Cianan’s Column: GW7: Long Live King Haaland

Approaching this column from a more personal angle than usual, I want to express my gratitude to City’s Haaland. The Norwegian’s 16-point haul against Burnley saved my, and many other managers’, GW6s. He appears unstoppable lately, amassing a whopping 7.3 xG so far this season. Those without the striker risk falling down their FPL minute leagues at a rate of noughts – especially with Brentford (A) next week, and Everton (H) after that.

For those who triple-captained Haaland last week, congratulations; you clearly made a wise call. However, there is no need to fret if you didn’t. There are plenty of opportunities to play the chip on Man City’s number 9, such as in GW13 when the Citizens face Leeds (H), or two weeks later, when they face Sunderland (H). It’s crucial to have a plan for when you want to deploy your triple captain, but as of this moment, there’s no need to panic if you haven’t yet done so.

Elsewhere, United captain Fernandes managed to score an impressive -1 this weekend. He played 90 minutes, missing a penalty and picking up a yellow card, while offering 11 defensive contributions, one shy of the 12 required for DEFCON points. It may seem all but too easy to write off the midfielder following his second penalty miss of the season, but this was likely an unlucky incident. He’s already managed two double-digit hauls this season, and with a tad more fortune, this could have easily been four. It may seem wild to some, but I think he’s worth holding, especially for Sunderland (H).

I’ve talked to death about the need to get Arsenal assets ahead of GW7. Well, that time is very nearly upon us. West Ham (H), Fulham (A), Crystal Palace (H), Burnley (A), Sunderland (A) in the next five (with solid fixtures extending beyond that). The Gunners have one of the best defences in the league, and you can’t look past a double up on their defence (Gabriel, Raya, Timber, and/or Calafiori) and owning at least one of their attacking assets (Gyökeres, Saka, or Eze; although the latter faces a serious rotation risk).

On the opposite side of the coin from the must-own Arsenal assets, you need to sell Nottingham Forest assets if you haven’t already. Defensively shaky, they have yet to keep a clean sheet in the league this season, and their primary attackers (such as Wood and Gibbs-White) have gone missing. Forest seem to be faring no better under new manager, Postecoglou, and it’s most certainly time to get rid.

Looking for a differential for this weekend to pull away from your mini-league competition? Sarr was sidelined for GW4 and 5, but returned with a vengeance, scoring 11 points in Crystal Palace’s shock 2-1 victory over reigning champions Liverpool. Per 90 minutes among midfielders, he ranks 1st for goals (xG) and big chances. Palace face Everton (A) in GW7, which isn’t the easiest fixture, but their schedule is manageable (with minor rotation), and improves in the medium term. Only 3.8% of managers own the Senegalese winger, making him the standout differential for the next few game weeks.

Rapid recommendations

● Salah’s time is up – for now. Fixtures become much worse now, and his underlying data is beyond poor for a £14.5m midfielder. Be ready to get the Egyptian back for Liverpool’s exceptional fixture run starting GW12, however.
● Semenyo scores free kicks as well? Is there anything the lad can’t do? He still offers excellent value, even with his continual price appreciation.
● Patience is key with Pedro. Chelsea have been reduced to 10 men in both of their last two matches, and that has hurt their performance. The form which he displayed between GW2-4 will be back, sooner rather than later.
● Palace defenders are still great to own. I prefer Richards to Guéhi because of the cheaper price point (the latter has been very fortunate with assists so far this season). Still, both, as well as Lacroix, are quality assets (ignore Muñoz, he’s overpriced).
● I don’t trust Doku’s minutes in the long term. Pep roulette gets us all in the end. Don’t sell if you already own, but I wouldn’t be looking to bring him in.

The Boar standings

1st: parths11 (384) – managed by Parth Malik
2nd: Ed City, No Pity (374) – managed by Edward Croisdale-Appleby
3rd: Dwight Club (368) – managed by Cianan Sheekey