The Premier League returns this weekend and much has changed since the last round of matches took place before the international break.
Dean Smith has been sacked by Aston Villa and replaced by Steven Gerrard, before pitching up at Carrow Road to become Norwich City’s new boss, after Daniel Farke had been dismissed. Up in the north east, Eddie Howe is the first Newcastle United manager of the new regime, all of which means Antonio Conte is already the 17th longest-serving manager in the top flight despite only joining Spurs on 2 November.
Quite what impact this managerial upheaval with have in Fantasy Premier League terms is anyone’s guess. Will Gerrard manage to unlock Emi Buendia’s potential at Villa Park? Could Teemu Pukki turn back the clock and become everybody’s budget striker of choice? Will the Callum Wilson x Ryan Fraser double-act that was so productive for Howe at Bournemouth be resurrected at St James’ Park?
It is too early to predict with any great certainty how the new managers will get on in their new positions, but what is for sure is that the incomings and outgoings in Premier League dugouts adds an unpredictable element into FPL. As if the Premier League wasn’t unpredictable enough already…
Gameweek 11 had its fair share of entertaining matches, but it was a largely disappointing weekend for FPL managers, as reflected by an average points score of 42. i‘s selection managed 47 points, with Aaron Ramsdale, Reece James, Tino Livramento, Mo Salah and Wilfried Zaha returning points.
A key factor in many managers’ struggles was the lack of goals from highly-owned forwards, which seems to have been a key theme this season. Only five forwards returned points and none of them are owned by more than five per cent of managers – and the paucity of standout attacking options in contrast to the abundance of high-scoring defenders is why we championed the advantages of playing a five-man defence last week.
With that in mind, we have selected a 5-3-2 system this weekend, which costs £78.7m.
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Alex McCarthy (Southampton)
It should come as little surprise that Chelsea’s clean sheet magnet Edouard Mendy is currently the top-scoring goalkeeper in FPL. More eye-opening though is that Southampton’s Alex McCarthy is second in the charts. Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have quietly become one of the most resolute defensive units in the division, conceding the fourth-lowest number of goals (12) and keeping five clean sheets. They will be looking to spoil the Dean Smith party at Carrow Road against a team that has scored only three goals at home.
Price: £4.6m Points: 47 Gameweek 12 fixture: Norwich (a)
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
Even in a game in which Liverpool lost and conceded three goals, Trent Alexander-Arnold emerged with a double-digit return and all three bonus points. The England right-back scored a sumptuous free-kick against West Ham in Gameweek 11 and then provided the assist for Divock Origi as the Reds attempted to salvage a point in east London. Jurgen Klopp will expect a much-improved defensive performance against Arsenal this weekend, given the Gunners rank second-bottom in the division for away goals scored with just three.
Price: £7.7m Points: 64 Gameweek 12 fixture: Arsenal (h)
Sergio Reguilon (Spurs)
We discussed the impact that Antonio Conte could have on Tottenham’s FPL assets here, particularly for the defenders. Conte is renowned for making his teams difficult to break down and in four of his five title wins as a coach, his side had the best defensive record in the division. Furthermore, his three-man defensive system is tailor-made for attack-minded wing-backs like Sergio Reguilon. Since joining Spurs last summer, Reguilon ranks third in the squad for Premier League assists, registering eight, in total.
Price: £5.0m Points: 41 Gameweek 12 fixture: Leeds (h)
Joao Cancelo (Man City)
Impressively, given Manchester City’s galaxy of attacking stars, Joao Cancelo is comfortably their highest-scoring player in FPL this season. In fact, only Salah (with 117) has accumulated more FPL points among all players than Cancelo on 67. The Portuguese full-back has provided four assists so far, including a couple in the Manchester derby prior to the international break and is due a goal soon given he has had nine more attempts (26) than any other defender in the game.
Price: £6.5m Points: 67 Gameweek 12 fixture: Everton (h)
Reece James (Chelsea)
Over the past three gameweeks, Reece James has scored seven more FPL points (41) than any other player in the game and his underlying numbers suggest that further returns could be on the way. Over that period, he ranks joint-top for goals (with three), third among defenders for shots (seven) and second among all players for chances created (10). Chelsea have a tricky match away to Leicester, on Saturday, but they have conceded just once on their travels all season – a penalty converted by Salah in Gameweek 3.
Price: £5.9m Points: 63 Gameweek 12 fixture: Leicester (a)
Tariq Lamptey (Brighton)
Southampton’s Tino Livramento has been the bargain defender of choice this term, but he could face competition for that tag from Brighton’s fit-again Tariq Lamptey. The 21-year-old was a popular pick in FPL in 2020-21, prior to suffering a season-ending injury in December. Lamptey made his first start of the campaign against Newcastle in Gameweek 11 and he caught the eye by registering two goal attempts and two chances created from an advanced right-wing position in Graham Potter’s 4-2-3-1 formation.
Price: £4.4m Points: 4 Gameweek 12 fixture: Aston Villa (a)
Mo Salah (Liverpool)
Mo Salah‘s price tag has crept up to £13m during the international break and so too has his ownership with over 71 per cent of managers picking him in their teams. It seems likely that the remaining 29 per cent or so have either given up or else have a personal vendetta against the prolific Egyptian. Salah has an excellent record against this weekend’s opponents Arsenal, scoring seven times and providing two assists against them in nine league meetings.
Price: £13.0m Points: 117 Gameweek 12 fixture: Arsenal (h)
Conor Gallagher (Crystal Palace)
Who could have predicted that with over a quarter of the season gone a Crystal Palace player other than Wilfried Zaha would be the fifth highest-scoring player in FPL? Conor Gallagher has been a revelation since joining the Eagles on loan from Chelsea, scoring four goals and providing four assists in his 10 appearances. Gallagher has managed three double-digit hauls already, including in both of the last two gameweeks and will be in confident mood after debuting for England this week.
Price: £5.8m Points: 62 Gameweek 12 fixture: Burnley (a)
Jarrod Bowen (West Ham)
Gameweek 11 provided confirmation of what many people already suspected: West Ham are the real deal. A thrilling 3-2 victory over Liverpool at the London Stadium lifted David Moyes’ side above their opponents and into the lofty position of third in the league. Jarrod Bowen played an integral role in that win, providing assists for Pablo Fornals and Kurt Zouma. Despite only failing to provide an attacking return once in his last seven appearances, Bowen is still only owned by 2.2 per cent of managers.
Price: £6.3m Points: 55 Gameweek 12 fixture: Wolves (a)
Callum Wilson (Newcastle)
Eddie Howe will be given significant funds to strengthen his squad in January, but for the next six weeks, he will have to work with what he’s got. It certainly helps that he is familiar with a few players from his time in charge of Bournemouth, including Callum Wilson. The 29-year-old scored 61 goals in 171 league games for the Cherries while working under Howe, including 14 in the Premier League in 2018-19. Despite making only seven league appearances so far, Wilson has scored four goals, a third of Newcastle’s overall total.
Price: £7.3m Points: 32 Gameweek 12 fixture: Brentford (h)
Harry Kane (Spurs)
Harry Kane let us down in Gameweek 11 but he looked as sharp as he has all season during England’s 5-0 demolition job of Albania on Friday night. Kane completed a perfect hat-trick (left foot, header, right foot) in 27 first-half minutes at Wembley, saving the best for last by scoring an acrobatic volley from a corner. The 28-year-old’s motivation has been questioned at points during the campaign, but the arrival of Conte could jolt him back into life ahead of a promising run of matches.
Price: £12.2m Points: 27 Gameweek 12 fixture: Leeds (h)
How i‘s Gameweek 11 picks performed
- Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal) – 7
- Reece James (Chelsea) – 7
- Ben Chilwell (Chelsea) – 2
- Tino Livramento (Southampton) – 6
- Marc Cucurella (Brighton) – 2
- Mo Salah (captain) (Liverpool) – 10
- Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace) – 8
- Phil Foden (Man City) – 3
- Harry Kane (Spurs) – 2
- Ivan Toney (Brentford) – 1
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal) – -1
from Fantasy Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3wLF1WG
via IFTTT
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