For the second Christmas running, Covid is causing chaos in the Premier League with fixtures falling foul to spiralling case numbers at clubs across the division.
Brighton’s game against Tottenham last week was the first to go, followed by three more cancellations in Gameweek 18 with Brentford vs Manchester United, Burnley against Watford and Spurs’ meeting with Leicester all called off. There will be another reduced schedule this weekend too with five matches added to an ever-growing pile of fixtures that require rescheduling in an already jam-packed calendar.
All of this uncertainty is making things rather complicated for Fantasy Premier League managers. Assembling a semi-competent team is a challenge at the best of times, but even more so when matches are being scrapped just before the transfer deadline or even worse after it has already passed. Planning ahead is a key ingredient to succeeding in FPL but unless you have access to a crystal ball, it is virtually impossible to do so in the current climate.
Sadly, FPL does not have a chip that covers Covid cancellations, which is a pity as managers are being punished by unforeseen circumstances. Considering some of the issues that the Premier League has encountered during the pandemic, it might have been wise to give managers the option of making more free transfers in a Covid-compromised gameweek, as opposed to being forced into points hits for unexpected abandonments. It doesn’t seem particularly fair that some managers had just one transfer to play with this week, given six teams will not even end up playing.
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When postponed Premier League fixtures could be played as calls grow for a ‘circuit break’16 December, 2021Luck is always a fundamental aspect of FPL management, but it is more important now than ever before. Managers with more players unaffected by unexpected postponements stand to gain more points than those who don’t. Once a game is off, a chosen player will not score any points until the next match. The FPL website states: “If a Premier League match is postponed and moved out of the Gameweek, any players who are affected will not score FPL points.”
So, if you are brave enough to open your FPL app to check in on how things have gone for your team this week, be prepared to see a few nil-pointers floating about. Although it is tricky navigating the choppy FPL seas right now, there are a few steps you can take to try and minimise the damage to your overall rank and league position in your mini-leagues.
Have a strong bench
Filling those four substitute slots with players who regularly start for their respective teams could make the world of difference.
If a starting player is suddenly removed from action due to a postponement, they will be replaced by a player from the bench, assuming their match is going ahead as scheduled.
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In the past, FPL managers have stockpiled their benches with cheap backup options, allowing for more cash to be spread around the starting XI.
However, in light of the Covid situation and with a number of expensive players failing to provide much value for money this season anyway, it makes sense to funnel the budget around 15 rather than 11 players. Just in case you need to call on your reserves.
Make last-minute transfers
This is sound advice throughout the campaign, however, it is easy to get roped into making an early transfer to mitigate against price changes.
That isn’t really a factor to consider at the moment, though, as any match can be called off at a moment’s notice. Those who brought in Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of Manchester United’s promising run of games from Gameweek 16 onwards, for instance, now have cash to burn given two of their games have since been called off, rendering Mr CR7 rather useless.
Of course, waiting as late as possible to make transfers isn’t entirely foolproof. Plenty of managers swooped for Watford’s in-form goal machine Emmanuel Dennis this week, only for the Hornets’ game against Burnley to be called off two-and-a-half hours before kick-off.
Nevertheless, having as much information as possible to inform your transfer decision-making can only be a good thing.
Pick a captain and vice-captain from different clubs
So long as Liverpool are able to play and he is healthy and on form, Mo Salah is an auto-pick as captain. Salah is over 50 points clear at the top of the FPL standings and has only blanked in one match all season.
Given Liverpool’s potency in attack, FPL managers may be inclined to set their vice-captain to another one of their players, like Diogo Jota or Trent Alexander-Arnold just in case something happens to Salah.
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In normal circumstances, that tactic would be perfectly fine, but for the time being it makes sense to pick your vice-captain from another club, just in case your skipper’s match gets called off at the 11th hour.
As good as Salah and his colleagues are, they aren’t going to get you many points if Liverpool are suddenly hit by a postponement…
Keep an eye out for fixture announcements
Despite calling off five matches in the space of seven days, the Premier League’s mantra, for the time being at least, appears to be that the show must go on.
After Manchester United vs Brighton became the latest match to succumb to rising Covid cases, the Premier League said: “While recognising a number of clubs are experiencing Covid-19 outbreaks, it is the League’s intention to continue its current fixture schedule where safely possible. The health and wellbeing of all concerned remains our priority.”
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Keeping a watchful eye on fixture amendments will not only come in handy in the short term but also in the longer term too. Clubs who have matches postponed now will have to make them up sometime in the future.
Tottenham have already had three matches postponed – against Burnley due to adverse weather conditions and against Brighton and Leicester due to Covid issues – meaning that they will have double gameweeks to come later on in the campaign.
Son Heung-min and Harry Kane, depending on form, could become viable captain or even triple captain candidates when those gameweeks roll around.
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