FPL GW1: Draft & Team Selection

Summer could not have felt longer without Premier League football. Lack of Premier League means a lack of FPL. Honestly, I can’t decide if I miss the football or the headache of choosing which player to pick for my fantasy team. It just adds so much emotion to the sport. Each game means something to you as an FPL player. You don’t just watch your favourite club’s matches; you also follow your FPL players’ teams and constantly check if they scored or assisted or missed a penalty (ugh). After a lot of deliberation and thought, this is the team I will be starting with (bar any injury news pre-deadline). My general criteria is to ensure I stick to plays that are guaranteed starters and not a risk for minutes. It has a strategy that has worked well for me over the years.

GK: Sanchez, Dubravka

Chelsea looked really solid in the Club World Cup. However, no one expected them to beat PSG, who were undisputedly the best team in Europe last season. One thing to note was that Chelsea seemed really adept at dealing with threatening attacks and stopping them altogether. They are a strong defensive unit. Given that Chelsea are reportedly not interested in Gianluigi Donnarumma (who will be leaving PSG), I expect them to stick with Robert Sanchez in goal. He is great with his feet, has lightning reflexes and is a good contender for save-bonus points. At £5M, Sanchez will be my starting goalkeeper. Nottingham Forest’s Matz Sels could be an alternative if you decide to go against the template.

On the bench, I am going with the popular Martin Dubravka. Having been Newcastle’s first-choice goalkeeper for a long period of time, Dubravka has Premier League experience and proven quality. Newly-promoted side Sunderland could do a lot with that. He is expected to be their starting goalkeeper and is the most sensible option for a £4M goalkeeper.

DEF: Murillo, Pedro Porro, Andersen, Diouf, Gudmundsson

With the new rule changes, defenders and midfielders are eligible for bonus points through DEFCON (defensive contributions). Defenders need 10 DEFCON to be eligible for the 2 bonus points, while midfielders require 12 DEFCON to qualify. 

Keeping this in mind, Murillo was one of the players to go in my team. He is a solid rock in the Forest defence, and is a beast at DEFCON. He qualified for the 2 bonus points in over 55% of games last season. Only Tarkowski managed more than him. He was a no-brainer for me. I expect Nottingham Forest to continue showcasing their defensive prowess, which is how they even kept 5 clean sheets in pre-season. Milenkovic and Williams would also be great alternatives to tap into that Nottingham defence. They have a slightly more attacking threat compared to Murillo, but can’t get close to him in DEFCON. 

Pedro Porro is my next choice in defence. Tottenham have a very good GW1 fixture at home against newly-promoted Burnley. Expectations are high for new manager Thomas Frank and his side. Maddison’s ACL injury means that Porro will be on corners. Last season, he took 54 corners. He will also be on long free-kicks. This significantly increases his attacking threat. Last season, he had the 5th most xGI (expected goal involvement) amongst defenders. Tottenham are a relatively decent defence, but I expect that to improve with the arrival of Thomas Frank. 

Just like Murillo, Fulham’s Joachim Andersen is a monster for DEFCON points. If it’s not clear yet, I’m super excited with the new DEFCON addition and want to tap into the extra points it offers. Andersen also offers a great set-piece threat with his height and Fulham’s adeptability from corners. 

I was watching West Ham’s highlights vs Bournemouth and was just awestruck by Diouf’s ability to whip the ball in. The next moment he was in my team. New signing, Mallick Diouf, is expected to be West Ham’s starting left-back. He is blistering quick and crosses the ball with almost pinpoint accuracy. With a target man like Fullkrug upfront as well as the prolific Bowen, Diouf offers explosive points potential. He is also somewhat of a differential pick, with me just trying to beat the general public and template. He rotates well with Andersen, so I won’t have any selection headaches coming.

My last slot in defence is occupied by £4M Gudmundsson. I don’t really need to explain much here. He is purely a backup player for me. I don’t expect to play him that much in my team. He is Leeds’ new left-back signing, with great attacking potential. If I ever do need to play him, that’s all I would expect. No clean sheets expected.

MID: Salah, Palmer, Wirtz, Rogers, Dewsbury-Hall

Is there any team without Salah? Honestly, the guy is just mindblowing. He is absolutely world-class and never disappoints with goal involvement. Even with his steep £14.5M price tag, he is worth every penny to me. He will be a mainstay in my team throughout the season (other than AFCON). I don’t need to dive deep in his statistics. Just check his goals and assists. 

The other essential premium midfielder is Chelsea’s Cole Palmer. Yes, he didn’t look great towards the tail-end of last season. However, the final against PSG showed his true ability in front of goal, not to disregard his creativity. I think Joao Pedro’s addition upfront for Chelsea could unlock the Cole Palmer we all know and absolutely love in FPL. He will be on penalties and the occasional free-kick. I also like Saka as an FPL asset but Arsenal’s opening fixture run is just horrid and completely convinced me to go for Palmer instead.

As a Liverpool fan myself, nothing and absolutely nothing could have me more excited than the big money signing of Florian Wirtz. Young, explosive, technically brilliant with the ability to drive past defenders and also create chances for others. Add to this his ability to finish and you have the most complete attacking midfielder in world football. At 22, he’s already world-class and I expect him to live up to his lofty standards. At 8.5M, I think he is underpriced for the threat he offers in this dangerous Liverpool attack. Wirtz, Ekitike, Salah and Gakpo could really terrorize defences in the Premier League this season. I was a little confused between Wirtz and Fernandes. Apart from his attacking prowess, Bruno Fernandes also regularly qualifies for DEFCON points. However, his opening run of fixtures put me off him. 

Moving on to the non-premium options, I opted for Morgan Rogers as my 7M man. He’s a pure 85-90 minute man under Emery and has looked excellent in pre-season. Aston Villa haven’t added a lot in terms of incoming transfers but it looks like Emery trusts Rogers more than anyone else. He’s not the quickest on the field but his physicality and positioning put him in high xGI situations. Very tempting opening fixtures just solidified this choice. 

The cheap midfielder I opted for is Everton’s new signing Dewsbury-Hall at 5M. I expected him to play as an 8 when he signed but David Moyes has employed him as a 10 in pre-season matches. Other arrivals like Grealish and Barry will aid in Dewsbury-Hall returning significant points. I was confused between him, Andersen from Forest and teammate Ndiaye. However, his price tag allows me to invest in other areas of the team. The starting fixture against Leeds seems very promising to headline relatively easy fixtures to open the season.

FWD: Watkins, Joao Pedro, Marc Guiu

Following the departure of Jhon Duran, Ollie Watkins will be Aston Villa’s main man upfront. I am not threatened by the arrival of Evann Guessand. I think Emery will use him to give Watkins competition for the starting spot. For me, Watkins is safe for minutes. Like Rogers, he has been spectacular in pre-season and looks set for another big season in FPL. 

We all noticed Joao Pedro from his time at Watford. He clearly did well to impress the scouts at Brighton to sign him. He was very elusive last season in terms of FPL. Every time I owned him, he blanked. Whenever I swapped him out, he would go on to keep scoring and assisting. However, after his move to Chelsea, he looked so dangerous in the Club World Cup. His partnership with Palmer will be key for both Chelsea and my FPL team. My only concern is fellow signing Liam Delap. I think Pedro is good to start and play 65-70 minutes a match and then make way for Delap. His alternative would be Solanke at 7.5M but he is a risk for minutes in the first couple of games given that he wasn’t included in the squad for any of Tottenham’s pre-season fixtures other than the UEFA Super Cup. Pedro is an excellent finisher and I expect him to deliver big this season.

My last striker option is Marc Guiu at Sunderland. He signed on loan from Chelsea. I don’t expect a lot from him and will purely be using him as a backup in case of any emergencies. At 4.5M, I’m getting a starting striker for a team that honestly could beat expectations after promotion. Few goals here and there and I will be a happy owner. 

Starting XI

With the players in place, this is my starting 11 for the GW1. Salah has never failed to deliver on opening day, scoring in 8 consecutive seasons in GW1. Playing against Bournemouth at home, he keeps the captaincy band. Dewsbury-Hall is my differential vice-captain in case Salah doesn’t play. 

Expectations for the season? The goal is to finish in the top 100k. Manifesting.