With fans now returning to stadiums, I am favouring the home teams to come out on top in most fixtures. Below are the choices I consider to be the best picks for FPL GW2.
FPL Goalkeeper Pick
Robert Sánchez
Potter is known to organize his defences well and it comes down more to the system he plays rather than the dependence on a single player. This is why even after the departure of White to Arsenal, I still believe Brighton will be able to maintain their defensive record this season. Sánchez will be looking to avoid the mistake he made against Burnley and come out with a clean sheet in this home fixture against Watford.
FPL Defender Picks
Trent Alexander-Arnold
The presence of the crowd in Anfield makes a great difference to the way Liverpool play at home. They unnerve the opposition teams and have inspired Liverpool to make unbelievable comebacks on multiple occasions. Nailed on at right-back and rested from playing at the Euros, Trent should be all ready to go with a Clean sheet and a few attacking returns considering he is on right side corners and direct free-kicks.
João Cancelo
Manchester City will be looking to rebuild their title defence with a thumping victory in GW2 after the hard-fought loss to Spurs in GW1. A home fixture against newly-promoted sides Norwich who conceded 3 goals against Liverpool in GW1 is perfect and City will be looking to make amends. Cancelo has been given license to roam and is often found playing ahead in the winger positions as well. He has an eye for goal and is not afraid to take shots and could likely haul huge points this GW with a goal and clean sheet.
Luke Shaw
Telles is out because of an injury till September 11 so Shaw is nailed on to start at the LB position. The previous season he started taking the left side corners. With a newly hired set-piece coach, he can convert his crosses into assists during set-pieces. Even in open play, he links up well with the wingers in creating goal-scoring chances.
Tyrick Mitchell
Mitchell completes our starting 11 with his home fixture against newly-promoted side Brentford. Viera will be keen to reorganize his defence after the horror showing last week against the European champions Chelsea. The game against Brentford will be the perfect chance for him to show what ambitions he has with crystal palace this season.
FPL Midfielder Picks
Mohamed Salah (VC)
Although Mane has a better record than Salah against Burnley, I am favouring the Egyptian due to his strong home record and massive ownership. With the fans now back at Anfield, I am looking forward to Salah giving Liverpool and his owners a fast start to the game week.
Bruno Fernandes (C)
With a hat-trick in GW1 and a goal to go alongside 2 assists in the reverse fixture last season, I am strongly favouring the Manchester United talisman with the captain’s armband for this game-week. The departure of Vestergaard to Leicester means that an already fragile Southampton defence will be further weakened thereby enabling Bruno to run riot.
Ferran Torres
Pep seems to favour the Spanish international at the CF position over a natural number 9 in Jesus by keeping him on the pitch for the full 90 minutes in GW1. He could reward his faith with a goal or two given even De Bruyne seemed fit to make an appearance against Spurs and will likely start the game against Norwich thereby providing Torres with delightful passes to finish at the back of the net.
FPL Forward Picks
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Benitez seems to be incorporating a system involving multiple crosses into the box by Digne/Townsend/Gray. Dominic as shown in the previous match against Southampton is a poacher scoring a diving header. With his aerial threat, he can score a goal or two from a header alone against Leeds who had a horror defensive showing against Manchester United.
Danny Ings
When El-Ghazi is off the pitch, Ings is the designated penalty taker for Aston villa. Watkins is also back fit and he will be returning to the starting 11 most likely El-Ghazi most likely making way for him. With Watkins, Buendia and Bailey providing service to the clinical Ings, they should be too much to handle for Newcastle who got hammered against West Ham.
Michail Antonio
Seemingly on penalties when Noble is not on the pitch, Antonio has a great chance to add to his 13 points from GW1 with the home fixture against Leicester City. Leicester are without Justin, Castagne and Evans at the back and this provides the perfect opportunity for the Jamaican forward to run riot.
FPL Team of the Week for Gameweek 2
Thank you for reading this article. This formation employs a 4-3-3 and leaves you with exactly 17M to find a bench keeper, defender and two midfielders.
You can find Fantasy Premier League (FPL) resources for the 21/22 season here.
FPL is back for the 21/22 season and in this article, I’ll be running you down the top differential picks to start the season that could boost your rank and help you get ahead of your rivals in FPL.
The Best Differential Picks in FPL for the 21/22 Season
Sadio Mané
💷 Price: £12.0M
🔄 Appearances: 31 (4)
⚽ Goals: 11
🎯 Assists: 7
Owned by just 4.3% of FPL managers, this Liverpool forward is massively overlooked because of other popular picks such as teammate Salah and Manchester united talisman Bruno Fernandes. Mané did not have his best season last year by his standards but there is absolutely no doubt about his ability to get back to goal-scoring form. Always tends to do better than Salah in away games and it could be a ceiling game for him against Norwich in the first gameweek.
Kieran Tierney
💷 Price: £5.0M
🔄 Appearances: 26 (1)
⚽ Goals: 1
🎯 Assists: 4
⛔ Clean Sheets: 8
Tierney has an ownership percentage of just 8.4% and is by far the most attacking arsenal defender at just 5M. With the addition of Ben White, Arsenal should be able to keep more clean sheets and expect Tierney to put in a peach of a cross for his teammates to finish and grab those assists.
Callum Wilson
💷 Price: £7.5M
🔄 Appearances: 23 (3)
⚽ Goals: 12
🎯 Assists: 5
Wilson is Newcastle’s talisman and designated penalty taker and that alone builds a strong case for him as an FPL asset. Expect him to be involved in all of the Newcastle attacks and he usually has a strong start to the season and is a great way to get ahead of your rivals with him being part of only 6.8% of teams.
Daniel Bachmann
💷 Price: £4.5M
🔄 Appearances: 23
⛔ Clean Sheets: 13
🧤 Saves: 35
📊 Save Percentage: 76.1%
Owned by a measly 2.8%, he was part of the Watford team that conceded the least number of goals in the championship. He had some great performances in the Euros this year with Austria and with a kind set of fixtures to start the season the shot-stopper can rack up a lot of points with clean sheets and saves. Bachmann was second for the percentage of shots saved (76.1%) in the Championship last season after Norwich’s Tim Krul (80%).
César Azpilicueta
💷 Price: £6.0M
🔄 Appearances: 24 (2)
⚽ Goals: 1
🎯 Assists: 2
⛔ Clean Sheets: 13
After Tuchel took over, Chelsea have improved massively in defence and kept the most clean-sheets in the Premier League last season (18) after champions Manchester City (19). The Chelsea captain is a sure-shot way into the rock-solid defence, occasionally gets an attacking return as he loves bombing forward and is nailed to start every game at either RCB or RWB and is only part of 3.5% of FPL teams.
Harry Maguire
💷 Price: £5.5M
🔄 Appearances: 34
⚽ Goals: 2
🎯 Assists: 1
⛔ Clean Sheets: 13
With compatriot Shaw being the most owned player in the game, Harry Maguire is not exactly a differential being a part of 12.5% of teams but it shows that not many have chosen to double up on the Manchester united defending duo. With a newly hired set-piece coach, Shaw and Bruno’s deliveries into the box combined with his aerial threat wouldn’t surprise me if he bags more than five goals this season grabbing all three bonus points.
Riyad Mahrez
💷 Price: £9.0M
🔄 Appearances: 23 (4)
⚽ Goals: 9
🎯 Assists: 6
In the Champions League, he took the penalty against Dortmund with De Bruyne and Gundogan on the pitch thereby sealing his authority as City’s designated penalty taker. He also has his own share of corners and free kicks for the Citizens. Only part of 7.1% of the teams, he should definitely start the first few games given he had a full preseason and with the injuries to Foden and De Bruyne and Sterling also possibly missing out as he returned late due to the Euros.
Mason Greenwood
💷 Price: £7.5M
🔄 Appearances: 21 (10)
⚽ Goals: 7
🎯 Assists: 2
Only part of 5.2% teams and having had a full preseason capable of playing RW and ST, he is a good punt for the first few gameweeks as Cavani has still not returned from Uruguay and Sancho is still being slowly integrated into the team while Rashford is also out with shoulder surgery. He seems to be the most explosive player in a mouth-watering united attack.
Ferran Torres
💷 Price: £7.0M
🔄 Appearances: 15 (9)
⚽ Goals: 7
🎯 Assists: 2
As City doesn’t have an out and out striker baring Jesus and Pep preferring Torres to play in a false nine role towards the fag end of last season and in the Community Shield against Leicester, he looks to be continuing ahead in that role. He could be a great Out of Position (OOP) player and a massive differential given the service he will receive from the rest of the star-studded team.
Jarrod Bowen
💷 Price: £6.5M
🔄 Appearances: 30 (8)
⚽ Goals: 8
🎯 Assists: 5
Playing close to 2500 minutes he rewarded his FPL owners with eight goals and six assists last season. He is a crucial part of the West Ham attack and with Lingard returning back to Manchester United from his short loan spell, he could provide more returns than last time to his 2% owners.
Jamie Vardy
💷 Price: £10.5M
🔄 Appearances: 31 (3)
⚽ Goals: 15
🎯 Assists: 9
When you think of Leicester he is the first name that comes to mind. A proven goal-scoring poacher, designated penalty taker and capable of scoring against any club he has been blessed with a kind set of fixtures to start with a bang and reward his 12.3% owners.
FPL Differential XI
This list of players assumes a 3-5-2 formation and leaves you with 19M In The Bank which is more than enough to cover your bench with 2 defenders, a backup keeper and a striker. Thank you for reading my first article for the website. I hope you found it helpful.
You can find Fantasy Premier League (FPL) resources for the 21/22 season here.
Before the start of the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) season, I plan to give a little deeper insight into each of the Premier League teams. Which enables FPL managers to choose the right and good assets in their team to start the season.
So I’m starting this team analysis series, with last year’s league champions Manchester City. We know that, as always, managers are keeping an eye on City’s Fantasy Premier League prospects. So I’m going to review it in more detail.
Manchester City Introduction
The 2020/21 campaign started very slowly for Manchester City but they went on to win the Premier League with a 14 point lead over second-placed rivals Manchester United. Before the start of the 2021/22 season, everyone has identified City as one of the favourites to win the title again. So in my opinion City will end the season at the top of the league table.
Transfer Targets
Even before the end of the last season, it was known that City’s talismanic club legend Sergio Agüero will be leaving the club at the end of the season just like David Silva ended his City career at the end of the 19/20 season. Agüero followed the same path as Silva and left for Spain to continue his career with FC Barcelona as a free agent in the current transfer window. So for the 21/22 season, the management has emphasized signing new strikers and wingers. Some of the notable names that have emerged as potential transfer targets are Harry Kane, Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland.
Manchester City Tactical Review 20/21
Preferred System
City launched their Premier League campaign with the well-known backline that fluffed lines time and time again. As I mentioned earlier, City did not have the best start to the season and the humiliating 2-5 loss at home to Leicester City was a wake-up call for Pep Guardiola & Co.
To make amends and fix the vulnerabilities of their defence, the club signed Ruben Dias who went on to become one of the contenders for the Player of the Year award. We saw that as full-back Mendy joined the attacking final third, he negated any counterattacks with Rodri. That results in İlkay Gündoğan Positioning of more of a double pivot with Rodri and leaves Kevin De Bruyne as the lone creative outlet who is easily negated with a 2v1 scenario by overloading the half-spaces in front of him.
As a result, when there is a counter-attack, the City players make mistakes and Gundogan and Rodri are outnumbered by the opposition team and as a result of their slow speed, it leads to a 4v5 situation.
New System
If we look at the formation of the City, it is known as 4-3-3 but switches in attack to a 2-3-5, which is known as Pyramid System. In this system, the wingers enter the box from their preferred position and fullbacks are the second-line defence and re-occupy the ball. İlkay Gündoğan is the most attractive player in this system because Pep has played him in a free role. That’s why he was one of the most successful City assets in Fantasy Premier League last season.
Pep’s Man City is the closest anyone has come to revive that 2-3-5 system, while sterling and Foden are involved in wide-winger roles and fullbacks Zinchnko and Cancelo drift inwards as more of a buffer in front of the backline of Dias and Stones. By the Christmas period, City were languishing at eighth place, having amassed only a total of 23 points from 13 games and sitting 11 points behind Liverpool.
Defensive Solidity
The aim was to take the opponent out of the game with Rodri taking up more of a ‘Centre-half’ role, allowing the centre-backs to drift wider and turn it into a back-three during counterattacks.
Best Manchester City Players in Fantasy Premier League
Gundogan finished last season as one of City’s best players and it is evident as he was the top scorer for the club with 13 goals. The Cityzens have won 15 matches in a row since gameweek 14 and if we compare Gündoğan’s performance, we see that it can be divided into two stages.
Gameweek 13-25 vs Gameweek 25-38
👕 Starts: 13 | 6
🕛 Minutes Played: 1076 | 564
⚽ Goals: 11 | 2
🅰️ Assists: 2 | 1
Minutes per chance created: 23 | 40
Minutes per xG: 153.5 | 311.6
Minutes per xA: 578.7 | 593.7
Minutes per xGI: 121.3 | 204.3
İlkay Gündoğan’s xG shots from GW13-GW25. Data taken from fantasyfootballscout.co.uk
İlkay Gündoğan’s xG shots from GW25-GW38. Data taken from fantasyfootballscout.co.uk
We see that from GW13-GW25, Gündoğan was the most influential City player. The change in personnel also changed the approach of their build-up play. When facing a low block, the two fullbacks would drift inwards, creating a 2-3-2-3 setup, which gave the centre-backs more angles to pierce the first line of attack and free up the two number 8s to join the forward line. With Jesus dropping deep, De Bruyne and Gündoğan could take up the half-spaces while also drifting wide and interchanging with the wingers to break the opponent’s defensive structure. The results were there for all to see, as Gündoğan enjoyed one of his best seasons in front of goal and De Bruyne racked up assists and pre-assisted most of City’s goals.
From GW26-GW38, he started only six games and scored only two goals.
Manchester City Attacking Stats Analysis
The Cityzens had their worst goals tally in the 2020/21 season since the 2016/17 season. Manchester City scored *just* 83 goals last season. This is because of the way Sterling and Agüero had a free goal scoring form in the last few seasons but they were not observed as viable FPL assets last season. Sterling has not been able to get close edge of his form which he demonstrated in 2018/19 and 2019/20.
Manchester City Attacking Stats 2020/21
⚽ Goals: 83 (1st)
🅰️ Assists: 70 (1st)
🎯 Shots on Target: 217 (1st)
✅ Shots in the Box: 394 (1st)
💡 Big chances: 107 (1st)
📈 xG: 68.91 (1st)
📉 xA: 43.31 (1st)
Attacking Assets Analysis
We’ve seen the 2-3-5 system courtesy of City’s play but many don’t think City’s Fantasy Premier League assets will be as impressive as De Bruyne (£12.0M). In this system, Gündoğan (£7.5M) will start in midfield with Rodri and Fernandinho and it will give De Bruyne a lot of space as a creative option but we don’t know if De Bruyne will start on gameweek one as he is recovering from injury.
Other City attacking assets other than KDB include last year’s PFA Young Player Of The Year – Phil Foden(£8.0M). Also, Riyad Mahrez (£9.0M) and B. Silva (£7.5M) are good shouts from the MCI midfielder even though they aren’t nailed assets. De Bruyne has created the most chances at City assets with 80 of them, compared to Mahrez.
Data taken from fantasyfootballscout.co.uk
A look at Minutes per chance created metrics shows that De Bruyne, Mahrez and Foden are the top three chance creators for the team. De Bruyne had 12 attacking returns last season while Mahrez contributed with 17 attacking returns in 1954 minutes and Foden returned 17 times in 1613 minutes. Torres (£7.0M) was involved in 11 goals as well in 1305 minutes including a hat-trick against Newcastle. If you want to pick up City attacking assets from the “Pep Roulette” then De Bruyne is the safest pick.
Data taken from fantasyfootballscout.co.uk
Manchester City Defensive Analysis
We all noticed that at the start of the 2020/21 season, the city defence collapsed like a house of cards, which was particularly through counter-attacks. City Legend Company’s place after last 2018/19 has not been filled by any City player in 2019/20 but a lot has changed since Dias joined last season and his introduction to the team made City the best defence in the league as they conceded just 32 goals and kept 19 clean sheets.
Manchester City Defensive Stats 2021/21
🥅 Goals Conceded: 32 (1st)
🚫 Clean Sheets: 19 (1st)
🧤 Shots Conceded: 284 (1st)
🎯 Shots on Target Conceded: 100 (1st)
💡 Big Chances Conceded: 36 (2nd)
📈 xGC: 30.97 (1st)
City Defensive Assets Analysis
If you want to avoid being burned by the “Pep Roulette” then Dias (£6.0M) is the right choice as he started the most games among all outfield players for the club. John Stones (£5.5M) made 22 starts, the most when compared to the four fullbacks – Cancelo (£6.0M) Walker (£5.5M), Zinchenko (£5.5M) and Mendy (£5.0M) who started 27, 22, 15, 11 games respectively.
The role of the shielding trio cannot be underestimated though. Zinchenko and Cancelo would often drift wide but not forward, just enough to create an overload in the flanks. The result was an out ball to the other flank, where the winger cut in balls across the six-yard box, with runners like Gündoğan, De Bruyne and Jesus all waiting to pass the ball into the back of the net. Right-back Cancelo created the most chances amongst defenders just after De Bruyne and created 8 big chances. If we compare a little more broadly:
Cancelo vs Walker vs Zinchenko vs Mendy
👕 Starts: 27 | 22 | 15 | 11
🕛 Minutes Played: 2302 | 1946 | 1474 | 955
⚽ Goals: 2 | 1 | 0 | 2
🅰️ Assists: 4 | 1 | 0 | 1
Minutes per chances: 65.8 | 92.1 | 159.2 | 194.6
Minutes per Big chances: 232 | 1946 | – | –
Minutes per Big chances created: 287.75 | 973 | 1474 | –
Minutes per xG: 1429.8 | 7207.4 | 2200 | 2728.6
Minutes per xA: 414 | 2373.2 | 1304.4 | 2076.1
Minutes per xGI: 321.1 | 1785.3 | 818.9 | 1179
It is clear from this comparison that Cancelo’s success is mainly because when MCI played with two inside-forwards on both flanks, Cancelo pushed up the pitch, while Zinchenko dropped deeper to make it a back-three. With Cancelo higher up on the right flank, Mahrez could drift inside and make it a double false 9 in the middle of the pitch, where either of the two could drop deep to link up the play while still having an extra forward up top. He is the best pick from the City defence and had the most goal involvements with six.
Manchester City Predicted Lineup for the 21/22 season
You can find Fantasy Premier League (FPL) resources for the 21/22 season here.
The topic of today’s FPL tips article is premium goalkeepers. If we look we will see that there is not much talk about goalkeepers in the FPL to the extent that we are interested in defenders, midfielders and forwards. Last season set a precedent by emphasizing that point. For example, last season’s highest-scoring goalkeeper in the game was Emiliano Martínez (£5.5M) and he finished on higher points than players such as Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.5M) and Sadio Mané (£12.0M).
The number of goalkeepers that have been able to prove their value and potential as a reliable source of points has increased over the past couple of seasons. In that sense, I am interested in discussing premium goalkeepers. Everyone will agree that £6.0M is a worthy investment in outfield players but FPL managers have always been shrewd when it comes to keepers and try to strike a balance by getting a keeper worth £4.5M and a £4.0M scrub keeper rather than two reliable goalkeepers. So as to be able to select the required players in other departments.
Premium Goalkeeper Picks in FPL
Premium goalkeepers have been decided as per their price tag and keepers within the range of £5.5m to £6.0m have generally been considered as premium shot-stoppers. Let’s take a look at another aspect like Emiliano Martinez who started at £4.5M last season and as a result of his strong performances where he came within one point of breaking Brad Friedel’s FPL record for most points by a goalkeeper in a season (187) with his 186 points and received a well-deserved price bump to £5.5M for this season. These are some premium goalkeepers that might be worth the premium according to me:
Ederson (£6.0M)
📈 Points: 160 (2nd)
🚫 Clean Sheets: 19 (1st)
🧤 Saves: 66
⚽ Goals Conceded: 28 (2nd)
📊 Save Percentage: 71%
Ederson was crucial to the success of last season’s Premier League champions Manchester City. He was a key member of Pep Guardiola’s defence as they conceded the least goals in the league (32) and he finished the season as the second highest-scoring keeper in FPL after Martinez. The unpredictable “Pep roulette” has been a genuine concern and has left many FPL managers scratching their heads as they try to get into the head of one of the most brilliant coaches in the modern game but have often been burned especially in defence as no one guaranteed to start every game except Ederson. Manchester City possesses one of the best defences in the league and rotation proof Ederson might be worth the premium for a reliable player from the team as he has won the Premier League’s Golden Glove award for the past two years straight.
Edouard Mendy (£6.0M)
📈 Points: 140
🚫 Clean Sheets: 16 (2nd)
🧤 Saves: 57
⚽ Goals Conceded: 25 (1st)
❌ Penalty Saves: 1
📊 Save Percentage: 70.4%
After spending his first season at Chelsea last year and especially in the eyes of managers in FPL, Mendy will be under scrutiny this year as well. Last season, Chelsea kept 18 clean sheets, one less than City’s 19 shutouts. Despite his brilliant performance between the sticks last season, Mendy was benched thrice even though he was the first choice for Chelsea as coach Tuchel made it a habit to occasionally rotate his keepers. If you look at the whole Chelsea defence then Mendy is a safe option as he is still the least prone to rotation amongst all the options. They will face tough opponents in the first five matches of the season before the fixtures ease up but Mendy is still one to consider as he plays for one of the best defences in the league.
Emiliano Martínez (£5.5M)
📈 Points: 186 (1st)
🚫 Clean Sheets: 15 (3rd)
🧤 Saves: 143 (3rd)
⚽ Goals Conceded: 46
❌ Penalty Saves: 1
📊 Save Percentage: 76.3%
Martínez was the main topic of discussion throughout the entire Fantasy Premier League season last year and he has already become a fan favourite amongst FPL managers with some even dubbing him as an “FPL Legend”. Last year was a fairytale for him as he went from being a bench option for Arsenal to becoming one of the best keepers in the league and also winning the Copa America with Argentina this month. Martínez’s performances took everyone by surprise last year as he unexpectedly finished as the best keeper in fantasy and started the season at £4.5M last season and was already at £5.3M by the end of it.
Hopefully, he can replicate his production again this year and he will be a popular option with games against Watford, Newcastle and Brentford to start the season. With a price tag of £5.5m, his value is a bit at the higher end but the price is reasonable for his performances.
Nick Pope (£5.5M)
📈 Points: 144
🚫 Clean Sheets: 11
🧤 Saves: 116
📊 Save Percentage: 76.5%
Nick Pope is a very well known face in the FPL. He led the league in save percentage (minimum 10 games played) as he saved 76.5% of the shots he faced and finished last season with 144 points, more than any other player on his team. I couldn’t be happier with his £5.5M price as he should have scored more than 150 points but Burnley’s performance on the defensive end didn’t help him much. Burnley is facing a tough test at the start of this season that will prove whether their defence can still be relied on so Nick Pope is one to watch until the fixtures get better.
Hugo Lloris (£5.5M)
📈 Points: 149
🚫 Clean Sheets: 12
🧤 Saves: 114
⚽ Goals Conceded: 45
📊 Save Percentage: 73.3%
The football that Tottenham played in the first 10 matches last season was very eye-catching. Mourinho started the season with a bang at his first time in charge at Tottenham and some even touted the Spurs as possible title contenders. The performances of Son and Kane were very interesting in particular especially for Fantasy but with the exception of Lloris in defence, the other FPL assets from the team did not perform as well. Lloris scored the most points from the defence with 149 points but it remains to be seen what defensive changes new coach Nuno Espírito Santo will make. Spurs assets should be strongly considered from gameweek two onwards as they play Wolves, Watford and Crystal Palace and a player from their defence could be a sneaky pick against those teams.
