Here’s FFGeek Contributor Rob Reid with his FPL team review article with the best players from each Premier League team. This will help you assess which players to have in your FPL team. Part 2 looks at the teams that finished 11-17 last season and then the 3 promoted teams. Rob has finished in the top 25k Overall Rank 4 times in the last 7 seasons.
FPL Team Review – Rob Reid Looks At The Best Player Picks From Each PL Team – Part 2
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Introduction
Welcome to Part 2 of my pre-season FPL team analysis for 2022-23. In Part 1, I covered the top 10 teams from last season and in this part I’ll be covering the remaining 7 teams from last season and the 3 newly promoted clubs from the Championship. Again, this isn’t designed to be an exhaustive look at each side, more a one-stop shop for reference.
Here’s the link for Part 1
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Newcastle
GW 1-8 Fixture Thoughts – Good GW 1 & 2, tough GW3-5, good again from GW 6
Key FPL Assets – Pope 5.0, Burn 4.5, Schar 4.5, Botman 4.5, Trippier 5.0, Wilson 7.5
It was a heck of a turnaround for The Magpies last season following their controversial sale and takeover. After 3 months they looked all but in The Championship. Credit where credit is due though, Eddie Howe was appointed and it was a transformation and then some as they ultimately placed safely in mid-table with a startling improvement in form and as such, for us FPL managers a big u-turn in their stats. They quickly went from having one of the worst defences to one of the best outside the big 6 and towards the end of the season, with Callum Wilson fit once more were starting to give us signs of what is to come.
Transfer-wise, they’ve notably moved to strengthen further at the back this summer with FPL favourite Nick Pope (5.0m) joining from Burnley and £33m invested in Dutch centre-half Sven Botman (4.5m.) Both look viable FPL assets, though a fit again Kieran Trippier (5.0m) I think is the most tempting. Further forwards, Saint-Maximin (6.5m) has been reclassified as a midfielder again though the main draw has to be Callum Wilson who looks a good option at 7.5m and I think will find his way into quite a few teams with a tempting GW1 fixture at home to Forest. I’m also keeping an eye on Willock at 5.0m – if he gets a run in the side he could be a bargain. I think Newcastle will do well this season, though I’d like to see them add a bit more quality in attack. I’d expect them to be in the top half of the league and pushing for a European place.
Crystal Palace
GW 1-8 Fixture Thoughts – very tough first 8
Key FPL Assets – Zaha 7.0
Palace produced a solid first campaign under Patrick Vieria, taking many by surprise. Selhurst Park has always been a tough ground to visit – Spurs, Arsenal and Man United all lost there last season and City were held 0-0, though their most notable result was on the road, an impressive 2-0 win at The Ethiad. So far in pre-season, England keeper Sam Johnstone has been added along with Mali international Cheick Doucoure in defensive midfield though I wouldn’t expect either to be on FPL managers’ radars for GW1.
The big problem for their FPL assets initially is that their early fixtures are terrible. They face Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City in the first 4 GWs along with Man United in GW7 and Chelsea in GW9, though I guess you could argue this might not be a problem looking at last season’s form! This immediately puts me off their defence, even though it is well priced and there is a possibility of a starting 4.0m defender in Nathan Ferguson. Zaha is therefore still the main and possibly only attraction initially at 7.0m and reclassified again as a midfielder. He went under the radar a bit last season with 14 goals and is on penalties too, so when their fixtures improve he’ll go onto a few Watchlists I’m sure. Palace should be ok again this season – I suspect they’ll finish in the bottom half but shouldn’t really flirt with the drop.
Brentford
GW 1-8 Fixture Thoughts – great run GW3-7
Key FPL Assets – Raya 4.5, Jansson 4.5, Wissa 5.5, Toney 7.0
Bees fans will certainly have been pleased by their first season in the Premier League. They were solid at home and looked competitive in nearly every game they played by staying loyal to the system and form that served them well in their promotion from The Championship. They’ve made only 2 notable signings in pre-season so far – England U21 winger Keane Lewis-Potter has joined from Hull in the 5.5m midfield bracket (14 goals and 2 assists last season) and young Scotland full-back Aaron Hickey has arrived from Bologna (5 goals and 1 assist last season) though he’s been priced a little high I’d say at 5.0m. For 0.5m less I much prefer Raya or Jansson in defence and the former will certainly be in a lot of GW1 teams I reckon.
Probably more notable though is the departure of Christian Eriksen to Man United – he certainly added to The Bees’ threat going forward in the second half of last season and as such perhaps lessens the appeal of their attacking options. Toney at 7.0m is still an ok shout I reckon – he’s gametime secure and on penalties and I can see a similar set of returns to last season when he scored 12 goals coupled with 5 assists. I do also like the look of Yoane Wissa at 5.5m – he impressed me toward the end of last season and at the moment he’s in my GW1 draft. I do worry a bit that Brentford might suffer from second season syndrome, but I think there is enough quality there for them to avoid relegation.
Aston Villa
GW 1-8 Fixture Thoughts – good GW 1-3, tough GW 5-7
Key FPL Assets – Cash 5.0, Digne 5.0, Bailey 5.0, Watkins 7.5
Villa will have been disappointed with their 14th place finish last season and are another team who have bolstered their squad defensively in the pre-season so far. Their main signing is centre-half £27m Diego Carlos (5.0m in FPL) from Seville. He’s a good signing in my opinion, but FPL managers will prefer attacking full-backs Cash and Digne at the same price. I am surprised actually that I’m not seeing these two in more GW1 drafts – they’ve got good opening fixtures and both finished last season strongly.
Villa haven’t added to their attacking assets at the moment but they do have a lot of talent there to be fair. Coutinho was of course the marquee arrival in the second half of last season, he’s a frustrating player to own but does like to produce a haul from nowhere though at the tricky 7.0m price point I think managers will likely look elsewhere. Bailey at 5.0m is interesting if he stays fit and gets a run in the team and up front, 7.5m Ollie Watkins has 2 solid premier league seasons behind where he’s got into double figures for goals both times. I’m still not convinced that Steven Gerrard is the right man for the Villa job, I don’t see them being in any trouble this season but similarly I can’t see them really challenging the top half either.
Southampton
GW 1-8 Fixture Thoughts – GW 1 and 3-5 very tough, GW 6-8 ok
Key FPL Assets – Aribo 5.5, Ward-Prowse 6.5
The Saints will be glad that they banked a lot of points in the first half of their 21-22 campaign as their slide towards the end of the season was very worrying. After a 2-0 win versus Norwich in GW26 they only managed one further league win and clean sheet, a trend they will have to reverse going into 22/23. Ralph Hassenhuttel will have been particularly concerned about the number of goals shipped in that period which included a 6-0 reverse at home to Chelsea and heavy defeats to Villa, Brentford and Leicester. As such, their defensive assets don’t really appeal for a GW1 draft, not to mention the fact that they start with a tough fixture run.
Their attacking players are the ones to monitor then and club Captain James Ward-Prowse is always a steady FPL asset with his dominant share of set pieces and penalties. 6.5m is perhaps slightly high, but his price may have dropped slightly by the time the fixtures improve in GW6. The other player I’m keeping an eye on is new signing Joe Aribo at 5.5m. I’ve seen a fair bit of him at Rangers and he’s a talented player who can play on the wing or in central midfield. I’ll be honest, I don’t like Southampton’s chances this season and fear that they’ll be in a relegation dogfight come GW38.
Everton
GW 1-8 Fixture Thoughts – good GW 2-5
Key FPL Assets – Pickford 4.5, Gordon 5.5
The demise of Everton over the last couple of seasons must be somewhat concerning for Toffees fans and I fear that their flirt with relegation last season may not have been a flash in the pan. Lampard was a brave choice to take over as manager and although he did eventually steer them away from danger I am still not sold on him being the right man to bring them forward. Their only major signing so far has been James Tarkowski (4.5m) and I don’t think FPL managers will be flocking to have them in their GW1 teams.
More crucial is that they’ve sold Richarlison to Spurs for just over £50m – I think financially this is a good bit of business but it will be only work out if they manage to find a decent replacement and there hasn’t been anyone forthcoming as yet. From an FPL perspective, Everton’s other main striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, certainly knows where the goal is but I think is priced a little too high at 8.0m. The other players that might attract FPL managers’ attention are Pickford (though I think there are better keepers at his price) and Gordon (another option in that challenging 5.5m bracket.) I worry for Everton again this season – unless they add more attacking options to their squad I can see them struggling near the bottom again.
Leeds
GW 1-8 Fixture Thoughts – good start to the season GW 1-7 good with GW3 only difficult one
Key FPL Assets – Meslier 4.5, Harrison 6.0, Bamford 7.5
I was really pleased to see Leeds escape the drop last season, their style of football since returning to the Premier League has certainly attracted a lot of support and I really like Jesse Marsch both as a manager and an individual. They have suffered 2 major blows in the transfer market in pre-season though with key defensive midfielder Kalvin Phillips moving to Man City and attacking talisman Raphinha leaving for Barcelona. Marsch has been busy bringing players in though as the squad adapts to his game style – Tyler Adams (5.0m) looks a good defensive midfield replacement for Phillips, fellow USA international Brendan Aaronson (5.5m) has joined from Salzburg and Colombian international winger Luis Sinisterra (6.5m) has joined from Feyenoord.
Leeds do have a good start to season fixture-wise but I’ll be honest I’m not sure I’ll have any of their players in my GW1 squad unless something dramatically changes in pre-season. Their defence did tighten up under Marsch and Meslier is another goalkeeping option in that 4.5m bracket but as with the likes of PIckford I think there are better options elsewhere. Looking further forwards, we know Bamford has FPL potential but I think 7.5m is slightly too expensive. And in midfield, now Raphinha has left, Harrison at £6.0m is probably the best option unless you want to punt on someone like Aaronson in the £5.5m bracket. I think it will be another tricky season for Leeds but they looked far more resilient towards the end of last season and it wouldn’t surprise me if they are clear of relegation (albeit not comfortably) by GW38.
Fulham
GW 1-8 Fixture Thoughts – difficult start, tough GW 1 and GW 4-7
Key FPL Assets – Wilson 6.0, Andreas 4.5, Mitrovic 6.5
Fulham came up as Championship winners and although they only won the league by 2 points, they were by far and away the standout team in England’s 2nd tier statistically. 106 goals in 46 games is a remarkable return including an incredible 43 goals from talismanic striker Aleksandar Mitrovic (6.5m.) They are a completely different beast from the team that came down in 20-21 with Marco Silva employing a more dynamic style that has a strong emphasis on bringing their creative midfielders into the game, who in turn try to supply their clinical striker. Defensively they had the third best goals conceded behind the other 2 promoted teams, but I do have concerns that they will have to invest in this area if they are going to be competitive in the Premier League this season as I don’t think their current set-up is of the level needed at the top table.
Mitrovic is obviously the standout option for The Cottagers and for me although he’s struggled previously at the top level, I think he’ll do better this season and could be a nice option when Fulham’s fixtures are good. I don’t think he’ll be anywhere close to last year’s haul, but an Ivan Toney style total of 10-12 goals for this season isn’t beyond him I reckon and that would be ok for a lowish price and with gametime security. I don’t expect him to be left out like he was under Parker – Silva seems to value and trust him.
The other 2 standout options for me are both in midfield. Harry Wilson (6.0m) registered 11 goals and 19 assists last season and he’s got the talent to do well, I’d just prefer to have seen him 0.5m cheaper. I do like the look of new signing Andreas Pereira though at 4.5m – I’m not expecting miracles but he could be the cheap playing option we’re looking for who gives you the odd attacking return as a bonus. Of the 3 promoted teams, I think Fulham stand the best chance of staying up this season and I think they will. I hope from an FPL perspective they stay true to their attacking style of the Championship – this makes their attacking players possible options but also marks them out as a team to target for opposite Captains!
Bournemouth
GW 1-8 Fixture Thoughts – tough GW 1-4, good GW 5 onwards
Key FPL Assets – Billing 5.5, Solanke 6.0
Bournemouth were promoted in 2nd place with the best defence in the league, conceding 39 goals while scoring the second highest total (74) in the division. 29 of their goals were scored by Dominic Solanke (6.0m) and he added 7 assists alongside. He was often joined up front by Phillip Billing who is listed as a 5.5m midfielder and himself contributed 11 goals and 10 assists. They employ a more conservative style than Fulham, preferring to keep a set defensive structure and relying on a quick transition of play up to their attacking players when they turnover possession.
I probably worry about The Cherries prospects the most of the 3 promoted teams as they seem to be pretty reliant on a strong defensive structure and I just don’t think they have the personnel to be able to do this at this level. If they do manage to sign £4.0m Nat Phillips from Liverpool though, this would significantly help them in this department. Therefore, I can’t see myself owning a Bournemouth defender.
I can see myself picking Dominic Solanke when they have a good fixture run – he was involved in nearly 50% of their league goals last season and should offer gametime security so he could be a good option after GW5 when the teams involved in Europe start to rotate and you’re looking for players with nailed on minutes. As for their prospects, I sadly can’t see anything beyond Bournemouth being relegated straight back to The Championship but I hope they prove me wrong as I do like to see clubs with smaller fan bases in the top league.
Nottingham Forest
GW 1-8 Fixture Thoughts – tough GW 4-5, good GW 6-8
Key FPL Assets – Williams 4.0, Awoniyi 6.0, Johnson 6.0
There’s a bit of bias from me here in that I’m delighted to see Forest back in the top flight – my late grandparents on my Mum’s side were big Forest fans with most of that side of my family coming from Nottingham or the surrounding area. Steve Cooper really has done a remarkable job – his predecessor started last season with 1 point out of a possible 21. To then win 23 and lose just 6 of the remaining 39 games was a great feat and they kept 17 clean sheets and scored 67 times in that run too. Cooper favours a slightly unusual 3-4-1-2 style which reverts to a 5-3-2 when out of possession and as such, frustratingly for FPL managers attacking points tend to be spread around the team. Brennan Johnson (6.0m) was last season’s top scorer with 16 (he got 10 assists too) but he’s really a second striker who starts central but likes to draw defenders out wide which might open the way for someone like Awoniyi (6.0m) to be a better option. He scored just under a goal every 2nd game for Union Berlin last season, ok but hardly ground-breaking.
Forest’s big problem this season though is that they need a bit of rebuild with 3 of last season’s key assets being loan players. Philip Zinckernagel and James Garner were both important creative players last season and full-back Djed Spence had a surprisingly strong campaign (after looking thoroughly average at Middlesbrough the previous year) but none of them will be here for 22-23. Cooper has gone some way to try and replace them though – Neco Williams could be the 4.0m filler many of us are looking for – I think he is a good acquisition at right-back. I also think they’ve improved on the other side by signing Omar C Richards (4.5m) to potentially replace the ageing Jack Colback who had been filling in there. They do need to bolster their ranks on the creative side though and I think they will struggle if they don’t. I’d love to see them stay up this season, but I fear it will be short stay in the top league for Forest this time.
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