The final international break of the season is gone and we are now at the business end of the season. In this piece, I attempt to answer some of the questions facing Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers this week.
Q: What should I do with Trent Alexander-Arnold if have no Wildcard? Is it worth selling him for Andrew Robertson/Joao Cancelo knowing it might be difficult to get him back later? (@TechXEO)
A: This was by far the most popular question this week and it is indeed an important one. Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.4m) has often been one of the first names we pick while building our FPL squads and it is only natural that we feel some trepidation while removing him, especially considering most of us got him at a significantly lower price.
At the time of writing, it is reported that Alexander-Arnold is targeting the Man City fixture for a return (he’s apparently still on an individual training plan as of Wednesday) which would mean he misses just one league match. The Gameweek 32 fixture isn’t a great one defensively and although he doesn’t have a double in Gameweek 33, he does play Manchester United – who he could deliver well against.
A look at the comparison tool for the last six Gameweeks highlights that Robertson (above right) has not been significantly behind Alexander-Arnold (above left) in terms of underlying numbers, with 12 chances created to his 15. They have both had the same number of penalty area touches (14) and similar shooting numbers as well (five to four). Robertson has in fact outscored Alexander-Arnold 44 to 37 in terms of FPL points.
I think if Jurgen Klopp indicates that Alexander-Arnold could be back for Manchester City, I would like to hold on to him – it’s just one Gameweek and you could use your bench. If it does look slightly longer-term, then I would be inclined to move him on to Robertson and just stick with the Scot till the end of the season. I wouldn’t bother necessarily wasting transfers to get him back in when Robertson could easily outscore him.
Joao Cancelo (£6.9m) is, of course, another alternative and Man City do have a better fixture run than Liverpool from Gameweek 33 onwards. I don’t think you can really go wrong with either of these full-backs and I would put them both at a slightly higher tier than Reece James (£6.2m), who might still see minutes managed compared to these two.
Q: Although Everton have a double, is it still worth starting defenders like Joao Cancelo, Aymeric Laporte, Joel Matip, Andrew Robertson, Antonio Rudiger, Reece James and maybe even Matt Doherty, who have very good single Gameweek fixtures, over the likes of Mason Holgate? (@FPL_Dino)
A: Both of Everton’s fixtures in Gameweek 31 are away and I do not fancy them keeping a clean sheet in either of them, so this is an easy yes for me. Mason Holgate (£4.2m) offers very little attacking threat himself and the likes of Cancelo, James, Matt Doherty (£4.8m) and Robertson are all capable of a huge haul with their favourable fixtures. The only player I would really want in this double is Wout Weghorst (£6.4m) from Burnley and maybe Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.7m) from Everton, if he’s declared fit. This works well if you have Raul Jimenez (£7.7m) already but otherwise, I would prioritise good players from good teams over the doublers.
Q: I have the Free Hit and Bench Boost remaining. Is it Free Hit in Gameweek 33 and Bench Boost in Gameweek 36 – or the other way round? You’re not allowed to say team dependent…! Generally speaking, people in this situation won’t currently have Manchester United, Leicester City or Newcastle United players. (@FPLis_Life)
A: While it is obviously team-dependent (!), we had a detailed discussion on this on this week’s FPL Wire which you can check out here. My initial view was to Free Hit in Gameweek 36 but I have changed my mind.
Most of the good teams will ‘double’ in Gameweek 36, and you will likely end up having a load of doublers anyway by just having players from the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City. The teams doubling in Gameweek 33 though are not necessarily sides you would want assets from longer-term, such as Man Utd, Newcastle, Burnley etc. So I think it makes sense in your case to Free Hit in Gameweek 33 and start making transfers now with Gameweek 36 in mind, which is easy since most of the good teams double in that week anyway.
Q: For people on a Wildcard in Gameweek 31, is Kevin De Bruyne the ultimate upside play? This feels like the key player that non-Wildcarders will struggle to get to. Going for Phil Foden or Riyad Mahrez instead allows for greater flexibility, however. (@YuvalFPL)
A: This is tricky, obviously with a Wildcard you want some differentials and Kevin De Bruyne (£11.7m) is up there with the most explosive of them all. His price, though, means that you will likely have to drop one of Mohamed Salah (£13.3m) or Harry Kane (£12.5m), who are FPL gold. The problem with De Bruyne is that he can have a great game and still not be in the FPL points, whereas the other two are just Fantasy point machines.
If at a push I had to drop one, it would be Kane – but in the short term, I think the Spurs striker’s fixtures are better and he is probably the standout captain option for Gameweek 32 when the top two teams square off. It’s probably the toughest question to answer this week but I think I would get Phil Foden (£7.8m) or Riyad Mahrez (£8.7m) instead in the short term. I marginally prefer Mahrez of the two, with penalty-taking duties a huge draw.
Q: Defence spots are precious – would you keep players like Kieran Tierney, Gabriel and Spurs defenders or move them on for higher-ceiling options like Joao Cancelo and Reece James? Secondly, should I hold Philippe Coutinho or take a risk with Kai Havertz or Jadon Sancho? (@FplRichard)
A: As mentioned earlier, Robertson, Cancelo and Alexander-Arnold are in a different league altogether and so long as Chelsea are in cup competitions, James, although a great asset, is in a slightly lower tier. So prioritising any of those two with Alexander-Arnold injured is always a good idea. I don’t particularly fancy Kieran Tierney’s (£5.1m) attacking potential so I would look to move him on despite the Double Gameweek 33, although it isn’t really a priority as such with Arsenal looking defensively solid. With Spurs defenders, I’d look to hold Doherty but let the other guys go.
I would look to move Philippe Coutinho (£7.5m) on, as he hasn’t really done much recently with his only returns coming in Gameweek 28. Kai Havertz (£7.9m) is likely going to continue playing up top for Chelsea even with European commitments. Jadon Sancho (£8.9m) is a decent punt, too, keeping the double in mind – but the lure of an ‘out of position (OOP)’ Havertz is too good.
Q: For those with two free transfers and looking to do a ‘mini-Wildcard’ with a -4 point hit, would you rather set up for the long term with Manchester City/Chelsea players or go for the short-term (three weeks) and attack Double Gameweek 33 with United midfielders/forwards? I have no Wildcard remaining. (@FPL_Composer)
A: My FPL mantra has always been ‘good players from good teams’ and with Manchester United, one of their fixtures in the double is away to Liverpool – which I don’t fancy at all. Keeping that in mind, I would prioritise players from the top three sides and maybe bring in one United attacker just for captaincy purposes in Gameweek 33.
Hope you have a great Gameweek and check out this week’s episode of The FPL Wire where we discuss many of these questions and more!
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