Cianan’s Column: GW11: Fortune favours the faithful

Last week, we talked at length about whether to sell or stick with Chelsea’s Pedro and Arsenal’s Gyökeres. It’s clear that, for GW10 at least, sticking was the right choice, with both players hauling (though the latter still needs to be transferred out, as injury sees him face time on the sidelines). Elsewhere, Andersen grabbed a clean sheet after failing to score more than five points since GW4, Ndiaye scored after blanking in his previous two matches (grabbing two bonus points in the process), and the much-forgotten former FPL king, Salah, grabbed 10 points. That was the story of GW10: underperformers in the past few weeks turning it around, rewarding the faithful, and punishing those who jumped ship early.

Not that all of those decisions were wrong calls, particularly selling Salah, whose price remains hard to justify, even with Liverpool’s outstanding fixture run post-GW11. In particular, those who sold Pedro probably regret it, as Chelsea face Wolves (H) next, the best fixture to target currently. I’d want to have more than one asset from the Blues for that fixture, and Fernández is another key target, having been unlucky not to have grabbed a goal contribution or two in the Blues’ win over Tottenham. Chelsea assets offer medium-term viability as their great fixture run continues, so feel free to lean towards them this week.

The switch to Mateta looks as good as I thought it did last week, with the Frenchman matching Pedro’s output last week, grabbing himself another goal to make it four in his last three appearances. As mentioned, Gyökeres is injured, and with his hefty £9.0m price tag, probably isn’t worth holding onto, even if he’s back after the international break. So, the switch to the Palace striker looks even better, particularly since he faces Wolves (A) in GW12.

Right now, the ideal front three appears to be Haaland (a non-negotiable must-own), Mateta, and Pedro, with Woltemade somewhat out of the picture given insecurity over his minutes. If you’d rather save funds, Welbeck is the other option I’d recommend, as he’s in red-hot form, having bagged four goals in his last three matches – though he does face a defensively sturdy Palace side this week, and comes with a minutes risk long-term.

Not to make this article too Gyökeres-centric, but many managers will be looking to transfer the Swedish striker out. Most (wise) managers already have two Arsenal defenders, leaving them with a single open Arsenal slot, and thus, Saka will no doubt be the popular Arsenal attacker. He missed several chances against Burnley last weekend, leaving owners unlucky not to receive a haul.

How to free up the funds for the winger? Perhaps dead-ending one of the forward slots, for a player you’ll leave on your bench, like Guiu, who currently costs only £4.2m, is the answer. This frees up funds in other areas, allowing Saka to slot into almost any outfit with ease. However, of course, you can’t have a dead-ended striker and the ideal front three we discussed earlier. Both are great strategies, so it’s really up to managers to pick their poison for GW11.

To close, in terms of bringing in Arsenal’s number 7, something worth considering is that it’s particularly advantageous given he may be the best captaincy option this week. Arsenal face Sunderland (A), whereas Man City (and more specifically, Haaland) face Liverpool (H), leaving us with the age-old FPL question: fixture or form?

Rapid recommendations

● Gabriel is the new king of FPL, averaging a staggering eight points per game. Buy him, or brace for weekly red arrows.
● Was Reijnders injured, or was he another victim of Pep roulette? In any case, this is why it’s always hard to invest in City attackers, such as Cherki (excluding the must-own Norwegian).
● Caicedo isn’t my kind of asset, and he’s not going to maintain his attacking output. He offers value regardless, so you can bring him in if you’re willing to accept the risks.
● Rice, on the other hand, is a better option as he’s more likely to maintain his attacking output (even if he is still overperforming).
● Kroupi Jr.’s minutes won’t be secured long-term, especially with Evanilson’s return. Don’t buy him.

The Boar standings

1st: Dwight Club (638) – managed by Cianan Sheekey
2nd: parths11 (627) – managed by Parth Malik
3rd: leif the door open (612) – managed by Hannah Guthrie