MidfieldMaestros

As the great coaches often say “Most football matches are won in midfield” , likewise, the FPL teams with a strong midfield tend to do well more often than not. The top four point scorers in FPL last season were midfielders(Salah, Sterling, Hazardand Mane), not only that, the midfielders contribute goals as well as assists, this makes them the most valuable asset of a FPL team.

PLANNING YOUR MIDFIELD:

An FPL team must have 5 midfielders in their squad. It would be a wise move to spend more than 40% of your money in midfield. Ideally, people who spend 40-50 million on their midfield should fare well in private as well as public leagues!

PREMIUM MIDFIELDERS:

The players who cost 9.5-12.5 million fall in this category, it would be apt to have two midfielders from this set as these fellas give you goals and assists aplenty. They can also be a regular captain pick for your team through the course of the season. The chances of these guys getting maximum bonus points is also very high.

MID-RANGE MIDFIELDERS:

This set consists of players who fall in the range of 7-9 million. You should consider picking 1-2 players from this category. I’d suggest you go in with 2 of them and save your money elsewhere. This is because, most of the set piece takers fall in this category and the introduction of VAR could escalate the chances of these players giving you more points. Think about it!

BUDGET MIDFIELDERS:

It would be advisable to have at least one player from this category, if not two (if you wish to invest more in other areas). Generally, these players are the ones who are often picked or benched based on fixture difficulty.So, picking players from mid-table teams who are in form or having potential set-piece takers from teams in the bottom half of the table should serve you well.

So lets get started with our picks !

Mo Salah(12.5 MIL) and Sadio Mane(11.5 MIL) LIVERPOOL

2018-19 was a ‘so close yet so far’ season for Liverpool as they finished agonizingly 1 point behind the champions, Manchester City. Nonetheless, from an FPL point of view, Liverpool assets were a dream pick and both Mo Salah and Sadio Mane shared the golden boot with 22 goals a piece. However, Salah chalked up 12 assists as opposed to Mane’s 3.

It is therefore a no brainer to have at least one of these two in your side, although you have to consider the fact that both of them have returned back late to Liverpool following their international sojourns.

Notably though, Mo Salah is on penalties for the Merseyside club and with the advent of VAR, the Egyptian could well benefit even more this season.

Liverpool do have a kind run of games to start the season, so having both of them won’t be a bad option, but if you’re looking for one, then we’d suggest you to go with Salah.

Raheem Sterling 12MIL MANCHESTER CITY

Raheem Sterling has grown by leaps and bounds ever since Pep came into the club, and has scored an incredible 35 goals in the last two seasons in the league. He secured 234 points in FPL last season which was only bettered by Hazard(238) and Salah(259).

The England international has been in dazzling form in preseason too, racking up 5 goals to go along with two assists, he also scored in the community shield last Sunday. City do have a reasonably winnable set of fixtures to begin the campaign, so Raheem Sterling definitely comes under the ‘must-own’ category.

Bernardo Silva(8.0) and Kevin De Bruyne(9.5) MAN CITY

If you can’t afford Sterling or if you’re thinking of doubling up on city’s midfield, then you should consider picking one of Silva or De Bruyne.

SLICK. CLASSY. INSPIRATIONAL. That is Bernardo Silva in a nutshell. The Portuguese midfielder was in mouth watering form last season picking up 7 goals and 8 assists. He also won the Man City player of the season award in May 2019 to along with the UEFA Nations League Finals player of the tournament in June. At just 8.0 MIL, Silva is a real bargain of sorts and with Sane being injured, Silva could get an extended role in a more attacking position, which adds to the chances of him getting more returns this season.

Another potential asset from Man City is KDB, the forgotten man almost. The Belgian missed vast majority of last season due to injury, but now has regained full fitness following a successful preseason. De Bruyne was in sparkling form in 2017-18 season and will be looking to emulate the same this time around as well. Owned by 15.6% of FPL managers, the 28-year old could be a very good differential option.

Gylfi Sigurdson and Richarlison (8.0) EVERTON

Given the fact that Everton only have one game against top 6 opposition in the first quarter of the season, owning their players is vital. Gylfi Sigurdson is the stand out option from the Toffees. The Icelander had his most productive season last time around, contributing 13 goals and 6 assists in all. The midfielder also takes most of Everton’s set pieces and is also their penalty taker.

An alternative option from the Merseyside club is Richarlison. The Brazilian hit the ground running last season and started off exceedingly well before his campaign petered out towards the latter part much like it did in the 2017-18 season while he was at Watford. One clear indication is the fact that the 22-year old starts a new season well and may well do the same again .

If we have to pick one between the two, our choice would be Sigurdson.

James Maddison (7.0) and Ayoze Perez(6.5) LEICESTER

One of the teams to watch out for in the 2019-20 season is Leicester City. Under Brendan Rodgers, Leicester are playing some exciting football, scoring goals aplenty, as a result of which it is extremely necessary to have a fox or two in your FPL side.

Maddison looks like a great option, he takes all the set pieces for the Foxes and was in dazzling form in the last quarter of the 2018-19 season. The Englishman also scored more goals (3)from direct free kicks than any other player in the top flight.

But the more appealing option from Leicester is Ayoze Perez. The Spaniard scored 12 goals for Newcastle last season who hardly had any creativity in their side. Perez is a type of player who gets himself into great attacking positions and therefore offers a goal threat if he has the right sort of creativity in and around him. That is something which he has in abundance in Leicester with the likes of Tielemens and Maddison capable of unlocking any defense.

Lucas Moura(7.5) and Christian Eriksen(9.0) SPURS

Spurs can finally start a season in a stadium of their own, and that in itself will lift their spirits. Add to that a tremendous transfer window, the North London head into the 2019-20 season as one of the title contenders without a shadow of a doubt, and hence you should have Spurs’ players in your FPL sides.

Eriksen is a safe option from to pick as he starts almost every game and also takes most of the dead-balls for the Lilly whites. The Dane had one of his least productive season last year, but with the recruitment of Tanguy Ndombele, the midfielder may well provide more attacking returns this campaign.

Now, if you can’t afford Eriksen, there’s more than a viable alternative from Spurs in Lucas Moura. The former PSG man had a dream end to last season, scoring a famous hat-trick in Amsterdam which took his side to the Champions League final. The Brazilian has been in red hot form even in preseason, notching up 3 goals which was more any of his compatriots including Harry Kane. With Son being suspended for the first two games and Alli being injured, Moura will be a very useful differential to have in your side!

Ryan Fraser (7.5) BOURNEMOUTH

The Scottish international enjoyed a dream campaign in 2018-19, scoring 7 goals and providing 14 assists along the way. The winger scored more points than any other Bournemouth player last season. Furthermore, the Cherries have a great set of fixtures in the first 7 weeks, and therefore it is even more imperative to have Fraser in you side.

NEW ARRIVALS TO THE LEAGUE

If is safe to say players who newly arrive to the premier league do take time to settle in, as a result of which it is better to wait and watch for a couple of weeks before we decide to bring them in. Here are some of the players to keep an eye on!

Christian Pulisic (7.5) CHELSEA

Since joining Chelsea in their preseason, Pulisic has hit the ground running, scoring 2 goals in 3 matches and also winning a penalty along the way. At just 7.5 mil, the winger could be just the type of bargain you are looking for from a top six club.

Nicolas Pepe(9.5) ARSENAL

The Ivorian took the Ligue 1 by storm last season, scoring 22 goals and assisting 11 more of them. Pepe completed more dribbles in the French league than any other player. On the flip side though, no player was dispossessed more than the 24-year old winger.

Giovani Lo Celso (7.5) SPURS

Lo Celso had a breakthrough season with Real Betis in 2018-19, the midfielder scored 9 goals and also provided 4 assists through the course of the season. Only Ousmane Dembele (68) completed more dribbles than Lo Celso (63) of players aged 23 and under in the Spanish top flight last season.

LEFT FIELD CHOICES

If you are one of those who wants to take punts and we highly recommend you not to, but in case you want to, then these are the players you should consider having in your side.

Jorginho (5.0) CHELSEA

The Italian was one of the most criticized players in the premier league last season, but he got better and better as the season went on. Jorginho is all set to be deployed in a more advanced role this season with Kante behind, as a result of which he could get attacking returns. But more importantly, with Hazard no longer there, the midfielder could well be one of Chelsea’s penalty takers this season.

Anthony Martial (7.5) MAN UTD

Martial is a type of player who makes you wonder things like ‘if only he does it more consistently’. Lack of consistency has been the Frenchman’s Achilles heel in his premier league career. However, in preseason Martial was United’s stand out player along with Wan Bissaka.

ALLABOUTFPL VERDICT

Looking at the success of midfielders last season in FPL, we suggest you to invest heavily in midfield. Pick players based on form and try to avoid new signings. Good Luck!