Here’s FFGeek contributor Paul Williams with his bi-weekly ‘Diary of an FPL Manager’ series. This week, Paul is focusing on the current advantages and disadvantages of setting up with three or four starting players in defence. Paul is one of the Top 10 FPL Managers I follow and finished with an overall rank of 412 last season, 1,382 in 16/17 and 7,164 in 15/16.
Paul Williams ‘Diary of an FPL Manager’ – Squad Structure: Three or Four in Defence
You can read more from Paul in his ‘Diary of an FPL Manager’ series on his Facebook blog using this link.
If you’ve read any of my blog posts this season, then you’ll know that in previous years I’ve nearly always followed a 3-4-3 formation – occasionally switching to 3-5-2, but always three at the back.
The rise in prominence this season of the premium priced full-backs (particularly left-backs) left me questioning whether I needed to change with the times and start looking at four, maybe even five, playing defenders. What is more, this has been exacerbated by misfiring forwards – of which there are plenty this season.
In this post, I will look at the advantages and disadvantages of playing three or four at the back:
Three at the back (3-4-3 / 3-5-2)
As I’ve said, this is my favoured formation which has served me well in my previous finishes. It is the formation structure that I started this season with before flirting with four at the back. I don’t necessarily think it is the optimum formation to pursue, but it is the one that I feel most comfortable with and the structure that I will probably fit my squad into during the coming Gameweeks.
You are basically allowing the approximate amounts to be spent in each position:
* 9.0m – 9.5m to be spent on your GKs
* 24.5m – 25.5m to be spent on your defenders, e.g. 6.5m, 6.0m, 4.5m, 4.5m, 4.0m
* 38.0m – 39.0m to be spent on your mids, e.g. 13.0m, 9.5m, 6.5m, 5.5m, 4.5m
* 27.0m – 27.5m to be spent on your forwards, e.g. 11.0m, 9.5m, 6.5m
The difference between the pricing of your midfielders and forwards would vary depending on whether you had Salah or Kane, for instance.
This is my preferred structure because it enables you to have two top-end defenders, two expensive midfielders (three if you omit Salah) and two heavily priced forwards. Plus, if you stick to the structure, then you are unlikely to price yourself out of potential targets. For example, if you know you have, say, 6.5m – 7.0m for a mid-priced midfielder, then you can switch between them as fixtures change.
Four at the back (4-3-3 / 4-4-2)
Arguably, this is what most managers are moving towards given the form, value offered and points scoring potential of defenders, such as: Alonso, Robertson, Trippier, Mendy, Holebas, van Aanholt, Bellerin, Shaw, etc, etc.
Like the majority of managers, by Gameweek Four, I had completely messed with my pre-planned structure to accommodate: Alonso, Robertson and Mendy. Furthermore, at the time, it looked like all three were indispensable. A week later, I played my Wildcard and was a fully signed up member of the four at the back club with the above three and Luke Shaw.
However, circumstances began to change – Mendy went missing, Alonso’s attacking output started to decrease and Man United’s defence started to become about as reliable as Riyad Mahrez taking a last minute penalty. This is where, rightly or wrongly, I lost my nerve with four at the back. If I traded Mendy for Trippier, then I have no doubt I would still be setting up with four at the back. Yet, I fell back to what I felt comfortable with and started to invest further up the field.
Going forward
So what is the best solution going forward? Unquestionably, this has been an odd season so far – the most expensive attacking players have faltered and the costly, forward thinking defenders have definitely been offering better value. However, history tells us that this won’t be the case throughout the season – and there are signs that the money many managers have tied up in defenders will be needed elsewhere, e.g.
* Kane – By Gameweek Fifteen, Spurs would still only have played five ‘home’ games (including matches against Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea) – not the easiest of starts. Kane will surely pick up as the fixtures ease.
* Aubameyang – Four goals in his last fifty-seven minutes – and his phenomenal record since he joined Arsenal – point to someone nearing top form. Funds should perhaps be kept aside.
* De Bruyne – The return of De Bruyne (arguably the best player in the league) is a big thing in itself, but the effect he has on those around him is arguably even more significant. His return could, and maybe should, see an increase in output from both Aguero and Sterling.
This is without mentioning Hazard (the one premium player consistently delivering) and the Liverpool ensemble headed by Salah.
Summary
The upcoming weeks should be interesting, particularly if the big-hitters start performing. Budget, money and how you spend it, which hasn’t been a huge issue so far, will become far more important. Don’t underestimate the value of players often forgotten, ignored and taken for granted, like: Hojbjerg and Wan-Bissaka!
You can read more from Paul in his ‘Diary of an FPL Manager’ series on his Facebook blog using this link
Follow us on twitter and facebook and instagram for article updates and news
Geek League links and details
Enter PIN: 8367679
League PIN is SGDKX9Y3
