Wildcard Time

Great week to wildcard. I think I've picked a good opportunity.

My GW5, like many people's, was pretty woeful. 36 points in the end, with the average being 44.

With that luxury transfer I brought in Jimenez for Wissa. It seemed like a fun one week punt, what with Fulham being home to Luton. It didn't come good, however, I got one more point than I would've got with Wissa, so it didn't hurt me.

Wildcard

 

My plan is to bench boost in GW7. The bench I'll have for that isn't very exciting. I currently don't even have an attacker from Burnley or Luton. I don't want to sacrifice my main team for the bench boost though, so I'm just going sheer numbers.

Three 4.0m defenders.

Both keepers.

So I'll have five players with two games, though all with low potential.

Obviously, the three cheap defenders will mean one has to be in my starting eleven. I have 0.5m in the bank though. Plus, once the double is out the way I'll be able to downgrade both keepers to free up cash. One to Areola, one to a 4.0m. So I should be able to upgrade that position in time.

My plan is to roll the transfer in GW7 and then bring in Son for Saka in GW8. I'll downgrade a keeper then with the other transfer if I need an extra 0.1m to do that. These plans rarely come to fruition how you hope though, so that's pencilled in rather than inked in.

As for the team..

I really felt like I needed Salah. The expense is annoying, but he's so consistent, and there's always that likelihood that he will go big. I'd like to have players like Chilwell and Fernandes in there for the potential, but in the end I can't sacrifice certainty for potential. So it's one less expensive midfielder and defender to get Salah.

I want to keep Estupinan. Potentially he could change before the deadline, but he's so attacking I just instinctively feel I need to have him in there.

I think Maddison and Mbeumo explain themselves. (Mbeumo could easily become Diaby if Brentford look like they're dropping off.)

The issue of Champions League worries me a little with Trippier, but other than that he seems like the obvious Newcastle pick. The wider question for me is do I double up in defence on Newcastle. It feels foolish chasing clean sheets this season, however with Newcastle I get the sense that they can keep teams out.

Then finally we get to the three Manchester City options. Or rather two, ignoring Haaland.

I think if you're wildcarding you have to go with Alvarez. Sure, there's always that rotation concern, but he's flying, as are City. (Any thoughts of getting Clinton Morris in for my bench boost have completely gone out the window. The two City, plus the cheap playing Archer as a bench option, is just too simple and sensible to ignore.)

The more interesting pick is Rodri. Originally I had Ward-Prowse in there as my cheaper fifth mid - who I think is a great price and pick. When I watched City in the Champions League last night though it just reanimated my interest in Rodri. He seems to have picked up the Gundogan role. The way City play, with so much of the ball, knocking it around on the edge of the box, means it's going to fall to him at times. As it did last night.

It would be stupid to expect big, or even consistent returns from him, but with City being the best team by a good yard it's hard not to like the idea of having a full compliment. Especially at these prices.

I'm happy to accept the rotation risk in general. It could ruin my bench boost though, which is the big fear. However, I'm really just seeing that bench boost as a bonus opportunity. Having five double gameweek players, when most people have one or none, *could* give me a nice advantage - if I'm lucky.

Either way, with the wildcard, I'm finally getting a team I feel instinctively good about.