Guest Article: The Hairy Situation that is Fellaini

I have my first guest article! Many thanks to Ameenkw for writing this up, this article will be up on the Guest Column Archive and I hope that this will be the start of many :D

The Fellaini Dilemma

Fellaini was definitely the name that was mentioned the most in all FPL forums and chats this week. After a few impressive weeks (GW11, 12, 14, 15), his ownership had reached around 47%. As a consequence of his headbutt incident this week, not surprisingly, Fellaini got banned for 3 weeks. This shouldn’t be a surprise since Fellaini is the player with the most fouls committed in EPL this season, and this act is predictable from him.

However, we are not here to discuss his behavior. What we care about as FPL managers is the fact that Fellaini will be out for 3 weeks. This is a long-term suspension, and removing Fellaini is the obvious solution. The real question is who do we get to replace him? This article will discuss the different alternatives, by looking across the different ranges of players.

 Favorable Fixtures

One of the first factors to consider when shopping as an FPL manager, are a player’s fixtures. With the January Wildcard being soon, we will use the next 4-5 Gameweeks’ fixtures to make our choices.

Picking out good and bad fixtures can generally be done by looking at the form and H/A, but I won’t discuss my methodology of determining that in this article, perhaps in an upcoming one. Let’s assume that the teams with the best fixtures (as most of us are aware of) are: Arsenal, Tottenham, Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea.

Arsenal: In form but inconsistent

We’ll start by looking at Arsenal. In terms of FPL, the team has not been consistent this season, however by looking at their midfield, the player that stands out is definitely Cazorla. He’s ranked 3^rd at the moment in terms of total points (after RVP and Michu), and he just had an awesome week, scoring an extraordinary 23 points.  He seems to be in good shape and with these favorable fixtures he might be the best pick.

The only problem is the extra cash needed, since you need to have around 2.0M to get him for Fellaini. Another thing you’d notice is that he’s not a consistent performer, and thus you’ll need to be patient when you get him. Other options include Walcott and Arteta, and they are a bit cheaper but inconsistent as well. Walcott is injury prone, but he’s a good short-term choice especially since he’s playing as a striker. Arteta is an option if you are short of cash. However, you can get better player at the same price (unless you are willing to wait for penalties!).

           

Tottenham: Wait on Bale, but Lennon and Dempsey are possible punts

The second team is Tottenham. The first player that comes to mind is Bale. He’s an impressive midfielder and he’s the top scorer for Tottenham (despite the fact that he missed 3 games!). The problem is that he’s injured and getting him at the moment is not the best option. You might want to wait on that.

The second option is Lennon. Looking at his points, you can easily see he’s not a point magnet. However, at 7.0, he’s considered to be cheap and with the easy fixtures coming up, he might be Tottenham’s main man. The last option (for the gamblers!) is Dempsey. He was part of the Dream Team last year when he delivered 209 points (more than Bale himself). However, since he is not used to playing at Tottenham yet, you can try him out if you are a risk taker, and/or if you have the extra cash.

Manchester City: Toure’s form versus Silva’s class

City is the last team I’ll discuss in detail. The first option to look at is Yaya Toure. He has missed only 7 minutes this season and he has got 80 points to his name so far. He’s a definite starter for Mancini, and rotation is not a concern at all. If you looked at his points, you’ll find that he delivers in consecutive weeks (the first 3 for example).

However, he has some “dry” weeks where he does nothing when he plays. He delivered in his last 2 weeks, and against Reading next week he might be your best call. At 7.7, his price is considered low for his points obtained so far.

The second option is David Silva. Despite the fact that he’s at 9.4, Silva has not found his form yet. He’s not consistent at all, and he’s scoring very few points. However, class is permanent, and players like these can find their form at any point. In the next few weeks, Silva might do that and deliver like crazy.

The last option is for gamblers again. Nasri in no point this season was able to do well, except in a few matches here and there. Other than that, the 2’s and 1’s were all he had. However, things might turn around in this game. At 8.0, he might be your differential that will pull you up!

Chelsea & Liverpool: Chelsea’s Consistent Quality but Pool’s Inconsistent and risky as well

The other two teams are Chelsea and Liverpool. If you are looking at Chelsea’s MIDs, you can’t look at anyone other than Hazard and Mata, who are both quality midfielders that deliver consistently (6.2 PPG for Mata and 5.6 for Hazard). You would need 2M in the bank to get 1 of the 2, but they do seem worth it.

If you turn to Liverpool, Gerrard and Sterling are your only 2 options. Gerrard hasn’t been an amazing player this season, and it’s a risk to get him. Your other option, Sterling is very cheap at 5.7. He’s not a consistent player, but saving up the cash might help you elsewhere. Keep in mind that Sterling is a rotation risk at the moment, and you might want to avoid him.

Conclusion

Deciding which player to buy might be a difficult task. The first thing to think of is whether you actually have cover from those teams or not. If you do, then you might not want to double up that cover.

The other factor is the money you have in the bank, and whether you are willing to spend the extra 2M for a mid or not. In my opinion, which you are more than welcome to criticize, my first option is Mata. If you have the money, then go for him. He’s an amazing player, and with Chelseas’s fixtures he might do very well.

If you don’t any money to spend, then it’s Yaya. At 7.7, and with City’s fixtures, he’s a great player, and he might prove more than useful. If you are concerned about the cash, Lennon is your best bet, and he might serve you well.  

Mary had a little lamb