Last updated on October 15th, 2019
Written by Jønathan Kahn. You can catch him on twitter @jkisthe1. Kahn has ranked as high as 115th on the All-Time FPL Manager list!
Previous Review Results
So another four Gameweeks have passed and with the international break coming to a close it’s time to take another look back at what’s happened and what to expect over the next four weeks before the last international break of 2019. Let’s start by assessing the fortunes of the three to watch I picked out last time.
Felipe Anderson
Steady but not spectacular. Back to back assists in six and seven have been bookended by blanks but the Brazilian has looked good for the most part and his favourable run continues for another four weeks so there’s still potential there.
Richarlison
If you picked him on my recommendation four weeks ago, sorry. Everton have been terrible in the last four, losing all them and scoring just two goals. Though Richarlison did assist one of those two. He seemed like a good pick at the time, sadly it just hasn’t worked out that way
Roberto Firmino
A goal and two assists for the Liverpool frontman is a decent enough return. Typical Firmino really, solid but not spectacular, if you have him, hold him.
But which players have stood out over this period, for good and bad reasons?
The Good
Jetro Willems
It seems odd to have a Newcastle defender in here, but it was odd to have a Crystal Palace one last time. The Dutchman has a goal, an assist and two clean sheets in his last four to move up the defender standings. A couple of tricky looking fixtures are coming up but Newcastle are soon to embark on a favourable run of games that could see him primed for more points
Sadio Mane
Whilst many FPL managers continue to look to Mo Salah it’s his teammate who has been making waves. Three goals and an assist in his last five have moved Mane ahead of Salah in the standings, behind only De Bryune and Aguero. Three of the next four look tricky for Liverpool but in this form, you wouldn’t back against Mane continuing in this vein.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Tammy Abraham
Two strikers share this honour. The Arsenal man suffered his first blank of the season last time out (when many, including me, brought him in as captain) but still managed four goals over the period. The same is true of the Chelsea man who fired a hat trick against Wolves and one against Southampton. With favourable runs for both continuing, they could form the cornerstone of your attack for a few weeks to come.
The Bad
Kiko Femenia and Ainsley Maitland-Niles
Another shared award (Serge Aurier almost joined them) these two managed to score -3 in the same week (pity my friend who started one and had the other sub in) and haven’t been since. Femenia was booked in the eight-goal slump at Manchester City whilst Maitland-Niles was sent off as Arsenal conceded two to Aston Villa. Both sides have looked more defensively sound since. Arsenal recorded only their second Clean Sheet of the season last time out and have Hector Bellerin on the way back whilst Watford claimed their first clean sheet last time out. A -3 could be the sign off for both men.
Mo Salah
There have been worse performers than Salah in the last four (Gylfi Sigurdsson, for example, has no attacking returns at all for example) but none carry as high expectations as the Egyptian. Just a goal and an assist in the last four is scant return, the lowest of Liverpool attacking trio. For £ 12.5m you expect more from a player many see as the go-to captain option
Teemu Pukki
A goal and an assist against City suggested the Finn could continue his flying start. Sadly that appears to have been the zenith. In the three games that followed Norwich scored just once, a late consolation against Aston Villa that came after he had been subbed (with a yellow card thrown in.) This drop off has seen many managers look to sell, particularly for the likes of Abraham and Wilson
Ones to Watch
So, who are my tips for the next four and beyond?
Jaimie Vardy (LEI) – Price 9.0, Ownership 10.5%
Hopefully, he won’t be too affected by the recent furore with his wife because Leicester’s fixtures are about to take a tremendous upturn. Having faced five of last season’s top seven in their opening eight games they now face only one (a home tie with Arsenal) in their next nine which should offer Vardy plenty of opportunities to add to his five goals.
Willy Boly (WOL) – Price 5.0, Ownership 5.6%
Three Clean Sheets and Seven Bonus Points are a fair return so far for the Wolves man. Another with an upturn in fixtures, Wolves face just one of last season’s top six in their next eight giving the Ivorian a chance to up that tally. Although not as threatening as Matt Doherty, the 1m price difference is significant enough for me to prefer Boly
Anthony Martial (MNU) – Price 7.5, Ownership 3.1%
How can I possibly pick a United player I hear you ask? Well, I fully expect the Frenchman’s return (which could be against Liverpool) to be a huge boost. United have missed his running, hold up and link-up play and finishing ability. A favourable run of games for United after Liverpool, coupled with the return of several key players could see Martial start to show himself again. He’s also currently the only player not to have blanked when he’s played.
