Bench Boost GW5 ??

I think I might bring my bench boost forward to GW5. Sunderland looked superb against Arsenal last night and it made having De Cuyper and Verbruggen facing them at the Stadium of Light look a lot less attractive. Also, Fulham kept a clean sheet against Liverpool, making the Leif Davis fixture look a bit less appetising. He scored 14 points yesterday, so I've probably missed the haul either way. Nevertheless, Everton doesn't seem that much worse as a fixture now.

(Plus, I'm trigger-happy, I really want to use the bench boost. I can't resist 😈)

I also have Szoboszlai sat on my bench going into GW5, so that's pushing me in the same direction.

The problem is, Brighton face Arsenal, which isn't appealing either. Consequently I might use my one free transfer to take out De Cuyper or Verbruggen. I could do De Cuyper to Muharemovic (home to Palace), or Verbruggen to Kinsky (home to Villa).

It all makes these Sunday fixtures doubly worth watching. (Did I mention I'm typing this on Sunday morning - in the middle of GW4?)

Coventry vs Brighton gives me a good opportunity to assess the two Brighton assets - and Brighton in general.

Then it's United vs City. Aka Bruno vs Haaland. I'm becoming a bit of a stuck record constantly restating how going against Haaland could damage me. As I sit here mid-gameweek it's all too apparent though.

I'm pleased with my gameweek so far, but once again this is ultimately what will decide things. I need Fernandes to compete with Haaland.

It seems like the average could be high this week ..players like Saka, Raya and Gibbs-White have already notched points for other people. Matching my Gabriel differential. On top of that a lot of people will have captained Joao Pedro or triple-captained Palmer, which is another seven or five points I've missed out on. So I'd happily take any sort of green arrow.

Whatever the points outcome I'm happy with the wildcard. I feel like three Chelsea attackers and three Arsenal defenders is a lock for me now. After that it's just the other five spots. Watching the Liverpool highlights didn't dissuade me from owning their players too much. Though, yes, the question mark needs to remain hanging over Isak's head.

The core decision is essentially Isak + Fernandes vs Haaland + Cheaper Mid.

In a way I think Fernandes is what makes the decision. As if he consistently gets returns like he did last season then he allows the luxury of Isak. Whereas if he's miles behind Haaland I'll have to get Haaland regardless of Isak. (Unless Isak suddenly becomes massively captainable, which at the moment he clearly isn't.)

So United vs City is an interesting fixture that puts this entire question into sharp focus. The ultimate real time eye test.