It is still a fair way out from the start of the EPL season, but it is never too early to start fiddling with your team! Having said that, this is just playing around, with no real bearing on my final team. I find this part of the season is best for getting a feel for the players and what their prices are, how you are going to shape your team and what your strategy will be.
So, early doors and the basic formation that I am currently looking at is 3-5-2. My reasoning for this formation is fairly simple, and goes something like this:
- Midfielders are usually the higest scorers, with the most opportunity out of all the positions to score points. Therefore, I want to maximise the amount of midielders on the pitch for me, giving me the best chance of higher scoring.
- Running with 2 Forwards, as they have the potential to score more points than Defenders.
- Of all the players to have on your bench, defenders are the best, as they are usually the cheapest players you can get. Ultimately, I want the least amount of money on the bench, especially to start the season.
So here is my second draft team. This one actually had some thought put into it, and I have reduced the amount of “speculative” pick players, which means a more realistic team that I could actually start the season with.
So, let’s have a quick run through of the team, with a few thoughts on each position and player:
Goalkeeper:
- Pickford – Bound to be in the thick of the action, being part of a dodgy defense that gives up lots of shots, leading to saves, and save points. Likely to be a Bonus Magnet in a defense that should improve under Manager Dyche.
- Areola – A £4.0 Million GK that could take the starting spot at West Ham. A speculative pick, but hoping to go this way should Areola take the place of Fabianski in the West Ham goal.
Defenders:
- Alexander-Arnold – The premium Defender. Likely to get lots of attacking stats if he continues in the same role as at the end of last season, and the potential of an improved defence at Liverpool. Easy to trade to any defender from here, should he have a poor start to the season.
- Saliba – Was outstanding for the Gunners last season before he got injured, and played a part in helping Arsenal be one of the top defences in the early part of the season. Hoping he can do the same this season, and Arsenal once again start the season with a top defence.
- Estupinan – One of the best attacking defenders last season, and Brighton + Hove Albion were outstanding in attack. One of the first picked in my squad, especially at the price.
- Botman – Consistant starter in one of the best defences last season, priced to sell!
- Beyer – Bench fodder. Looks like being a consistant starter for Burnley at a bargain basement price. He will be an enabler at £4.0 Million, so if he is not looking like being a starter, will switch to one of the other likely £4.0 Million starting defenders.
Midfielders:
- Rashford – Was in great form at the end of last season, basically playing as a striker, in an improving Man Utd team. However, will Man Utd operate in the same style this season, with all their new signings?
- Saka – The Golden Boy from last season, this guy is just getting better and better, in on e of the best attacks in the league. Could easily swap with one of the other attacking Arsenal mids, will make this decision closer to the start of the season. Did look tired towards the end of last season however.
- Mitoma – The man who wrote a thesis on dribbling. One of the focal points of a fluid attack, and great to watch in general.
- Mbeumo – Will most likely be playing in an attacking role while Toney is suspended for the first few months of the season. OOP for a club playing an attacking brand of football? Yes please.
- Eze – Showed lots of potential last season at Palace, and should continue on as Palace look to improve. Could this be his breakout season?
Forwards:
- Haaland – Do you even FPL? A lock for the Captains Armband for Gameweek 1.
- Watkins – Finally found his feet as a striker in the EPL under Emery at Villa Park, ending the season with a great run of form. I only see improvement for the youngster. At a price point that makes it easy to move to other mid-priced Forward assets if needed.
- Ferguson – Most likely to be bench fodder, so could easily move to another player. However, if he continues to improve on last season, and gets some consistant minutes, he could be the buy of the season. 6 Goals in 10 starts last season, outstanding. Really exciting player in a really exciting team.
There you have it, a brief rundown of some of the players that are high on my list at this point of the pre-season. Obviously still a lot of water to flow under the bridge before the start of the EPL season, but these guys will at least be in my thinking come lockout.
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