Hello there again FPL managers, the heavy Christmas break is over and it ended with the first double gameweek of the season with Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham playing two games each in GW22.
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you a very Happy New Year. Now I’ll be back with my regular articles and for once hope I can keep them coming. So let’s get started.
1. A Failed Captain
Harry Kane was in fine fettle going into the DGW with consecutive hat-tricks and breaking Alan Shearer’s record for the most Premier League goals in a calendar year. He had Swansea and West Ham to play, it seemed as simple a captain choice as any this season has offered, it looked like triple captain material, well maybe not. He got ill before the games restricting his minutes in the first game and a resolute performance from West Ham meant a fatigued looking Harry Kane disappointed his captainers and it was a heartbreak for the 120k who used their TC chip on the Englishman. In the long term though I believe he is a season keeper and will be the most consistent and explosive striker in the game which justifies his price.
2. What a hit Son!!
Someone who wasn’t a double gameweek failure was Spurs’ South Korean winger Heung-Min Son. Though he couldn’t deliver in the first game a screamer from 35 yards in the second game were welcome points to the managers who drafted him in. It was a day of great goals that involved another stunning strike from Pedro Obiang though that had minimal impact in terms of FPL. Heung-Min Son seems to have got himself firmly in the first team and has scored in 6 of Spurs’ last 7 games at home. He is in great form and may be deserving to stay in your teams a bit longer.
3. Alli and Andy Carroll also impress
There were other success stories in the DGW with Dele Alli getting 10 points and Andy Carroll both getting 12 points. Both of these players did their business in the first game of the DGW. Dele Alli looks like he could be back in form by showing some consistency but he given his price he will have to sustain it to attract owners. Andy on the other hand is prone to rotation so at the moment doesn’t look like a long term option.
4. Marcos Alonso- FPL LEGEND
There you go I have said it, Marcos Alonso is a FPL Legend. Another goal against Arsenal makes it 3 goals in the last 5 for the Spanish defender, he is the most expensive defender in the game but given his goal scoring panache for which he is aptly given the title of GOALONSO he is proving to be much more than that. Some people believe that at this point of time he may be Chelsea’s best attacking player which is great for FPL managers. He is taking more shots than Eden Hazard, he takes deadly free kicks and he is good in the air, there doesn’t seem to be any weaknesses and with Chelsea now starting to get clean sheets he is becoming an absolute must-own.
Embed from Getty Images5. The New Josh King- Jesse Lingard
Jesse Lingard or as some say Messi Lingard is in the form of his life at the moment and is probably the first name on the Man Utd team sheet and with David De Gea in that team this is a big deal. With 8 goals and 2 assists in his last 10 appearances in all competitions. He is looking like a must own and with a price of just 6.2 million (at the point of writing) he reminds of Josh King last season. Finding a consistent player at that price is very difficult but we just might have found one. Whether Josh King gets himself into the England team for the World Cup or not it looks like Jesse Lingard will get into a lot of FPL managers’ teams for sure.
6. Time to invest in Arsenal again?
Arsenal’s representation in our FPL teams has been limited this season partly due to the inconsistent form of last year’s top points scorer Alexis Sanchez and more recently the surprise out of favour wing back Sead Kolasinac. But they seem to be getting goals in the last few games and with four easy fixtures in the form of Bournemouth, Palace, Palace and Everton and a generally easier fixture list till the end of the season it might be time to get in the Arsenal players in. Jack Wilshere looks a good shout at just 5.4 million after getting his first goal in god knows how long will be brimming with confidence, also one to keep an eye on will be Aaron Ramsey who is due to return from injury soon and will be available at just 6.9 million.
7. Is Luke Shaw an option now?
Luke Shaw is getting a lot of gametime these days playing the last 3 Premier League games and has supposedly won over the trust of the manager. With Ashley Young soon to come back from his ban and Antonio Valencia to be back from injury the next few weeks will be crucial for him and if he succeeds to hold down his place in the first team he would be a great way into that United’s defence at just 4.9 million, with considerable attacking threat he is one to keep an eye for sure.
Embed from Getty Images8. Alvaro Morata- should we get rid?
Chelsea’s Alvaro Morata is making the headlines for all the wrong reasons after he missed sitters after sitters in their last Premier League game at Arsenal. At 10.5 million FPL managers expect much more of the Spaniard and he is just not delivering. Defender Marcos Alonso is looking like a better finisher at the moment and if a striker cannot finish well then he isn’t of any use is he? It may be time to get rid and with now Gabriel Jesus injured it might be worth it to make the jump and get in Kun Aguero. Other possible replacements could be Roberto Firmino and an offbeat one will be Everton new boy Cenk Tosun who was in fine form in the Turkish league and the Champions League and with Gylfi Sigurdsson and Wayne Rooney alongside him he could be a welcome addition to Everton and to our FPL teams.
9. Riyad Mahrez- Extremely overlooked
Riyad Mahrez is another player who is in fine form at the moment. He is the fourth highest points scoring midfielder and the fifth highest overall. He already has 7 goals and 8 assists (10 in FPL terms) this season and is just owned by 10% managers at the point of writing. He is showing great consistency this season and as I said its difficult to find that in the Premier League so it’s a great surprise that his ownership is so less. However, this could be a very good opportunity for you to rise in your mini leagues or overall for that matter by drafting the Algerian in your side.
Summary
These were my thoughts after the first DGW of the season and with this article I have tried to address various issues that have been troubling FPL managers. Whether you agree with me or not I hope the above mentioned pointers made you think and helped you in making an informed decision for your team. That would make writing this article worth it for me. There is still a long way to go and a lot of points to be won this season so keep at it and have fun.
Hope you all liked this article and I wish you all have a great New Year in FPL and in life. This is me Varun signing out.
Written by @Varun_esque
