Cianan’s Column: GW23: Do not scratch your eyes!

Folks, you won’t believe it; I actually got a green arrow last week. Honestly, I wasn’t sure it was possible anymore. I’ve been so long without one. Thiaw, Gabriel, Enzo, and Raya ought to receive a Cianan’s Column guard of honour (am I allowed to bestow those?). However, as with every week in FPL, it only matters so long as you keep climbing. So, let’s stop talking about last week and cast our eyes forward: GW23 awaits.

This gameweek is the calm before the storm. Chelsea have an impeccable run of fixtures from GW24 onwards, Man City’s matches are taking a turn for the worse post-Wolves (H), and Arsenal will be facing easily beatable opponents from there on out until the end of the season (excluding, perhaps, GW33). Plus, Man United have Arsenal (A) this week, so many will be delaying the signing of the talismanic Fernandes. All of these reasons make it a sensible week to sit back, gather more info from this week’s games, and roll the transfer.

However, you could also get ahead of the curve. Though Chelsea’s best fixtures start in GW24, Crystal Palace’s shoddy form could still prove a happy hunting ground for points, also allowing managers to dodge likely price rises. Fernández and Chalobah look like shrewd options, and to a lesser extent, Sánchez – though based on comments from the Blues’ new boss, the keeper may prove to be a rotation risk.

Man City are a hard nut to crack at the moment, FPL-wise. On the pitch, they seem, however, like all too easy a nut to crack. Backing against Haaland when the Citizens face Wolves (H) seems suicidal, but with concerns about minutes and a lull in form, Foden seems primed for the chopping block. However, the point I made last week still stands: his form will return. So there’s no requirement to sell, but if he is your only path to Fernandes next week and he fails to produce in GW23, the decision becomes easier.

Oh, Saka. Why do you do this to me? The winger was dropped from Arsenal’s starting squad last week and came off the bench for a whopper one-pointer. At least none of the Gunners’ attackers or midfielders produced anything of note, yet it’s another blemish on his record, particularly since he was (again) outscored by his cheaper compatriot, Rice. In isolation, Saka remains a better asset in my opinion, but if the switch enables you to allocate funds to drastically improve other areas of the squad, then that might not matter.

Say you could afford United’s Fernandes in GW24 if you downgraded from Saka to Rice. Saka plus a subpar midfield won’t outscore Fernandes and Rice, so then the question becomes not who is better out of the Arsenal midfielders themselves but whether the cheaper option will help you have a better squad overall. I’m strongly considering the moves mentioned above for GW24, as there’s no point doing them now given United’s fixture. All the same, it’s something for you and me to chew on.

To close, it’s high time to sell Van Dijk. He’s the kind of player who could haul this week, randomly scoring from a corner or something to that effect, but you could say that every week. If you don’t own him, Gabriel is the obvious replacement. Frankly, he’s probably the most essential asset in FPL right now. If you can’t afford him, go Timber, and if you’re out of slots for Arsenal players, go Chalobah – especially if you can grab him before the price rises.

Rapid Recommendations

• If you’ve got Guéhi, I’d hold onto him. He should slot straight into the Man City team, given their injury woes.
• Watkins has been so disappointing lately. Although Villa have great long-term fixtures, they may be bringing in another striker, threatening his minutes. It’s a situation to monitor, but don’t rush into buying him (though at the moment I’m not sure why you’d want to).
• Salah is back from AFCON. Is he a good asset to pick up? No. Does he ruin Szoboszlai’s appeal? Certainly.
• Given there are few desirable mid-priced midfielders for this week who also have long-term value (aside from Fernández and Rice, though you probably own three Arsenal players), you can hold onto Gordon for another week. He’s likely a sell after that, however.
• Pedro’s minutes are extremely insecure. I’d steer well clear.

The Boar Standings

1st: Dwight Club (1297) – managed by Cianan Sheekey
2nd: parths11 (1285) – managed by Parth Malik
3rd: Jimall Lascelles (1263) – managed by Jamie Pakes