Eight-time top 10k finisher Zophar hosts his weekly FPL Q&A ahead of Gameweek 13. The topics include whether four premiums (Jeremy) is overkill, best Arsenal players and a forward dilemma.
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keep Mbeumo
Q: Is it time to prioritise gametime/nailedness and saving transfers? For example, I am considering Ollie Watkins to Matheus Cunha this week but that’s a transfer used up.
Best Arsenal players
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A: The Christmas schedule has been intricately detailed in two excellent articles by Neale and Pras this week which I highly recommend checking out.
I think prioritising nailed players and saving transfers are two different questions. I think yes, players like Cunha are worth their weight in gold over this period over a congested schedule. For example, if I was to own one of Watkins over Cunha for December it would be the Brazilian with Villa having Carabao Cup, UCL and Premier League commitments every midweek now till the new year.
However, after Chelsea Villa do have Brentford and Southampton at home. Watkins could be rested in one of those fixtures so it’s a bit of a toss up. I think with the form Cunha is in, I’d make the move.
Now talking about saving transfers, I think the key is not to be too knee-jerky. With a congested schedule, it’s important to have a clear plan and not be attracted by short-term bandwagons. At the same time, if you see an opportunity there, take it. An example of that is next week – I like the idea of moving Mbeumo on for Bowen, with both having similar expected minutes, purely due to West Ham’s fixtures and Bowen’s low ownership.
Q: Short term how do you rank Matheus Cunha, Nicolas Jackson and Alexander Isak? Say till Boxing Day-ish.
FPL Gameweek 12 round-up: Saturday’s goals, assists, bonus points + stats
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A: The return of Callum Wilson to Newcastle’s squad has muddied the waters slightly for Alexander Isak in my book. While I do think the Swedish international will start games still, we might see him either subbed off for Wilson or moved on to the wing which dents his appeal. When Wilson is on the pitch, he is the big chance hogger for the Magpies. Additionally, I expect Wilson to want penalties. So because of this, I think I would put Isak in third.
The congested schedule could mean a rest for Jackson but the way he is playing and what he offers to the team, I just don’t see it. I think he will start every game unless he picks up his fifth yellow card but might see reduced minutes when there’s three games a week. Chelsea’s fixtures are immense, the Blues are creating more chances than Newcastle which would put him in second for me.
Cunha would be my top pick, the fixtures are fantastic for Wolves all the way to Boxing Day and he is the clear talisman for a Wolves side that are on the up. Completely secure for minutes, on set pieces and possibly penalties, there is absolutely no reason not to buy Cunha right now. The cheaper price also enables upgrades elsewhere.
Q: Is Erlling Haaland the ultimate differential? Is it viable to go four-mium with Haaland, Mohamed Salah, Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka? Assuming that you can’t have all four, do Haaland, Salah, Palmer or Saka have any teammates who can cover them?
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Saka + Palmer among eight to pull out of England squad
A: I think having Haaland and Salah alongside another other premium is a stretch in itself. Going for Haaland, Salah, Palmer and Saka is definitely a step too far and will decimate the rest of your squad down to bare bones in a period where depth is key.
With Haaland now, the fixtures are a bit mixed in the short term. Forest at home in Gameweek 14 is captain-worthy but the games against Liverpool, Palace and Villa certainly less so. If you’re not going to captain him, then essentially you’re going Haaland + cheap mid vs Cunha + say Saka. That doesn’t feel ideal in the short term.
However, from Gameweek 18 the fixtures are incredible and that’s when people will possibly be making plans to get him back in. So do you wait it out till then? That’s your call, Haaland is still getting chances despite Man City’s malaise and will likely find the back of the net plenty of times over December. He is a differential, but I think he’s only the ‘ultimate’ differential if you see yourself captaining him over the next 4 Gameweeks.
I don’t believe any of the cheaper alternatives such as Havertz or Jackson can ‘cover’ them, the question we ask is are they good picks in isolation? Let’s look at all 4 teams – Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool.
With City, there’s nobody else racking up big numbers and with Foden out of sorts, there’s nobody else you can go in attack.
At Chelsea, Jackson is an excellent pick and my choice if I was to get a mid-priced forward now. Again, he can’t cover Palmer but is a good investible pick.
Havertz is a bit more tricky, he had started every game for the Gunners until now but was benched for the plum home fixture against Forest. I think there are several other forward options I would look at before the German.
At Liverpool, its all Salah, with the congested schedule the minutes for none of the other forwards are reliable.
Q: I have Salah, Palmer and Haaland but I desperately want Saka. Is it worth taking hits (-4/-8) this week to transfer Haaland to Watkins/Jackson and upgrade Rogers to Saka? Selling Haaland next week with Nottingham Forest at home feels instinctively wrong. Do we wait for Haaland? What’s the threshold for selling?
Best Arsenal players
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A: I am in a similar position, I have the premium trio you mentioned and watching Saka for the last two games with Odegaard back has me concerned. Arsenal’s December schedule in terms of travel and difficulty are both excellent and you expect them to pick up points in December to put the pressure on Liverpool.
It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster of emotions this week. I was very tempted to rage transfer out Haaland after the blank against Spurs, especially seeing Cunha rack up back-to-back hauls. But I ended up doing Raul to Joao Pedro instead and held my second free transfer.
With the midweek games, I watched the City match up until about the 70th minute, they were cruising 3-0 at the time, Haaland had a couple of goals, and I thought maybe City are getting some mojo back. Then they proceeded to completely capitulate and we saw the sorry images of Guardiola at full time. Felt like I should jump ship.
Liverpool were dominant against Madrid but now there is a possibility that the Reds might be without Konate against Man City. Now I’m leaning towards possibly holding Haaland and captaining him next week against Forest.
If you’re going to jump off, now is the time. I’m in two minds myself, it would be Haaland + Semenyo/Rogers vs Saka + Cunha for the next 3-4 Gameweeks and on paper the second combination does look far better.
I think if you feel Palmer is a better captaincy option away to Southampton than Haaland is at home to Forest, I would make the move for Haaland out.
Q: Do you think Arsenal will win the most points amongst all clubs from now until February? If yes, which three Arsenal assets should we prioritize?
Best Arsenal players
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A: I can’t say whether they will pick up the ‘most’ points, but I do think they will pick up a lot of points given the schedule and their first-choice players available. The three Arsenal assets I like are Saka, Gabriel and Timber.
We will be discussing these questions and more on the Gameweek 13 episode of the FPL Wire. You can check it out here.
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