After Liverpool’s Gameweek 19 match against Leeds fell victim to Covid, Fantasy Premier League managers were presented with a conundrum: to stick or twist with Mo Salah?
The case for keeping him was simple: he is the top-scoring player in FPL this season and naturally given that fact, is by far and away the most popular player in the game. The case for selling him was less clear-cut, although his hefty £13m price tag and imminent departure to the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) were reason enough for some managers to get rid.
In Gameweek 20, that 50-50 call went the way of the gamblers, rather than the believers, as Salah scored 0 points despite playing the full 90 minutes in Liverpool’s 1-0 defeat to Leicester. Salah had scored each of his last 15 Premier League penalties prior to being denied by Kasper Schmeichel at the King Power, much to the relief of those who had transferred him out. Fine margins indeed.
Thankfully, for those left frustrated by Salah’s squandered spot-kick, another round of fixtures is set to begin on New Year’s Day and end on 3 January. It will be the last that FPL managers see of the league’s African contingent for a while, as Salah and co will be jetting off to represent their countries at Afcon in Cameroon after their Gameweek 21 matches.
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As it stands, all 10 matches in Gameweek 21 are set to go ahead but be prepared to make last-minute changes to your team should any get pulled from the schedule. Here are i‘s selections for the first Premier League matches of 2022!
David De Gea (Man Utd)
Manchester United were indebted to their long-serving No 1 on Monday when David De Gea made a string of important saves to keep Newcastle at bay, the pick of which was an outstanding finger-tip stop to deny Miguel Almiron a late winner. De Gea has been United’s most consistent performer this season and could become the most popular goalkeeper in FPL before long, owing to his side’s kind run of fixtures.
Price: £5.2m Points: 71 Gameweek 21 fixture: Wolves (h)
Joao Cancelo (Man City)
An auto-selection in i‘s selections these days. Although he has only scored once this season, Joao Cancelo has had 12 more attempts on goal than any other defender which is indicative of the attacking threat he provides from either flank. Although City’s opponents Arsenal have been in exceptional form, Mikel Arteta’s young side need a landmark win against one of the big boys to demonstrate their progress. They face a tough ask to get it against City on New Year’s Day.
Price: £6.9m Points: 113 Gameweek 21 fixture: Arsenal (a)
Luke Thomas (Leicester)
Luke Thomas has re-established himself in Brendan Rodgers’ line-up recently, starting in each of Leicester’s previous six Premier League fixtures. The 20-year-old did an impressive job of nullifying Salah’s threat on Tuesday and offers a cheap route into the Foxes’ backline ahead of their match with goal-shy Norwich: the Canaries are without one since the 1-1 draw against Newcastle, five games ago.
Price: £4.3m Points: 27 Gameweek 21 fixture: Norwich (h)
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Jan Bednarek (Southampton)
Southampton rode their luck against Spurs with Antonio Conte’s side left aggrieved at a couple of decisions that went against them, but Ralph Hasenhuttl would have been delighted by the resilience his team showed after being reduced to 10 men. Although Saints are without a clean sheet since Gameweek 11, they are up against a Newcastle side that looks set to be without its two chief goal threats in Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin, which boosts the budget-friendly Jan Bednarek’s appeal.
Price: £4.4m Points: 55 Gameweek 21 fixture: Newcastle (h)
James Maddison (Leicester)
If James Maddison is passed fit to play against Norwich, he should feature right at the top of your shopping list for Gameweek 21. Leicester’s No 10 has been in supreme form, racking up four double-digit scores in his last six appearances ahead of a reunion with his former club Norwich. Hold off from buying him until close to the deadline, though, as he limped off in the second half of Leicester’s win against Liverpool.
Price: £6.9m Points: 82 Gameweek 21 fixture: Norwich (h)
Son Heung-min (Spurs)
Son Heung-min hasn’t been at his sharpest lately, but has still managed to tick along nicely on FPL by registering attacking returns in each of his last five matches. Son has combined four goals with two assists over that run and will be expecting to continue his hot streak against a Watford defence that is still searching for a first clean sheet of the campaign. Watford have conceded more goals per game at home (2.3) than any other club in the division.
Price: £10.5m Points: 102 Gameweek 21 fixture: Watford (a)
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Kevin De Bruyne (Man City)
Kevin De Bruyne hasn’t featured too prominently in the thoughts of FPL managers so far this season, but his popularity is bound to increase in Salah’s absence. De Bruyne has registered 26 points in his last three appearances, netting three goals in that run. The City playmaker usually saves his best for the Gunners too as he has scored more times against them (five) than any club in his career.
Price: £11.9m Points: 57 Gameweek 21 fixture: Arsenal (a)
Jarrod Bowen (West Ham)
Jarrod Bowen has been in electric form over the past couple of months and delivered his best performance of an already eye-catching campaign in West Ham’s 4-1 victory against Watford last time out. The 24-year-old tormented the Hornets’ (admittedly shoddy) backline throughout, laying on two goals and scoring one for himself to earn a season-high return of 14 FPL points. Unsurprisingly, given that performance, Bowen is the most transferred in player ahead of Gameweek 21.
Price: £6.6m Points: 94 Gameweek 21 fixture: Crystal Palace (a)
Raphinha (Leeds)
Despite playing for a team that is languishing towards the foot of the Premier League table, Raphinha has been one of the stars of the season so far. The Brazilian is one of the most watchable players in the division and is reportedly attracting interest from Bayern Munich, as well as rival Premier League clubs. The winger has eight goals and one assist to date and has emerged as Leeds’ first-choice penalty taker during Patrick Bamford and Rodrigo’s spells out injured.
Price: £6.5m Points: 82 Gameweek 21 fixture: Burnley
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Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester)
Kelechi Iheanacho is not a long-term pick given he will be representing Nigeria at Afcon over the next few weeks, however, for those Free Hitting or simply looking for a one-week punt in Gameweek 21, he looks a great option. Iheanacho has started Leicester’s last two games and was exceptional against Manchester City on Boxing Day, providing two assists and scoring in a 6-3 defeat. Norwich have been in dismal defensive form of late, conceding 14 times in their last five league games.
Price: £6.9m Points: 44 Gameweek 21 fixture: Norwich (h)
Harry Kane (Spurs)
It’s official: Harry Kane is back. The England captain scored for the third league game running against Southampton and was mightily unfortunate to have another strike ruled out for the most marginal of offside decisions in the second half. In seven appearances under Antonio Conte, Kane has fired off 25 shots on goal, registered seven big chances and recorded an expected goals tally of 3.74: all three of those totals are higher than he managed in nine games under Nuno Espirito Santo.
Price: £12.2m Points: 51 Gameweek 21 fixture: Watford (a)
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