Pro Pundits

My Digne replacement and why I’m changing formation for FPL Gameweek 10

Gameweek 9 was an amazing Gameweek for me. After taking my first hit of the season, I managed to get a total of 88 points and a Gameweek rank around the 20K mark, which was one of my top ranks in a single Gameweek ever. 

Consequently, I got a massive green arrow that propelled me to inside the top 30K in the overall rankings with the Wildcard still available.

Out of my starting eleven, four players delivered a double-digit haul and only my two Aston Villa assets blanked. Even Alex McCarthy (£4.5m) managed to get seven points without a clean sheet or a penalty save so I could not be happier with my boys.

Even though I mentioned in my last article I was planning to keep Mohamed Salah (£12.2m) in my team, ultimately, I decided to sell the Liverpool star for Bruno Fernandes (£10.8m). There was plenty of doubt if Salah would miss one or two matches due to coronavirus (COVID-19) and it coupled with the appeal of captaining Fernandes against West Brom, made me change my mind.

And so, on Friday night, I decided to pull the trigger, bringing in the Portuguese maestro and trusting him with the armband. This decision worked pretty well after Fernandes scored yet another penalty and collected three bonus points in a tougher than expected home match for Manchester United.

Nevertheless, Salah could start at Brighton after playing against Atalanta on Wednesday night and we all know how he can punish his sellers in any given week. However, after Brighton, he plays against Wolves and both these opponents are well-organised teams. 

For this reason, I will take my chances without Salah for two Gameweeks, looking to probably bing him back in Gameweek 12, when Liverpool play against Fulham (possibly by using my Wildcard in that exact Gameweek).

Additionally, I needed a defender to replace the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.3m) and Lucas Digne (£6.2m) was the standout choice to me. Everton’s three immediate fixtures were excellent, his assist potential is only second to the Liverpool fullbacks and I thought he had good potential for clean sheets or attacking returns in the short term.

I was very happy to see him bombing forward even more than he usually does, playing as a left wing-back in a 3-4-3 formation against Fulham. This new system suited him perfectly and he delivered two assists in a crazy first half at Craven Cottage. Sadly, for Everton and for his fantasy owners like myself, he suffered an ankle ligament injury in training this week and will be out for the foreseeable future.

Gameweek 10 plans

How Kane, Son and De Bruyne fared in midst of FPL fixture swing

Looking at my team ahead of Gameweek 10, I am a little bit concerned about the fact that I don’t own any Manchester City players for their back-to-back home matches against Burnley and Fulham.

My initial plan was to get Kevin De Bruyne (£10.6m) in for Son Heung-min (£9.5m) but I find it hard to justify using a free transfer to sell such a reliable source of points, regardless of how bad Spurs’ schedule may be. 

I think Son was clearly underpriced by FPL this season, especially if we compare him with other heavy-hitters such as Raheem Sterling (£11.5m), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£11.6m) or even De Bruyne, who costs £2.1m million more than the Tottenham superstar right now.

Another thing we know about Son is that he is one of the most clinical finishers in the world and he doesn’t need many chances to score goals, as we saw in Gameweek 9 when he scored with the only real chance he had in the whole match.

And so, given Son’s price, form and overall career numbers, I decided I am going to keep him in my team for now. This way, I can use my transfers to improve weaker links in my squad, even if it means going without De Bruyne for their match against Burnley. I will re-assess this decision ahead of Gameweek 11 and if Guardiola’s team looks better attacking-wise than they have looked lately, I might decide to get him in by then.

CHANGING FORMATION

Even though 4-3-3 has been working pretty well for me so far, I think now is the time to finally switch formation and get back to the more conventional 3-4-3. There are several factors that clearly make me think this is the correct timing for a change:

  • 1) Two of the best defenders in the game (TAA and Digne) are injured for an unknown period of time;
  • 2) Clean sheet potential for good defensive teams such as Wolves, Tottenham and Burnley doesn’t look good in the short-term given their tough schedule;
  • 3) There is, finally, a cheap midfielder who I think will be able to compete with the best defenders in the game in terms of expected points and value.

With all these factors in mind and with £4.4 million available in the bank, I decided to bring Diogo Jota (£6.7m) in for Mario Lemina (£4.5m). The most recent Liverpool acquisition seems to have settled perfectly into Jurgen Klopp’s plans and, priced at £6.7 million, I don’t think he even needs to start every match to be worth every penny.

Since joining the Reds, his expected goals and assists per 90 minutes are pretty close to what Salah and Mane have been doing for years and, even if these excellent numbers decrease over a larger sample (which I doubt they will), I think he will have no problems justifying such a cheap price tag. To me, he is the clear front-runner for the award of best value player in the game this season and if he manages to nail a spot in Liverpool’s starting eleven, I think he will be pretty much an essential pick for every fantasy manager in the world.

With my free transfer locked in and, after taking no hits in the first eight Gameweeks of the season, I am now considering taking my second hit in a row to get rid of Digne for Rúben Dias (£5.5m). 

However, I am still debating if I should play Stuart Dallas (£4.5m) and sell Digne next week for free instead. Dallas played out of position against Arsenal last weekend and he was pretty close to scoring his second goal of the season while bombing forward the whole match. Unfortunately, Leeds travels to Goodison Park and Anfield next, which means the chances of him getting clean sheets anytime soon are very slim.

Manchester City’s defence, on the other hand, looks really good this season and I think Dias could be worth four extra points over Dallas in the sum of the next two Gameweeks. In fact, bookies give Manchester City a 55% chance of getting a clean sheet this week and he also offers a decent threat from set-pieces. 

If I decide to take a hit for Dias, I will be able to field a very strong defence with the Portuguese centre-back alongside Andrew Robertson (£7.1m) and Ben Chilwell (£6.0m). This will allow me to use my free transfers in midfield and attack in the next Gameweeks, which I think is really important.

Anyway, this will definitely be a late call for me and it’s possible I decide to just get Jota this week and hope that Marcelo Bielsa plays Dallas as a box-to-box midfielder again.

CAPTAINCY

Having made the decision of going without De Bruyne this week, I have no choice but to trust Fernandes with the armband yet again. Since joining Manchester United, he delivered more points away from home than at Old Trafford and I expect Southampton to play an attacking style of football (as they always do), which hopefully will benefit Fernandes’ potential for points.

FANS ARE BACK

Other than that, I was very pleased to know that half the Premier League’s clubs will be able to welcome back fans starting in Gameweek 11. For now, only 2,000 supporters will be allowed in the stands but, after almost six months of empty stadiums, it’s definitely a nice improvement.

That being said, I don’t think this change will have any impact on my FPL decisions. I don’t think there will be a huge advantage for the 10 teams allowed to have fans in their home matches and I will only consider this factor whenever there is a really close decision between two possible transfers I might be considering for my team.

Thanks for reading and good luck this week!

1,060 Comments Post a Comment
  1. nadman89
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    captain poll

    a) KDB vs burnley and no pope with rest

    b)vardy vs the worst team in history

    1. Bobby Digital
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      B

    2. Pukki Party
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      B

    3. Tonyawesome69
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Vardy

    4. Von Lipwig
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Salah (he says hopefully)

    5. Puntillimon
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Or Bruno with good away record against a high line?

    6. Puntillimon
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Btw, who is the backup Burnley keeper?

      1. Il Capitano
        • 3 Years
        3 years, 4 months ago

        Peacock-Farrell

        1. Puntillimon
          • 8 Years
          3 years, 4 months ago

          I rmb he did quite well when he came in last season

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

      Pretty sure Derby 07/08 were/will be worse

    8. Bouncebackability
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      You definitely weren’t around when Derby were in the Prem. Fulham would hammer them!

    9. Sun Jihai
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      A
      Despite two CSs, Burnley in the last two actually conceded the same amount of big chances and more shots/shots in the box vs. Fulham (despite easier opponents)
      They massively outperformed their xG conceded of ~3, but Pope being out shout address that

  2. Pukki Party
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Vardy only has one goal playing at home this season. Is this a new thing or has it been the case previous seasons?

  3. jtreble
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Did Rogers/LEI have a press conference this week?

  4. Whats the Mata?
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Would you get Ruben Dias or Cancelo?

    Bearing the festive period in mind and the fact that I've got Mitchell too.

    1. Tonyawesome69
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      I think you already know the answer if you are presenting that argument. Go with the safe option

    2. Tingate
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Dias is more nailed now Mendy is back but Cancelo has explosive potential

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

      Dias

      (Cancelo owner)

    4. Sun Jihai
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Probably Dias - try applying a 75% weighting to Cancelo's expected points and see which is higher

  5. Miguel Sanchez
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    PVA should be on penalties tonight

    1. Salan
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Penalties HT may be.

  6. SpaceCadet
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    So who is everyone dumping - Kane or son?

    1. AnfieldLad
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Son

    2. Miguel Sanchez
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Neither

    3. Camzy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Kane > Vardy -4. I'm doing it. Waiting on the last of the pressers to confirm.

    4. Tonyawesome69
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Kane

    5. BeWater
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Kane to Bamford so I can do Barkley to KDB.

    6. LSK
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      I’ll keep them both. Two highest scoring players in the game. Both came in at low prices. Won’t the gift horse in the mouth.

  7. fpork
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Son->Salah or keep FT?

  8. tabby98
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Mccarthy
    Chilwell, Reece James, Justin
    Salah, Son, Ziyech, Grealish
    Kane, DCL, Bamford

    Bench: 1. Nyland 2. Mitchell. 3. KWP. 3. Stephens

    GTG?

    Should I do Kane ---> Vardy (C)??

    1. Tonyawesome69
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      That's the move I done or you can leave it as it is and Salah(c)

  9. SDTA
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Good afternoon.

    Thinking of doing Zaha -> KDB + Kane -> Vardy (-4)

    Leaves me 0.2 ITB.

    Worth it?

    Thoughts appreciated.

    1. Tonyawesome69
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Yes I think so

    2. Tingate
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Looks good to me and should make the hit back this week.

      1. SDTA
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 4 months ago

        Thanks both. Vardy will have armband so hoping he can cover loss.

  10. Rolls-Royce
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Down to these two options:

    A) KdB(C) -4
    B) Vardy(C)

    Which one?

    1. Tonyawesome69
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      B

    2. Puntillimon
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      B

    3. Il Capitano
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      B

    4. Tingate
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      B

  11. john25
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Hey guys, really can't decide if I should stick with this team or take a -4 to bring in either Vardy or KDB to captain.

    This is my current team for this GW:

    Martinez (4.0)
    PVA Robbo Chilwell (Lamptey, 4.0)
    Grealish Son Bruno(c) Jota (4.5)
    Kane DCL(vc) Bamford

    3.6 ITB. No FT left. What do you suggest?

    Cheers

    1. Puntillimon
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Keep

  12. DagheMunegu
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Who score more ?

    A: Ziyech Kane Bruno (c) +8
    B: KDB Vardy (c) Bruno
    C: Salah (c) Jesus Bruno

    1. Tingate
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      B

  13. Gorky
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Who to bench:

    Martinez/Guaita
    KDB/Rodriguez/Jota/Bruno/Grealish
    Kane/Bamford/Wilson

    (In process of doing Son/Zaha to KDB/Jota)

  14. HaffNanner
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    A. Kane > Vardy(C)

    B. Kane, Ziyech > Watkins, Salah(C) -4

    C. Save transfer, ignore Vardy, get Salah for GW12 instead

    1FT, 0.6ITB
    Martinez
    Robertson Chilwell Masuaku
    Fernandes KDB(C) Ziyech Grealish (Stephens)
    Kane DCL Bamford

    1. Tingate
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Just Kane > Vardy

      Wouldn't be bringing in Watkins whilst Barkley is out.

      1. HaffNanner
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 4 months ago

        That's what I'm leaning towards. Thanks

    2. Tonyawesome69
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      A or C. I went with A and will bring in Salah in GW12

      1. HaffNanner
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 4 months ago

        Thanks

  15. jamiet
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Afternoon All,

    Unsure on which one

    A) ASM & Townsend > Tielemans & Raphina
    B) ASM & Townsend > Maddison & Soucek

    Current Team

    McCarthy (Steer)
    Konsa, Chilwell, Dallas (KWP, Mitchell)
    Salah, KDB, Townsend, ASM (Bissouma)
    Kane, Werner, DCL

    I am leaning towards A as that way the price points are ok to transfer with one move but i feel maddison is gonna have a banger

    Any help would be great

    Cheers in advance

  16. citizenkane
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Some help here would be appreciated guys:

    Martinez

    Robbo Chilwell Masuaku

    Grealish Bruno Son Hamez

    Kane DCL Bamford

    Steer Ferguson Stephens Lamptey

    2FT, 3.4 ITB

    A) Hamez > Jota
    B) Hamez + Kane > KDB + Vardy (have exact funds for this)
    C) Hamez + Son > KDB + Jota
    D) Hamez + Son + Kane > KDB + Jota + Vardy (-4)
    E) Something else

    Obviously want all three of KDB, Jota and Vardy but doesn't seem right for a hit. Which move would you prioritize this week?

    1. Tingate
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      B for me

      1. citizenkane
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 4 months ago

        Thanks, leaning towards that myself

  17. Mr_Barbs
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Podence to Jota look good this week?

    Would probably bench soucek or Ziyech

    Ramsdale
    Robbo, Chillwell, Cresswell
    Salah(C), Ziyech, Grealish, Soucek
    Watkins, DCL, Kane

    Steer, KWP, Podence, Mitchell

    1. AnfieldLad
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Yeah looks good, don’t bench Ziyech that’s silly

      1. Mr_Barbs
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 4 months ago

        Thanks, yeah Soucek the obvious one to drop to the bench

  18. JJeyy
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Best defender under 5mil?

    Jamal Lewis has good fixture but Newcastle unpredictable

    1. thomashl
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Masuaku maybe? Good fixtures long term, have Cresswell myself

      1. JJeyy
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 4 months ago

        yea I like whu, just not sure about playing him for villa and leeds which seem tough fixtures

    2. Tonyawesome69
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Dallas 4.5

    3. nadman89
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      justin

  19. Tipster90
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Hello, i would like to hear some opinion about these potential transfers? A or B?

    A) Kane, Son > De Bruyne(C), Vardy (-4)

    B) Kane, Barnes > De Bruyne(C), Wilson (-4)

    1. Dirty Harry
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Wilson -4 seems silly

    2. Tingate
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      A for me.

      I wouldn't lose Barnes before Fulham at home.

    3. Tonyawesome69
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      I would keep one of the Spurs players but not a fan of option B

      1. Tipster90
        • 3 Years
        3 years, 4 months ago

        Thanks, I would also like to keep one of the Spurs players but De Bruyne and Vardy are a very attractive tandem.

        1. Tonyawesome69
          • 5 Years
          3 years, 4 months ago

          You know the risk. Both Son and Kane are the highest scoring players in their position and most Spurs goals involve both of them. However KDB and Vardy have great fixture. High risk high reward

    4. Sun Jihai
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Why not just Kane to Vardy?

      1. Tipster90
        • 3 Years
        3 years, 4 months ago

        Well, De Bruyne is my first pick(captain choice 99%) and I can’t put him in without one more transfer made..

    5. HonestBlatter
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      A

  20. thomashl
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    2FTs - what to do?

    A) J.Rod -> Jota
    B) Robbo Son -> Cancelo Salah
    C) Kane -> Vardy (lot of value tied up)
    D) Cresswell -> Cancelo

    Martinez
    Robbo Chilwell Creswell
    Son Bruno(c) Grealish JRod
    DCL Kane Watkins
    (4.0 - Lamptey Kilman Bissouma) 1.3 itb

    1. Dirty Harry
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Getting rid of Robbo is ridiculous imo

      1. thomashl
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 4 months ago

        Yup, not inclined to do it unless it is to raise funds for salah. Don’t really want to do it this week anyways, with Lamptey out

  21. Big boy Bowen
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    GTG? Captain yet to be decided!

    Martinez
    James | Dallas | Kilman
    Sterling | Bruno | Grealish | Jota
    Kane | Vardy | DCL

    Steer | Soucek | Mitchell | Lamptey*

    0ITB

  22. Botman and Robben
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Hello all. Am I all set?

    Martinez
    Coufal Chilwell Kilman
    Grealish Son Bruno Salah(C)
    Bamford Kane DCL

    Steer Dallas Bissouma Lamptey

    1. Tonyawesome69
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      I would probably start Dallas over Kilman but tight call

      1. Big boy Bowen
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 4 months ago

        This

  23. Rupert The Horse
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Rashford is now a doubt. Thats settled then, I have to take -4.

    1. Camzy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      No way Rashford doesn't play. He'll be fine. Trained today as well.

      1. Rupert The Horse
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 4 months ago

        My head's in a spin.

  24. B0mberr
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    A - Jota and Dias in (for TAA and Podence) for a -4
    B - KDB, Bamford and Dias ( for TAA, Podence and Kane) for a -8

  25. cigan
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Eff it, Mane > Salah done with my FT. Digne can wait until next round

  26. davewg59
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Salah or Bruno captain guys?

    1. cigan
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      I'm probably going DCL with Salah VC

      1. cigan
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 4 months ago

        Have Bruno as well

  27. milanista10
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Who you reckon scores more this GW?

    A) Ayling & Rodriguez +4
    B) Dias & Bamford

  28. Rupert The Horse
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Lots of news coming out, hold those transfers for a bit.

  29. tim
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    KWP or Targett first on bench?

    Taking a punt on Mitchell starting.

  30. JenkoJunko
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 4 months ago

    Squad: 1FT 0.3ITB
    Mcarthy
    Chillwell Cresswell Telles
    KDB Bruno Ziyech Grealish
    Vardy Bamford DCL

    Forster / Kilman / Bissouma / N Williams

    A. Hold and roll
    B. Grealish to Jota

    Thanks all and GL

    1. Il Capitano
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      A

    2. Tingate
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      I'd hold, good squad!

    3. Camzy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      That's a very good team.

      Hold. Maybe consider Ziyech > Jota.

    4. JenkoJunko
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 4 months ago

      Thanks all! Hold and Roll it is. Jota is definitely appealing and worried about lack of pool cover but think best to hold this week and maybe sacrifice Ziyech/Grealish for Jota/Salah next GW.