With the international break, it feels like gameweek 11 was ages ago. However, here is how it went for me and my plan for gameweek 12 and beyond.
Gameweek 11 review
48 points (against an average of 49). A poor week really and the team definitely needs some work if I’m to turn this season around…hence my plans.
Smith Rowe and Cunha saved my score and a non-captained Haaland getting a goal did nothing for me really.
Son blanked against Ipswich, and captaining him was always a little against the grain. It could have paid off but Spurs are very inconsistent, as are which players get the FPL points so I’ve made my decision to fully veer away from them.
Gameweek 12 team and transfers
As said, an overhaul is needed. I’ve got too many players who are either just ok or simply not good enough. Whether that’s in terms of form or upcoming fixtures.
I’ve done something I’ve not attempted in previous seasons.
My usual approach is to make changes up against the deadline – the purpose of this is to ensure I transfer in fit players, maybe even get some early team news, and so that I’ve fully thought through my decisions.
This season hasn’t been going so well for me and so I’ve decided to hit Wildcard at the start of the international break. The advantage has been the ability to tinker through the last fortnight but also grab some players before their prices rise.
So here is my current Wildcard draft:
In defence I’ve looked for coverage across Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea (based on fixtures and form).
Gvardiol served me well but it’s been based on goals which, for a centre-back turned full-back, I can’t rely on. I’ll prefer safer bets of clean sheets going forward. Rico Lewis also drops out – despite his low price I expect less game time and the lack of both attacking and defensive returns means his price is irrelevant.
My premium defender is Gabriel and I’ve got Konate as a Liverpool starter. I’d love to have Van Dijk but it’s a lot of budget to tie up in 2 defenders so Konate is preferred based on price.
Sanchez in goal gets me Chelsea defence and while I’d back Raya to outscore him, I prefer the cheaper option as I’m never a fan of premium goalkeepers. I do have the budget to upgrade him to Raya and may do before the deadline but it will limit my flexibility in later weeks.
I’ve selected 3 lower/mid-price defenders to make up the rest. All are fairly nailed on for starts with decent fixtures and chances of cleansheets and rotate quite well (i.e. a bad fixture for one will make for an easy benching in place of one with an easier game).
Salah is a must, especially given I’ve gone without Haaland (more on that later). Palmer is preferred to Saka, primarily because of injury concerns and I believe Palmer is more likely to haul compared to Saka being more slow and steady on returns. Both are great options and this is the main compromise in my team.
I can’t go without Mbeumo nor can I ignore Bruno Fernandes’ form. A new manager and the only Man United player I’ve gone with because he’s basically the only one I’m sure will play!
Smith Rowe has been good to me so I’m keeping him both out of loyalty and because of his form and fixtures. Semenyo, McNeil and Rogers could all have made the cut and I’d probably favour the Bournemouth man out of those. Already having Smith Rowe has probably swayed me but he has been good.
Upfront, Haaland has been sold. I’m nervous because he’s hit a hat trick for Norway during the international break and I’m sure that his and City’s form will turn around soon. I just can’t go on without Salah given his higher potential for returns – being a midfielder means his goals get more points and his bonus points have really made a difference to his points tally.
Isak comes in, a little bit of a risk and I toyed with Jackson being my choice there. I’ve already got Palmer so I figured Isak being on penalties and his form being better gives him the edge.
Many will think Welbeck is the better Brighton forward option and Pedro is only just back from injury. However, he is their talisman and their best player, he’s also on penalties. I accept his minutes will get restricted by the competition of Welbeck and Ferguson but I think the upside is too good.
Team selection and captaincy
Salah gets the armband in what feels and obvious choice. I go for an attacking line-up with all strikers on the pitch. I am weighing up finding room for Smith Rowe in the starting 11 given a nice home fixture to Wolves however it would probably mean dropping Cunha to make room – that is high risk given they play each other.
Conclusion
I’ve gone for the Wildcard. The next 6 gameweeks leading up to Christmas will be make or break for my FPL season hence the need for a shake up. Let’s hope the logical decisions I’ve made, pay off!
Get your thoughts over to us, tell us what you plan to do and any questions you want answering to @FPLwithStu on X.
