Here’s an early article where 4 FFGeek Contributors show their FPL teams GW5. There’s Ben Wooton, Andrew Whitfield, Kev in Canada and Harry Vernon
FPL teams GW5 – 4 FFGeek Contributors teams part 1
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Introduction
This is part 1 of the FPL managers who contribute to the FFGeek site with good histories who show their teams each week. This will give people a feel for what other managers are doing. It’s a fairly informal thing with no obligation on anyone and these teams may change at anytime before the deadline without further notice. It won’t cover transfers in real time either. It’s just to give an idea of the trends for the week no more. The teams are shown as their “final-ish” teams so they could change. Where they have twitter accounts I have shown this and they may update them there or on our Slack Channel which is part of our subscription Patreon site but this is not guaranteed
Ben Wooton
Ben’s last 4 seasons overall rank were 5k, 61k, 26k and 31k.
GW4 points: 66 (FPL average 48) Total points: 232, Overall Rank: 944k, green arrow: 664k Team Value: £101.1m
A reasonable week in the end, saved by my patience with Son and a stroke of luck in Doherty being dropped. I was pondering a wildcard for the International Break prior to the the weekend games
but will now hold fire.
I have made my one transfer that’s Doherty out for Chilwell. Logic being to avoid a drop and gain a riser in Chilwell. His good fixtures plus Kepa being dropped may see more clean sheets too. Chilwell could also prove to be a valuable defensive asset when Chelsea do start firing properly.
Looking forward I am keeping faith with Havertz for now. Adam I think could go next as he’s not really doing much, maybe for Brewster to free up cash.
Justin and Mitchell could also be on the way out soon, they are under close observation. Walker Peters and Lamptey perhaps coming in for Justin.
transfer summary: Doherty out and Chilwell in
Here’s the team with transfer made:
Andrew Whitfield
Andrew finished with an overall rank of 132k last season and 6k in 18/19 and 19k in 17/18
GW4 points: 49 (FPL average 48) Total points: 213, Overall Rank: 1,886k, red arrow: 106k Team Value: £100.5m
Follow Andrew on twitter here
– Well I say it every week, but what a totally bonkers crazy season this is. Firstly, Man City lose at home 5-2, and now Man Utd lose at home 6-1 and champions Liverpool lose 7-2 at Aston Villa !! What is going on ??
– The goals are flying in left right and centre. We have already had 52 players with double figure hauls ( I have had just four of them ) which has created a huge variance in ranks, some managers having a whale of a time and others left scratching their head as to how to get a grip on this crazy season. It’s made for a bit of a lottery in many ways, but some managers are doing well from it, so full credit to you if you are landing the goal scorers !!
My GW4 review:
-49 points, from just four returning players and a captain blank led to another underwhelming week. A small red arrow to around 1.8M. It shows how crazy the variances are, that after both my Saturday players blanked, I dropped to 2.5M, then on Sunday I had clean sheets from Saiss and McCarthy and despite only having 2 returns from 8 players at that point, I jumped up a million places to 1.5M, before falling back despite two returns in my last three. Bizarre. It’s going to take some time for ranks to settle down.
– It’s easy to panic and think that the storm clouds are gathering, or as they say here in Barnsley, “ it’s looking a bit black over Bill’s mothers”
– I have spent time this week fully assessing where my weak points are in my team, or more to the point, where I can get some consistent returns that I am missing out on amongst all the inconsistencies and people chasing after last weeks lost points that have been and gone. I have highlighted some key findings which I will put into effect to address this and I will talk about these later. Very early days of course, no need to panic about ranks so early. Good managers can land top 10k finishes regularly from much worse positions from much later in the season, so the key is to stay calm and make reasoned and rational decisions based on what we have seen so far.
My GW4 talking points:
Captain un-fantastic:
– A 9 point swing between Salah and De Bruyne was the difference between red and green. I can’t catch a cold from my armbands this season. Two modest returns from Aubameyang, followed by two blanks from De Bruyne. Kevin de Bruyne looked unplayable in GW2, he could have returned in the last two games but didn’t and was unlucky to rattle the woodwork against Leeds but ultimately Mr Salah has returned a 20 pointer and a 13 pointer this season that I owned but didn’t double up on. Only 4 previous goals from Salah in 20 away games, with De Bruyne facing off in an expected high scoring game. Right decision, wrong outcome ?? A case to be made for a Salah set and forget armband that would have so far yielded 82 points, at an average of over 20 captain points per game. Food for thought.
The Old Trafford collapse:
– Bruno Fernandes has continued his “penalty run” from last season, netting spot kicks in the last two games. An average of seven points per game is solid. A dream start with a spot kick in the first minute v Spurs. But the soft sending off of Martial completely put paid to Bruno’s evening as United self destructed. Despite United’s woes, I do like owning at least one piece of that four pronged attack.
– While Fernandes has netted me 20 points in the last three games, the irrepressible Son has collected 43 points in the same period. Not bad for a player who was “out injured for a while” last week, yet danced through the United defence like a knife through butter, with no sign of those “dodgy hamstrings”. So Kane and Son have helped themselves to 85 points in the last three games and I have no Spurs players !! Bizarrely, Tottenham have taken only one point from six in two home games yielding only one goal. So maybe they struggle to break down teams at home. But they have hit 11 goals in two away games. Can they continue to pick teams off away from home or have they just run into two bad defences who played right into their hands ?
Timo who ?
– The one decision I had agonised over all week was whether to switch Werner to Jimenez for the start of a delicious run of Wolves games or roll the transfer for the juicy carrot of two free transfers during the international break. After all, Werner was due a goal , but opponents Palace had only conceded once this season, whereas Fulham headed to Wolves with ten previous goals in their onion bag. I showed pathological levels of resistance and rolled the transfer, then Werner duly turned in a shocker of a performance. And to think I turned down the missed goals of Vardy for this German “goal machine”. Werner resembled a headless chicken. Not exactly Wunderbar so far is it ??
– Which then made for an incredibly uncomfortable watch at Molyneaux, fully expecting to be heavily punished, before I finally emerged from behind the sofa with a Jimenez bullet well and truly dodged. So in the end, I somehow came out undamaged and with my golden TWO free transfers for the international break. I won this battle I think ?
Firing blanks:
– There was a certain symmetry to my strike force. Werner 2, Adams 2, Mitrovic 2.. It looks like my gamble on Che Adams failed but not for the want of trying. He could easily have had a double v West Brom. He could easily have had a double in every game. Unlucky or bad finishing ? So whilst Mitrovic and Adams have managed just two goals combined over the first four games, the likes of Kane, Calvert Lewin, Ings, Bamford, Vardy, Wilson Maupay, Richarlison, Ollie Watkins and “Uncle Tom Cobley and all” have been scoring for fun. You can see why I am behind the curve.
ASM
– That’s Alexander-Arnold, Saiss and McCarthy. The clean sheets from the latter too rescued my week with 17 points. But it was the other ASM , Saint Maximin, that added salt to the wounds, scoring 12 points after I ditched him for Mr Podence in GW3. You have to smile.
So what next:
– There seems to be a few hard luck stories in there but the fact remains that I am not catching the big hauls that many others above me are doing. Salah has made a great start, but I only own 2 of the top 20 points scorers, so it’s no surprise that I sit at 1.8M. Whilst there has been a certain random ness to some of the many goals, patterns are emerging too. Amongst the top six points scorers, are Kane, Son, Rodriguez and Calvert Lewin. And I don’t own a Spurs or Everton player !! Spurs have shown twice on the road how they can destroy teams, and Everton have won all four games, including 4-2 and 5-2 wins at home. Calvert-Lewin is fixture proof and on fire. He also has an EFL cup hat trick to his name. I can’t stand still and watch Spurs and Everton do that every week. That’s not random, it’s as clear as the nose on your face. I need Spurs and Everton NOW..
-There have been a few wildcard drafts with all four of Kane, Son, Calvert Lewin and Rodrigues in them. But we have seen the pitfalls of doubling up on teams already when form turns quickly. The Liverpool defensive double up was essential only last week in all wildcards, so was the Man City triple up after GW2 and the Wolves triple up after GW3. Chelsea were must own in GW1 and Man Utd were definitely essential in GW2. So is getting all four players and putting all your eggs in one basket the right play ?
– I have looked at the top 15 teams in 1 league of top FPL managers. Incredibly, despite the top 15 all displaying great ranks, many don’t have a Spurs player, many don’t have an Everton player, many only have one of the so called “must own big four”, and very few have more than two of them !!!! So that tells me that owning one from each is absolutely fine as long as I get some coverage. My analysis of these FPL managers also highlights that their teams are pretty damn similar to mine !!!!
My transfers:
– The decision to hold off on the Werner to Jimenez move last week, to roll for two transfers now, has proved a great one, as it gives me the flexibility and it means I can act quicker if I want to, as i have two transfers and can avoid a situation where I am forced into a -4 with two weeks still to the deadline. It was a deliberate ploy this year to “hold and have two” and it’s already proved a good idea and will encourage me to do so again. It requires high levels of patience at times, but the rewards can be there and hits avoided.
– I don’t like making early moves. Rather than fretting about a 0.1 here or there, I generally prefer to wait. I would much rather have players free of injuries and Covid, and the knock on effect of having to take big hits to rectify the damage of early moves. I expect a few spanners in the works following two weeks of internationals.
– Having said that, I have made two early transfers, as I wanted to address my Spurs and Everton “problem” and I would have been priced out otherwise, with the prospect of further price movements over the two week break.
Welcome on board Calvert Lewin
– I have said goodbye to Che Adams, a player who can’t hit a barn door from ten yards, and replaced him with Calvert Lewin, a player who simply can’t miss. Calvert Lewin now has 46% ownership and is simply too dangerous not to own. A rank killer. When strikers hit form, they are fixture proof. Let’s hope I haven’t broken him by signing him, like I usually do with Danny Ings !!
A ray of Son shine:
– To fund this, I have switched out Bruno Fernandes, despite two returns in three games, to get Spurs coverage through Son. Returns of 24 points and 18 points in his last two away games are obviously not sustainable but he also hit the woodwork twice v Newcastle. It’s a switch I am happy with, especially as it enables the Adams to Calvert-Lewin move.
Future plans:
– I could take a hit to do the postponed switch of Werner to Jimenez, but that doesn’t look wise when Werner has Southampton at home and Jimenez plays at Leeds. If Werner scores, and he is certainly due, Jimenez would have to score twice, just to simply break even with the hit. I do want Jimenez in my side, but I plan to further delay that move by another week and bring in Jimenez ahead of back to back home games v Newcastle and Palace.
– That will then also give me close to 1M cash, which gives me a multitude of options. I can upgrade Mitrovic to a host of in form 6.5 strikers, I can upgrade Podence, I can upgrade Bissouma to Soucek, or I can upgrade Justin or Taylor to a 5M defender. One move I am fancying is “downgrading” Podence after the favourable Wolves fixtures, to Soucek, which coincides with West Ham fixtures improving with Fulham at home. That would give me around 1.5M to spend…
– So whilst I am not happy with my current rank, I am happy with my clear plans, and I am happy that I have taken steps to address what I need to do to turn my arrows green and get things moving in the right direction.
Wildcard or not ?
– There will be a lot of wildcards played over the international break. It makes great sense to benefit from price changes and boost team value. It’s a great time to hit the button to give yourself two weeks of tinkering and respond to what crops up during the break. I have gone early with my moves, because I know if I get unlucky with injuries or Covid, I know I have the security of having the wildcard there. But I don’t plan to use it currently. Ask me next week and that could all change !!!
– But I look at my team with the two moves I have made and I am really only a couple of further moves from being exactly where I want to be. I don’t feel like I need to wildcard. I know I will see some Wildcard drafts and they will look amazing and I will want the same, but I said the same ahead of GW3 and GW4 and those teams looked equally amazing too and I didn’t cave in. And those teams have not caught fire. What’s great in a wildcard team one week looks totally different to what looks great in a wildcard team the week after, such is the topsy turvey nature of this season.
– I have read some interesting threads about the difficulties that could arise around not having a wildcard to navigate GW18 and GW19 when it could be carnage with teams blanking in GW18 and doubling in GW19. To hold the first wildcard to the last possible date in GW16 can be a major advantage to navigate it. Otherwise, the second wildcard might be needed instead, which then leaves you in a bit of a pickle with no free hits or wildcards for the last third of the season to survive the blanks and doubles of the FA cup postponements. A wildcard now genuinely might be storing up problems for later.
– Then there is COVID. Who knows what carnage that could cause to the fixtures. We saw the significant advantage that transpired last season “post lockdown” to those who had a wildcard up their sleeves. I still think those who can hold their wildcards will potentially be the ones who laugh loudest in the end. It’s a long season and we are playing for “the end game”
Transfer summary:
So far, I have done Adams to Calvert-Lewin, and Fernandes to Son.
I am still open to wildcarding, depending on what happens over the international break. But currently the plan is to hold it. But I could still change my mind. A day is a long time in FPL, let alone a week !!
GW5 Captain:
I am currently on Salah but I hate going captain first game, so that could easily be De Bruyne or Son.
Happy tinkering and enjoy the break. I think we all need a breather after such a bonkers start to the season !!
Here’s the team with transfers made:
Kev in Canada
Kev finished 48k last season 6k in 18/19 and 195k in 17/18
GW4 points: 60 (FPL average 48) Total points: 181, Overall Rank: 3,866k, green arrow: 1,065k Team Value: £99.9m
Follow Kev on twitter here
I made transfers Saturday: Martial and Saliba to Calvert Lewin and Chillwell. Calvert Lewin I need while Chillwell I want.
I moved early, as I was on the fence regarding wild card and if I did hit the button, I wanted those price changes to benefit me.
Reasons to wildcard:
-no Everton, Spurs
-wanted Alexander Arnold and Robertson double (before Sunday!)
-prices falling all over
-International break injuries may happen in next 2 weeks
-COVID scares likely will happen in next 2 weeks
Reasons not to Wildcard
-no real issues with my team
-save it for a future covid or injury team issue if none happen now this break
-save it to plan for double game week that could happen soonish, with MUN MCI BUR AVL
-the WC template is completely different (except for EVE) weekly. Am I really getting the players I want or just reacting to this weekend?
So it really came down to a fight between battling the psychological pain of falling prices and the want for the safety of still having the WC.
Ultimately, I looked online and saw that every wildcard looked very similar with double ups of players that just did well. While they also had removed players from MUN, CHE, MCI and the Alexander Arnold/Robertson double. Which is completely different than only one week ago. This ‘completely changing every week WC template’ pushed me to hold off, as I feel my team as of now could be the WC template in two weeks. Who knows. My brother talked me out of it at the last minute before prices changed on me Sunday night.
I was going to try to stay calm and collected this season and have already had gut check moments like this, weekly. However it seems most players are in the same boat as me. Realistically, if you havent had a Everton double up and a Spurs double up, along with Mo in GW1 it has been a tough start.
I have had none of those things.
That’s OK. It can all change.
Good luck.
Transfer summary: Martial and Saliba OUT to Calvert Lewin and Chillwell IN.
Here’s the team with transfers complete
Harry Vernon
Harry Vernon’s last 4 seasons are 22k, 6k an incredible 224th and 6k
GW4 points: 61 (FPL average 48) Total points: 217, Overall Rank: 1,662k, green arrow: 738k Team Value: £100.9m
Follow Harry on twitter here
I have made two early transfers.
Havertz and Werner-> Kane and Son
Here’s his team with the transfers made:
Other posts
Analysing the teams of 10 top FPL managers
Costas Chari activates his wildcard
Joseph Crilley and Kris O hit the wildcard button
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