In an unusually candid press conference, Man City boss Pep Guardiola confirmed what many of us had suspected, but couldn’t know for sure.
Insight from Pep following the injury to Mendy: "Sane has to go wide [now], which is why they [Aguero and Jesus] don't play together." #MCFC
— Ben Dinnery (@BenDinnery) November 20, 2017
We now had an answer to that burning question of which Man City forward to choose - that answer being, of course, neither of them!
Now that Pep seems to favour playing
at home and away, having one or both seems pure folly - especially when the nightmare prospect of one being subbed on late for a potential one-pointer, like what happened in Feyenoord, remains.It wasn’t the only valuable nugget of FPL information Gameweek 12 gave us, though.
We can now say with some confidence that
is Stoke’s first-choice striker, providing us with a genuinely out-of-position player at a bargain price.We also saw the returning
inject Man United with the attacking impetus they have been sorely lacking in his absence.In the league, Man. United have averaged:
— The Editor (@FPLEditor) November 18, 2017
3.2 goals with Pogba
1.6 goals without Pogba#FPL #lynchpinhttps://t.co/MKWDeFx6Un pic.twitter.com/Yi7BBQx8Kl
Now back to his original price of £8m, he has already attracted massive investment. That “Pogba or Mkhitaryan” argument seems like a long time ago now.
How does the popular Paul Pogba compare against the 4 top scoring FPL midfielders? https://t.co/6D3rmhLL7u pic.twitter.com/UxWUdbDSMT
— Fantasy Football Fix (@FantasyFootyFix) November 21, 2017
His comeback, along with that of the bizarrely overpriced
raised some interesting questions about the prospects of .Although Pogba had departed the pitch by the time Lukaku ended his seven-match goal drought, the Belgian’s output should increase now that his mate is back - unless Zlatan’s return ends up stifling his minutes and positioning.
First thing Zlatan does upon coming on is tell Lukaku to go play on the right wing. #fpl
— #FPL Penguin (@FPL_Penguin) November 18, 2017
Gameweek 12 also saw
, and enhance their growing reputations as cannon fodder. A strategy of favouring attackers playing sides like them when picking a captain would have prevented a depressingly familiar lament for many.I have captained Kane five times this season and he has blanked on all 5 occasions. I am thinking about captaining him again.
— FPL Strategist (@FPLStrategist) November 21, 2017
If I were showing signs of Stockholm Syndrome, you guys would tell me, right?
So what’s happened to Harry Kane?
continued his feast-or-famine FPL returns with another blank against Arsenal this week, causing those transfer-clicking fingers of his FPL owners to become ever itchier.
He has yet to complete 90 minutes since his recent knee injury, during which time his trademark mobility and sharpness has been largely absent.
Pressed into action for crucial matches, he managed to dig out a goal out against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, but clearly all is not right with the most expensive player in FPL.
Those who have done without him so far can stay put, knowing that now is not the optimal time to own him. For his owners, the question of whether to keep him depends on when you believe that time will be - will it be next week, or next year?
Bear in mind - he’s still enjoyed a chance every 17.1 minutes in his last four Gameweeks, and Tottenham’s upcoming fixtures provide the perfect platform for a comeback.
Kane's next 4 fixtures and his performance in them last season:
— FPL Guidance (@FPL_Guidance) November 22, 2017
West Brom (h) - 17 points
Leicester (a) - 24 points
Watford (a) - 16 points
Stoke (h) - 20 points
77 points
12 goals
3 assists
But for those inclined to sell, your new-found riches can buy you the comforting consistency the Spurs marksman seems unable to produce.
Much like Heaton last season,
has shown a prodigious ability to earn not only clean sheets but bonus points, too.Is nobody going to talk about how Nick Pope got 2bps after making one relatively easy save in the 95th minute?????
— FPL Fraud (@FplFraud) November 19, 2017
Now that N'Golo Kanté is back, we can look forward to a procession of Chelsea clean sheets once their Liverpool fixture is out of the way.
is the safe bet here.has become a dependable source of returns for his grateful owners, particularly when it comes to bonus points, which now make up 16% of his total.
With the addition of the aforementioned
, as well as and , there has rarely been such obvious value in midfield investment.Time to go 3-5-2?
This growing buffet of attractive midfield options has inevitably led to thoughts of accommodating them in a 3-5-2. Once considered positively kinky, managers who adopted it last season reaped the benefits.
Unfortunately, a perfect enabler in the form of
was cruelly snatched from us after being handed a suspension for diving by a three-man panel at Match of the Day. Unless you fancy and his solitary goal back in GW3?Hat-trick hero
isn’t a terrible option by any means - playing as he does at the tip of a Bournemouth attack whose form and fixtures are improving - but how many minutes can he be expected to play over what promises to be a gruelling winter schedule?Problem is, with Defoe/King/Adobe, could Wilson be as much of a rotation risk as Aguero? 😐
— GadFly* 🔻 (@FPL_Fly) November 22, 2017
That higher price point means you’ll be creating a more fluid squad, switching between 3-4-3 and 3-5-2, depending on form and fixtures - so any new owners must have the mental resilience to cope with leaving points and/or player value on the bench.
QUICK TIP
Statistical concepts like of “
” and even “ ” have become trendy this season, now featuring heavily on Match of the Day and Fantasy Football Scout.didn't seem too impressed.
Jeff Stelling shared his thoughts over the 'Expected Goals' statistic at the weekend 😡😂 pic.twitter.com/SP2MgMuuoQ
— Soccer AM (@SoccerAM) November 21, 2017
Many share his scepticism, but
can be useful in separating the players who are getting into genuine scoring positions from those taking speculative pot-shots from 30 yards out.A good FPL manager is always looking for an edge, so it’s worth familiarising yourself with it at least.
BUY
Any lingering doubts about Leroy Sané’s (MCI, 9.0) place in the Man City team evaporated this week, as did any remaining logic for his absence from our FPL teams.
Recent quotes from Pep indicate Sané is the most 'untouchable' of his front 3 (his pace and wing play is crucial after losing Mendy to injury) - another 'must have' in #FPL pic.twitter.com/CqGQaNgUN5
— FPL Player-Manager (Sam) (@FFplayermanager) November 22, 2017
Missing out on his 80 points and £0.5m price rise may rankle the more stubborn FPL managers among us, but it’s better late than never to make the right move. Just ask anyone who didn’t get Vardy or Mahrez until late in the 2015–16 season.
Bringing in Richarlison and Salah 2 weeks ago is a prime example of not being stubborn and just doing the simple things. #FPL
— #FPL Connect (@FPL_Connect) November 19, 2017
TRY
Don’t make
angry. You wouldn’t like him when he’s angry.Gareth Barry’s plan to let Hazard “know he was there” backfired spectacularly last Saturday, inspiring the Belgian's one-man mission to dismantle West Brom.
Eden Hazard - 5% owned 😱
— Tom #FPL (@FFScout_Tom) November 18, 2017
GW9 - 5
GW10 - 11
GW11 - 3
GW12 - 18
🔥🔥💪💪
I’ve risen 1.2 million spaces since I brought him in. pic.twitter.com/cP7JuAHWj3
That price point means he’s not easy to recruit, but he is one of the few differentials (alongside
) with the proven potential to transform your season.GOODBYE
Well, it’s not exactly a case of farewell sweet prince, but it appears that the
fairytale could well be over - for now at least.Manchester United have conceded 6 goals. 3 goals in the 893 minutes Jones was on the pitch, and 3 goals in the 187 minutes he wasn’t... #TheLindelofEffect
— FPL Bandit 🤠 (@FPLBandit) November 19, 2017
For 10 glorious Gameweeks he overcame constant injury rumours to deliver a steady stream of clean sheets for as little as £5m, until that pointless and ill-advised England call-up broke him.
Phil Jones has a "proper injury" that will rule him out of tomorrow’s UCL tie with FC Basel and also Saturday's Premier League encounter with Brighton. #MUFC
— Ben Dinnery (@BenDinnery) November 21, 2017
Even with Mourinho’s reputation for fake news, the prospects don’t look good for Jones, and with matches coming thick and fast from now until January, his FPL owners can’t afford to be as patient with him as they’d otherwise like to be.
Top of the League
Upon becoming world number 1, long-time leader Damir TeNay opted to leave
.So we (finally) have a new leader to salute, in the form of
and his side. With all the talk of 3-5-2, he opted to play a rarely-seen , in a squad which includes three budget midfielders.We’ll be looking on with interest to see how his maverick strategy works out.