Fantasy Football Fixture Analysis Gameweek 4
Welcome to Fantasy Football Fixture Analysis Gameweek 4. Ahem, hi, let me just adjust this seat a bit. Not sat in it for a good while now. It’s much lower than I remember it being… Hang on, he’s replaced it with a bloody couch! Typical laid back lazy Americans. There’s fried chicken remnants down the sides, Coke bottles and empty pizza boxes all over the shop too. I hate to think what he’s been feeding you all in terms of actual content if the state of this place is anything to go by! Yep, Guy is having a well deserved break so I’m back in the hot seat for a week, back in my old job and what a pleasure it is to be here again. Now if only I could remember what it is I’m actually supposed to be doing then all will be good. Something about fixtures yeah? Good and bad? Maybe resurrect the one week punts? It’s all coming back to me now, let’s go see if any of the old magic is still there…
If only I could actually reach the keyboard from this big dent in the new sofa…
The Fixture Tracker…
Gameweek Tracker GW4-11
Favourable Fixtures
Oh dear! This used to be so easy… check the tracker and there would always be a few teams with a decent run of games and a few with the opposite. Checking the tracker right now there are few with a consistent run of either, none that you would absolutely hang your hat on for 3 wins or 3 losses anyway. In fact, if you take the fixture tracker as gospel (don’t, it’s subjective!) we actually have just 3 teams with a solid green rating out of the next 30 matches over a 3 week period. Guess I’ll have to actually do some work here then, dig a bit deeper and think outside of the box a bit.
Here’s the teams who I think may do you well for you over the next few weeks then, just maybe not every week…
Liverpool – Man City (A), Burnley (H), Leicester (A)
When judging a fixture as favourable or not there is a tendency to simply think ‘will they win easily, and possibly to nil?’. With Liverpool we should really throw that thinking out of the window and view it more as simply ‘could they score a load?’. The City game this week sums that up really. Will they keep them out or indeed win? Who knows. Can they score against them? Almost certainly! The reason being is that we all know well enough to avoid their defence, that’s a given. If anything you have their attackers on board and so really that’s all we need to consider for them. Traditionally, at least under Klopp, they are finding the big teams easier to play against and the ‘weaker’ ones more of a struggle. This is due to Pulis and co shutting up shop, parking 6 buses, 3 coaches and 2 Guy sized sofas behind the ball and allowing them no space to run into. City may be a big team but we also know that defending is their weak point too so there should be goals in this one.
Burnley may well try to shut up shop but they aren’t great at doing so away from home so this one could be a massacre if Liverpool turn it on. Leicester away could be awkward. Not so much in terms of scoring but more in terms of the tactics involved. Both will almost certainly approach it with counter attack in mind. The ball itself could well spend a lot of time in the centre circle untouched then until one team finally blinks and launches an attack! If they do go at it though it could well be 4-4.
There’s no reason not to expect a hat full of Liverpool goals though, over the piece.
Man United – Stoke (A), Everton (H), Southampton (A)
Would I want United fantasy assets right now? Yep. From back to front? Yep. If I had just one or two would I want more? Damn straight I would. This lot look the real deal. 10 unanswered goals has sent a strong message out. Looking at the fixtures presented to them they would have been targeting all 9 points, which they achieved, but to do it so emphatically and ruthlessly is impressive. Whilst others dithered and dathered in the transfer market, and let’s face it plain embarrassed themselves in some cases, Jose and co cut to the chase early doors, identified their needs and addressed them clinically. You could argue all day long that they slightly overpaid for both Matic and Lukaku but both are in, making a huge impact and putting points on the board for them. Which is what matters.
On paper the next 3 games could actually be challenging but I think they’ll come close to taking all 9 points from this trio too. Stoke away is never easy for anyone but this is no limp Arsenal team going there. This is a rampant United team. Stoke have only scored 2 in their 3 games so I’d happily play my United defenders and as for the attackers 10 goals so far says it all. Everton will be a tougher task and if they do drop their first points this season it will be in this one. The Lukaku / Rooney factor will be the feature here, assuming Rooney doesn’t spend the evening before weaving around the roads of Cheshire playing Robert De Niro to a damsel in no distress in a VW Beetle… Saints feel on a par with the teams from the opening 3 games and I’d expect a similar (ish) outcome from that one.
West Ham – Huddersfield (H), West Brom (A), Spurs (H)
This could be a tough sell, even to the most ardent Hammers fan! If they can somehow get it together though they really do have a decent run here all the way out to GW10, aside from the Spurs game as noted above, and even that one has recent happy memories for them, the run includes Huddersfield, West Brom, Swansea, Burnley, Brighton and Palace. That’s hardly a frightening set of games so if you need to go for a mid priced striker to fund your moves elsewhere then Chicarito could serve his purpose here. Maybe even Antonio comes into the conversation again as a mid priced midfielder. But hey, as Guy always says- ‘the players are someone else’s job, I’m just here to point you at the fixtures’. Looking at the results that the recent Captain Article got though I’d maybe reconsider that stance a bit there Guy! Hi James 😉
I’m sure they can score a few given those games. I’m not entirely convinced I’d back them to not concede their fair share though. Now ok, according to Gareth Southgate they have England’s best keeper so that should all be fine then. That’s unless you’ve witnessed ANYTHING HE’S DONE ON AN ACTUAL FOOTBALL PITCH IN SAY THE LAST 3 SEASONS :rant: Sorry, got a bit irate there. Calmed down now. FFS GARETH! Ok, calm. Don’t buy their defenders, but yeah look at their attackers by all means.
Newcastle – Swansea (A), Stoke (H), Brighton (A)
Oh dear Lord, I really must be scraping the barrel here! Why did I jot them down as potentially having ‘favourable fixtures’ again?! Honestly, I’ve had to go away and check. It seems it was simply to say that in the next 8 they only play 1 of the ‘big teams’. The other 7 are all against more equal opposition, aka fellow relegation favourites. That’s not really to say go out and buy any more Toon players, more that if you somehow invested in one in the first place that you’d be ok to stick with them for a bit and tend to more pressing matters elsewhere.
The transfer window was an unprecedented disaster for Newcastle… Sorry, what I meant to say was – the transfer window was exactly what their fans and Rafa himself expected and mirrored many previous ones. The manager lost and Ashley won – by spending practically nothing. We’ve been here before. Careful what you wish for though as Rafa is about four levels above any manager they can attract to rescue them when the inevitable Newcastle circus begins again. The only thing that is keeping him there is that he has to pay them about £5m ,I believe, if he walks. I’m sure there will be plenty of clubs in need of a quality manager come Christmas who would happily sort that small bill out to bring in a top notch manager like him.
Less Favourable Fixtures
Everton – Spurs (H), Man United (A), Bournemouth (H)
I’ll be honest here – I added Everton just so as to not disappoint Guy! He’s a huge Everton fan, as am I, and he’s had them in here every week so far and almost apologised for it. But the truth is they have had a horrendous start handed to them in terms of fixtures. I can only assume the fixture guy at the PL HQ is a sadistic Liverpool fan. The nightmare run is almost done though. Just two more toughies ahead, Spurs and Man United, and then it’s Everton time for everyone! Well ok, maybe Siggy time. And perhaps Baines time. All the B’s are next – Bournemouth, Burnley and Brighton.
Bournemouth – Arsenal (A), Brighton (H), Everton (A)
The Cherries make the bad step here predominantly because ownership of their players sits mainly with their defensive players and I’m looking at their next 8 games and not seeing a whole lot of clean sheets on the horizon. 5 of their next 8 are against Arsenal, Everton, Leicester, Spurs and Chelsea. Certainly don’t go buying any and if you have some already then they may be an option to sell if you need to free up spaces anywhere.
West Ham – Huddersfield (H), West Brom (A), Spurs (H)
Look, just don’t say you weren’t warned 😉
One Week Punt
Swansea vs Newcastle
Just to completely contradict some things said above…
Sometimes a transfer window closing with a massive positive vibe (versus a massive negative one) can actually give a club an extra spring in their step and so for this reason I’m going for Swansea this week. They’ve brought in a player they really had no right to even be linked to, never mind actually signing him, in Renato Sanches. Add in re-signing a former fan favourite in Bony and you can imagine that the atmosphere at The Liberty will be electric this weekend. I can’t actually remember whether the One Week Punt was supposed to recommend a team or a player now so let’s go both – Swansea for the win and Wilfried Bony to score well on his return. For anyone with that ‘floating’ cheap 3rd striker he’s firmly in that bracket at just £6.0m and I would take a punt on him this week for sure if you could. He boasted a record of almost 1 goal every 2 games for them in his last spell.
Thanks for reading Fantasy Football Fixture Analysis Gameweek 4. This article was written by inittowinit
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Hi everyone,
and thanks for the articles.
2 FTE, 0.9 ITB
I am considering:
1- KdB–>Mané, save 1FT;
2- KdB, Willian–>Mikhi, Salah (0.1 short for Mané!);
3- KdB, Willian–>Silva, Mané;
4- KdB, Yoshida/Hegazi–>Mikhi, Alonso;
5- KdB, Mee–>Silva, Alonso (still 0.1 short for Mikhi).
Any other idea?
Cheers!
A readable version of my team.
That’s a tough one Vinci but I would go with either 2 or 3. You need Pool attack in there for sure!
Thanks Matt.
I already have Firmino of course, but Mané and Salah look like they will keep on producing good points as well!
Ah sorry I thought that was Lukaku!! Haha still I’d go with 2 or 3 it really depends on whether you want City or United double up
There is currently a debate going on over rotation regarding Southampton defenders, Stephens and Yoshida. Either one of them is supposed to get the axe. So keep your eyes on that as well since you do not have decent back ups. Yoshida > Cedric would be ideal if rotation is indeed expected.
If not, then KDB > Erisksen/Alli would be my choice considering Spurs’ fixtures.
There’s a Mkhitaryan vs Eriksen going on right now and Erik has just scored his 6th goal in 8 games in these qualifiers to put Denmark ahead (1-2) with a trademark free-kick. What a class player.
He really is an amazing player! The debate in my mind right now is whether to downgrade Kane to Morata and upgrade Groß to Eriksen and tbh I’m considering it with the form Eriksen is in! I’m kind of surprised Barca didn’t try buy him when Liverpool said no to Coutinho.
Kane and Grob vs Morata and Eriksen should be a no brainer (minus the capo factor). I have Alli and I do like the bloke too but Eriksen is at another level as a player. As for Barca, well, not sure what’s going on there to be fair. I think they are not used to clubs snubbing their bids so they may still be trying to understand what happened there. And I also suspect they’d be in for another “no” had they called Levy.
Yeah that’s what I’m thinking it’s just that it’s September now so Kane could end up exploding so might hold off for another week.
I actually think Barca are losing the power and influence they used to have. Like Xavi is gone, Iniesta, Messi and Pique are ageing and they haven’t really been able to bring in a stable manager since Pep. I’d say if they did call Levy it would definitely have been a no haha
Eriksen vs Alli.
Please discuss.
Given even game time they’ll probably end up on similar ish points come the end. They’ll just go about it in different ways. If Erik could up his goal tally by 5-7 though he’d be the best option as he’s more consistent with his assists. Got another one tonight (an assist) to add to the goal DMC mentioned earlier.
Erik is the bloke you just leave in your squad and watch the flow of points come in.
Alli is likely to be more explosive, score a brace and then do nothing for 2/3 games.
As Init says, really not much in it – Alli will make a few gameweeks special, but you’ll never get itchy fingers and feel like selling Erik.
I prefer Alli because I prefer goals to assists. Both are pretty consistent and there’s never anything between them
Yes the B the Viking for me more consistent but they will be about equal by the end of the season.
Well I think I’ve said my piece but this is a passionate discussion. I’ll start by saying that we are blessed to have these two around both fantasy and real play wise. As a player Eriksen has the flair and the class and he knows everything about that perfect pass that makes us love this game so much more than the goal mouth tap in. That said Alli is also immense and although younger he has had an amazing trajectory. As fantasy assets it has been documented. Erik for assists and bonus and a few goals. Alli for goals and a few bonus and assists. Pick your poison or dare we pick both?
Calm down there Shakespeare, it wasn’t that passionate
Ehehe it wasn’t but it now is!!
Mkhi or Pogba? I have not seen much of United this season
Not sure on this Smash I thk I will probably go Pogba only just he’s more likely not to be rotated 😉
Probably a very similar situation to above. Albeit with their starting positions actually reversed in terms of the assister playing further forward than the scorer.
Might just WC, stick all 4 across the middle and forget about it
But then where do you put Salah and Mane!! 😉 haha
5 man mid and 1 on the bench 😉
A man can dream haha
I was about to say the same as Init, it’s pretty much the same as above but in my opinion I think Mikhi could be closer to rotation than Pog especially when CL starts next week so I’d be more inclined to go with Pogba.
Rotation would be my qualm with him but if he keeps producing like this I think he may well ride it. He’s only doing what we all thought he would do last season now, which is what we he did in Germany prior to that. Just took a year settling in for some reason, as some do. On the rotation thing too – this is Jose’s 2nd season and that’s usually the exciting one where he will play attackers against anyone so I don’t think even when they get to the ‘big games’ that Mikhi is as at risk as he would have been. After Christmas may be a different story when they (Jose) goes into results mode, assuming they already have the points on the board.
Yeah true he’s performed for some time now and ain’t been rotated in ages
Yeah that’s true I forgot that from October to Christmas in Season 2 is when Jose remembers where the other goals are. I think last year Mikhi had injury problems as well so hopefully he’s past that but I’d still be wary in case he gets another bout of injuries or strains that mean he could be rested as there is Martial who is play well and Mata can come in too. I would play him if I was Jose though.
I prefer Mkhi as a player but Pogba is prob safer. Might do it tonight as Pogba is prob going to rise tonight
Hi Smash – not too much to add here. I don’t like Pogba as a player that much, in terms of creativity, but he knows everything about kicking a ball, passing it around and indeed puting it in the back of the net. He’s that big lad we all played in school that always got the better of us for his physicality. He puts people past him with ease but it’s not about trickery, it’s about having strong legs. Mhki is the opposite. He’s the other guy we all played against that never cared to train that much because he has the trickery. He’s the Romario of modern days in terms of work rate and all that, but give him the ball and he’ll get it done. Good shot from distance as well but has yet to find what to do in England to score as much as he did in Germany. From a fantasy point of view I agree not much will separate them come the end of the season. I have Mhki at the moment.
Evening guys!
Hope you’re all keeping well, currently on my WC, kind of regret activating it but did it after one too many on my ‘vacation’ so what’s done is done!
Got it down to 3 options at present, would be great to have some objective POV’s!
First 2
And the third, feel like Mitro!
What the difference in the individual players? Teams look very similar. VVD is back though so Cedric instead would make sense
And that.
1 or 3 for me. That’s purely driven by not having Trippier in there. Not convinced he’s over his injury issues yet plus obviously there’s a ready made replacement now.
So basically it’s Erik v Alli. So yeah, whichever!
Thanks guys thinking team 1 might be the winner!
I like team1 rosco
Nice squad
I like team 1 the best Rosco
I concur!
Actually Rosco, just to add something to Team 1, I’d consider using some of that 0.2 itb to do Yoshida to Maguire as Yosh could get dropped. Then you can just rotate Maguire for the games against Liverpool and Chelsea.
I like that suggestion Matt! Cheers!!
Or I could do this, so basically:
Morata, maguire, Erik
Vs
Kane, RICO, Alonso
Sorry Douc!
Looks like Kane going down in price tonight crap
Just wait for the hattrick at the weekend mate that will see his price rise again 😉 How was the holiday?
Great holiday mate 1st day back in work today killer you ok will have a look at are team tm I made one change already if you noticed thought he was going up in price 😉
Nice one good to hear mate! I’ll look at the team tomorrow.