So I was supposed to do a Gameweek 2 Tips & Lineup post before a Review post but I delayed writing about it and the Gameweek started and ended. Hence, I will share what I have done for this Gameweek and the results of my changes or transfers.
Following a disastrous Gameweek 1 where I scored below the average FPL players in the official Premier League FPL game, I decided that I needed an overhaul of my squad. The only way to do so is to either use the Wildcard option or the Transfer Hit option, the former allowing me to change my players permanently while the later to temporarily change my players for one week. As I needed a permanent overhaul, I utilised the first option.
Out came a lot of my players whom I had thought would do well based on last season's performance and in came the players whom I saw had a lot of potential and is in form for this coming season.
Let's start with our Forwards. The most talked about player this early in the season has to be Teemu Pukki, this unassuming Norwich striker. After watching the first match against Liverpool where his team lost but he scored, I recognised his value instantly. Here is an underrated striker whose team plays for him and he has that sufficient quality to convert the chances his team so willingly provide for him. He is the main threat and even if Norwich do not win games and score less than an average PL team (I'm not judging too early into the season), they will score one or two and Pukki is the man to do it.
Truth be told, I have not yet watched a full Wolves game since last season but from the match highlights, I saw that Jimenez had a couple of chances to score, so I put him in in place of Jota. The other substitute striker that I had was Wickham, there only because of his low value.
Forwards Review: Pukki came through with a brilliant hattrick. I cannot say I am surprised. Newcastle was atrocious and with a quality finisher like Pukki, they had it coming. Wonderful transfer! Jimenez played a good match although he did not score. The match ended a boring 0-0 but he will come through!
For midfield, I placed the two Chelsea midfielders Pulisic and Mount in the squad. Chelsea since preseason had a new look to its side, one which looks to be high attacking, and rapid movement. At the heart of it is a youthful team raring to prove they deserve to be in a club that did not think so. Sure, these young players lack that experienced finishing touch or deadlinest which you see in established finishers such as Suarez or Cavani but they more than make up for it for their energy and creativity. Next, I placed in Salah, who had a fine first match. Ndombele, the relevation of Spurs summer transfer and Sterling who looks to be in fine scoring form. Salah and Sterling are favorites even for last season and it is clear why they are. For Salah, he is the wildcard that so often scores. He did not play the forward that he have been last season because from the first game, he played slightly behind but his speed often takes him to great positions where he can score, hence he sometimes can just score just like that. Sterling is in fine form, dribbling and creating great chances. Ndombele was a relevation. I watched him play live in Singapore and noticed that other than Lucas Moura and Son who was just incredible and the stand out players in the Spurs team, Ndombele is a close 3rd to make a difference in a scoring sense. He drives forward with the ball and wins the ball in dangerous position. Forgive me if I mistook him for Yaya Toure in his prime!
Midfield Review: The only disappointment in my midfield squad was Salah. I was jostling with picking either him or Mane but I eventually left out Mane because he only played a few minutes on the first match. I knew that if Mane played for the full match, he will play as a striker and hence would have more chances to score but I stuck with Salah. Unfortunately too, Pulisic did not get the assist nor the goal that he deserved. Pulisic, like Mount is all over the Leicester defence in the first 20 minutes and I initially thought he should have scored twice by then! Atleast Mount did eventually get his goal, a well deserved one, but Chelsea faded into the match and started playing long balls. Ndombele too got an assist and Sterling unsurprisingly did well with a goal.
Defenders are the tricky bit. The trick is to find out which defender has the greater possibility to assist or even score. Imagine a Sergio Ramos. You know how deadly Ramos is during a corner. He eventually scored more than 10 goals for Real Madrid and for a CB, that is awful impressive. Or perhaps an Alexander Arnold who constantly wing in the cross and get an assist. Hence, my team was geared to earning those points be it by assisting or scoring. From the first Liverpool game, I saw that Alexander Arnold is the wingback playing in a more attacking role than Robertson on the other wing who stayed back, hence I replaced Arnold for him. Walker still often move to an attacking position, hence I put Walker in and Digne remains because he is cheap and undervalued for an attacking defender of his calibre.
Defender Review: Digne incredibly scored the most points despite me not having watched any of his game and trusting that the stats on him do not lie. He scored a cool 11 points, having assisted and being the 2nd best player in the match. Unfortunately, Alexander-Arnold and Walker did not do as well in terms of scoring chances or providing them. However, from their gameplay it is only a matter of time before any of them actually do so, based on their propensity to go forward and shoot.
For the goalkeeping department, I realise that from the first few matches, it is hard to pinpoint a team that is 100% impenetrable. All the teams, from Liverpool to Aston Villa all looked vulnerable against their opponents, offering counter attacking opportunities or chances. Where the team is good at controlling possession, they often concede to the occasional counter attack. Where both teams are tied and equally good, their defence do not look very good and easy to be dealt with. I do however note of certain teams such as Southampton that looked particularly vulnerable to any forms of attack. Their wingbacks do not provide adequate cover for the typical premier league side attack from the wings where wingers tend to cut in from the outside or wingbacks swing in the cross. Hence, my choice of Heaton and Patricio seems like a 50/50 choice, neither great nor bad. I chose Heaton in the end.
Goalkeeper Review: This was particularly disappointing. Heaton did an okay job but Patricio, it transpired, made a penalty save (what are the chances for that to happen!). Next week, perhaps I will rotate, but both keepers are equally capable. In fact, all keepers seem equal to me at this stage of the Premier League.
