Stag’s Take – Gameweek 35
I am writing this column on Thursday night, whilst the dust is still settling on a bizarre double gameweek, where very few teams will have broken into the 100 club. A mixture of captaincy failures, misfires from big sides, and that fiend rotation were the main causes of the debacle.
Thus it certainly wasn’t a good week for Triple Captain chip users across the board, whilst Bench Boosters were better rewarded by some single gameweek players such as Salah and Firmino as opposed to their doubly busy counterparts. Is there anything to be learnt from the gameweek? Perhaps that trying to pack your squad with DGW players, purely because they play two games, at the expense of in-form players isn’t a guaranteed route to success. Beyond that, the week is just another fine illustration that football is inherently random at this stage in the season. Whether you believe this is down to fatigue, end of season malaise, or lack of motivation, it’s irrefutable that the league becomes more unpredictable at this time of the year, and the FPL results follow.
As for myself, I scored 96 points excluding a four point hit, which has elevated me into the Top 1% overall. There’s a lot of work and luck necessary to secure a Top 10k place still, with somewhere between 40 and 50 points to be made up in four gameweeks. It’s certainly doable, but my first challenge will be to negotiate Blank Gameweek 35 without my Free Hit chip.
In this post, as I did for BGW31, I’m going to run through what I think should be your side, and I’ll highlight who I view as essentials along the way too for those of you in my boat.
Goalkeeper & Defence
I’m going to lump defenders and ‘keepers into one bracket here for the purposes of discussing clean sheet potential.
Leading the pack in this regard are Liverpool form-wise, as The Reds have kept four clean sheets in their last six outings. Their most attractive attacking outlet, Trent Alexander-Arnold, is not guaranteed minutes though, nor are any of the rest of their players with the Champions League semi-final with Roma following the weekend so closely. Thus, if you’re on a Free Hit, I recommend having one Liverpool player, perhaps Van Dijk who was one of the few first team starters to play in the heavily rotated Merseyside derby team in GW33. As a non-FHer, I’ll be regrettably be steering clear for fear of picking the wrong player. You might get lucky and get sight of a leaked Liverpool teamsheet as they have the early kick-off, so if you’re really dedicated keep your eyes peeled on @AnfieldExpress in the minutes before the deadline on Saturday.
Almost every Free Hit team will have a Burnley defender present. Even if you ignore the fact that they are playing Stoke, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that so many other active teams have a Claret at the back after their double in 34. Kevin Long went from hero to zero in the double, scoring in the first game and doing the same at the wrong end in his second outing of the Gameweek. His goal came from his only shot of the DGW, so don’t rush to him for his attacking capability. However the truth is that none of the Burnley defenders pose much of an attacking threat, so get one and enjoy the show.
Their opposition, Stoke, could be another team worth looking at to fill your backline. Jack Butland’s save point potential makes him one of the more interesting options for Free Hitters, though an interesting differential pick would be West Brom’s Ben Foster. The Baggies’ form has probably improved too late to save their PL status, but hosting Liverpool is sure to create a firing range which will keep Foster occupied. Maybe he could repeat his heroics at Old Trafford in GW34.
Arsenal and Manchester City are obviously teams who Free Hitters should be looking at. Arsene Wenger has signalled that he’ll be fielding something resembling a full strength side at the weekend so you can expect Cech, Mustafi, Monreal and Co. to start.
As for Manchester City, they have one of the best fixtures on paper at home to Swansea and nothing to play for but records. A defender is essential if you’re free-hitting, I’d take the safe option with an attacking zest and choose Kyle Walker.
Midfield
Mo Salah and Liverpool
Essential even if leaked teamsheets suggest he’ll be on the bench. The Egyptian is talking about having four games to score four goals to beat the PL’s single season scoring record, he’ll be desperate to score. Already, he looks nearly distracted by the need to score as was evident by his performance against Bourne in GW34, but guess what… he still scored. If leaked team sheets suggest he’ll start, Sadio Mané will also be a good option for the Free Hit brigade.
Raheem Sterling and Man City
Of the main quad of Raz, D. Silva, KdB, and Leroy Sané, Raheem Sterling has comfortably outperformed his teammates in terms of goal threat in recent weeks. This has translated to more points and more goals, which came off the back of a superior xG too. David Silva leads in terms of assist points potential and is second for goals, placing him second in my City midfielder list. Given that the team had time off this week, I don’t think we’ll see Silva rested due to his personal reasons, and I expect to see a pretty strong City side out to receive their first guard of honour as champions. I think Free Hitters should have both, whilst I’ll be ensuring I have Sterling in my team even if it costs me a hit.
Punts
I hate to define the league as top teams and punts, but that’s what these weeks make me do! Wilfried Zaha’s recent eye-catching displays peaked in DGW34 as he fired a brace beyond Brighton’s Mat (yes just one T) Ryan. He has had seven shots on target in the last 5 gameweeks, resulting in three goals and he has a further assist to boot. He’s a decent season-keeper for non-FHers and comes with my seal of approval. Set-piece king Milivojevic is arguably a must own in a free hit team too, as he bids to return for the fifth game in a row. Their opposition, Watford, seem pretty “on the beach” to me, though I’d love to see a Free Hit side with Roberto Pereyra in it. He has had had eight shots inside the box in the last five GWs whilst his team have been winless in five. He has looked like by far and away their most-likely man.
It would be remiss of me to ignore big-game player Marko Arnautovic lining out for West Ham in the London derby at Arsenal. He has been brilliant of late and will hopefully improve with Lanzini and Carroll back in the side after injuries. Kenedy and Theo Walcott are honourable mentions but not much more than that.
Forwards
Gabriel Jesus
A BGW35 essential if there is one. The Brazilian is now City’s main striker with Sergio Aguero ruled out after minor surgery on his knee. With the team he has around him and his undoubted ability, one would be brave to ignore him.
Others
Liverpool recommendations are largely contingent on your bravery and perhaps a leaked lineup, but Roberto Firmino is obviously a great choice if he plays. Arsene Wenger’s comments about playing a Europa League focused team, and thus potentially benching the cup-tied Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, sent shockwaves through people’s FPL planning across the board. I think Free Hitters would be safer going with Lacazette or dare I say it Danny Welbeck instead. The latter has suddenly reappeared after months in obscurity playing a bit-part role, and could be a fantastic differential for those working with a clean slate.
Burnley’s Chris Wood would make my Free Hit line up if I was making one, and will be in my side for the forthcoming BGW. I compared him and Ashley Barnes in this column in detail a few weeks ago and highlighted his superiority. Ayoze Perez, JRod, Andy Carroll, and Jordan Ayew all look like interesting Free Hit punts too. Of the four, I would go for Ayew as a non-FHer, as he should line up in both fixtures of DGW37 too.
Captaincy Corner
Mo Salah (West Brom A)
A visit to the Hawthorns will probably end the same way as every game Salah has played this season – with him scoring. He will probably be the most popular captaincy pick this weekend even if The Reds play a weak side.
Gabriel Jesus (Swansea H)
As City’s one fit striker of their main duo, Jesus is likely to be my pick for the armband in Gameweek 35 unless Guardiola talks up playing strikerless in his pre-match press conference. He has two goals and an assist in his last five games, even though his appearances were limited to just 278 minutes.
Chris Wood (Stoke A)
The New Zealand international is one of my favourite PL strikers because of his clinical finishing. It’s one of the few weeks were captaining an extreme differential like him is realistic and could pay off. I would advise players to consider all their attackers and midfielders for the armband this week, even if you fancy Jay Rodriguez against Liverpool. With so few fixtures, this is probably the last week where a dominating consensus won’t exist to punish you if you fail.
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Stag has been providing #FPL Tips since July 2015 and has been a contributor for Rotoworld.com since August 2016. He is a self-proclaimed wannabe fantasy football genius, a student, and die-hard tea enthusiast.
