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Phil Foden owners will be rejoicing after his 20-point haul in gameweek 31, but non-owners like me are cursing him, and it is sorely tempting to chase your losses immediately by getting him in your team.
I know lots of managers were debating long and hard whether to sell Foden or Son Heung-min to be able to afford Mohamed Salah, and, if you decided to ditch Foden, that is going to sting.
Don’t forget, though, that these transfers are never just for one gameweek, and Son could easily pay you back with a big performance at home to Nottingham Forest in gameweek 32.
Foden will surely be due a rest at some point with Champions League football on the horizon, just as Erling Haaland got his rest against Aston Villa.
Foden does not have a double gameweek 34, but his form is so good I don’t think that really matters, and you would definitely back him against a Bournemouth or Wolves midfielder if they are part of your plan for that double.
The problem is Foden costs a lot more than they do, and I have decided not to rip up my plans and take a points hit to get him, instead waiting until my gameweek 35 wildcard to bring him in.
He could easily do a lot more damage by then, but this week it could be someone else’s turn to shine and hopefully it is one of your players. That is what I am telling myself anyway…
Captaincy
Cole Palmer’s incredible hat-trick against Manchester United on Thursday makes him an obvious candidate for the captaincy this week, with Chelsea away to Sheffield United, but there is plenty of competition for the armband, which makes FPL a lot more exciting.
Salah has scored eight goals on his past five visits to Old Trafford and Statman Dave was telling us on the Fantasy 606 podcast this week that we should definitely be backing those stats. The Egyptian did not look best pleased by his early substitution against Sheffield United on Thursday – as if he needed any more motivation for a game against Manchester United.
Haaland will also be champing at the bit for Manchester City’s trip to Selhurst Park, where Foden is clearly a candidate too.
Son will also be a popular choice for Tottenham’s home game against Nottingham Forest and, if you fancy a little differential dabble, then why not Rodrigo Muniz with Fulham up against a Newcastle defence that has conceded 52 goals this season?
Fixtures to target
If we cast a glance beyond the three title-chasing teams for a moment, then I fancy goals for a lot of the home teams in gameweek 32 – Aston Villa, Everton, Fulham, Luton, Wolves and Tottenham to be precise.
Everton and Wolves are the two teams out of that lot who have a double in gameweek 34, and I would lean towards the Wolves attackers, who are at home to West Ham this week – Pablo Sarabia in the midfield at £4.7m or £5.5m forward Matheus Cunha, who is on his way back from injury.
Rayan Ait-Nouri is a defender who offers a great attacking threat, as proved by his recent goals against Burnley, Fulham and Coventry in the FA Cup, so he is well worth your consideration too.
Differentials
Two names that stand out just below the 5% ownership mark are Alexis Mac Allister and Kai Havertz, and both have a double gameweek 34.
Mac Allister was outstanding when I watched him in Liverpool’s 2-1 win against Brighton last Sunday.
He provided the assist for Salah’s winner after an exquisite touch to control Dominik Szoboszlai’s pass, and his screamer against Sheffield United made it seven attacking returns in his past six appearances. He also hit the bar with a sumptuous free-kick and I would expect him to take penalties if Salah is not on the field.
Mac Allister is cheaper than Havertz at £5.9m compared to £7.2m, but the extra money may be worth it for the Arsenal man.
A lot of managers will have three Arsenal players, but primarily that will be a combination of David Raya, Ben White, Gabriel, William Saliba, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka.
If you only have two of them, then make Havertz your third. He has become a key component in the side that have won nine of their past 10 league games, starting all but one of those and providing nine attacking returns in the process.
Gamble of the week
If you really want to roll the dice then it is the Muniz captaincy against Newcastle, or flip that and give the armband to Alexander Isak, another striker bang in form, at Craven Cottage.
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