The Promoted

Can Pablo Hernández and Leeds’ attackers offer reliable FPL appeal?

Fantasy Premier League managers may have to wait and see whether a cast-iron attacking asset emerges from Leeds’ ranks in 2020/21.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men certainly have a wealth of talent going forward but in a team where the goals and assists are spread around and the centre-forward is somewhat wasteful, it may be difficult to pin down one key individual to invest in initially.

To get the inside track on this newly-promoted team, we have once again consulted LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross, who has covered the club for the duration of Bielsa’s reign thus far.

You can read more about Leeds’ tactics and their fluid 4-1-4-1 formation HERE, while we have also assessed their defensive potential HERE.

What is Leeds’ goal-scoring potential?

“Brentford are considered a high-scoring, attractive, creative, buccaneering outfit and United only scored three fewer goals all season in the Championship. Naturally, there are always what-ifs about how sides will transition from the second tier and it is impossible for me to accurately predict whether they will score plenty or struggle to do so. It has to be said, United are wasteful. If they tucked away the chances they should have done in 19/20, they would have scored closer to 100 goals than the 77 they ended with. The problem has been finishing and, as the striker, Patrick Bamford has carried the can among many fans.” – Beren Cross

For 95 per cent of the season, United have been faced with deep-lying, defensive set-ups which are happy to camp in their own box and ask the Whites to break them down. That will not be the case in the top flight. Teams will attack United and they have shown, when the opportunity arises, they are deadly on the counter.

This insight from the front-lines carries a specific warning for Fantasy managers to bide their time before investing too heavily in the Leeds attack next season.

While they might benefit from more space to exploit, it does seem evident that Bielsa may have to encourage better finishing among his players. Remember, unlike Norwich, they are not coming into the Premier League armed with a reliable 25+ goal-a-season striker. In this team, the goals are spread around a little bit more, something that Fantasy managers are less keen on.

Title WinClubGF (title-winning season)RankingGF (first PL season)% change
2010-11QPR71743-39.4%
2011-12Reading69543-37.7%
2012-13Cardiff City72332-55.6%
2013-14Leicester City83146-44.6%
2014-15Bournemouth98145-54.1%
2015-16Burnley72139-45.8%
2016-17Newcastle United85139-54.1%
2017-18Wolves82147-42.7%
2018-19Norwich City93126-72.0%
2019-20Leeds United772TBAN/A


AVG = 80.2
AVG = 40AVG = -49.6%

The Whites’ 77 goals last season was the second-highest in the Championship, just three short of a free-scoring Brentford outfit. A feat not be scoffed at. However, it does represent the first time the title-winner did not also top the scoring charts since Cardiff in 2012/13. That total is also just below the division’s average for the last 10 teams to finish in the top spot.

If we were to feed Leeds’ total of 77 goals into the average percentage decrease of Championship winners in their first top-flight campaign immediately afterwards, we get a figure of 38.1. For some context, that equates to fewer goals than Sheffield United (39) and Bournemouth’s (40) tallies for 2019/20 although one of those teams nearly qualified for Europe and the other was relegated.

How much that counts for does remain to be seen, of course. Norwich went up with the second-highest Championship goal-tally of the last decade but ended up with the worst of any of them in the following Premier League campaign, with a measly total of 26.

A lot will, of course, depend on how other teams set up against Leeds, partly why biding our team seems sensible. As Beren mentioned, there could be more space to exploit for the Whites, but it is too soon to say.

If that were to be the case, away goals could be an area that Leeds look to target. After all, playing teams on their own turf usually opens the door a little more to counter-attacking sides.

Bielsa’s men scored 37 times on the road last season, more than any other side in the Championship and backed up by their ability to hit teams on the break.

They were no slouches at home either, finding the net 40 times at Elland Road, an impressive tally considering how many teams set up with deep lines when travelling to West Yorkshire. Only Brentford and West Bromwich Albion (44 each) scored more times in home matches.

Player-by-player

Pablo Hernández

  • Position: Central attacking midfielder
  • Starts: 27
  • Substitute apps: 9
  • Goals: 9
  • Assists: 9

“Naturally, the obvious asset at first glance is Pablo Hernandez after another Player of the Year triumph with nine goals and nine assists in the title-winning campaign. However, now 35, Hernandez’s minutes have become more and more managed by Marcelo Bielsa. If he is fit and the fixtures are not too congested, the Spaniard will be a very safe and astute selection, depending on his price. However, he did only make 27 starts in a 46-match season last time out.” – Beren Cross

Pablo Hernández has been a much-discussed asset in the Fantasy community since Leeds’ promotion was confirmed but it is interesting to see Beren pour some cold water on any forming bandwagon.

That is not to say the central midfielder won’t be a regular starter but there are still a few ‘ifs’ to consider ahead of the new season.

There are lots of things to like about the former Swansea man, considering his perfect balance of goal threat and creativity.

Last season, his total of 74 shots was bested only by three other players while only two colleagues managed to produce more goal attempts in the penalty area than him (38). Those numbers are especially impressive when you consider that Hernández played just 2,502 minutes in 2019/20, 10 Leeds players spending more time on the pitch than that on the way to the title.

For that reason, Hernández’s 82 key passes and 13 big chances also indicate how productive he can be when handed minutes considering only Jack Harrison managed more in each department than that.

However, the ‘ifs’ begin with set-plays, which Hernández does not have much of a monopoly over compared to the architect of other teams. In 2019/20 it was defensive midfielder Kalvin Phillips who took the bulk of these, firing in 227 corners to Hernández’s 51 while Harrison was also responsible for a further 44.

The former Swansea man did take five direct free-kicks on the way to the title but, again, it was Phillips who assumed the responsibility most often with a total of nine.

The defensive midfielder does have special set-play pedigree but one of the reasons why Hernández cannot quite compete with him for them is as a result of the aforementioned management of minutes.

The Spaniard picked up a knock ahead of the first Project Restart fixture against Cardiff which meant he only started twice during the final nine matches of the campaign, his more advanced central role often handed to Tyler Roberts during this period.

Hernández emerged as a substitute on six occasions following his return to fitness, replacing Roberts in all but one of these, so there is not necessarily any suggestion he is set to lose his place to the Welsh international any time soon.

But the way the 35-year-old finished 2019/20 is certainly an indication of the factors Fantasy managers must be aware of as it meant he contributed to just 23.4% of Leeds Championship goals.

Because of these considerations, it is hard to describe Hernández as quite as much of a talisman as a Grealish or the like, the sort of player you can be confident will start every single match without fail. That surety will be there if he’s fit and the fixture schedule is kind but, at this stage, neither one of those is completely guaranteed.

Five players registered more assists than him in the Championship, including West Bromwich Albion’s key man Matheus Pereira.

Jack Harrison

  • Position: Winger
  • Starts: 45
  • Substitute apps: 1
  • Goals: 6
  • Assists: 8

“Jack Harrison is worth investigating. Heading into his third consecutive year-long spell at Elland Road, Harrison is on an upward curve and improved massively in his second campaign under Bielsa. He delivered six goals and eight assists from out wide and, barring injury, will almost certainly start every week.” – Beren Cross

Fantasy managers could consider the more advanced attacking asset in Harrison, who largely finds himself stationed on the left-wing.

Much like what we saw with Luke Ayling and Stuart Dallas, Harrison is the more assured starter who offers slightly less according to the underlying statistics.

That is not to suggest the Manchester City loanee is a bad option. As already mentioned above, Harrison finished 2019/20 top of the charts for key passes (87) and big chances created (17) among Leeds players.

He was also the best of the rest for efforts on goal outside of centre-forward Bamford, registering a total of 78 shots, 61 in the box and 16 big chances, second-best in each of those categories.

However, Harrison shoulders some responsibility for Leeds’ wastefulness in front of goal last season. Despite lofty ranks for the volume of shots, four Leeds players managed more shots on target than 23-year-old.

Mateusz Klich

  • Position: Central midfielder
  • Starts: 45
  • Substitute apps: 0
  • Goals: 6
  • Assists: 5

“Mateusz Klich is another who is likely to start every match. The Pole’s streak of 92 consecutive league starts was ended by Bielsa in the penultimate match of 19/20 after some exuberant celebrations. Klich delivered six goals, five assists and might be on penalties next term.” – Beren Cross

Klich’s importance to the team is also in his favour considering he is a solid contributor to Leeds’ attacks.

Bamford, Harrison and Dallas are the only team-mates to have shot more times en route to Championship glory than the Polish international (76).

Most of Klich’s efforts came from outside of the penalty area (52.6%) but he was still in the top three Leeds players for shots on target (24).

He was also third for key passes (79) and big chances created (11).

On top of that, Klich took three penalties in 2019/20, the same number as Bamford, assuming responsibility for the only one Leeds were awarded post-lockdown, hence why he is the current favourite.

Patrick Bamford

  • Position: Striker
  • Starts: 43
  • Substitute apps: 2
  • Goals: 16
  • Assists: 2

It perhaps says something about Leeds’ array of attacking options that we come to their centre-forward so late in the list.

While Bamford had a hand in the joint-highest number of goals this season, his total of 18 attacking returns, level with Hernández, still only counts for 23.4% of Leeds overall tally.

He is also the chief culprit when it comes to assessing the chances the Whites failed to score on their way to the Championship title.

His tally of 128 shots in the box was the highest of any player in the division and yet Bamford still finished the 2019/20 campaign 10 goals shy of the Championship’s joint-top scorers in Aleksandar Mitrovic and Ollie Watkins (both 26). He was also 13 goals shy of the previous season’s Golden Boot winner Teemu Pukki, who netted 29 times in the Championship.

In total, the centre-forward was afforded 44 big chances but he only put 10 of those away, spurning the other 34 (77.3%). 

For some context, the five worst Premier League players for big chances missed in 2019/20 were Diogo Jota (12), Jay Rodriguez (12), Michail Antonio (14), David McGoldrick (15) and Roberto Firmino (20). Those players, admittedly played a shorter campaign, but only six matches, while Bamford was playing in the best team in the division.

If Bamford is to truly cut it in the top-flight and offer Fantasy managers a reliable stream of attacking returns, some improvement in this area is sorely needed. Up to this point, he has scored just one Premier League goal in 27 appearances at that level.

It is no secret that Leeds need some competition for Bamford but the former Middlesbrough man will surely be handed first dibs at leading the line in the Premier League based on Bielsa’s management style.

“Bielsa only tends to change the team for suspensions and injuries, even during poor runs of form. They are so fit, fatigue is rarely an issue. The aforementioned Bamford would go 10 matches without a goal in the Championship and not be dropped, much to many fans’ dismay. However, Bielsa is loyal and his players run through brick walls for him.” – Beren Cross

Other options

An important member of the team, Kalvin Phillips offers more than the usual defensive midfielder considering that he takes Leeds’ corners and free-kicks. This, of course, is another detraction from Hernández’s credentials and may only count for Fantasy appeal if Phillips comes in kindly priced.

Helder Costa is another relatively secure starter for the new season, traditionally operating on the right-hand side of midfield. While he is the opposite number to Harrison, the former Wolves man did not quite match his colleague’s attacking returns totals for 2019/20, scoring four goals and assisting another four, the same as right-back Luke Ayling, with whom he usually shares a flank.

As already mentioned, Tyler Roberts was the central midfielder who played when Hernandez needed his game-time managed. In 1,086 minutes he managed four goals and one assist, although that still only works out at an attacking return every 217.2 minutes.

Ezgjan Alioski registered five goals and three assists from 2,253 minutes which is solid if not spectacular. However, his role across the campaign was one of impact substitute, 21 of his 39 appearances coming from the start and 18 from the bench.

Best players by position:

765 Comments Post a Comment
  1. SADIO SANÉ
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    FIVE direct quotes from Beren Cross this time, how do you guys do it

    1. Fantasy Gold
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      I’m absolutely buzzing mate. So glad they manage to catch all the inside scoops.

      1. Pumpkinhead - I'm ITK …
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Who is Ben Cross? Another fpl twitter clown ?

        1. @persecuted_by_mods
            3 years, 7 months ago

            There's some nice knowledgeable fpl guys on twitter, clowns definitely in the minority in fact you come across more of those on here than on twitter

            1. Pumpkinhead - I'm ITK …
              • 14 Years
              3 years, 7 months ago

              Bet you if you ignored Twitter your rank would increase, but yer i shouldn't generalise and i do agree with the last part. I do find the whole fpl twitter online love shack a little cringy though. They all up each others arses

              Who is Ben Cross though? Heard him mentioned a couple of times

              1. Andy_Social
                • 11 Years
                3 years, 7 months ago

                I think he's a local Leeds reporter.

                I CBA loading up on Twitterati for FPL either. Fogs up my head. In fact 90% of the ideas I get come from just this site.

                1. Pumpkinhead - I'm ITK …
                  • 14 Years
                  3 years, 7 months ago

                  Cheers Andy . Yer i think they do the game more harm than good personally but they are here to stay and it will only get worse so i have to grit my teeth and ignore too.

              2. Now I'm Panicking
                • 9 Years
                3 years, 7 months ago

                He is Munday's mate who worked with him at the local Plymouth paper. Jobs for the boys!

                1. Geriatric Unathletic
                  • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                  • 13 Years
                  3 years, 7 months ago

                  I live in Plymouth too. Do you think he can get me a another job 🙂 ?

    2. FOO FIGHTER
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Are we getting anything re Bamford? He will be nailed AF. By no means prolific but that is not the point of budget players.

      He will may struggle to match his attacking output from the Championship but at a reasonable price he could be one of the steals.

      1. goriuanx
        • 13 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        He is absolutely crap

        1. FOO FIGHTER
          • 4 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          I would rather chance my arm with a nailed Bamford compared to Mitro. Leeds play the counter attack.

          There is also Che Adams who has only settled now but we still do not know whether Soton will continue 2 up top.

          Ayew? Nketiah? Connolly? Jota if he stays a fwd?

          Not much in this price bracket is there?

          Not like many will go two premiums up top unless you go more than two budgets in midfield or a really sh*te defence.

          1. Greek Freak
            • 8 Years
            3 years, 7 months ago

            Mitrovic is a proven goalscorer who managed 11 goals in the Premier League in a really dysfunctional Fulham side last time around. I can almost guarantee he will outscore Bamford. 😀

            1. FOO FIGHTER
              • 4 Years
              3 years, 7 months ago

              You don't think Bamford will score more than 10 goals plus a few assists, play more minutes and end up with less yellows or even reds compared to Mitro 😀

              1. Greek Freak
                • 8 Years
                3 years, 7 months ago

                I do not 😛

              2. Greek Freak
                • 8 Years
                3 years, 7 months ago

                Mitrovic hasn't got a red card in the Premier League since the 2015/16 season. No reds last time with Fulham, no reds in the Championship either.

                1. FOO FIGHTER
                  • 4 Years
                  3 years, 7 months ago

                  Well his yellow card rate is not looking good.

                  1. Greek Freak
                    • 8 Years
                    3 years, 7 months ago

                    He gets some YC due to physical play but he's by no means the hothead of the 15/16 season. He had 7 yellows in 3281 minutes in the Premier League in 18/19 - that's fewer than Callum Wilson, Lacazette and Calvert-Lewin had (in much fewer minutes) this season, and none of these players have reputations for being card magnets.

                    In the Championship last year he had 8 YCs in 3590 minutes (that's more minutes than it's possible to play in the Premier League). I can definitely live with these rates.

                    1. FOO FIGHTER
                      • 4 Years
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      So in your team GW1 then 😀

                      1. Greek Freak
                        • 8 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Quite possibly.

          2. Hangman Page
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 5 Years
            3 years, 7 months ago

            I also think Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes are decent options if you can get them at the right time.

            1. FOO FIGHTER
              • 4 Years
              3 years, 7 months ago

              Chris Wood will be minimum 7.5 I reckon. No less than 7m.

              Barnes is forever injured.

              Wood is still a decent option though but may just be a tad expensive for ones budget in the beginning.

              I am planning on going 442 so will be focused on midfield and defence. Pending prices on Vardy, Ings, Jimenez (late start) etc I may go with Werner instead and another cheapie.

              1. Netley Lucas
                • 8 Years
                3 years, 7 months ago

                Jimenez was priced at 7.5 for 181 points. Wood has been 6.5 last 3 seasons and is yet to breach 140pts with his price always ending below 6.5. He'll probably be 6.5 again but deserves to be 6.0, ie give us a bit of upside for once, with him. 😉

                1. Zimo
                  • 5 Years
                  3 years, 7 months ago

                  Yeah i don't understand why people think woods price would increase

                  1. Netley Lucas
                    • 8 Years
                    3 years, 7 months ago

                    No doubt he would be well worth 7.5 if he could stay injury-free, stop missing big chances and knock 20 in as his xG suggests on improved minutes but FPL can't assume that so the usual 6.5 will probably be right, and fair. Ings, Mitro & Wood for 21m looks a decent front 3 if fixtures/pricing allow.

              2. Fit of Pique
                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                • 8 Years
                3 years, 7 months ago

                Jay Rodriguez? If he's 6.5 I'm considering him

              3. Hangman Page
                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                • 5 Years
                3 years, 7 months ago

                6.5 I reckon.

                1. Andy_Social
                  • 11 Years
                  3 years, 7 months ago

                  I wouldn't consider Bamford for my GW1 squad, but if he proves a surprise, he'll be a quick 'n' easy bandwagon to leap upon.

                  1. Hangman Page
                    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                    • 5 Years
                    3 years, 7 months ago

                    I agree. I was referring to Wood above for 6.5. Think Bamford will be cheaper.

                    One of the reason I don’t mind three forwards - easier to jump on a goalscoring bandwagon if one emerges.

                    1. Andy_Social
                      • 11 Years
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      I intend to have 3 cheap strikers and chop 'n' change. In the bracket I'm aiming for are the likes of Antonio, Mitrovic, Wood, Adams with Bamford way down the list.

      2. Lovren an elevator
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Bamford is so bad, that I think he is what is putting me off punting on Harrison

    3. FPL Pillars
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      I am going to avoid and adopt a “wait and see” approach to unproven PL players. Then jump on the bandwagon 🙂

      1. Piggs Boson
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Yeah probably the best way, unless they have a starting 4.0m player.

        But with a strong set of openers I start with a Leeds defender, low investment is low risk. Or maybe a cheap striker if they replace Bamford...

        1. Speaking Words of Wisdom, R…
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 8 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          I don't think we'll have any starting 4.0 defenders unfortunately. Here's my price predictions:

          GK - Meslier - 4.5
          GK - Casilla (if kept) - 4.5

          DEF - Ayling - 5.0
          DEF - Cooper - 4.5
          DEF - White (if signed) - 4.5
          DEF - Dallas - 5.0
          DEF - Douglas - 4.5
          DEF - Alioski (if classified as defender) - 4.5
          DEF - Berardi (if retained, long term knee injury) - 4.0
          DEF - Struijk - 4.0

          MID - Hernandez - 6.0-6.5
          MID - Klich - 5.5
          MID - Costa - 5.5
          MID - Harrison - 5.5-6.0
          MID - Phillips - 4.5
          MID - Roberts (if classified as mid) - 5.0
          MID - Forshaw - 4.5
          MID - Shackleton - 4.5
          MID - Alioski (if classified as mid) - 4.5-5.0

          FWD - Bamford - 6.0
          FWD - Roberts (if classified as striker) - 5.0

          As you can see we are very light up front, and I expect signings to be made (ideally we need two strikers, a winger, a number 10, two centre backs and a keeper).

          1. Adam31
            • 3 Years
            3 years, 7 months ago

            Who is option among the the key players Bamford.or Harrison, and is Stuart Dallas nailed as a starter?

            1. Speaking Words of Wisdom, R…
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 8 Years
              3 years, 7 months ago

              I won't be touching Bamford to be honest, not unless I see a drastic improvement in chance conversion. He'll frustrate the hell out of you with missed chances.

              Harrison could be an interesting 4th midfield pic, but I don't think he'll be setting the world on fire with returns. Depends how he steps up to the prem.

              Dallas was certainly nailed last season as Bielsa found a space for him no matter what - LB, RB, midfield. It may depend on what signings we make but I'd bet on him starting the season at LB.

          2. Lloyd Xmas
            • 12 Years
            3 years, 7 months ago

            Good effort.

    4. SADIO SANÉ
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Mitro banging in a brace GW1 is going to be glorious

      1. have you seen cyan
        • 4 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        I feel it

      2. FOO FIGHTER
        • 4 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        I would rather use my TC vs Fulham defence opening day compared to having Mitro as an asset in an appaling Fulham team.

      3. FPL Pillars
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        I mean if they’ve got the fixtures I would be into a bit of Mitro

      4. Ginkapo FPL
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        AK47 you mean

      5. Pumpkinhead - I'm ITK …
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        If i let myself get dragged into Mitro again i really am not learning anything . They actually look a worse team than before they came up before too

      6. UnitedFan
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        😉

    5. Speaking Words of Wisdom, R…
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      For the first time in my FPL career I am finally able to select players from the team I support! I'm not sure if that will be a blessing or a curse in the end, but I'm excited!

      Pablo is certainly one to watch. Yes he had his minutes managed post-lockdown, but his impact was incredible in those games and that ultimately sealed his Player of the Year award (he wasn't really in the running prior to lockdown due to injury and the form of other players). If he's fully fit at the start of the season I can see him starting most games early on, and he tends to start seasons well. Worth noting he got double figure goals and assists in the season before last, and almost repeated the feat last season despite the injuries. Of course this league is a big step up, but El Mago seems to be getting better with age and should still be heavily involved in most of our attacks.

      I will be keeping a key eye on our activity in the transfer market, with links to the likes of Ollie Watkins, Said Benrahma, and Edsonne Edouard. Worth noting that Bielsa often takes his time integrating new players into his team though as they get up to speed with his methods.

      In truth, it's our defensive assets that I have my eye on most. 22 cleansheets last season, incredible defensive stats, and the likes of Ayling and Dallas pitched in with plenty of attacking returns too.

      Klich is Polish by the way, not Bulgarian.

      1. SADIO SANÉ
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        yeah can see myself getting sucked in to Ayling/Dallas, sounds good

        1. Speaking Words of Wisdom, R…
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 8 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          Yes, Dallas is actually a midfielder/winger by trade too, but played most of last season at left back so imagine he'll be classified as a defender. He could end up with great OOP potential - Bielsa always finds room for Mr Reliable regardless of position.

          1. Lovren an elevator
            • 8 Years
            3 years, 7 months ago

            If you're in a draft league, who would you pick for the season, reliable Ayling or still opt for Dallas with the risk he's dropped?

            1. Speaking Words of Wisdom, R…
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 8 Years
              3 years, 7 months ago

              Ayling. Guaranteed starter, 4 goals and 4 assists last season and something similar the year before. Has knack for popping up with big goals. If Dallas nails down left back he'd be a good shout but I have a feeling that new signings may keep him out of midfield and the wing.

        2. Andy_Social
          • 11 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          At 4.5 with decent opening fixtures, I'd be very interested. At 5m I'd punt elsewhere.

          1. Baps hunter
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 6 Years
            3 years, 7 months ago

            Yea, they should be 4.7 or 4.8 tbh.

      2. FOO FIGHTER
        • 4 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        The fact that Biesla does not like chopping and changing his teams is already a plus.

      3. Gnu
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Even quoted as being a Pole by Cross.
        Really pathetic and simple errors in every article.by this guy.

        Nice write up btw.

        1. Speaking Words of Wisdom, R…
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 8 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          Thanks!

      4. el polako
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Surprised they didnt just call him eastern european - throw everyone in the same bag and drown in it the english channel.

      5. Pumpkinhead - I'm ITK …
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Cheers. Probably best to avoid all of them at the start. I just remember telling myself this after Jota when they came up and multiple times before that ( Deeney and Matt Ritchie to mention 2 more). Although Wilson did pretty well when he came up till he got injured

    6. FOO FIGHTER
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Teams to go down?

      WBA
      Newcastle
      Fulham

      ?

      1. SADIO SANÉ
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        hope not Palace but,
        Palace
        Villa
        Fulham

      2. Deulofail
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Everton
        Palace
        Newcastle

        1. FOO FIGHTER
          • 4 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          Will be a disaster for Everton...

        2. @persecuted_by_mods
            3 years, 7 months ago

            Ancelotti won't get relegated

        3. FPL Pillars
          • 7 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          WBA
          Newcastle
          Fulham

          1. FOO FIGHTER
            • 4 Years
            3 years, 7 months ago

            Same as mine for the following reasons

            Newcastle = failed takeover

            WBA = Bilic

            Fulham = Whipping boys

            1. FPL Pillars
              • 7 Years
              3 years, 7 months ago

              Hard to see past this

        4. Stats Don\'t Lie
          • 9 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          Palace/Sheffield
          WBA
          Fulham

        5. Amey
          • 5 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          Need to see fixtures first ...

          1. This is the year
            • 4 Years
            3 years, 7 months ago

            Why?
            Everybody plays the same teams.

          2. Baps hunter
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 6 Years
            3 years, 7 months ago

            😉

        6. Hangman Page
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 5 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          Villa, Baggies, Fulham

          1. FOO FIGHTER
            • 4 Years
            3 years, 7 months ago

            Villa need a decent striker and things will change for them.

            1. Hangman Page
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 5 Years
              3 years, 7 months ago

              They do. Losing Grealish would be damaging I think. I think Newcastle have a better forward line, marginally.

        7. @persecuted_by_mods
            3 years, 7 months ago

            Palace Fulham wba

          • billysiv
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 3 Years
            3 years, 7 months ago

            If Villa don't spend some loot on a decent striker to take the weight off Grealish they won't do much even though their defence is much better drilled since the break.

            1. Baps hunter
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 6 Years
              3 years, 7 months ago

              With healthy McGinn and Graelish and improved defensive form they could stay up. Brighton may be in the relegation battle also. One Dunk injury for example and they are in serious trouble.

          • Brosstan
            • 9 Years
            3 years, 7 months ago

            Norwich
            Bournemouth
            Watford

            1. FOO FIGHTER
              • 4 Years
              3 years, 7 months ago

              Oh dear lol

            2. Baps hunter
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 6 Years
              3 years, 7 months ago

              Correct 🙂

          • Andy_Social
            • 11 Years
            3 years, 7 months ago

            WBA and Fulham. 18th could be tight - between Palace and Villa for me.
            Newcastle - depends on ownership/lack of.

          • SAKA AND EMILE SMITH ROWE
            • 7 Years
            3 years, 7 months ago

            As crazy as it could sound I expect Sheffield Utd to be in the mix for relegation

            1. Andy_Social
              • 11 Years
              3 years, 7 months ago

              I would've been worried for them if they'd qualified for Europa. They're a known quantity but their squad isn't being mined, goalie apart, so I think they'll be a sound bottom-half club.

          • The Sociologist
            • 5 Years
            3 years, 7 months ago

            Villa
            Palace
            West Brom

        8. Deulofail
          • 8 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          Just popped in to say that the points difference between being classified as a midfielder vs a forward is generally overstated.

          1. Zimo
            • 5 Years
            3 years, 7 months ago

            Does this have to do with fwds getting more bonus? But when the main goalscorer of the team is a mid he'll still get the bonus

            1. Rotation's Alter Ego
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • Has Moderation Rights
              • 12 Years
              3 years, 7 months ago

              I'm sure it's been done to death, and worked out more accurately than me counting on my fingers, but for Auba FWD --> Mid

              -7 bonus points
              +10 CS points
              +22 Goal points

              Net: +25 points. Not massive, but large enough to swing MLs

              1. @persecuted_by_mods
                  3 years, 7 months ago

                  Interesting

                • @persecuted_by_mods
                    3 years, 7 months ago

                    Boils down to 8 more assists

                  • Deulofail
                    • 8 Years
                    3 years, 7 months ago

                    Not a big difference over the course of the season. How much is 25 points worth?

                    And that's with a prolific goalscorer. If you do it for Firmino, then an assist merchant, the difference will be less and less.

                    I would be worried that my brain would take this too seriously and my judgement would be clouded.

                    1. Greek Freak
                      • 8 Years
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      Hmm, I don't think it's overthinking or clouded judgement to assume that a forward that's classed as a midfielder is a good deal. 25 points is more than the difference between 1st and 2nd overall for example! And mini leagues are often settled for less.

                      1. Deulofail
                        • 8 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Assuming that really is clouded judgement. An assumption that hinders the correct decision based on points of combinations of players, which is what really matters. You don't even know the prices yet!

                        1. Greek Freak
                          • 8 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          And the correct decision normally is to get the OOP forward instead of to overthink the matter!

                        2. Greek Freak
                          • 8 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Just to clarify - not that I'm advocating against thinking things through of course before making a decision. It's just that FPL isn't really a deep thinker's game - and the best thing to do tends to be the obvious one most of the time.

                    2. @persecuted_by_mods
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Your question has no contest how much is 25 points worth? Depends on which strikers are firing which mids are, is it 25 more than other players anyway etc

                        1. @persecuted_by_mods
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Context*

                          • Deulofail
                            • 8 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Yeah it was somewhat rhetorical, as I don't want to do a full analysis. My point is only that it doesn't seem very much to me. A player doesn't become more likely to score when they become a midfielder or if their price changes by 0.5.

                            People are caught up in making calculations of hypothetical situations or based on previous goal tallies, but the outcome could have been very different.

                            This season, Kane might score 10 goals in the first 10 games and be more valuable than every midfielder, or he might have a slow start, as usual, which would make him poor value, even if he were a midfileder. Goals are relatively rare events, and I think people are seeking value before taking into account the more important contextual factors such as form, fixtures, prices of all the other players, and more, which is in effect a way to bias yourself by artificially inflating the importance of a relatively insignificant factor
                            .
                            In fact, if you choose players and captains based on how many points you think they're going to get (which is the game) you will already automatically take into account how many points they get for different actions in their position. The fact that that player was previously in another position or that another player is in another position is irrelevant at thas point.

                            No idea if I made my thoughts clear or not, but there we go. Thanks for reading 🙂

                            1. @persecuted_by_mods
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                I get what you're saying but I don't think anyone has said a player is more likely to score, more likely to score points from based on their previous classification? Then yes more likely

                                1. Deulofail
                                  • 8 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  More likely to score points based on their previous classification?

                                  Maybe; maybe not. Depends more on other factors than position imo.That's the bias I'm talking about 🙂

                                  1. @persecuted_by_mods
                                      3 years, 7 months ago

                                      As in if you literally changed nothing but the classification from striker to midfield I can't think of a single scenario in which that doesn't mean more points

                                      1. Deulofail
                                        • 8 Years
                                        3 years, 7 months ago

                                        It's a new season. I presume you're not saying a player is more likely to score points last season if they are reclassified this season. 😀

                                        1. @persecuted_by_mods
                                            3 years, 7 months ago

                                            Well no there's obviously a context to everything but let's say Auba for example, I don't expect his output in terms of goals or assists to drop this coming season. So he should get more points than last even if he gets the exact same attacking results or even slightly less

                                          • Deulofail
                                            • 8 Years
                                            3 years, 7 months ago

                                            Of course. It would be weird if I were arguing against that, though. I said the difference is overstated; not that there is no difference. Anyway, I just popped by. Have a lovely day 🙂

                                          • @persecuted_by_mods
                                              3 years, 7 months ago

                                              Haha I guess it comes back down to how much is 25 points worth, I guess we'll never know

                              • Baps hunter
                                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                                • 6 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Massive or not it is significant. 25 times the difference to top10k finish last season for example.

                                1. Deulofail
                                  • 8 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  Not sure what you're saying exactly about top 10k (10k was 1 point behind OR1??), but nobody who is playing seriously is going to own Aubameyang all season.

                                  I'm quite confused by how people are appraising players' values based on 1 full season from the past. You're going to want him for 1 game, or 3 games, or 8 games at a time. You're not going to see that full 25 points.

                                  Plus, those points don't actually don't exist. You're going to want him for those chunks of games in the NEXT season; you're not going to own him for the whole of last season.

                                  And even that neglects to include all the other players in the game and all the other FPL managers who have the same choice of players.

                                  1. Baps hunter
                                    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                                    • 6 Years
                                    3 years, 7 months ago

                                    I was one point behind top 10k. Yes you are partly correct, but on the other hand it depends on other matters also. Ings for example often scores one, but as a clinical striker (and his other bps qualities) that goal is often worth 7 or 6 pts. No point to speculate about his classification though.

                          • Je suis le chat
                            • 10 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Not going to happen, but if did would offer a great captain option.

                          • Amey
                            • 5 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Maybe you're fishing.
                            But let me answer 😛

                            I disagree. A hattrick for Aguero gives you 17 points but a hattrick for Raz gives 20/21.
                            It's almost an extra return.

                            CS + One more point for goal makes up for less bps for a goal (-6/-8 i guess)

                            That is why striker's especially big hitting striker's are looking like liabilities in FPL now. Those big hitting Defenders & Midfielders are way better value in general.

                            1. Greek Freak
                              • 8 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              For prolific goalscorers, the extra point per goal makes a big difference. Kane scored 29 goals in two consecutive seasons and was only around the 220 point mark. As long as they don't squander away bps (see Martial and Salah - I think Auba will be good in this regard) mids should have a big advantage.

                              1. Amey
                                • 5 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                No doubt.

                            2. Deulofail
                              • 8 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Tricky to predict a hattrick though. They are very rare. On the same week, Raz might actually blank while a forward player gets a hattrick, and then you have nothing for the extra point per goal but -15pts or something. To judge the effect of position, I think it's more useful to look are a broader, deeper range of data than a single hypothetical week that suits your argument 😉

                              1. Amey
                                • 5 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Your OP said a player classification if i didn't read it wrong. I'm talking about that.
                                Auba as a midfielder will definitely score more than auba as a striker over the season IMO.

                                And in general also stats page do show us Defenders & midfielders are great value ...

                                1. Deulofail
                                  • 8 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  But it depends on his price.

                          • Brosstan
                            • 9 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            On the contrary, the impact of 15-25 points is being understated

                            1. Baps hunter
                              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                              • 6 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Yes, because it is easily more than one player that need to be counted. You can play 4-3-3 or 4-5-1 and with two Aubas it's already 50 pts (price difference not calculted). That is a lot of points imo.

                        2. Amey
                          • 5 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Sarri Sacked.
                          Poach said to be the possible replacement.

                          1. Je suis le chat
                            • 10 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Bit ironic that Sarri has been sacked the last 2 jobs despite winning a few trophies after a career like Poch, without winning much.

                            1. Amey
                              • 5 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              I was going to write that too but wasn't sure he won anything at Chelsea 😀
                              Cheers

                              1. Siva Mohan
                                • 11 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Europa League

                          2. R.C
                            • 6 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Poch will be going to Barcelona.
                            Conte to Juve and Allegri to Inter.

                            1. R.C
                              • 6 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Or just Allegri back at Juve.

                              1. Amey
                                • 5 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                LOL

                                1. R.C
                                  • 6 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  Pep to Juve in 21-22 after Allegri gets sacked again

                                  1. Amey
                                    • 5 Years
                                    3 years, 7 months ago

                                    Klopp to Inter too ?
                                    😛

                                    1. R.C
                                      • 6 Years
                                      3 years, 7 months ago

                                      In all seriousness, Poch will want to go to Barca

                                      1. Amey
                                        • 5 Years
                                        3 years, 7 months ago

                                        No doubt. Bigger club

                                      2. The Ejiptian King
                                        • 5 Years
                                        3 years, 7 months ago

                                        He said he'd never manage them since he was at Espanyol but has apparently gone back on those comments recently.

                                      3. Blandiblub
                                        • 3 Years
                                        3 years, 7 months ago

                                        He has previously extolled his love for Espanyol, to the point of pretty much saying he could never manage Barcelona. But I'm sure that could change for the right offer/circumstances.

                        3. Hedge
                          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                          • 12 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          I know a few were looking out for my next community article on player value, it's now up
                          https://www.fantasyfootballscout.co.uk/2020/08/08/player-value-2019-20-review/

                          1. jtreble
                            • 7 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Brilliant! Thanks.

                        4. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                          • 14 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Quite liking this little mother of a setup:

                          4.5, 4.0
                          TAA, VVD, Laporte, 4.5, 4.5
                          KDB, Sterling, Bruno, ___, 4.5
                          Mitro, ___, 4.5

                          With 12.5-ish for the two blank slots reckon that’s 100.0 on the nose....

                          Just a shame half of them probably miss the first GW or two 🙁

                          1. Je suis le chat
                            • 10 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Nice, I'm tempted to get 3 strikers at 4.5m each, play 1 each week and accept 2 points min.

                            1. MosF94
                              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                              • 5 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              If McGoldrick is 5.0, he could be interesting. A key player for us, and likely to start the season alongside McBurnie (unless we sign a new star striker), he gets a fair few big chances (8.72 xG, but only scored 2), and if he can improve his finishing - the Chelsea brace might give him a confidence boost - he could be great value for someone wanting to stick a cheapie up top and cram in four 9.5+ mids, for example?

                              1. MosF94
                                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                                • 5 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Just to add, 0.43 xGp90 and 0.1 xAp90 - so if he could replicate that this season, minimise the niggling injuries that kept him out for short spells, and improve his finishing (which isn't his strength, and I would expect him to slightly underscore his xG, but I think last season his finishing was anomalously poor) - he really could be a tasty bargain

                          2. Karan14
                            • 7 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            The early blank coupled with the early DGW is going to cause chaos.

                            I think it's a big opportunity have a great start.

                            1. Amey
                              • 5 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Or another sh.t one 😀

                              1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                                • 14 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Sterling down to Pulisic is an obvious development... frees up 2.5-ish to go back into the kitty...

                                Raz looks lethal though & Puli looks sick 🙁

                                1. Amey
                                  • 5 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  That is in my mind too

                              2. Karan14
                                • 7 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Hahaha that's more likely.
                                But I'm quite excited for the start because of these blanks and doubles.

                                1. Amey
                                  • 5 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  Definitely karan !

                            2. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                              • 14 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Yeah definitely needs proper thought to be given to it... my initial gut is to be wary of hits - but we need to see fixtures & fitness reports really to come up with a plan

                              1. Karan14
                                • 7 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Agreed I can't wait to see those fixtures and get planning.

                                There could be some great TC options if United or City get good DGW fixtures. Early wildcard a big possibility too.

                          3. FPL Pillars
                            • 7 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Not worried about Mo Salad bring the most capped player?

                            1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                              • 14 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              You always have to be (relatively) worried about Salah... but there’s a reasonable enough case for choosing to swerve him too

                              1. Greek Freak
                                • 8 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                I think if he scores at the same rates as this year there won't be that much to worry about as long as you're reasonably good/lucky with your captains.

                                1. Amey
                                  • 5 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  You mean there is a worry 😀

                                  1. Greek Freak
                                    • 8 Years
                                    3 years, 7 months ago

                                    There will be the odd GW when he hauls and your captain fails but if he only scores 19-20 goals again the worry will be small 😀

                                2. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                                  • 14 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  Yeah my thoughts are similar

                                  We know his trend has been 300 -> 260 -> 230 - I could probably live without him even if he improved back to 250 again as there are quite a few other lads on the scene who’ll also go close to/over 250

                                  If he stays where he’s at, or continues to decline then yeah not much to worry about

                          4. FOO FIGHTER
                            • 4 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            The dangers of not having at least one premium fwd is that GW1 done you will probably will want one for GW2.

                            And too many blanks possible for that team GW1.

                            1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                              • 14 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              That’s entirely possible for sure

                              But I think generally it’ll probably be quite rare that anyone chooses to captain one of (Kane, Werner, Kun, Vardy) over one of (Salah, Mané, Sterling, KDB, Bruno, Auba)

                              And the prices those premium forwards will likely mean I don’t really want 11.0+ players who I won’t captain which directs towards a midfield-heavy/light-up-top structure from a planning perspective

                              Werner & Vardy May be exceptions though, if they’re slotting in around 9.5-ish - but then they’re not really premium either which is a good thing

                              1. FOO FIGHTER
                                • 4 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                9m fwd should be considered premium. You will only have one expensive asset at that price in your front 3. Unless you go 2x9 and 1 x 12 in midfield.

                                1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                                  • 14 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  I guess I’d personally consider premium as more expensive than that

                          5. have you seen cyan
                            • 4 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            As a person who’s tried to go without Salah numerous times in the last couple of seasons, I tell you that it’s horrible not owning Salah. His ownership and the amount of captains is enuf to be a real pain in the backside. You will dread every pool game and log in to see SALAH! OMG Salah all the damn time, it’s too annoying. And he has pens which sterling does not plus no rotation.

                            1. FOO FIGHTER
                              • 4 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              I never go without Salah 🙂

                              1. have you seen cyan
                                • 4 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                He is so annoying, typically first week I go without him he gets a brace -_-

                            2. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                              • 14 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Yeah I’ve been there myself & know what you’re talking about

                              I ditched him for triple pool defence at Christmas, and ditched him again for Sterling on the run in... both worked out well, but next season is a clean slate, he’s more than good enough to give non owners regrets

                              I’m just glad KDB & Bruno have both emerged to offer alternatives - coupled with a revitalised Sterling, and even possibly Auba as a midfielder & suddenly it’s just not the Mo Salah show anymore

                              1. have you seen cyan
                                • 4 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Yea I get ur points, just fed up not having him. I think he is a staple in my team all season.
                                I can go without Sterling and Auba, they don’t bother me so much. Especially Sterling

                              2. Sad Pablo Arsecobar
                                • 7 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                For me, Between Salah, Bruno and Auba (mid), the most expensive one loses out, as id estimate roughly the same points each. You'd then be able to re invest the saving elsewhere

                            3. Greek Freak
                              • 8 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              I did pretty well without for most of the season in 18/19. Started with Mane (C) for 32 points and followed it up with Aguero (C) for 40 points in the first two games.

                              The reason my season fell apart was completely unrelated to Salah 😀

                          6. gaurava1216
                            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                            • 8 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Until United and City make the European Cup finals and then you have no team......

                            1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                              • 14 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Wish I’d mentioned that tbf... oh wait...

                          7. Botman and Robben
                            • 7 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            No Salah?

                          8. Andy_Social
                            • 11 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Pretty close to my current draft (again)

                            4.5 + 4m 10
                            TAA, VVD, Robbo, 4m, 4m 30
                            KDB, Bruno, Pulisic, Greenwood 37
                            cheap mid 4.5
                            Ings, 6m, 5m 19
                            TOTAL est. 100

                            After last night I'm thinking of adding Raz at expense of Ings and trimming too.

                            1. Andy_Social
                              • 11 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              *oops, GK totaal 8.5

                              1. Andy_Social
                                • 11 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Fixed:
                                4.5 + dead 4m 8.5
                                TAA, VVD, Robbo, playing 4m, 4m 30
                                KDB, Sterling, Bruno, Greenwood 39
                                playing mid 4.5
                                6.5, 6.5, 5m 18
                                TOTAL 100

                                Maybe start with 2 Mancs on the bench and 2 placeholders such as Son and Pulisic depending on fixtures.
                                GW3 2FTs and away.

                        5. La Roja
                          • 12 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Sarri sacked 2 consecutive seasons. Won Europa league with Chelsea last season and title with Juve this season.

                          Must be his after shave...

                          1. Amey
                            • 5 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            They said smoking kills ...

                          2. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                            • 14 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Laughing all the way to the bank - is that 9 years wages he’s just been paid in the last 13 months?!

                            1. La Roja
                              • 12 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              No idea. But he may just fancy to retire and chill out in Sardinia.

                              1. pingissimus
                                • 5 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Nah

                                There’ll be a vacancy coming up at Chelsea soon enough. Or has he already tried that one?

                                Still got Jorghino so ....

                          3. Klaren
                            • 6 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Juve could probably win the title without a manager and Europa League isn’t a big deal for a team with such resources, so not surprising. He shouldn’t have betrayed Napoli and sign with Juve.

                        6. Greek Freak
                          • 8 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          This season seems to be a bit strange in that there are lots of just-relegated players who could easily walk into some mid or lower table Premier League teams. Villa desperately need a decent forward - there's Josh King and Callum Wilson (even Deeney) who are clear upgrades over what they have. Newcastle aren't doing that great in the forward department either. Palace and Everton also need attackers full stop - there's King and Wilson again, also Fraser, Sarr, Stanislas*, Harry Wilson if he goes on loan again. I don't think I ever remember so much talent in relegated teams. (and there's already Ake of course who's been nabbed by City)

                          *Asterisk because of injury record.

                          1. Greek Freak
                            • 8 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            No particular point in this post I guess, just thinking out loud!

                          2. have you seen cyan
                            • 4 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Batshuayi as well

                            1. Bada Bing
                              • 7 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Batsman is kak, he's not epl quality.

                              1. have you seen cyan
                                • 4 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Someone will still buy him tho like villa or palace

                          3. FPL Theorist
                            • 4 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Yes, even Norwich have several players who could pop up as decent FPL assets elsewhere if they decide to sell, e.g. Pukki, Cantwell, Buendia, Lewis, Aarons, Krul.

                            They ain't Huddersfield.

                            1. Greek Freak
                              • 8 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Ah yes - Buendia too of course. He seems to be the real deal that was held back mainly by his team-mates inability to finish.

                        7. Rotation's Alter Ego
                          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                          • Has Moderation Rights
                          • 12 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          2 Community articles up from today:

                          FPL_Swan took a look at the promoted keepers to see what, if anything, we could expect from them
                          https://www.fantasyfootballscout.co.uk/2020/08/08/should-we-consider-goalkeepers-from-the-championship/

                          Hedge continued on from his hugely popular series last year with a quick review of Player value and how best we should spend our budget
                          https://www.fantasyfootballscout.co.uk/2020/08/08/player-value-2019-20-review/

                          Recommend giving them a read 🙂

                        8. have you seen cyan
                          • 4 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          I’m always tempted by Kane at the start of the season even though I know he starts off slow. Is this break short enough that he actually carry’s his form into the new season? I think there’s a very good chance.
                          How much you reckon? 10.5?

                          1. Greek Freak
                            • 8 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            I think he'll be slightly overpriced at 11.0.

                          2. pingissimus
                            • 5 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Started off ok last time 🙂

                        9. Hangman Page
                          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                          • 5 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          This debate over strikers points to the fact that FPL could be improved by changing the rules.

                          Instead of clean sheet points for midfielders who are IRL forwards, what about bonus points for ball recoveries and interceptions in every position. CS points should be restricted to keepers and defenders. Then bump up a strikers’ goal points to 4.5.

                          FWIW I still want to play 343 initially because a sub-6.0 forward is likely to be horrendous and I could have a non-playing 4.0 defender or a 4.5 defender who gets me ~90 points over 38 as my 15th man.

                          1. Greek Freak
                            • 8 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            How much the last player on your bench costs doesn't matter if a 6.5 defender outscores a 6.5 forward though! (which seems to be the case quite comfortably more often than not)

                            1. Hangman Page
                              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                              • 5 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              It denies you having a half million more to spend elsewhere though?

                              1. Greek Freak
                                • 8 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                I don't think it's that big a deal in terms of upside - not unless there's a player you really really want who's clearly better than the one who costs 0.5 less.

                                1. Greek Freak
                                  • 8 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  And when you factor in that premium defenders tend to outscore (or at the very least score as well as) budget strikers that upside may not be worth it.

                                2. Hangman Page
                                  • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                                  • 5 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  How many times have you been 0.1 short of that player you really want, though? Especially at the beginning of the campaign when money’s tight.

                            2. Sanchit
                              • 8 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              How much more points are you scoring by upgrading a 4.5 defender to 6.5 is the real question though.
                              A 4.5 defender also outscores a 4.5 forward.
                              If it's a case of spending 11m on a forward and def.. the better option is to go for a 6.5 fwd and a 4.5 defender, right?

                              1. Greek Freak
                                • 8 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                If you have to play the forward - yes, undoubtedly. But I'd prefer a 6.5 defender over an extra 6.5 forward - say, a 4-4-2 over a 3-4-3.

                          2. Greek Freak
                            • 8 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            I like the ideas though, apart from having half points!

                          3. Hangman Page
                            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                            • 5 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            When I bonus points I mean like save points. 1 point for every three. Rewards FPL forwards who press and contribute to clean sheet.

                        10. Hy liverpool
                          • 10 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Jurgen Klopp has been told he must raise the funds for Thiago if he wants to sign him for a fee of around £27m this summer. #lfclive [Kicker]

                          Lol @ liverpool

                          1. Chemical76
                            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                            • 5 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Maybe set up a lemonade stall outside Anfield

                          2. FOO FIGHTER
                            • 4 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            We are overcrowded in midfield. I guess that could be the reason why?

                            I suspect if we can find a new home for Shaqiri then we could get in a new body.

                            We adopted the strategy of adding players for the fun of it before and we know how that ended. I reckon the approach of the club re our transfer strategy has been for the better and has shown since Klopp arrived.

                            Plus LFC's income has been seriously slashed due to the current episode we live in.

                            City got rid of Sane at a nice fee, got in two new players after that.

                            UTD got rid of Sanchez and the savings on wages alone can see them play around in the window.

                            All clubs are leeting go of some players in order to make space?

                          3. FOO FIGHTER
                            • 4 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Oh, and City no longer have Dilva on their wagebill so creates more space for them.

                            I do not think we should look at this as LFC not wanting to spend when reality the other clubs are selling/letting go of players as well and then adding new faces afterwards.

                            1. pingissimus
                              • 5 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              All fair points

                              But that said it’s still very conservative. There’s a big drop off in experience if/when they lose someone especially up top or at the back. United are in the same boat but City and Chelsea (in a different way) have or are adopting options.

                              I actually really like the current model there in principle and it certainly isn’t easy bringing quality to stand in for quality. The one doubt I have is whether it is realistic to expect to maintain the same consistent selection policy in a season where the fixtures will come thicker and faster than ever.

                              1. FOO FIGHTER
                                • 4 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                LFC had one of the most hectic schedules. All cups, League, CL, World Club Cup...

                                Klopp rotated his midfield the most.

                                Looks like adding a LB and CB are priority in this window. Brewster could go on loan. Better option than Origi so may even be part of the squad this season. Curtis Jones another player working his way up.

                                At the moment it will be difficult to improve on our fully fit starting eleven. Upgrades on Shaqiri will be great but it becomes a problem when you have a player like that who ain't in the plans with nobody showing interest and he does not even make the bench.

                                If we had still continued with the strategy of Brendan Rodgers 'kid in a candy shop, money falling out of pockets' LFC would be in loads of trouble.

                                1. pingissimus
                                  • 5 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  Not disagreeing really

                                  Thing is we never really saw a full season and that’s when you’d expect the schedule to really hurt

                        11. ritzyd
                          • 6 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Is there a way for FFS to sort player profiles in the member area alphabetically? It's always kinda painful trying to find the player you want (could also update pics too as some are crazy old!)

                          1. Rotation's Alter Ego
                            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                            • Has Moderation Rights
                            • 12 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            They are! It's sorted alphabetically by surname, but you get issues with footballers who use a different name to their surname, particularly those with Spanish names etc.

                            So Periera (Leicester) should be with the P's but is listed like 3rd iirc because his surname is treated as Barbarosa I think. Fernandinho is another I think.

                            As for the pictures - not sure what state they're in but I know there was a big push earlier in the season to clean up the majority of them, but it's a slow process. Players like KDB are no longer in Chelsea kits which is a start, but I'm sure there are some old ones still. Might see if I can find a way to do it myself, but it's probably down the priority list at this time of year for the tech team.

                            1. ritzyd
                              • 6 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Cool, thanks

                        12. Sanchit
                          • 8 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Where can I get a list of starting prices and total points for 2019/2020 season?

                          1. Baps hunter
                            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                            • 6 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Official fpl site?

                          2. RedLightning
                            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                            • Has Moderation Rights
                            • 13 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            FPL site, Statistics tab.
                            For total points, just sort by Total points.
                            For starting prices, sort by Price rise, then subtract this from Cost.

                        13. OverTinker
                          • 5 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Pope or Stokes?

                        14. gaurava1216
                          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                          • 8 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          In the event City make the CL final and United make the Europa Final- what is everyone going to do as United/City won't play GW1.... makes no sense to WC in 2 to get them in.... at the same time, would want Minimum 2 united and 2 city ( subject to a decent run of games).

                          Do you build the GW 1 team with these assets and bench them?
                          Do you take early hits to bring them in?
                          Do you WC and quick fix? ( could be a huge edge with points these players could rack up)

                          1. SADIO SANÉ
                            • 8 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            with less premium options to choose from, potentially a GW1 bench boost team with funds spread more evenly and then a very early WC

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

                              This

                            2. pingissimus
                              • 5 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              There will quite possibly be only 14 teams to select from in GW1 - it’s not just City United Wolves who will be missing. Possible strategy I guess

                              My ideal would be BB in 2 or 3 when there’s a full complement to choose from and then WC a bit later. Long shot perhaps that even then there’ll be a decent 11 in GW1 to give 15 in 2.

                              1. SADIO SANÉ
                                • 8 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                be fixture dependent of course, but all the best defenders bar Doherty/Laporte should be available from the start - making a back 5 possible, then you're just punting on a few outfield players to make up the bench - could misfire but BB can at any time

                          2. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                            • 14 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            At this stage, without fixtures or fitness news - I’d be heavily in favour of picking the players you want from those teams & taking the blanks on the chin

                            GW1 will be over in the blink of an eye & the FOMO factor could drive some really nasty situations landing you with players in your side you don’t want for a longer period of time

                            That being said, if fixtures & fitness news align to generate a scenario where say Liverpool have a couple of whipping boys at home in the first two weeks, while KDB & Bruno are injured or have blanks... then we’ll know what to do in that situation etc

                            Need a bit more info I suppose but it’s got the potential to get very messy if not handled properly

                            1. Greek Freak
                              • 8 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              I really don't foresee many situations in which Salah, Mane, Auba, Kane and the like aren't better options than City and United players that are guaranteed 0 points 😀

                              1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                                • 14 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                I’m not suprised you don’t 😉

                                1. Greek Freak
                                  • 8 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  Fine - you can start with your double United and City then 😀

                                  1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                                    • 14 Years
                                    3 years, 7 months ago

                                    Lol nowhere has it been been stated that anyone is starting with anyone 🙂

                          3. Botman and Robben
                            • 7 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Why not start with expensive mids like Salah, Auba, Werner and Son. In GW2 or 3, you can simply swap these for the Manchester assets you want. Heck, mini wild card in 3 when you have 2FTs. Can take a -4 or even 8 if you want to.

                            1. Salarrivederci
                              • 7 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Gonna be how i approach the start.

                            2. Greek Freak
                              • 8 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Very much this. "Picking the players you want from those teams & taking the blanks on the chin" is classic FFS overthinking. The Liverpool mids and Auba could easily be just as good options as the City and United ones outright, even if there are no blanks.

                              1. gaurava1216
                                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                                • 8 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                With the limited info we have I would be leaning towards loading with Salah/ Mane/ Auba/ Son/ Werner etc and then just work from there to get in the likes of City and United Assets.

                                Taking early hits in the process if required.

                              2. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                                • 14 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                It just very much depends on whether you’re comfortable with keeping them for the longer haul imo

                                It’s classic FFS underthinking/laziness to assume Salah or Auba are guaranteed a haul that will offset a planned -4 or -8 for example 🙂

                                As the rest of the comment went on to discuss - “ That being said, if fixtures & fitness news align to generate a scenario where say Liverpool have a couple of whipping boys at home in the first two weeks, while KDB & Bruno are injured or have blanks... then we’ll know what to do in that situation etc

                                Need a bit more info I suppose but it’s got the potential to get very messy if not handled properly”

                                1. Greek Freak
                                  • 8 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  No need to even take a -4 or -8 - Auba, Salah and Mane are perfectly capable of outscoring United and City assets any given week.

                                  1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                                    • 14 Years
                                    3 years, 7 months ago

                                    Of course they are - hence if you’re comfortable with them for the longer haul there isn’t even a decision to be made 🙂

                                    But they also blank with more regularity than you would think - so if they aren’t part of your plans in a situation where there are no blanks... then there are decisions to be made, especially where hits are involved 🙂

                                    If Salah was away from home in GW1 for example, and Mane was fit... would you be ok captaining him with his away record?

                                    With Mane Starting: 36 points, 11 games, 3.3 PPA
                                    Without Mane: 48 points, 4 games, 12.0 PPA

                                    If Mane has a long term injury then Salah instantly becomes a much more attractive proposition... if Liverpool’s first two fixtures are Away to mourinho & home to wolves is a very different situation to two lovely fixtures vs whipping boys etc etc

                                    Applying thought doesn’t automatically equal overthinking 😉

                                    1. Greek Freak
                                      • 8 Years
                                      3 years, 7 months ago

                                      There's applying thought and then there's ignoring Salah, Mane and Auba in favour of players that will get you 0 points 😀

                                      1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                                        • 14 Years
                                        3 years, 7 months ago

                                        Say one scenario for example - Salah maintains his away record from this season & gets you a 2 pointer... and your autosub for KDB would have gotten you the same... how do you feel when you swerved KDB & now have to start burning FT’s or taking hits to fix things up?

                                        1. Greek Freak
                                          • 8 Years
                                          3 years, 7 months ago

                                          If I have reason to believe Salah would be a bad option away with Mane in the team I'd just get Mane. I don't have any strong FPL allegiances - I'm just saying they're all just as capable of scoring points as City and United players.

                                          1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                                            • 14 Years
                                            3 years, 7 months ago

                                            You do now have reason to believe Salah would be a bad option away with Mané in the team though - I’ve just shown you it 🙂

                                            It’s definitely a situation that has the potential to get very messy if not properly handled - GW1 will be over in the blink of an eye & the FOMO factor could drive some really nasty situations landing you with players in your side you don’t want for a longer period of time

                                            1. Greek Freak
                                              • 8 Years
                                              3 years, 7 months ago

                                              We've talked about Salah vs. Mane before - I remember the conclusion was we weren't sure whether Salah's away form was just an aberration or not. The sample size is both big and small - by which I mean one season doesn't provide enough games for a big enough statistical sample, but of course it is one season's worth of losing points if you insist with Salah.

                                              But the bottom line is I'm not sure if that will transfer to this season. If I see Liverpool opening with 2 out of 3 away games I'd be more inclined to pick Mane that's for sure.

                                            2. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                                              • 14 Years
                                              3 years, 7 months ago

                                              Of course - but in a scenario where someone rates KDB & Bruno at 12.0 & 10.5 for example as better premium picks than Salah & Mane at 12.5 & 12.5 or Auba at 12.0 for example - then there are decisions to be made

                                              Its not a slam dunk that (in the scenario above) starting with Mané or Auba and planning for an extra 2 transfers that you may not even get to make with other priorities is automatically the best outcome

                                              Have you seen Auba’s home record? It is disgusting - the amount of times he underwhelmed in plum home fixtures this season was staggering

                                            3. Greek Freak
                                              • 8 Years
                                              3 years, 7 months ago

                                              I'd be very comfortable with Auba and a Liverpool mid for City and United's blank plus at least one extra GW where all teams play. It's plenty of time to reassess - depending on fixtures etc. I'd also be more than happy to keep them longer than planned. You're assuming I'd immediately be rushing to take hits to bring in City and United players.

                                              If I wanted to go that way, Salah to KDB is just a transfer away when needed, it's not like it would be a major team restructuring. If there are other fires to put out, as I said I'd be more than happy with Auba and Liverpool mids for more extended periods, barring an unforeseen catastrophic loss of form of course!

                                            4. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                                              • 14 Years
                                              3 years, 7 months ago

                                              I’m honestly not assuming you’re rushing to take hits - you’ve made it clear you’re more than comfortable without City & Utd - and what I’ve said is that’s brilliant for you because you don’t even really have a decision to make on that front 🙂

                                              What I am saying though is that others won’t be in that same situation - and for those that aren’t - then they have decisions to make 🙂

                                            5. Greek Freak
                                              • 8 Years
                                              3 years, 7 months ago

                                              I mean, the basic premise is 1 game > 0 games. Same as DGWs, where most of us prefer having premiums that have 2 games in a week over premiums that only have 1. And given that they're premium options, they tend to be reliable in that they don't go too long without scoring, which is fine if one wants to keep them. It would be a different thing altogether if I was stuck with the likes of DCL or Wood just for the sake of an extra game.

                                              'Comfortable' is not exactly how I would be without any City for the season of course, but for one or two GWs at least it's perfectly fine.

                                            6. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                                              • 14 Years
                                              3 years, 7 months ago

                                              Not all games are created equal though

                                              And for someone who rates KDB & Bruno at 12.0 & 10.5 as more attractive FPL prospects than Salah & Mane at 12.5 & 12.5 or Auba at 12.0, and who would also have that extra budget redistributed/put to better use elsewhere in their team, then it’s not just as simple as 1 > 0 unfortunately- there are all sorts of other factors that come into the equation

                                              Those big hitters let people down in once off single gameweek scenarios much more frequently than we think - so unless you are comfortable with them for the longer term, there are serious decisions that need to made

                                            7. Greek Freak
                                              • 8 Years
                                              3 years, 7 months ago

                                              As an aside, you really think KDB will be cheaper than both Salah and Mane? I don't see it myself.

                                            8. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                                              • 14 Years
                                              3 years, 7 months ago

                                              Initially I thought 12.0 KDB & 12.5 the two pool mids

                                              Could see 12.0 all three though, which changes things again

                                              And KDB at 12.5 would change things again

                                              As would 11.5 etc etc - there’s about a million different permutations of variables that still need to be understood before steaming into a conclusion on a GW1 approach

                                2. Greek Freak
                                  • 8 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  Plus, I would perfectly happy to assume that Salah or Auba plus 4/8 points are better options in the majority of cases than anyone from City or United! I'm baffled as to why anyone would rush to transfer out proven FPL players for a -4 or -8 that early in the season. City and United players can enter in due course.

                                  1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                                    • 14 Years
                                    3 years, 7 months ago

                                    That’s a different problem statement though - not everyone is as bullish on Salah or Auba & many would be more confident in KDB & Bruno for example, fixtures, form & fitness dependent

                                    Again, it really does lean towards the “underthinking” end of the scale to just take the “Salah is better lolz” stance 🙂

                                    1. Greek Freak
                                      • 8 Years
                                      3 years, 7 months ago

                                      The stance is that there would be no reason to rush to transfer out the likes of Salah, Mane and Auba for hits to get United and City players. It doesn't strike me as high-percentage play. Assuming that City and United would be that much better as to warrant having them sit on the bench for 0 points is just mind-boggling! 😀

                                      It's not like the team would be filled with temporary placeholders that are clearly worse options.

                                      1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                                        • 14 Years
                                        3 years, 7 months ago

                                        Yes - but that’s a a different problem statement 🙂

                                        You don’t even have a decision to make because in an “all else equal” situation - you don’t believe KDB & Bruno are worth having in your team over Salah & Auba

                                        Many folks aren’t in that situation though - and for someone who *would* start with KDB & Bruno instead of Salah & Auba in an “all else equal” (say no blank GW1) situation then they have a decision to make 🙂

                                        1. Greek Freak
                                          • 8 Years
                                          3 years, 7 months ago

                                          It's a pretty simple position - I would take any premium option that has 2 games over other premium options that only have 1 game.

                                          When everyone is playing I will enjoy the extra points from the first week and reassess the situation 🙂

                                          1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                                            • 14 Years
                                            3 years, 7 months ago

                                            Good for you - and more power to you 🙂

                                            For me, at this stage, without fixtures or fitness news - I’d be heavily in favour of picking the players you want from those teams & taking the blanks on the chin

                                            GW1 will be over in the blink of an eye & the FOMO factor could drive some really nasty situations landing you with players in your side you don’t want for a longer period of time

                                            That being said, if fixtures & fitness news align to generate a scenario where say Liverpool have a couple of whipping boys at home in the first two weeks, while KDB & Bruno are injured or have blanks... then we’ll know what to do in that situation etc

                                            Need a bit more info I suppose but it’s got the potential to get very messy if not handled properly

                                  2. FPL Theorist
                                    • 4 Years
                                    3 years, 7 months ago

                                    I wonder if some of the difference in opinion here comes from whether City/United start with a DGW3.

                                    If they don't, you could just leave Salah/Auba/etc in for quite a while, and get City/United players in gradually.

                                    If they do (as I expect - when else are they going to make up the games?), then the hits could easily pay for themselves very quickly.

                                  3. Botman and Robben
                                    • 7 Years
                                    3 years, 7 months ago

                                    I suggested a -4 or -8 for those who absolutely believe in having Manchester players when they become available. Myself, If I decided to bring them in, I would do it slowly without any hits.

                        15. FOO FIGHTER
                          • 4 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          For the LFC fans which are complaining about LFC's current transfer window, have a look at our transfer dealings under Brendan Rodgers and weep. LFC would have been bankrupt if it had continued like that compared to how things get done now.

                          https://www.transfermarkt.com/brendan-rodgers/spielertransfers/trainer/1366/plus/0/galerie/0?station_id=56449

                          1. Greek Freak
                            • 8 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            I'm not a Liverpool fan but I think the team very much needs an upgrade in the backup forward department. All the other top teams have better depth there. I'm not saying someone to upset the balance of the front 3 or sulk at not playing - just someone better than Origi and Shaqiri.

                            1. FOO FIGHTER
                              • 4 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              But again, LFC cannot adopt the same strategy as having deadwood and trying to add more players to a squad and then having the likes of Origi and Shaqiri eating away at the wagebill and not making the bench and then bringing in players which are more expensive and higher wages = the same strategy we followed in other years before Klopp joined.

                              Origi and Saqiri hardly even saw the pitch this past season so the reasonable thing to do is try get rid and then only bring in new faces otherwise you hemorrage the wage bill. Backup singings are tricky as well. They could end up worse than Origi and Shaqire and cost more.

                              1. Greek Freak
                                • 8 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                The thing is, Liverpool are just one injury to the front 3 away from not being in title contention. City can easily withstand injuries in that department - I mean, they even won the title in 18/19 without KDB most of the season!

                                1. FOO FIGHTER
                                  • 4 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  It is the same thing every season 'one injury away'. 'Ifs' 'buts' etc...

                                  Klopp behind the wheel, LFC on the up. I am enjoying the ride.

                                  1. Greek Freak
                                    • 8 Years
                                    3 years, 7 months ago

                                    And of course you should enjoy the ride! Injuries are unforeseen though - and what you can foresee is having decent enough back-ups.

                                    1. Greek Freak
                                      • 8 Years
                                      3 years, 7 months ago

                                      I've said elsewhere btw that if I were a Liverpool fan I'd really want Ismaila Sarr in the team.

                                    2. FOO FIGHTER
                                      • 4 Years
                                      3 years, 7 months ago

                                      Injuries happens at all clubs. Pulisic may not even be fit when the new season kicks off which is a blow for Frank with Willian leaving.

                                      If Auba gets injured for Arsenal = death to their season.

                                      All clubs have weaknesses, same with Laporte if he gets injured again. They have signed Ake but big club mentality aka Stones 'big fish small pond' nothing against Everton though.

                                      It is how the manager deals with problems which is most important. Klopp is a very good problem solver 😉

                                      1. Greek Freak
                                        • 8 Years
                                        3 years, 7 months ago

                                        But that was my point too - of course injuries happen, so having decent back-ups is good! City had decent back-ups to KDB when they won the title, which is impressive. Good defenders were their weakness depth-wise - let's see if Ake and another signing fixes that.

                                        I know Klopp would prefer to solve problems with someone better than Origi if Salah or Mane get injured!

                                        1. FOO FIGHTER
                                          • 4 Years
                                          3 years, 7 months ago

                                          Drumm roll...

                                          Better player than Origi going to agree to sitting on the bench for 95% of the time?

                                          That is why, sell Origi and try finding a better option willing to sit on the bench otherwise 2 x Origi = twice the problem.

                                          1. Greek Freak
                                            • 8 Years
                                            3 years, 7 months ago

                                            But City do it. They have Aguero, Jesus, Sterling, Foden, Mahrez, Bernardo and now Ferran Torres all fighting for the same 3-4 positions. Obviously some of these are better than others but they're all better than Origi.

                                            How do they do it? Are they just paid a lot more than Liverpool? (I honestly don't know)

                                            If it's because they want to play for a charismatic manager like Pep, I would think playing for Klopp would be a similar draw for players.

                                            1. FOO FIGHTER
                                              • 4 Years
                                              3 years, 7 months ago

                                              Pep rotates till kingdom come. Liverpool will also need to find extremely expensive players to give Mane and Salah a run for their money if he is going to follow the same tinkering strategy of Pep.

                                            2. Greek Freak
                                              • 8 Years
                                              3 years, 7 months ago

                                              All they need to do is to find just one player - probably a young up-and-coming one - that can take the cup matches and give the forwards some welcome relief in the league occasionally. Someone like, I don't know, Sarr? 😉

                                            3. Greek Freak
                                              • 8 Years
                                              3 years, 7 months ago

                                              He would probably love being with Mane, and Mane in turn would like having him as his protege.

                                            4. FOO FIGHTER
                                              • 4 Years
                                              3 years, 7 months ago

                                              Brewster? At the club already and better than Origi.

                                              Sarr is still an unknown and Watford would want a massive fee. Bench duty like Origi right?

                                            5. Greek Freak
                                              • 8 Years
                                              3 years, 7 months ago

                                              Is Sarr that much of an unknown? Played really well in a pretty dysfunctional team, I could see him developing into a top player with the right manager and team-mates 😉

                                            6. FOO FIGHTER
                                              • 4 Years
                                              3 years, 7 months ago

                                              Nobody is lining up for Sarr because Watford will demand an arm and leg fee so unless somebody like Everton or Palace sign him as a full on starter then he will he will be staying at Watford.

                                  2. pingissimus
                                    • 5 Years
                                    3 years, 7 months ago

                                    🙂

                                    How long has “every season” been going on for? Take your general point but this season - or every successive season if you wish - is different if only because they’re a year older. Here I’m wondering if Bobby F is now in the declining asset category

                                    The one irritating miss for Liverpool was shifting Ings not Origi.

                                    1. FOO FIGHTER
                                      • 4 Years
                                      3 years, 7 months ago

                                      Ings obviously was not keen on sitting on the bench.

                            2. Samwise
                              • 5 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              someone like Bamford? the problem is I dont think he'd be willing to play for Liverpool

                              1. The Ejiptian King
                                • 5 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Rather have Brewster.

                                1. Samwise
                                  • 5 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  if there was a dislike button, id press it

                          2. goriuanx
                            • 13 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Liverpool fans are being realistic, nobody is asking for 100m signings.

                            We're asking for the gaps in the squad to be addressed, and to be proactive as opposed to being reactive.

                            The drop off from Salah to Shaqiri is too big both quality wise and stylistically, the drop off from Firmino/Mane to Origi is also too big.

                            Whether the club are able to shift them or not is dependent upon valuations, but that doesn't mean you don't address the problem proactively.

                            Firmino is totally gassed out. Salah and Mane never get a rest and that's because Klopp doesn't trust the backups.

                            1. goriuanx
                              • 13 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Spurs operate with a similar buying strategy and policy to Liverpool. They have more quality on the bench, despite winning zilch and not having the level of prize money or revenue as Liverpool.

                            2. FOO FIGHTER
                              • 4 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Signings will be made, how many and which players we do not know.

                              Would you agree Brewster is a better option than Origi? Klopp is the type of manager that rather looks for solutions and not adding to the 'current' problems. Replacing Origi means a better quality player ain't it? Dèmands of that player? The utter mess the club was in before Klopp took over and look at us now.

                        16. goriuanx
                          • 13 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          Pep Guardiola is Juventus' first choice. Otherwise Juventus to sound out Poch. via Telegraph

                          1. el polako
                            • 6 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Zidane in the mix too.

                          2. Wild Rover
                            • 13 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Hope they get him

                          3. pingissimus
                            • 5 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Time to decide on what we think the first choice City team is then 🙂

                          4. Amey
                            • 5 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Fingers crossed 😛

                            1. goriuanx
                              • 13 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Would make retaining the title a routine defence tbh. Highly doubt he goes anywhere though.

                              1. Amey
                                • 5 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Agreed. He's not going anywhere. Where in the world he'd get this much freedom.

                        17. Samwise
                          • 5 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          does everyone else consider Bamford to be essential this season?

                          1. Greek Freak
                            • 8 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            If you're fishing you might need to be a bit more subtle than to ask if everyone considers Bamford essential 😀

                            1. Samwise
                              • 5 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Bamford is my first pick...

                          2. Critical Observer
                            • 7 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            This is probably the only time anyone ever mentions "Patrick Bamford" and "essential" in the same sentence and in this context. Glad I lived to see the day.

                            But no.

                            1. Samwise
                              • 5 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              you obvisously haven't been following my chat... I've been saying it on here for years

                          3. Andy_Social
                            • 11 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            What a very very strange question.

                          4. SADIO SANÉ
                            • 8 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            if he's below 6m he probably is yeah

                          5. FPL Pillars
                            • 7 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            TC him GW1 🙂

                            1. FPL Pillars
                              • 7 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Resign from FPL GW2 😆

                          6. Zimo
                            • 5 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            At 4.5 yes!

                            1. Homer21
                              • 7 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              This

                          7. FOO FIGHTER
                            • 4 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            Not essential but considering him.

                            It is either him, Ayew, Connolly, Nketiah, Jota if he is still a fwd or Adams.

                          8. Gnu
                            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                            • 14 Years
                            3 years, 7 months ago

                            No and not really considring him.
                            Leeds should be looking (and are) for a decent replacement.

                        18. Samwise
                          • 5 Years
                          3 years, 7 months ago

                          I've been waiting years to get him in

                          1. @persecuted_by_mods
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Bamford? Will be 1 gameweek before he's straight back out 🙂

                            • Greek Freak
                              • 8 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              How many years? Did you get him in 2016/17 when he was at Middlesbrough?

                              1. Amey
                                • 5 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                LOL

                              2. OPTA FPL
                                • 12 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                lol

                          2. @persecuted_by_mods
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              So who here did the luck calculator thing? Interesting to see who had the least luck

                              I scored -68 for luck

                              1. Amey
                                • 5 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                I had bad GW 1 to 9 & 30 to 36.
                                That was pure bad luck.

                                Was very good for rest of the season. Was pure skill !

                                😉

                            • goriuanx
                              • 13 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Confirmed that Jonny has damaged his ACL which requires surgical repair. Faces lengthy spell on sidelines. Via BBC

                              1. goriuanx
                                • 13 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Vinagre 5m LWB

                              2. SHOOTER MCGINN
                                • 8 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                So vinegar a potential bargain option

                              3. Greek Freak
                                • 8 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                I wonder if they'd price up Vinagre given this news. Because he'd be a bargain at 5.0, and they'd likely know it.

                              4. Zimo
                                • 5 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Is that a dent to wolves defence? Or is vinagre a good stand in?

                                1. Andy_Social
                                  • 11 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  He doesn't do all that much defending. More of a dent to Jimi's supply. Vinagre's alright and if he comes in at 4.5 he'd be a steal. At 5m if he's equal to Coady or Saiss, maybe go for them.

                            • CONNERS
                              • 5 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Doubt I'll bother with any budget forwards in the 5.5 to 6.5 range to start with, unless we get a Greenwood type bargain appear early on.

                              Planning to play just one mid price/sub-premium forward in the 7.5 to 9.5 range (Jiminez most likely).

                              Would prefer to have an extra premium defender than risk an unproven, cheap forward.

                              1. Andy_Social
                                • 11 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Greenwood wasn't a bargain at the start of last season. I had him and he was a solid one-pointer. I'd have been better off if he'd stayed on Ole's bench. To be fair he stayed on mine.

                                I'm aiming to get 3 forwards from that bracket - not to haul, but to enable a strong defence and midfield. I'll just wait for the cheap bandwagon striker to emerge from the morass.

                            • goriuanx
                              • 13 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Leeds £22m bid for Brighton CB Ben White rejected. Via Sky Sports

                              1. FOO FIGHTER
                                • 4 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Reading all the positive things about White and how important he is to the Leeds setup, could be make or break for them this coming season if they fail to get him in.

                              2. Hy liverpool
                                • 10 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Better than mandi but more expensive and we can't afford 27m for thiago so we won't even offer ben white.

                                1. FOO FIGHTER
                                  • 4 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  Cheer up, season around the corner bro!

                              3. Andy_Social
                                • 11 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                For me, if Leeds don't get White, it makes Ayling, Dallas and Meslier less attractive for my squad. Defenders must have a reasonable chance of a clean sheet if I play them.

                            • Zimo
                              • 5 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              Will the fpl start just happen suddenly or will start date be announced first?

                              1. TorresMagic™
                                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                                • Has Moderation Rights
                                • 14 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                The game will open whenever followed by an article on here.
                                GW1 is Sept 12.

                                1. Zimo
                                  • 5 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  Alright thanks!

                            • Our Tiny Windows
                              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                              • 7 Years
                              3 years, 7 months ago

                              All these articles, as great as they are, are just reinforcing the idea that it’s not worth getting any promoted players.

                              1. Andy_Social
                                • 11 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Which is important in itself.

                              2. UnitedFan
                                • 8 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Sheffield were promoted. Pukki served as a cheap striker for a decent run at the beginning. McGinn as well.

                                1. MosF94
                                  • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                                  • 5 Years
                                  3 years, 7 months ago

                                  Grealish was a very good pick for the first 2/3 of the season

                              3. jtreble
                                • 7 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Except one.

                              4. have you seen cyan
                                • 4 Years
                                3 years, 7 months ago

                                Lundstram was a hero, Blades defence was nice, Pukki had a good start. McGinn was decent early, Grealish was very good and Cantwell did ok at times.