It was mixed emotions for my FPL game in Gameweek 3. I played the triple captain chip which I expected more from, but at least it wasn’t a blank, however, I tried to be clever by using my two transfers to make the most of Manchester City’s favourable fixture against Coventry by having four of their players, and it’s fair to say, that did not pay off! Let’s get stuck in to my FPL Gameweek 3 analysis.
My Squad
So my first two transfers of the season were utilised to bring in Iliman Ndiaye and Rayan Cherki. I made those changes knowing Ndiaye had agreed his move to Manchester City from Everton, and while I knew it was speculative, I was thrilled when I saw him in the starting line up for Enzo Maresca’s side. I’d also gone all out in on City for this game by triple captaining Erling Haaland.
It all started extremely well, Ndiaye starting, Cherki hit the post in the first 25 minutes and shortly afterwards, Haaland got the first goal. He forced good saves from Carl Rushworth either side of the goal as well, but Coventry were a threat, and in the second half it was only the newly promoted side that looked like scoring. Only 1-0 to City and no returns from Ndiaye and Cherki, that was compounded on Sunday when Bryan Mbeumo and Christos Tzolis both returned a goal and assist respectively, so it’s fair to say what I though was a clever piece of transfer dealing turned out to be an utter disaster.
Marc Guehi picked up eight points and it was really only Haaland’s 27 points that gave the week any sort of respectability. 18 points on the bench hurt too. I’d left Jan Paul van Hecke and Antonin Kinsky out, so their eight and six points were painful, as was Bobby Thomas who picked up the defcon bonus for a four pointer. All in all, quite disappoiting.
Still, 58 points and I’m into the top million players, but I feel this could have been a week where big ground was made, and I’ve let it slip – a shame.
This week it’s the Manchester derby, and with United conceding two goals in each game so far, it’s very tempting to hold onto my four City players and see how it pans out. There’s only two gameweeks before the international break, and I can reassess then, but the one consideration is to bring in Martin Odegaard for Ndiaye, given the Norwegian’s superb start to the season.
Guehi may drop to the bench for van Hecke, and I’m also considering bringing in Bobby Thomas who has made a very respectable start to FPL life. The captaincy is an interesting one too, with Joao Pedro coming up against Hull at home, but Haaland does have a very good record against Manchester United. No chips will be used until the break, at least.
For Foot Sake Squad
Tommy bettered me this week by five points, with Gvardiol, Rogers, Odegaard and Havertz all chipping in with good scores to give him a total of 63 points. Maxim de Cuyper also came into his side for a four point return, and Tommy’s team now sits well inside the top 900k players at this early stage, with two transfers in the bank.
Lammens is a concern in goal, given United’s defensive displays, but the squad looks very balanced with three good options on the bench in Andy Robertson, Ola Aina and George Hemmings. They could all come into the side this week and there doesn’t look a big need for any transfers to Tommy’s squad.
A worry for me as I look to get back on top of the For Foot Sake league!
FPL Gameweek 4 Pointers
Holding your nerve pays dividends – This week I tried to be clever and was punished. A panic sale of Christos Tzolis as I wanted Rayan Cherki meant I also switched Mbeumo to Ndiaye, that decision cost me seven points and two transfers I really didn’t need to use. Tommy on the other hand has kept the faith in his original team, by and large, and sits top of the league. You plan for the long run at the start of the season and a gamble I made has backfired. Always ignore the temptation to make changes early, it’s easier to fix things after six weeks than two.
Newly promoted sides delivering – Bobby Thomas is a popular pick for Coventry, but Hull have started the season without conceding a goal and there are a heap of value options in their side. In defence they have the three top defenders in the game, each of whom come in at 4.1m or less, while in midfield, they don’t have a player worth more than 5.0m. Talk about a budget enabler! They travel to Chelsea next week which will be a major test, but after that have a nice run of games all the way through to Gameweek 15.
Odegaard & Gakpo need consideration – Both these players have started the season in superb form and both are found in just 12% of teams. Arsenal now embark on a good run of fixtures, while four of Liverpool’s next six matches are at home, so both are major targets for teams wildcarding in the next couple of gameweeks.
Head back here on Wednesday for my preview of my team for Gameweek 3.