Round Up! Round Up!
Only a day to go! Let’s get the last of those FPL draft teams together to help you win your mini leagues. In this article I show my current FPL draft team and explain why I have picked the players I have.
Let’s get on and see who made the cut so far.
So this is where I go through a team that I have put together and the reason for every one in the team. The basis for this team is overall rankings which have been generated from a number of metrics in my PER (Player Efficiency Rating) model. It’s not perfect and it uses data to then predict the players ability on a age/ability curve.
This is my FPL draft team as it stands at the moment, it is subject to change, because I am always tinkering. I am constantly seeking the next angle and how we can give the team an edge.
So here is the team we are going to take on FPL this season.
My Draft Team
Here we go! Starting off for GW1 we are going with a 343 formation. The reason for this is that I want to reduce my exposure in defence and maximise our goal scoring potential. We can score more goals than we can get clean sheets each week, so we’ll lean into this and focus on getting more goals and assists.
Draft Team Defence
I’ve gone with Sanchez in goal as i want to see what other clubs do about their number one like City with Trafford. I’m pretty sure Ederson is going, and Alison will be number one at Liverpool. Chelsea have a good start in the fixtures so it makes sense to run with him.
The defence have not been picked because of their defensive exploits, they have been picked because of their attacking attributes. All three are attack orientated full backs which add value through assists, progressive passing and creation creation.
Draft Team Midfield
The midfield I think is awesome, I honestly think this is one of the best midfields I could put together. Wirtz is a superstar, I can’t overlook him and maybe that could be my downfall. Cherki on the other hand, I think is going to be an assist machine, especially with Haaland in front of him. Both contribute to both assists and goals for their team so a two pronged attack.
Caicedo is an unusual, he isn’t a goal scorer as such. He does on the other hand contribute well to the defensive aspects, plays most games and progresses the ball well.
Lastly Cunha, who had an awesome season with Wolves. Wolves created next to nothing compared to other teams and he performed well, now he is in front of Bruno Fernandes who is quite possibly the best creative player in the EPL, this could get messy!
Draft Team Attack
Our first striker needs no introduction to FPL, Haaland is one of the best strikers in the world. While he had an off season last year, so did the whole Man City machine. Last year they missed that bite in midfield with Rodri, they now have him coming back and Reijnders also as a balanced midfielder. Cherki is going to be such a creative and Haaland will love it.
I’ve then gone for a risk with two new signings from the Bundesliga, Sesko and Ekitike.
Sesko could be the turning point for United. Last year United struggled in the final third, creating chances and goals. They have signed players to address these issues and now look really good, it would not surprise me to if they ended up in the top 6/7. Sesko could be key to this success, especially against the lower half of the table and their low blocks.
Ekitike is a different breed, I can see the goals he will score over the next few seasons at Liverpool. He contributes to each area of the attacking transition with goals and assists. Ekitike is dangerous and we have already seen in the Charity that he wants to get on that scoresheet.
Potential changes
So this is the FPL draft team so far, there are a few changes that I am looking at in giving my team the best value in the weeks to come.
In goal the obvious choice is Alison in goal, although I would worry that Liverpool seem to have focused solely on going forward rather than defence. This is great to see from a neutral prospective, a fighting champion, but no good for clean sheets.
In defence, the main player I am tempted to add is Pedro Porro. He would fit this defence perfectly with the keen goal of attacking more than defending. He would also cost £0.5m less than Ait-Nouri and Frimpong.
The other defensive player I like is Boscagli, but I need to see which players Brighton are playing at the back. De Cuyper looks the only certain new player to start.
In midfield, I could have gone with Reijnders to replace Caicedo, and Porro in for Ait-Nouri because of the 3 City player limit. This offers more options, but you lose any bonus points for defensive actions which can be a difference maker.
The other change you could make is Jhon Arias at Wolves, I worry about Wolves, but their attack would probably be focussed through Arias. He could be the player to replace Cunha in attack.
Good luck in GW1 guys and look out for my blogs for each GW.
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