For the third installment in this four-part series, I will be expanding on the third team structure identified in my guide to 2021/22 FPL Team Structure. This structure is one of the two most popular, as most players will be going for two premiums in their team. Let us look at the various options for a structure with one premium midfielder and one premium forward, identifying the pros and cons of each along the way.
For each of my team structure analyses, the starting point is about an approach to the premium players. There is an argument to be made for each of the four combinations, but as an FPL manager, you should have an opinion on which premium combination you prefer. Doing so will help you focus on one of the four structures, and you can develop the rest of the squad following that decision. This structure is a way of playing it safe, by going with the two most consistent premium assets in the game: Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane.
This season, both Salah and Kane are priced at 12.5 m, the most expensive assets in the game. This comes off the back of a season where Salah tallied 22 goals and 5 assists in 37 matches and Kane tallied 23 goals and 14 assists in 35 matches. Along with two sensational performances last season, both have proven to consistently perform at the highest level throughout their time in the Premier League. While other premiums have shown promise of reaching the level of Salah and Kane, each has its own flaws.
Bruno Fernandes has exploded as an FPL asset in the season and a half since he joined Man United, but he does not have the time-proven pedigree of Salah and Kane. As well, rumors of ManU switching to a 433 formation for this season may hinder Bruno’s production. Other premiums, like Mane, KDB, or Vardy, each have their own question marks concerning consistency, injuries, or age.
Unless Salah or Kane pick up a long-term injury this season, it is safe to say that they will both finish in the top 5 scorers, most likely top 3. This is the assumption that this structure is best suited for, and while other premiums may offer similar value throughout the season, Salah and Kane can be held for the entire 38 gameweeks with little worry. In a game where we generally know very little, it can be smart to make decisions that have been proven over time.
Further Read: A Guide to FPL Team Structure | 21/22 FPL Season (Pre Wildcard)
As I have done in the other structure analyses, I like to fill out a base structure surrounding the chosen premiums. The base structure is what I would consider being the cheapest lineup while
providing adequate quality and depth for a successful FPL team. Following the base structure, I will look at possible upgrades and assess the pros and cons of those squads. This process should offer a wide base of options, with specific examples that readers can pick from and edit to their preference.
If you have read each of the preceding articles, much of the base structure will be similar and redundant, so feel free to skip ahead to examples of upgraded teams.
Goalkeeper – As I have preached in each team structure article, a 4.5/4.0 combination is often the best option for the goalkeeper slots. The reasonable options at the 4.5 m price are Sanchez (Brighton, popular favorite), Bachmann (Watford), Raya (Brentford), Krul (Norwich), Guaita (Palace), and McCarthy/Forster (Southampton).
Defenders – The cheapest defensive structure I would go for is either 5.5/5.0/5.0/4.5/4.0 or 5.0/5.0/5.0/4.5/4.5. A structure with more 4.5 m assets could work, but I do not see that as a viable option at the beginning of the season. These options are cheap while providing a combination of consistency and depth. The most appealing 5.0 m assets include: Cash, Doherty, Dunk, Firpo, Konsa, Reguilon, Targett, and Tierney. The most appealing 4.5 m assets include: Ayling, Femenia, Fofana, Holding, Lamptey, Lowton, Masuaku, Rose, Veltman, Webster, and White.
Midfielders – Alongside Salah at 12.5 m, there are four slots to fill. There are two primary options, dependent on which formation you want to play. For a 352, you will want a bulkier midfield with the lowest asset being 5.5 or 6.0 m. If you want to play a 343, that lowest asset can be a 4,5 m bench player. The two base price structures I would recommend are 12.5/7.5/6.5/6.5/6.0 or 12.5/7.5/6.5/6.0/4.5. The mid-priced midfielder bracket has a plethora of options ranging from Smith Rowe and Mbeumo at 5.5 m to Jota and Greenwood at 7.5 m.
Forwards – Like the midfielders, the forward line is dependent on which formation you want to play. A 343 formation requires three playing forwards whereas in a 352, the third forward can be a 4.5 m bench player. Alongside Kane at 12.5 m, I would look to include forwards from the 7.5-8.0 m range or the 6.0-6.5 m range. The two base price structures I would recommend are 12.5/7.5/4.5 or 12.5/7.5/6.5.
For both formations, there is a remaining budget of 4.0 m available to upgrade the squad. Possible Teams
Should you opt for a 352 formation, I would recommend choosing a defensive line with a 4.5 m asset as the fifth defender. In the 343, you can get away with a 4.0 m defender because the 4.5 m midfielder should provide ample cover for the bench. If you opt for a 4.0 m defender in the 352, you will be left with only one good substitute which is not recommended.
Further Read: An In-Depth Look at Team Structure 1: Three Premium Assets
Upgrading the Base Structure
As I did in the other two premium structure, I will take the base structures and upgrade them in a variety of ways. I like this method because you are not starting from scratch; by building a base structure, you begin with a squad you are somewhat happy with, and you make upgrades to whichever assets or price points you sense weakness. In the analysis of structure 2, I used the 343 system to show upgrade examples. In this article, I will use the 352 system to explore uses for the extra funds.
Option 1: Template Picks – Trent, Mid-Priced Defender, and Mid-Priced Midfielder
The first upgrade most will be looking at is to bring Trent into the squad. This makes sense, given that he is one of the best value FPL assets and will be included in many high-level teams. With the remaining 1.5 m, we can upgrade two or three other assets in the team. In this variation, I have gone for a 5.5 m defender and a 7.5 m midfielder. The 5.5 m defenders offer several options with high ceilings; the likes of Cresswell, Digne, Shaw, Stones, and Wan-Bissaka could offer great value in the early stages of the game. With the remaining 1.0 m, I decided to upgrade a 6.5 m mid to a 7.5 m mid. While there are a few 6.5 m options outside of Raphinha, it is hard to look past the potential value of assets like Jota, Greenwood, Gundogan, Mount, and Pepe.
Further Read: A Guide to FPL Team Structure | 21/22 FPL Season (Pre Wildcard)
Option 2: Big at the Back – Trent and Two Mid-Priced Defenders
In another variation including Trent, I looked at the possibility of spending all the extra funds on the defense. Many FPL managers have touted big at the back as a viable strategy early in the season, with assets like Chilwell, Cresswell, Dias, Digne, Shaw, Stones, and Wan-Bissaka as favored picks (to name a few). This option upgrades a 5.0 m and 4.5 m asset to two 5.5 m assets. This allows for a manager to pick two of the many 5.5 m options, with the possibility of swapping between them in the early weeks.
Further Read: An In-Depth Look at Team Structure 1: Three Premium Assets
Option 3: Big Midfielder – Mid-Priced Defender, Mid-Priced Midfielder, and Mid-Priced Forward
The third option ignores Trent, for those who want to go without him. Instead of spending 2.5 m to upgrade to Trent, those funds are used to get to an asset like Mahrez in midfield. While there are not many options in this price bracket, the midfielders who are not quite mid-priced but not quite premiums could offer outstanding value. If you pick the right moment during the season, including an 8.5-10.0 m midfielder alongside two premiums could almost be like having three premiums. The remaining funds are used to upgrade a defender and a forward. In defense, we can bring in a marquee asset to lead the line and in the forward spot, we can upgrade the 7.5 m asset to a somewhat safer 8.0 m asset.
Further Read: An In-Depth Look at Team Structure 1: Three Premium Assets
Option 4: Spreading the Wealth – Six Total Upgrades
The final option looks to spread the funds as evenly as possible. First, the 4.5 m keeper is upgraded to a more solid 5.0 m option. In defense, we can use 1.0 m to fit in two 5.5 m assets, where there are plenty of attractive assets as noted before. In the midfield, we can upgrade a 6.5 m asset to a 7.5 m asset with a higher ceiling as well as upgrading the 6.0 m asset to a 7.0 m asset. While the cheaper options could outperform the slightly more expensive options throughout the season (particularly
thinking about Raphinha and Harrison), the 7.0-7.5 m price bracket has so many options that could turn out to be great value as well. Lastly, in the forward line, we once again opt for a small upgrade froma7.5m to an 8.0m asset.
Further Read: A Guide to FPL Team Structure | 21/22 FPL Season (Pre Wildcard)
Along with the other two premium structure, this is likely to be the most popular structure in FPL this season. Although this structure lacks the options that a two premium midfielder structure offers (due to the plethora of 12.0 m midfielders) it makes up for that by offering the two most proven FPL assets in recent memory. While the high ownership of Bruno may put people off going for Kane, it could be a successful tactic to go slightly against the crowd and opt for Salah and Kane rather than Salah and Bruno. If you are a manager who does not want to be shifting premiums and/or does not favor the mid-priced forward options, this could be the right structure for you.
It must be noted that if you do have a change of heart and want to switch to a two premium midfielder setup, it will take at least two transfers or two gameweeks’ time to get there. The rigidity of this structure is both a negative and a positive, however. On one hand, you do not have the option to constantly change structure, but on the other hand that allows you to use your transfers elsewhere. Having Salah and Kane as a constant presence in your setup allows for transfers to be used on any injuries or swapping out other price points.
In terms of captaincy, the combination of Salah and Kane works well for the first weeks: Gw1 – Salah (nor)
Gw2 – Salah (BUR)/Kane (wol) Gw3 – Kane (WAT)
Gw4 – Salah (lee)/Kane (cry) Gw5 – Salah (CRY)
Gw6 – Salah (bre)
Gw7 – Kane (AVL)
Gw8 – Salah (wat)/Kane (new)
The only notable gameweek is Gameweek 7, when Kane faces a rather sturdy Villa defense at home. However, if this fixture turns you off Kane, you could aim to get in a differential captain for the week or wildcard right around then. Overall, I think the combination of Salah and Kane provides great captaincy options for the initial stage of the season.
Overall, I think going for this structure (whether Kane goes to City or not) could be a great option. The biggest downfall of this as opposed to the other two premium structure is the lack of options to switch to should Kane get injured or underperform. Aside from this, the captaincy rotation works well, and the rest of the squad has ample funds to create a balanced side. There is room to express yourself as an FPL manager with these extra funds, upgrading and targeting assets that you personally favor early on in the season.
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Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of the 2021/22 Season:
2021/22 FPL Team Structure | Two Premium Midfielders with Drafts
FPL Budget Strikers (£4.5 – £6.5 Mil) Analysis Ahead Of 2021/22 Season
Official FPL- Making Your First GW1 Draft |Top Picks For 21/22 Season
FPL 2021-22: Best Rotational Pairs of Teams for Alternate Easy Fixtures
Best Premium Defenders To Target For The 2021/22 FPL Season
FPL Season Review – How I became a Top 500 FPL Manager! | FPL Tips
FPL Scouting Report: Jadon Sancho | Is It Worth Getting Sancho in FPL?
Team to Target for Initial Few GW’s – Everton | FPL 21/22 Season
An In-Depth Look at Team Structure 1: Three Premium Assets
2021/22 FPL Season: FPL Price Changes Explained | FPL Guide
2021/22 Fantasy Premier League Season Rules, Tips | The Ultimate Guide
What is Effective Ownership(EO) in FPL? | FPL Guide
A Guide to FPL Team Structure | 21/22 FPL Season (Pre Wildcard)
How Structure and Approach can Shape your 2021/22 FPL Season
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Alex Michel
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