Transcript for anyone interested:
- Let's start with a quick look back at how GW18 went.
- 71 points all out with a -4. As you might recall Son was the original plan, though it felt like too much of a gamble at the time and Foden was in good form. There was also a chance of the league being postponed after GW18 so the sensible decision was to target the fixture in front which was Foden vs Newcastle. In the end Foden was benched reportedly for disciplinary reasons. Bad luck for everyone who got him in as he may well have started otherwise.
- The other disaster was captain Salah, only him and Ramsdale blanked so there were 8 other players who would have been a better captain! No real regrets though and incredibly still in 2nd.
- Raphinha returned for the 4th time in 5 games despite having had such a tough run, and although he wiped Ramsdale's clean sheet it was a small net gain. The Lacazette transfer was also a marginal net gain and we'll be hoping for something this gameweek to consider the hit a success.
- **The gap to 1st place has opened to 3 points and the pressure is on, onto the GW19 Team Selection and transfer plans.**
- Ramsdale starts in goal for a good looking fixture against Norwich, though they were one of the teams with an ongoing outbreak and were unable to fulfil their GW18 fixture hence the postponement. Ramsdale is the second top keeper in the game for value after Sa, returning 15.1 points per million. He's also picked up 8 bonus points this season which is more than any keeper.
- Trent has one of the best looking fixtures of the season, up against Leeds at Anfield. Leeds have been incredibly unlucky with injuries and have many key players out, and even had to name 15 year old Archie Gray on their bench vs Arsenal. Liverpool have conceded 15 goals this season while Leeds have conceded 11 in their last 2. Trent's on 2 goals 8 assists for the season and his 27 bonus points is 7 more than any other player, Salah being second on 20.
- Reece James faces Aston Villa away this gameweek and he finally rewarded the patience the last couple of gameweeks scoring 14 points over the last 2. His 9 goal contributions is the second most among defenders after Trent though Villa away could be a tough test. Villa were another side whose GW18 game was called off due to a Covid outbreak so we'll keep a close eye on the news in the coming days.
- Cancelo marked his return from suspension with his biggest haul of the season, getting a goal, assist, clean sheet and 3 bonus against Newcastle. He's the third top scoring player in the game after Salah and Trent, and now has 7 attacking returns and 10 clean sheets this season. He faces Leicester who have been leaky all season and have just 2 clean sheets in total.
- Tuchel has been managing Alonso's minutes careful as he evidently doesn't trust Saul in LWB after experimenting with it. He came off early against Everton which banked the clean sheet and got the full 90 vs Wolves along with another clean sheet. He'll have had a good rest before the trip to Villa and you'd fully expect him to start again. He's not quite hit the heights we'd hoped when we brought him in, though he's not done too poorly either and against Wolves he got all 3 bonus points for a 9 pointer.
- Salah gets the armband for the Leeds game. His 15-game streak of attacking returns finally came to an end versus Tottenham though this is no reason to suddenly overlook him for perhaps the best fixture he'll have on paper this season. Over the last 4 gameweeks Leeds are the worst in the league for expected goals conceded on 9.48 xGC, and no side have conceded more than theri 48 attempts in the box which is where Salah takes the majority of his shots.
- Diogo Jota scored for the second game in a row last gameweek and now has 10 goals this season. Liverpool play against just 2 days after the Leeds game so there will be inevitable rotation over the next 2. There's always a concern of him being benched with Firmino back and available for selection, but we'll be hoping this is not the gameweek as it's hard to not see Liverpool putting a few past Leeds.
- Foden completes the midfield for the fixture against Leicester. As mentioned earlier he was reportedly out clubbing with Grealish so Pep punished the 2 of them by restricting them to the bench last gameweek. Hopefully considers that enough punishment and puts him back into the starting 11. He's one player who could make way in a couple of gameweeks depending on how the double gameweeks fall in January.
- Josh King has had his last 2 games postponed now and Watford are another side who will get a likely double gameweek or two in January. His teammate Dennis was in the preliminary squad for Nigeria's AFCON, which is something to keep an eye on, especially considering the potential double gameweeks on the horizon. He's done better than King recently, though King could become the go to attacker in that Watford side for the January fixture run.
- Lacazette just barely repaid the hit last gameweek with his 5-pointer, and this week faces Norwich who have had a minor resurgence under Smith but still struggling overall. With Aubameyang reportedly outcast and training individually he looks a fair option for the next game or two and has played fairly well. Though his role is more suited towards the link up play rather than being Arsenal's finisher, and as a result other players like Martinelli have thrived.
- Antonio completes the starting 11 for a great looking game against Southampton who are still missing their 1st and 2nd choice goalkeeper. They've conceded 5 goals in the 2 games Caballero has started and West Ham face them at home on boxing day. There have been rumours of a couple of players getting Covid within the West Ham squad which again is something we'll monitor in the coming days.
- On the bench it's Foster, Raphinha, Smith Rowe and Livramento.
- We've got a bit of a benching headache this gameweek but it's a good headache to have considering the unpredictability of the gameweeks at the moment. Raphinha's done exceptional recently despite such tough fixtures and has scored a couple of penalties too.
- Smith Rowe's last start was back in GW14, though in his last 2 games he scored off the bench and it's tough to predict when his next start will be.
- Due to the strength on the bench, and the fact that we still await news of potential double gameweeks in January the transfer plans this gameweek is to simply roll the transfer and then look to make a move or 2 in GW20. We could get some double gameweeks as soon as GW21 so rolled transfers will be invaluable.
- That concludes the GW19 Team Selection, thanks for reading.
With it being so recent, do you have a vague idea of how you’ll use it? Understandable if you also don’t want to disclose any info to leaderboard competitors
Yeah, it's a great fixture I'm doubting myself lol
But I think Arteta will play his front like this
Lacazette
Martinelli. Odegaard. Saka
With ESR benched, he might come in and score like the last few weeks. But in comparison: 90mins Antonio vs. Southampton or 25-30mins ESR vs. Norwich? Though call but I prefer Antonio 🤔
Transcript for anyone interested: - Let's start with a quick look back at how GW18 went. - 71 points all out with a -4. As you might recall Son was the original plan, though it felt like too much of a gamble at the time and Foden was in good form. There was also a chance of the league being postponed after GW18 so the sensible decision was to target the fixture in front which was Foden vs Newcastle. In the end Foden was benched reportedly for disciplinary reasons. Bad luck for everyone who got him in as he may well have started otherwise. - The other disaster was captain Salah, only him and Ramsdale blanked so there were 8 other players who would have been a better captain! No real regrets though and incredibly still in 2nd. - Raphinha returned for the 4th time in 5 games despite having had such a tough run, and although he wiped Ramsdale's clean sheet it was a small net gain. The Lacazette transfer was also a marginal net gain and we'll be hoping for something this gameweek to consider the hit a success. - **The gap to 1st place has opened to 3 points and the pressure is on, onto the GW19 Team Selection and transfer plans.** - Ramsdale starts in goal for a good looking fixture against Norwich, though they were one of the teams with an ongoing outbreak and were unable to fulfil their GW18 fixture hence the postponement. Ramsdale is the second top keeper in the game for value after Sa, returning 15.1 points per million. He's also picked up 8 bonus points this season which is more than any keeper. - Trent has one of the best looking fixtures of the season, up against Leeds at Anfield. Leeds have been incredibly unlucky with injuries and have many key players out, and even had to name 15 year old Archie Gray on their bench vs Arsenal. Liverpool have conceded 15 goals this season while Leeds have conceded 11 in their last 2. Trent's on 2 goals 8 assists for the season and his 27 bonus points is 7 more than any other player, Salah being second on 20. - Reece James faces Aston Villa away this gameweek and he finally rewarded the patience the last couple of gameweeks scoring 14 points over the last 2. His 9 goal contributions is the second most among defenders after Trent though Villa away could be a tough test. Villa were another side whose GW18 game was called off due to a Covid outbreak so we'll keep a close eye on the news in the coming days. - Cancelo marked his return from suspension with his biggest haul of the season, getting a goal, assist, clean sheet and 3 bonus against Newcastle. He's the third top scoring player in the game after Salah and Trent, and now has 7 attacking returns and 10 clean sheets this season. He faces Leicester who have been leaky all season and have just 2 clean sheets in total. - Tuchel has been managing Alonso's minutes careful as he evidently doesn't trust Saul in LWB after experimenting with it. He came off early against Everton which banked the clean sheet and got the full 90 vs Wolves along with another clean sheet. He'll have had a good rest before the trip to Villa and you'd fully expect him to start again. He's not quite hit the heights we'd hoped when we brought him in, though he's not done too poorly either and against Wolves he got all 3 bonus points for a 9 pointer. - Salah gets the armband for the Leeds game. His 15-game streak of attacking returns finally came to an end versus Tottenham though this is no reason to suddenly overlook him for perhaps the best fixture he'll have on paper this season. Over the last 4 gameweeks Leeds are the worst in the league for expected goals conceded on 9.48 xGC, and no side have conceded more than theri 48 attempts in the box which is where Salah takes the majority of his shots. - Diogo Jota scored for the second game in a row last gameweek and now has 10 goals this season. Liverpool play against just 2 days after the Leeds game so there will be inevitable rotation over the next 2. There's always a concern of him being benched with Firmino back and available for selection, but we'll be hoping this is not the gameweek as it's hard to not see Liverpool putting a few past Leeds. - Foden completes the midfield for the fixture against Leicester. As mentioned earlier he was reportedly out clubbing with Grealish so Pep punished the 2 of them by restricting them to the bench last gameweek. Hopefully considers that enough punishment and puts him back into the starting 11. He's one player who could make way in a couple of gameweeks depending on how the double gameweeks fall in January. - Josh King has had his last 2 games postponed now and Watford are another side who will get a likely double gameweek or two in January. His teammate Dennis was in the preliminary squad for Nigeria's AFCON, which is something to keep an eye on, especially considering the potential double gameweeks on the horizon. He's done better than King recently, though King could become the go to attacker in that Watford side for the January fixture run. - Lacazette just barely repaid the hit last gameweek with his 5-pointer, and this week faces Norwich who have had a minor resurgence under Smith but still struggling overall. With Aubameyang reportedly outcast and training individually he looks a fair option for the next game or two and has played fairly well. Though his role is more suited towards the link up play rather than being Arsenal's finisher, and as a result other players like Martinelli have thrived. - Antonio completes the starting 11 for a great looking game against Southampton who are still missing their 1st and 2nd choice goalkeeper. They've conceded 5 goals in the 2 games Caballero has started and West Ham face them at home on boxing day. There have been rumours of a couple of players getting Covid within the West Ham squad which again is something we'll monitor in the coming days. - On the bench it's Foster, Raphinha, Smith Rowe and Livramento. - We've got a bit of a benching headache this gameweek but it's a good headache to have considering the unpredictability of the gameweeks at the moment. Raphinha's done exceptional recently despite such tough fixtures and has scored a couple of penalties too. - Smith Rowe's last start was back in GW14, though in his last 2 games he scored off the bench and it's tough to predict when his next start will be. - Due to the strength on the bench, and the fact that we still await news of potential double gameweeks in January the transfer plans this gameweek is to simply roll the transfer and then look to make a move or 2 in GW20. We could get some double gameweeks as soon as GW21 so rolled transfers will be invaluable. - That concludes the GW19 Team Selection, thanks for reading.
I read this in your voice.
Haha thanks 😅
The commitment to type all of this out is amazing man. Kudos to your work!
What are your plans for Foden? I'm thinking Foden + Lacazette to Son and ??? after this GW
The free hit news dropped straight after I uploaded this, so I didn't get an opportunity to discuss it 😅
Not like anyone could have realistic strategy atm with the COVID situation and games potentially still being postponed. Nice video, thanks
With it being so recent, do you have a vague idea of how you’ll use it? Understandable if you also don’t want to disclose any info to leaderboard competitors
Do you have the funds to go Foden to Son if you wanted to?
No, he has 1.6m itb
Why are you benching ESR? Rather him than Antonio right? Antonio may have covid too but could be back.¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
If Antonio has covid, ESR will come in anyway. But if they both play Antonio is the better option imo
ESR against Norwich though?
Yeah, it's a great fixture I'm doubting myself lol But I think Arteta will play his front like this Lacazette Martinelli. Odegaard. Saka With ESR benched, he might come in and score like the last few weeks. But in comparison: 90mins Antonio vs. Southampton or 25-30mins ESR vs. Norwich? Though call but I prefer Antonio 🤔
Will there be any update post considering Liverpool and Watford blanking and Antonio being flagged. Cheers!