It’s been a whirlwind start to the new Fantasy Premier League (FPL) season, with the transfer window mirroring the frenzy that we have seen on the pitch.
So, with that in mind, in this article, I will be sharing my thoughts on what we have seen so far and what lies ahead.
THE RONALDO QUESTION
I can’t start this article without addressing the arrival of one of the greatest players to have ever graced the football pitch – Cristiano Ronaldo (£12.5m).
There have been some concerns that the Portuguese powers might be waning but as the table below shows, he has maintained his consistency despite the fact that he turns 37 in February 2022.
| Age | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 30 | 51 | 55 | 19 |
| 31 | 45 | 41 | 12 |
| 32 | 48 | 42 | 8 |
| 33 | 47 | 43 | 12 |
| 34 | 40 | 31 | 4 |
| 35 | 42 | 37 | 7 |
| 36 | 22 | 14 | 1 |
Portugal play three games over the international break of which two are World Cup qualifiers.
The first of those happened last night – a 2-1 win over Republic of Ireland which saw Ronaldo bag a brace of goals and become the all-time international record goalscorer.
However, he also picked up a late booking, which means that he is suspended and does not need to travel to Azerbaijan for Portugal’s second World Cup qualifier, which is due to take place on Tuesday.
Portugal’s weekend game is a friendly against Qatar, and though he might make the trip to Hungary, we can probably expect limited minutes or perhaps a complete rest.
If the above goes as expected, I have full confidence that Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer will start Ronaldo in front of a packed Old Trafford in Gameweek 4.
Some have pointed out how Lionel Messi was eased off the bench in his first game at Paris Saint-Germain but Ronaldo’s case is very different. For Messi, it was the first transfer of his career, while Ronaldo is ‘returning home’ and Solsjkaer, in my opinion, is not a manager who is too stringent about players ‘adapting’ to his system. So, who makes way to accommodate Ronaldo in our FPL sides?
So, good luck and enjoy the international break.
We will be discussing Wildcard picks for those of you who have already pushed the button on the Gameweek 4 pod of The FPL Wire.
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW FROM GAMEWEEK 3
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