Fantasy Premier League: Gameweek 10 Review

I was quite pleased with my points tally this week all things considered. The gameweek average was 58 points and I was 5 points below this with 53 (ignoring the minus 4 I took). Normally I wouldn't be too pleased coming in below, but with last week's lowly total of 23, and my first choice captain not playing this week it felt like something of a victory.

Gameweek Points: 53 (-4)

Gameweek Rank: 3,505,865

Overall Rank: 397,345

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The Positives :D

• Both my transfers paid off :) Success scored - I'll resist any temptation to make any puns on his name - and David Luiz got his clean sheet. The Success goal in particular was quite fortunate. He'd scored just 9 points in the previous 9 games. So to get 6 points was quite a windfall. Hopefully he'll continue to get game time.
• Sterling got an assist, making up for last week's no show.
• Newcastle got a clean sheet. This really saved my week in a way. It also saved me from the constant shame and embarrassment that was coming with owning two Newcastle defensive options. So I finally have a little bit of justification.

The Negatives :(

• Hazard missed through injury - though fortunately this was a problem affecting many managers.
• Robertson was rested. This was particularly galling as I'd captained him in anticipation of Hazard not starting.
• Which leads to the next problem - Firmino was my vice captain, and clocked up just 2 points in spite of Liverpool scoring 4 goals. Having Firmino and not Salah or Mane is what really killed my week in relation to other people this week. My judgement at the start of the season was that Firmino would match or outscore Mane over the season as a whole. So far this judgement is proving to be badly wrong! - and it's cost me. I'm still not in a rush to ditch Firmino though, as Liverpool won't be facing a team like Cardiff at home every week.
• Lucas Moura also failed to deliver once again, though it was a difficult game against Man City. Hopefully he'll keep starting, which is the one bright point with him. I may have to start seriously looking for a replacement soon though the way it's going. Again though, like with Firmino it's not something I'm massively worried about.

Overall I'm actually quite happy with my team. I feel like I've reached a kind of zen like calm when it comes to FPL. I'm past the stage where I'm worried about price changes. I feel like I've got a long term plan, and I'm less concerned with weekly rank rises and falls. I'm also happy to be patient with some of my players that aren't bringing in the points at the moment - such as Firmino.

(Bobby Firmino as an FPL Zen Master)

The Top Five Players I Don't Own That I Fear

1. Mane

Having Firmino and not Mane really damaged me this week, and there's no obvious route for me to bring him in. Though if Hazard's injury is more serious than appears he'd be an obvious and easy replacement.

2. Aubameyang

It's similar with Aubameyang, as I have Lacazette in his stead. It would be difficult, but not impossible to find the extra £1m or so to upgrade, but it really is something I'd rather not have to do just yet.

3. Agüero

He didn't deliver this week, but it was a tough away game at Spurs, and not a good game to judge him. Southampton at home on Sunday could be a completely different story. I'll just have to have my fingers crossed that Stirling starts that game and matches him somehow.

4. Salah

Salah is definitely in scoring mode now, and he rewarded the people who have shown faith in him on Saturday. Hopefully for my sake he won't get similar points tallies against the better sides that Liverpool will face going forward.

5. Barkley

Ross Barkley is looking really good. If he keeps starting games he could be tremendous value at just £5.8m. Frustratingly he would be out of reach for me at the moment as I already have three Chelsea players. If that wasn't the case I'd be very, very tempted to bring him in for Lucas Moura.

Other players that are looking great and deserve mention are Bournemouth's Callum Wilson, who's getting mega points at the moment, and also Xherdan Shaqiri. Shaqiri is getting points even when he's just making cameo appearances off the bench. In fact, it's a little reminiscent of Hazard at the start of the season. He's very much on my radar at the moment.

As for my potential transfers this week I'm currently looking at bringing in John Stones for the Southampton home tie. It would just be a straight swap for Tomkins. However, it would also be something of a gamble as he's only started 6 out of the 10 Premier League games for City so far. Laporte would be a much safer option, but sadly he's just out of my price range. I'll have to wait and see what the injury situation is for Hazard and Gündogan before I make any decisions though.

My Overall Points: 583

My Overall Rank: 397,345