Gameweek 7 has passed us by and we find ourselves in another international break.
Here’s our early thoughts ahead of gameweek 8 and a review of what we learnt from the previous week. However, this is also your chance to get questions answered so if you have any FPL questions you want us to address, message @FPLwithStu on X.
The 3 main title contenders (Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool) all won but in very different ways. Liverpool’s transformation under Slot has been relatively smooth and the team seems to be thriving. An early goal from Jota (£7.4m) would have had many expecting a more comfortable scoreline and some more returns for the likes of Salah (£12.7m) and co. However, it stayed at 1-0 leaving a lot of FPL managers disappointed. The main issue for many will be Luis Diaz’s (£8.0m) drop to the bench – he’s owned by 34.5% of managers so his future game time is certainly under question more.
Image source: Evening Standard
City looked vulnerable against an impressive Fulham who were unlucky not to win a game they ended up losing 3-2. If Troare could finish…
Haaland (£15.4m) went missing and didn’t register one “big chance”. He’s an incredible striker but without the supply, he can’t score – he’s not the sort of player to take control of a game himself. His expected goals were 0.25 in a match which saw 5 goals, 18 shots (plus another 12 blocked shots) which could concern owners. I would say given his quality and generally high levels of goalscoring consistency combined with a very nice upcoming set of fixtures, there’s no need to panic. Captaincy on the other hand is getting harder to call correctly.
Arsenal got past lowly Southampton in a 3-1 scoreline that looks more comfortable than it was. The Saints took the lead but Arsenal showed their quality, as did Saka (£10.1m) especially, to turn the game around and come away with 3 points. Saka owners will be delighted with a haul at last, after his consistency has brought many returns but no double digit returns since gameweek 1. Owners will be concerned by his limping off for England in the international break and is now flagged. Personally, I expect him to play but we haven’t heard reliable details of the extent of the injury. Arteta has historically been untrustworthy in his press conferences when discussing injuries and the chances of return to action so take what he says with a pinch of salt.
Aston Villa and Man United dished out a dull 0-0. Almost predictable given Villa’s efforts in mid-week against Bayern Munich and Man United’s need to try to tighten up at the back. Neither team looked like they had either the energy or ideas to win the game. This is the concern for owners of Villa players – they may put a lot into the Champions league at the expense of league matches.
Brentford continued their unbelievable record from kick off’s, scoring within 2 minutes again. The game against Wolves turned into a goal-fest and Mbeumo (£7.5m) continues his great form with another goal, this time from the penalty spot. Man United up next will be an interesting one given their approach to the Villa game. At home it won’t be acceptable to sit back and defend like they did at Villa so Brentford could find the space that so many other teams have exploited this season. Mbeumo is looking essential and the fixtures are kind too.
Wolves, meanwhile are clearly a defence to be targeting! No clean sheets and no wins…and Man City next.
Image source: tribalfootball
Bournemouth continue to look good but are passing up a lot of chances. They are clearly missing Dom Solanke (£7.6m). They may have lost to Leicester but they put up pretty decent underlying numbers as did Semenyo (£5.7m) which means he remains on the list of best budget midfielders.
Leicester are a little more difficult to analyse from an FPL point of view. Their scorers and assisters are fairly unpredictable, probably because of the pragmatic nature of their play as a newly promoted side. Vardy (£5.7m) started again but now hasn’t scored in 3 games – owners should be comforted by the fact he’s starting and the fixtures are relatively nice (not that there’s any easy games in the league, especially for those primarily fighting for survival).
The floodgates opened for West Ham at last but I wouldn’t get too excited about the likes of Bowen (£7.4m) or Antonio (£5.4m), upcoming fixtures are a mixed bag with some really difficult ones. Not the time to jump on West Ham assets but perhaps ones to watch.
Newcastle and Everton saw out a 0-0 draw. A missed penalty from Gordon will be a kick in the teeth for those that have held on to him. Newcastle have struggled generally this year so I’d steer clear for now – they’ll probably turn it around at some point though. Everton have been mixed and a bit unpredictable – an FPL manager’s nightmare. McNeil (£5.7m) and Calvert-Lewin (£6.0m) are still decent picks given the fixtures ahead but they’re bargains for a reason – they just less likely to be consistent.
Image source: mirror
Chelsea have probably been better than expected but the many who bought Palmer (£10.8m) on the back of his 4 goal haul the week before would have been disappointed and perhaps surprised by a blank. This is Chelsea through and through – they will look great some weeks but others they will get unstuck. Palmer is a premium player with a big price tag for a reason but I expect more variability week to week – he’ll haul then he’ll blank. If you want slow and steady, don’t go for Palmer.
Brighton found their feet again against Spurs. A great game for the neutrals, delivered everything you’d hope for. Pretty much all the most highly owned players from each, featured in goals. I don’t know that we learnt much though – Spurs will play the Ange way right to the death and we know that Brighton have quality and tactical nous. Maddison (£7.5m) is still flying under the radar and at 5.3% ownership feels like a great differential – I wouldn’t pick him over Mbeumo but if you can fit them both in then more for you!
Top transfers so far
Image source: FPL
Mbeumo as already stated is becoming essential. His price, fixtures and form just scream: great FPL asset. Plus the added bonus of being an attacker who is listed as a midfielder…oh and he’s on pens – so the only question is why don’t you have him yet?
Saka’s place on this list is interesting. Clearly a lot of managers are knee-jerking from his haul in the last game but may be worried about paying the price of moving too soon during an international break. For what it’s worth, I think he’ll play. If you have him, he’s a definite hold until we know more nearer the deadline. If you are thinking of bringing him in, then hold off because there’s no point if he turns out the be out of action for a while.
Johnson (£6.6m) has been in great form for Spurs and can’t stop scoring. Fixtures are pretty decent but I’d prefer Maddison if you can afford him.
McNeil’s price plus his attacking role in the team is reason enough to include him. Probably the best budget option out there but don’t overlook the likes of Semenyo and Smith-Rowe.
Palmer is obviously a great choice. Strange timing for so many to still bring him in, with Liverpool away up next. Nonetheless, he’s capable of breaking down any defence and it’ll be an interesting game.
Image source: thespurs.news
Diaz was dropped for Gakpo but I expect it’s linked to Champion’s League gametime and general squad rotation. It’s the issue with top teams – they have competition for places. I don’t think his race is done as an FPL asset but owners should keep an eye on his next couple of games to check his role.
Salah is an interesting one – he’s been in and out and I suspect his price makes people demand he returns every week. He did get subbed off last game which is a bit unheard of – are we seeing the start of his minutes being managed? He’s still likely to score plenty of FPL points but we can’t have them all so I can see why managers are veering away. If he hauls against Chelsea though, watch him climb back up the ownership rankings!
We’ll be back with some more ahead gameweek 8, including our team reveal. If you have any comments or questions you want us to answer message us @FPLwithStu on X.
