm, not for me.
        Just the one Liverpool and 2 Citizens who might not get a great deal of game time.
        You've gone big up top at the expense of a weak midfield and iffy defence.

        3/10

  11. Christina.
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 9 months ago

    people trying to be clever.

    Everyone should have Salah, Vvd, Ederson, Robbo & Sterling.

    We all know they will the highest scorers, so why not have them.

    1. Andy_Social
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      And, I happen to have all 5 in my current draft. For this hour anyway.

      1. Christina.
        • 14 Years
        4 years, 9 months ago

        the game is simple

        1. jia you
          • 7 Years
          4 years, 9 months ago

          simple but no need to follow the herd either, many ways to skin a cat 🙂

          1. Christina.
            • 14 Years
            4 years, 9 months ago

            true, but at the start it makes sense

            1. pingissimus
              • 5 Years
              4 years, 9 months ago

              I’d have thought the one time Salah free made most sense was the start. Managed minutes could counteract fixtures.

              And well had Kane stayed fit he was on course to match Sterling last time out and now he’s the cheaper option.

    2. Emiliano Sala
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      They should. Cheap gk may finish the season 10-11 points fewer than ederson
      1.5 cheaper
      Not filling a city slot

      1. Andy_Social
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 9 months ago

        Only if you're lucky enough to pick the right cheap goalkeeper. Ederson is guaranteed to set&forget.

        1. Robin Cook
          • 5 Years
          4 years, 9 months ago

          I agree with Jacky. Nothing wrong with your choice, but the money saved on Ederson can get you a lot of points in a different position. But I agree with the other 80% of your starters. 🙂

      2. jia you
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 9 months ago

        Ryan 104
        Ederson 169 / Alisson 176
        Huge gulf last season though which is putting me off going cheap!

        1. Piggs Boson
          • 12 Years
          4 years, 9 months ago

          And yet Ryan and Ederson's value (ppg per million) is very similar - around 0.7

          That 1.5m difference counts.

          1. jia you
            • 7 Years
            4 years, 9 months ago

            I'm tempted to take a punt on BHA keepers and hope Ryan does a bit better this season and spend that 1.5 elsewhere for sure!

            1. jia you
              • 7 Years
              4 years, 9 months ago

              also no guarantee that City/Liv keep as many CS this time around...although I don't see too much change there if I'm honest!

              1. Andy_Social
                • 11 Years
                4 years, 9 months ago

                Nothing in life is guaranteed, but Liverpool and City conceding few goals is as near as it comes!

                It read that Potter is more offensively-minded than Hughton. If it's right, Brighton will be leakier than last season. I'd wait on Burnley or Southampton to throw up a 4.5 myself.

        2. Emiliano Sala
          • 7 Years
          4 years, 9 months ago

          Fabianski 143
          Etheridge about 150
          Foster 129
          All 4.5 last year
          This year can be for one of burnley keepers or dean henderson if shu signs him
          Or gunn

          1. Christina.
            • 14 Years
            4 years, 9 months ago

            that's last yr

            Etheridge had something like 3-4 penalty saves, not the norm

            1. Emiliano Sala
              • 7 Years
              4 years, 9 months ago

              Gunn scored 47 points in 1080 minutes
              He could have 148 points in 3420 minutes. Pope got 151 points in 3114 minutes
              Heaton got two 150 scores in a row

              1. Christina.
                • 14 Years
                4 years, 9 months ago

                Heaton is the one I'm interested in. Owned when he had those 2 big seasons

                Problem is thats when they were nailed. Hope we get clarity.

                1. Emiliano Sala
                  • 7 Years
                  4 years, 9 months ago

                  Pre season will show us

                  1. Christina.
                    • 14 Years
                    4 years, 9 months ago

                    yeah, as long as I know by the time I WC in week 4/5

        3. Marmalade Forest
          • 6 Years
          4 years, 9 months ago

          TBF, bit of a false equivalence that.

          Ryan + Button was 119.

          Not saying you’re very wrong, but IF the premiums perform 10% worse and the cheaps 10% better then it’s 130 vs 150 for 8.5m vs 10m spent.

      3. Christina.
        • 14 Years
        4 years, 9 months ago

        look you need city def cover. Ederson is the cheapest way in.

        not having city def cover will kill your rank every week they keep a CS

        Livp and City should keep +/- 19/20 CS again

        "cheap"GK in my book is 4.5m. and they want come withing 10 pts of Ederson

        1. Emiliano Sala
          • 7 Years
          4 years, 9 months ago

          Agree on that. But ederson offers nothing
          No save points so no bps
          I prefer having one of their defender to have some attacking returns or bps

          1. Andy_Social
            • 11 Years
            4 years, 9 months ago

            This guy that "offers nothing" was the second-highest scoring keeper last season and will be again. I wouldn't go for Alisson purely because I'm on 3 secure outfielders for Liverpool. For me, Ederson is an easy choice.

            1. Andy_Social
              • 11 Years
              4 years, 9 months ago

              Ederson also accumulated more points than any City defender apart from Laporte.

              1. Andy_Social
                • 11 Years
                4 years, 9 months ago

                In fact, only Aguero, Sterling and Laporte outscored him. "Offers nothing"! 🙂

                1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                  • 14 Years
                  4 years, 9 months ago

                  “Offers Nothing” was such a bad turn of phrase here lol

                  I think the gist was probably “Ederson offered a huge amount, but unfortunately perhaps had (and has) more competition on value from cheaper positional alternatives than Laporte” 🙂

                  1. Andy_Social
                    • 11 Years
                    4 years, 9 months ago

                    You should be a politician, sire! 🙂

                2. Emiliano Sala
                  • 7 Years
                  4 years, 9 months ago

                  Ederson got lowest PPG between these defenders: Laporte, mendy and walker. And I'm sure zinchenko at defence would have a better ppg.
                  6.0 is too much for me in a game that I only expect cs from keeper. I know he is most nailed there, but you can swap your defenders for example after mendy injury. Or if they sign another great CB you can switch to him.
                  You just want a city player to own as "cover" while I think pickford is a better option for about 10 games.

                  1. Andy_Social
                    • 11 Years
                    4 years, 9 months ago

                    Are we talking PPG here? What's the benefit of that? When Laporte, Walker or anyone else doesn't play, your points come off the bench - typically 1 or 2 points. I'm not convinced by your use of statistics here.

                    1. Emiliano Sala
                      • 7 Years
                      4 years, 9 months ago

                      I say he is my last choice in city defence this year if I have no other option I will go for him which won't happen this year. They are not simply a cs. I had alisson last season and wasted the spot. With city when you can have laporte, zinchenko, sterling, kdb and kun why pick keeper?
                      And walker cheaper than ever

        2. Marmalade Forest
          • 6 Years
          4 years, 9 months ago

          Just playing devils advocate here, but by that theory, if you don’t have City defence, your rank goes up every week they don’t clean sheet and others spend a 1.5-2m premium for nothing (as their attacking returns are much lower)

    3. Piggs Boson
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      The difference in value between premium keepers and budget keepers in minimal. So it's a good place to save money. I think that Ederson money could be used to get you more points elsewhere.

      The worse the defence, the more saves they get. It helps converge their scores.

      1. Andy_Social
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 9 months ago

        That used to be true, but now with the defences of Liverpool and city being so far ahead of the rest, it isn't. The other issue is Pep's rotation - Ederson is at least a guaranteed starter.

      2. Christina.
        • 14 Years
        4 years, 9 months ago

        ok, but not having City Def cover is stupid I reckon. So why pay more for Laporte?

    4. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      I’m like a moth to a flame with TAA over VVD

      Can’t resist his points per game - my hope is that if/when TAA gets injured it’s very transparent & plannable & therefore a switch to VVD is easy until TAA is back

      Ederson - agree he’ll likely be top points scoring keeper alongside Allison - but will he offer better value than a 4.5 keeper in the same way that Laporte will almost certainly offer better value over a 4.5 defender?

      I’ve gone Laporte/4.5 GK instead of Ederson for this reason

      The others - I agree 🙂

    5. VanDijksToWatchOutFor
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      Because the game is about value for points not absolute points?

    6. Brosstan
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      Ederson lol

  12. Fordy40
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 9 months ago

    Thoughts please ?

    Fab - Ryan
    Boly - Robbo - Diop - AWB - Zinchenko
    Brooks - Zaha - D.Silva - Siggy - Fornals
    P.E.A - Vardy - Jiminez

    Early days....

  13. Andy Unsocial
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 9 months ago

    How's this for a team?

    Ryan
    Robbo TAA Walker Digne
    Salah Siggy Gross Zaha
    Aguero King

    Bench : Button,Dendoncker,Rico,Wickham

    ** I have gone Aguero over Sterling.Man City tend to overload the box a lot,and I think they will get the most penalties in the league.Aguero is a must-have in that case.

    Thoughts ?

    1. Andy_Social
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      It's good.
      Not convinced by Gross, but depends on how new manager sets up. You only have Donkey to come off the bench if anyone is dropped.

      1. Andy Unsocial
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 9 months ago

        I am convinced Gross will do very well this season irrespective of who the manager is.At 6.5,he is immense value.On setpieces and penalties even, considering Murray won't play most games.

        1. Andy_Social
          • 11 Years
          4 years, 9 months ago

          Okay, good call. I have a 3rd mid spot in his price range. Mulling over Zaha, Madders, or Perez, but could be arm-twisted to go for Gross if he shows in pre-season. Allegedly Potter is more attacking that Hughton, so let's see.

  14. Scotty B
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 9 months ago

    Adam Smith is nailed on for Bournemouth isn't he and only played 25/38 games due to a bad injury that kept him out for a couple of months?

  15. HollywoodXI
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 9 months ago

    I quite like this team (451 formation) but obvs concerned about being so light up top and lack of bench. First XI strong enough to make it worth it?

    Heaton
    Robbo TAA Laporte Digne
    Salah Sterling Fraser Redmond Zaha
    Jota

    Subs: Button Nketiah Gallagher Kelly

    1. Andy_Social
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      For me, the starting XI looks good. I would be concerned that you've got no one to come off the bench if anyone is rested. Shaving 0.5 off one of your mids would allow Kelly to be upgraded to a 4.5 playing defender.
      You've made your decision to go super-light up top and that's fine, but with 2x4.5 benchies you've got absolutely no flexibility. If Jota is rested due to a tough Thursday night Europa fixture, you're stuffed.

  16. Fordy40
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 9 months ago

    Version 2:

    Ederson - Ryan
    VVD - Robbo - Holebas - Duffy - Diop
    Sterling - Mane - Pereyra - Gray - Neves
    Arnautovic - Jiminez -

  17. Fordy40
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 9 months ago

    Version 2:

    Ederson - Ryan
    VVD - Robbo - Holebas - Duffy - Diop
    Sterling - Mane - Pereyra - Gray - Neves
    Arnautovic - Jiminez - King

    1. Andy_Social
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      Money wasted on Ryan. You'll play Ederson every week so pair him with 4m fodder (like Button)
      Do Holebas/Duffy/Diop rotate well? Okay if they do.

      Overall 5/10 for me.

      1. Fordy40
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 9 months ago

        Enlighten me with your team if you would....

        1. Andy_Social
          • 11 Years
          4 years, 9 months ago

          It's a bit ... radical. A 5-2-3 But FWIW:

          Ederson

          Laporte, Walker (to Zinky if he starts), Robbo, VVD, TAA

          Sigurdsson, Zaha (Donkey, Kante, Jorginho)

          Kane (c), Rashford, Jiminez

          1. Fordy40
            • 5 Years
            4 years, 9 months ago

            Zinky might not get much game (apparently). Kante & Jorge won’t get much between them tbh as Kante will be dropped deeper under Lampard. Risky with 2/3 defenders from the same team. If City don’t keep a c/s, that’s 3 players it affects. Better using a City player as an attacking option.

            4/10

            1. Andy_Social
              • 11 Years
              4 years, 9 months ago

              I know. i'm more than happy to take those risks.
              Kante and jorginho are simply playing bench fodder. I'm not committed to either.

              1. Fordy40
                • 5 Years
                4 years, 9 months ago

                4/10

          2. Marmalade Forest
            • 6 Years
            4 years, 9 months ago

            I like it. I think having 1m OTB is worth the flexibility it gets you.

            Who cares if they won’t set the world on fire? They’re £5m enablers. You won’t find a higher scoring 4.5 player in pre-season.

  18. Ronnies
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 9 months ago

    Ryan
    TAA - Robbo - Digne
    Salah - Sterling - Siggy - Zaha
    King - Deulofeu - DCL

    (Button - Dendoncker - El Mo - Kelly)

    Thoughts guys ?
    Cheers!

    1. Emiliano Sala
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      Good team. More city needed
      I would sell siggy or zaha to have laporte/walker/ederson

      1. Andy_Social
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 9 months ago

        Agree. Generally a decent squad. I've gone off Zaha a bit - it's a great price but I sense Palace will be toothless again. Keep Siggy though - Everton look in good shape and have those fixtures.

  19. Lingard’s Shin Guards
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 9 months ago

    Thoughts on the current draft?

    Ryan
    TAA VVD Laporte Digne
    Salah Sterling Siggy Zaha
    Deu King

    Button Dendoncker Kelly Nkeitah

    1. Gringo Kid
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      Looking good

  20. Ci Siamo
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 9 months ago

    Choose one GK to set and forget...

    a) Foster

    b) Fabianski

    1. Lingard’s Shin Guards
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      Fab - better fixtures, makes plenty of saves

  21. Winston.
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 9 months ago

    Here we go again...lacking Sterling/Aguero, but otherwise flexible 343/352...thoughts?

    Alisson Button
    TAA Laporte Digne Cathcart Kelly
    Salah Sigurdsson Redmond Brooks Zaha
    Wilson Deulofeu Arnautovic

    1. Andy_Social
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 9 months ago

      Good, but just one City concerns me.
      Can you have Ederson, downgrade Wilson to King and upgrade Cathcart to a Pool such as Gomez or Matip?

  22. Chelsea91
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 9 months ago

    Ederson,Button
    VVD,Robbo,Walker,Diop,lundstream,
    Mili,Mane,Siggy,Hayden,Dendonker,
    King,Ageuro,Jimmy

    Draft team, any thought on this guys?

  23. jimdearman
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 9 months ago

    Opinion?

    Ederson,
    Van Dijk, Laporte, Robertson, Cathcart
    Mane, Sterling, Sigurdsson
    Jiminez, King, Jota

    Don't plan to use subs apart from rotate Cathcart with Lescelles.

    Subs: Button, Lescelles, Hayden, Stephens

  24. @FPL_Chess
      4 years, 8 months ago

      Joining code cmoq01 for FPL Chess, Grandmaster Edition. 750+ players for previous two seasons. Everyone welcome.

    • jacklockett
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 8 months ago

      What do we think of my team? Any tweaks?

      Heaton Ryan

      Alexander-Arnold Digne Laporte Lundstram Robertson

      Dendoncker Fraser Perez Sigurdsson Sterling

      Deulofeu Jiménez Wilson