With another seven days left until the deadline for Gameweek 4, there’s plenty time to ponder the numbers in our Members section. While some Fantasy managers still contemplate pressing the wildcard button, we take a look at some of the most notable attacking statistics on offer so far – in the first in a series of three articles, we begin with the defenders.
Is Welbeck a decent alternative to RVP?
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Cant work out how to find out what my FPL Link page is can i enter without for the time being?
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Captain this gw? Lambert, Benteke, Soldado, Coutinho, Ozil, Mirallas, Ben Arfa??
Benteke I'm going for. Perfect?Open Controls
i am so polite today
it's nice to change my coockines into something positive now and then 😉Open Controls
I mentioned this last night, but went to bed straight after which was a silly thing to do, really.
Anyway, so far this break has been bad news for anyone wildcarding and hoping to increase team value. Glad I have kept hold of my WC now.Open Controls
Likely to be a season long trend. Assume most on WC were struggling.
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Yep and not only is it bad for accumulating team value but its such a volotile time to pick players. It will take a while before we are aware of the affect the new signings will have. There are simply far too many questions and not enough answers to be totally confident with a WC team.
Open ControlsThis was how I felt too, Ryan.
Everyone jumping on high priced defenders at the moment but the clean sheet monopoly may well die in the next few GW's and change the FPL landscape yet again.
I did a few early changes to avoid price hikes but rather take a 4 pt hit at this stage than wildcard.Open Controls
Do Chelsea fans think David luiz will start their next game?
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Settled on this WC team for a few days now
Migs Harper
Koscielny Collins Clyne Murner Chester
Walcott Coutinho Barfa Taarabt Redmond
RVP Benteke Giroud
Shoot down my midfield flair 😎Open Controlsno spurs love?
I actually really like this team.
taarabt home to Cardiff when we face off? 😯Open Controls
Pretty solid, If u downgraded Taarabt for someone that rotates well with Redmond.. You'ld then have some extra cash but i can't see where you'ld use it... maybe defence, but they're all good picks
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Why Clyne?
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Pick a swansea defender, can see 2 cs in next two games for me
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Barfa very rarely gets returns away from home and he has 3 away games in his next four...
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barfa >> pablo
benteke >> soldado
i would sooo love that as my teamOpen Controls
Turner of Cardiff or Chester of Hull which one to start this gw? Its Hull v Cardiff. At Hull's home ground.
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UCL Fantasy Choices to pick from:
1. Bernard or Bruno
2. Vidal or MkhitaryanOpen ControlsNo idea, sorry.
Perhaps one to ask later in the day.Open Controls
Do people think defenders will get more points than normal this year or do we think it is just a blip due to lack of goals
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"If we finish third in the table behind Germany and Sweden and better than Austria, that must increase our personality" - Giovanni Trapattoni
So Trap thinks if we finish third and dont get the opportunity to qualify for the world cup it will improve the players personality/morale. We are doomed!Open ControlsYeah. We do have good players! Pretty much the whole team is made up of or could be made up of premier league regulars and we should be aiming to go for wins against the likes of Sweden and Austria, not be happy to be finishing near them in our group. So frustrating.
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£6.4m best striker for long term?
Graham? looks quite good against CityOpen Controls1) best mid upto 5.9? Brady seem likely but I need the mid to play next gw so Brady at newc away may not be best choice
2) would u do foster >> speroni/myhill for a hit? My other keeper is boruc has tough fixtures in gw 5,8,12Open Controlsramsey...hmmm interesting. didnt consider him.
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brady or redmond
or taraabt 😯
nahh I'd stick with boruc. unless you're getting mig I think you might as well keep fosterOpen Controlsalready have taarabt...came down btw taarabt and pablo last week, i choose adel who didnt even start 🙁
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repost from the bottom of last page. Thanks Forca for your thoughts. would appreciate a couple more people's input though
since just about all of you said you'd play mig this week over boruc, what's the best way to get him in for foster? (or since I don't currently have him does that change things?)
2FT's and nothing in the bank. thinking maybe just downgrade toure to a 4.0?
boruc foster
toure coleman collins shaw murner
walcott silva oscar mirallas kim
soldado benteke sturridgeOpen ControlsWait for Sturridge news.
Open ControlsThis may sound crazy but team looks fine for this week, Boruc in goal is great and Toure should start anyway for Pool cover
This week Foster > 4m
Next week Boruc > Mignolet
Toure > other defenderOpen ControlsYou don't reckon Sakho will partner Agger against swansea?
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toure&silva to hba&terry?
Open Controlswith foster to mig next week? hmm that is affordable. but is terry nailed on?
and I was kinda thinking I'd keep silva as he's a straight swap to coutinho, lamela, or eriksen should any of those start firingOpen Controlsterry scores goal for fun, chelsea fixtures are amazing
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So, is Ozil likely yo go up before sat due to his protection ending mid week?
Open ControlsCould be close. Need to monitor although most that want him have got him in.
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I could be wrong but I'm presuming it would be impossible for any newly added player to go up or down before they play a game as price changes are based on the number of managers transferring them in or out.
There were no price rises in GW1 as prior to that there were no transfers so seems a bit unfair to allow price changes for guys being added a few weeks later before they have kicked a ball.Open ControlsGet 8 days protection to establish a baseline ownership, then continues as normal.
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Anyone else with me in saying that Chester and Burner (if he's nailed) are solid 4th defs?
I think Hull and Cardiff look ok defensively and should keep 10-12 cleanies this season.
Not sure if it's worth spending an extra 0.5 on Collins for example, who'll barely play in my team.Open Controls- Attacking coverage as reality and not myth
My thoughts (as if anyone wanted them) on attacking coverage as reality and not myth.
When you are predicting that a team is likely to score a good amount of goals, say 3+, you are probably banking on a few different scorers/assisters being involved. Especially if we are looking at teams such as City and Chelsea where picking attacking point earners can be a minefield. In this sense, having a player from one of those teams is your way of having a chance of being involved in these goals, or coverage if you will. So having one of Oscar, Hazard, Torres, Ba, Eto'o, Mata, Schurrle or Lampard in a game where you think they could score a few goals could definitely be considered 'coverage'.
In teams such as Villa (Benteke), United (van Persie) and arguably Liverpool now (Sturridge/Suarez), taking attacking players as coverage can be a mistake as their points scorers are easily identifiable and taking other options is just hoping to get lucky, with a few notable exceptions (Gerrard, Rooney for example.)
So, I don't think blindly taking players such as Ramsey, Henderson and similar players as 'coverage' is a concept which is likely to bring much success, but when the points are spread around, by having a player who might become involved, you are giving yourself a realistic chance of getting some of those points.
I know this is really obvious, but a lot of people have been saying that coverage is a myth lately and I thought I would offer this take on proceedings.Open ControlsFinally some useful thoughts that defend the notion of attacking coverage. I've had similar thoughts myself and you can compare your idea to the largely accepted idea of defensive coverage. The reality of defensive coverage however is that roughly only 2/5 games might result in a CS if they are a good team. Compare that with 2 goals a game (10/5) and suddenly there shouldn't be much of a difference between defensive cover and attacking cover.
You also touch on a fair point about specific players that 'qualify' as attacking cover. These players can simply be viewed as players which have a 'high goal involvement' in their sides attacking efforts. If a player has an average of 30% goal involvement then thats 3 attacking returns over those 5 games. That is easily comparable to a defender with 2 clean sheets over the same period.Open Controlsthe difference between defensive and attacking coverage for me lies in the fact that if it's clean sheets you are hoping for, you can pick the cheapest guaranteed starter and get the same points as a premium defender, where little else is offered (i.e. Nastasic over Kompany), the risk and reward is the same as long as both play.
I think that is where the idea of coverage as a myth comes from, where people will just take any player from a team which scores often as a hope of earning some points. Though it can work, in that any player on the park COULD score over the course of 90 minutes, taking players who have low goal involvement is never going to be 'attacking coverage' with any points gained resulting more from luck than anything else.
It just makes sense to me that if you think Man City are going to score 5 and you don't have any of their players, then you should get one who will play and who will be involved further up the pitch. Man City could score 0, or Javi Garcia could score them all, but it doesn't mean having the coverage is wrong. I see it as giving yourself a chance of picking up points where you think there will be some and where they will be spread out. Not picking players who are not good FPL picks and hoping for the best. Maybe this is where the idea has lost its meaning along the way.Open ControlsThe difference is that when a team keeps a CS (the primary source of points for defenders), the entire backline gets the points, so regardless of whether you have the GK, the RB, CB or LB you will get those points, assuming they play enough. The same cannot be said for attackers, as only one, or maybe two players get any points for a goal. So you should just get those who you think have the greatest chance of scoring, regardless of which team they play for. Yes, having players from different teams exposes you to more goals, so more chances of getting points, but unless that player has a high involvement then it's all for next to no use.
Open ControlsI view coverage as something like getting someone who isn't the main option from the team, purely because you want to try and cover them, eg Rooney over RVP, Aspas over Sturridge, the likes of that.
Open ControlsI think if that is what coverage is then it doesn't really work and is as much use as picking a defender as attacking coverage. Even though, I can see the reasons why someone would go down that route, successful or not. But it rarely does work out well.
My view is that attacking coverage, if viewed as picking a player from teams where points are spread around, could be very profitable. But long-term you are going to want the consistent points scorers as the spine of your team.
There are a lot of issues around the definition of the term, but I do think attacking coverage is a real thing that can be applied to picking certain players. But there are players who should never be picked regardless of team, fixtures and picking these players can never be classed as attacking coverage, even if they get some flukey returns.Open Controls
I think Benteke has really shown people that it is the player that matters more than the team and highlights a lot of FPL philosophies (form over fixtures, picking central figures from lower placed teams rather than peripheral figures from higher up).
Perhaps attacking coverage is best sought as a short-term option. Trying to squeeze in attacking coverage for a game where you are scared to go without can do more long-term harm than good, but if you have no other pressing concerns, could be a good way to pick a differential. As long as a good one is available.Open ControlsI agree entirely. Only players with a high goal involvement can qualify as adequate attacking cover. There might be some leeway to that if for instance Nani or Kagawa becomes a certain starter and suddenly has a stormer of a season. Perhaps there can be some room for predicting potential when it comes to goal involvement.
Open ControlsThis is it.
I'm not saying picking Weimann over Benteke can be considered attacking coverage, because Benteke gets all the points (usually, you know what I mean). But picking Silva, Yaya, Navas or Nasri is attacking coverage in a game where you think there will be goals, but are not sure where they will come from.
I think if picking someone like Nani or Kagawa as attacking coverage, it will always be done knowing that there are better options but that they could be involved. It is likely to be a gamble, but not as much as picking say Carrick or Giggs.
So in a week where fixtures are not providing much else, and I would say if you already have the main man from a team which you think will score goals, why not back yourself and pick another? If better players have better fixtures, pick them instead.Open Controls
This. It all comes down to goal involvement and security of game time.
Involvement in more than 1/3 of team goals and that player then becomes attacking coverage of his team's attack.Open Controls
Couldnt agree more, last year i choose dembele for "coverage" in a spurs side to lessen the damage from bale....still haunts me in my sleep 🙂
ramsey is an interesting, just looked at his stats and he is def having a lot of attempts on goalOpen Controls
Taking a player like Walcott/Silva/Hazard/etc. has nothing to do with a team's "coverage". These players are likely to score big and therefore I want them in my team. If Arsenal have a good run of fixtures I will go for Walcott, Cazorla or Ozil because they're likely to score big. I might even go for 2 of them (even if it means losing coverage in another team), because they're likely to score big.
The idea of coverage is to hedge your bets. Coverage means you might prefer Walcott and Hazard over Walcott and Cazorla (ignore price differences), even if you believe the latter pair will score bigger on average, because you'd like to lower your level of risk.
Taking 2 Arsenal players means that if Arsenal score massive, you will score massive, but if they don't score, then it'll be a terrible week for you. If you go for an Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder, then both Arsenal and Chelsea have to fail for you to have a terrible week in midfield. But the price you pay for taking Hazard over Cazorla, in this example, is that your average point returns are lower.
IMO, you should just go for whoever you think will score the most points and ignore coverage and embrace perhaps a slightly riskier strategy. In the long run, all risks cancel out in this game. You might get unlucky one week, but over a 5 week period, the luck factor is more or less cancelled out.Open ControlsSee I would just see that as double coverage. Which of course can be a good tactic if a team has form and fixtures on their side.
Open ControlsThen this word coverage is meaningless.
I have 15 coverages every week. And if we're talking about attacking coverage, I have 8 of those.Open Controls
It all comes down to goal involvement and security of game time.
Involvement in more than 1/3 of team goals and that player then becomes attacking coverage of his team's attack.
It becomes a misleading notion though when you are looking at players who aren't nailed-on and/or have a low goal involvement ratio.Open Controls
I reckon you should pick the players you think will score the most points.
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thank you Jamsiep (the voice of reason)
the OP Iain90 is talking rubbish:
so-called "coverage" is bad because you are theoretically picking one player from each team which means you are ignoring opportunities to pick good players with good fixtures
"coverage" might be good (or bad) because you are spreading your risk...if Man City (say) suddenly go on fire you MIGHT be able to switch to 2 of their attacking players with only one transfer
but this is a gambling game so sometimes it's good to take risks...if you pick good players with good fixtures you'll do OK more often than the people who are unwilling to make sensible gambles
the choice is yoursOpen Controls
it's annoying when you tinker and see what you could do..before price rises/falls i could do J.Cole/Silva > Lampard/Lamela for -4 and in doing so would spend every last penny(which i like) 🙂
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Mirallas ➡ Brady
Toure ➡ Chester
Aguero ➡ van Persie
For 4-point hit is what I'm doing
So for your question- Yes, Chester is very good budget defender IMO 🙂Open Controls
Fifa 14's player stats are shocking!
Aguero gets an upgrade to 88 for scoring about 10 goals this season and Suarez who scored a bucket load stays at 86, Adebayor and Anelka are rated higher than Michu and Benteke, Valencia and Young are better than Lampard, Gerrard's sliding tackle is only 67 out of 100, even if you don't play Fifa surely you can tell these stats are ridiculous!Open Controls
Question for the Arsenal supporters on here: how much of a threat do you think Viviano is to Szczesny? Asking as someone with Szczesny and a non-playing 4.0 GK.
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Hard to say because who watches Serie A right? But Wenger really trusts Szczesny, and I expect Wojjy to still be first choice.
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Any word on how long Sturridge is out for?
Open Controlswell this article has put meoff getting Nani for now 🙂
http://sportwitness.ning.com/forum/topics/nani-thinks-new-manchester-united-contract-can-help-him-focus-on-Open ControlsThanks, Lawro 🙂
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so after some deliberation and loss of sleep I have finally wildcarded!
Mig/Harper
Vidic/Coleman/Zabaletta/Chester/Shaw
Nani/Walcott/Coutinho/Hernandez/JWP
Benteke/Soldado/Giroud
any weak links?Open Controls
10 years, 8 months agoHere's a question
1ft
Dzeko to Bentekke
Or
Turner to Vidic
Defence or Attack ?