A Guide To FPL Team Structure | Wildcard FPL Gameweek 4

With a crazy transfer window finally coming to an end, we can now assess which players to choose for the season ahead. A lot of players(premium as well as budget), have entered into the fray. Many FPL managers are now considering to use the Wildcard ahead of FPL Gameweek 4 to go early on such assets. With a lot of premium players (Ronaldo, Salah, Lukaku, Bruno, Kane etc) to choose from, more than ever, it has become important for us to make that choice wisely, as this is an early wildcard, and next one will be available not before than Gameweek 19. Therefore, in this article, we are going to look at some structures to build our FPL Gameweek 4 Wildcard team.

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What is Team Structure?

Team Structure is basically selecting players from particular price points in an organised way so that enough flexibility is available or future transfers can be planned out accordingly. For example – Going for 2 premium midfielders can make it difficult to go for switching one of these midfielders to a premium forward (although, possible with taking a hit or two). Therefore, while making a Wildcard squad, we should look at our future transfer priorities and choose the structure on the basis of those transfers.

Why you should go for a particular Team Structure

Opting for a specific team structure is not necessary at all, and I personally belonged to the school of thought that just go for the best players and figure rest out after that. However, the major drawback to that strategy is that it sometimes leads to rash decisions, without a plan. For example – A team with 3 premium forwards can’t go for mid-priced(7.5M-9M) players easily, without sacrificing one of the premiums.

On the other hand, a team with a pre-planned structure can easily go for a more balanced team. This can help plan some of the future transfers, as the bracket of the players was already determined while making the squad. Therefore, following a structure can help you play the game in a more organised way, and increase your chances of winning.

Structures to go for on Wildcard for FPL Gameweek 4:

Now, let’s take a look at a few possible structures. I will be going through pros and cons of various possible structures and combinations, to provide a detailed explanation of each structure. This will help you make a well-informed decision on your Wildcard.

Structure 1: Three Premiums

The most popular structure amongst the wildcarders and non-wildcarders, going ahead, will be the 3 Premium structure. The sheer number of premiums available in the game right now seems unreal. Managers can easily swap from one premium to another keeping the fixture swings in mind. Premium options are more reliable and consistent, albeit expensive. For a three premium formation, sacrifices would be required in defence and other parts of the team. SPOILER ALERT: The major drawback, common to all these combinations is having to go without a certain Liverpool defender – Trent Alexander Arnold. He is a highly owned player, and also is on 7th in xGI list with an xGI of 2.1. Moreover, on any given day, he can outperform his stats, and get a monster haul.

Let’s take a look at, how the squad can be built in this case:

The Goalkeepers and Defence position will use up similar price, through all the combinations. However, the money spent on Midfielders and forwards positions will differ depending upon the combination of the premiums.

Goalkeepers (8.5m – 9.0m) – In this format, it would be best to go for budget keepers in the 4.5 – 5m price range, rather than spending 5/6m. The most popular combination can be going for a 4.5m keeper (Sanchez, Guaita, Bachmann) and a 4.0m bench fodder. If you are willing to spend more, a great differential option for this position can be Jose Sa (5.0m) of Wolves. Wolves have a good pool of green fixtures coming up, all the way till Gameweek 15, and he can be the go-to option for your Wildcard squad.

Defenders (22.5m – 24.0m) – To accommodate the 3 premium players, going for the best budget defenders would be necessary. By doing this, one major player that you would be missing out on would be – Trent Alexander Arnold (7.5m). However, this risk can be hedged by the 3 premium players. The price structure of defenders can be:

1. [5.5 – 5.5 – 4.5 – 4.5 – 4.1] – Shaw – Reece James – Veltman – Ayling – Livramento
2. [5.5 – 5.0 – 4.5 – 4.5 – 4.1] – Shaw/James – Reguilon/Semedo – Veltman – Ayling – Livramento
3. [5.5 – 4.5 – 4.5 – 4.5 – 4.1] – Shaw – Veltman – Ayling – Kilman – Livramento

There are playing 4.1/4.2 defenders in the game right now – Livramento (4.1m) and Duffy(4.2). Therefore, a good defence can be formed with some of the above-mentioned price structures.

Some of the Combinations for the Three Premiums drafts ahead of FPL Gameweek 4

One Premium Midfielder – Two Premium Forwards

The most popular combination of all the premium options available is the Salah – Ronaldo – Lukaku. The other possible drafts under this structure can be Bruno – Ronaldo – Lukaku/Kane; Son – Ronaldo – Lukaku/Kane. On the Wildcard, you could also opt to go for Kane till Gameweek 7 and swap him for Lukaku.

With Ronaldo and Lukaku coming back to Premier League, it has surely shaken up things for the FPL managers. The sheer amount of goals they can score makes them a great option to own and captain in good fixtures. The remaining midfielders can be filled by – a 7.0-8.0m, a 6.0-6.5m, a 5.5m and a 4.5m. The third forward spot can be filled by the likes of Antonio(7.9m), the best option in that price range currently. To give a better idea, here are two possible teams following this combination:

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A few changes like Salah to Bruno or Lukaku to Kane can be done in these drafts. Overall this draft is basically a Premium Midfielder and 2 Premium Forwards. Other combinations following the same can be Bruno/Son – Ronaldo – Kane/Lukaku.

Pros: Opting for this kind of structure (one premium mid and 2 premium strikers), will help tap all the mid-priced midfielders emerging in the game right now – Ferran Torres (7.1m), Greenwood (7.7m), Jota (7.6m), Raphinha (6.5m), and many more. The strategy can be switching between these players depending upon their stats and fixtures. Also, the obvious benefit is, having both Cristiano Ronaldo and Romelu Lukaku. They were the top scorers in Serie A last season, with Ronaldo scoring 29 and Lukaku, behind him scoring 24 goals. Also, they can be great captaincy options throughout the course of this season.

Cons: Currently, there are a lot of mid-priced forwards in the game, with great fixtures as well as stats to back them up – Antonio (7.9m), Jimenez (7.4m), DCL (8.2m), Danny Ings (8.0m). With 2 premium forwards, it will make it difficult to get these assets, as either you would have to downgrade a premium or take money out of midfield to fund the third striker spot. Also, another drawback is that midfielders get an extra point for a goal, and also 1 clean sheet point, thereby making midfielders a better captaincy option. However, in this draft, you would be able to avail that from only one spot.

Further Read: FPL GW4 Watchlist – Stand Out Players Who Impressed In GW1-3

Two Premium Midfielders – One Premium Forward:

The other structure, a more balanced one, can be going for two premium midfielders and one forwards – Salah – Bruno – Ronaldo; Son – Bruno/Salah – Ronaldo/Kane/Lukaku. In this draft, the fillers can be mid-priced forwards, like Antonio, DCL, etc. Other Midfielders can be of 7.0-8.0, price range and a 4.5m midfielder. Possible draft following this structure can be:

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Pros: This structure is a tad more flexible than the previous one. The helps us get most of the mid-priced forwards who are matching xG of some expensive assets. Antonio and DCL, are also on penalties, which provides an added benefit to go for this structure. Moreover, Midfielders get an extra point for a goal and a clean sheet point as well, therefore, having 2 Premiums in Midfield can help in providing diversity while choosing our captains.

Cons: The one thing that managers would miss out, in this structure is – not having mid-priced players like Greenwood, Jota, Torres, from the Big 6 teams. These players could prove to be ultimate value players if they are able to get minutes. Torres playing False 9 in the City team, and priced at 7.1m, seems too good to be true. The same is the case for Jota and Greenwood.

Further Read: FPL GW4 Wildcard – Best Combinations, Strategy Tips, And Team Reveal

Three Premium Forwards

The 3 premium forwards structure is a bit more rigid structure, but obviously, it has its own benefits. The three obvious choices in this format is Lukaku – Ronaldo – Kane (or swapping one of them for Vardy (10.5m). Let’s take a look at a few possible drafts with three premium forwards:

Pros: The three forwards are premium because of the sheer amount of goals they score, throughout the season. They provide with amazing captaincy options, irrespective of the opponent they face. Moreover, with no premium midfielder, this team can have a lot of mid-priced midfielders, who have high Points per Price. If these players can get minutes consistently, they might be the best assets to own, taking the price into consideration. Along with them, the 3 reliable forward options can also prove to be a great differential.

Cons: This draft will be missing out on highly owned midfielders like Bruno Fernandes and Mo Salah, who have the ability to deliver on any given day. They also have a tendency to have more than 100% E.O(Effective Ownership), which can hurt your rank massively. Also, with high priced forwards, it will be difficult to go for other forward options like Antonio, who also has close to 50% ownership. Therefore, this team is far from the template and can be defined as High Risk, High Reward.

Further Read: FPL GW4 Watchlist – Stand Out Players Who Impressed In GW1-3

Before going further, Do vote in this week’s FPL GW4 allaboutfpl captaincy poll. The same will be available in the captaincy analysis and metrics blog written by@AK_FPL1. The metrics has been delivering consistently with a 100% record this year. Last week the metric predicted Antonio as the best captaincy candidate ahead of Salah, Son, and Kane and he scored a monster haul once again. Stay tuned for the GW4 Captaincy metric to see who tops it!

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The results and the captaincy metric blog will be published soon based on the votes.

Three Premium Midfielders

This is a structure for those, who can digest going without the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo or Romelu Lukaku. Currently, the best three Premium Midfielders to own are Salah, Bruno, Son. After a while, we could see a resurgence of players like KDB, Mane, Sterling etc. Going for this type of set-up can help tap early on these assets as well. Let’s take a look at how a team would shape up in this scenario:

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Pros: The advantage, you get by going with this structure is getting to own most of the budget forwards, who have been performing brilliantly, and also have the stats to back them up. There are a lot of forwards in this bracket like – Antonio, DCL, Ings, Jimenez, Bamford, Callum Wilson, Watkins and many more. Also, it gives the opportunity, to swap between the midfielders with hefty price tags.

Cons: The lack of a premium spot upfront, is the biggest negative point of this structure. To get to a premium forward, if one of them goes on a hot streak, would require taking a hit, or 2 FTs, and damage the balance of the team.

Further Read: FPL Gameweek 4 Fixture Swings: Teams and Players to Target and Avoid

Structure 2: Trent + 2 Premium Players:

This structure includes one of the most gifted assets in the game – TAA. The main problem with the three premiums drafts was going without Trent. However, with 2 premiums and 7.5m defender, a balanced team can be built. Since, there are also mid-priced players available in the game, going with 2 premiums and filling the rest by budget/mid-priced, can also be fruitful. Here are a few possible drafts following this structure:

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Pros: In this structure, you get a much more balanced team, with a premium player in each position. Having that, makes it easy to switch to a better performing player in that position, or to fund any player who is on a hot streak. The formation of the team here is 3-4-3, which includes two reliable defenders ( TAA and Shaw/Rudiger), and a 4.5 one. So, this team also has the potential to get regular clean sheet points (and attacking returns from defenders as well), in addition to the front 7.

Cons: Here, you will have to sacrifice, either a 7.5-8.0m midfielder or a premium player, in order to accommodate Trent Alexander Arnold. Also, you would have to settle on other cheap defenders, which puts more pressure on TAA to carry your defence.

Further Read: FPL GW4 Watchlist – Stand Out Players Who Impressed In GW1-3

Structure 3: Two Premium Players:

The two premium structure is going to be the most used and most versatile structure, to set the wildcard team up for Gameweek 4. Having two Premiums, allow managers to fit in Trent (Structure 2: Trent + 2 Premium Players), and sacrifice him to set up a better front seven, or prepare a better bench. In these drafts, you wouldn’t feel the constraint of funds and will be able to select your team with more freedom. You can go for 2 Premium midfielders or 2 premium forwards, as your 2 premiums, however, the most balanced team will be – 1 premium midfielder and 1 premium forward.

Goalkeepers (8.5m – 9.5m): This set-up allows managers to get a 5.5/6m keeper unlike in the 3 premium drafts.

Defenders (26.0m – 28.0m): With only 2 premiums in the team, having Trent is easy, and moreover, a team with a stronger defence overall can be built. However, without Trent, his money can be spent elsewhere, and a more diverse team can be attained.

Midfielders (38.5m – 42.0m): Salah, for most, is going to be the player for 1 Premium Midfielder. A 4.5m bench fodder can be chosen, in order to go for 3 forwards(3-4-3 formation). The remaining 3 midfielder spots can be filled as – 7.5-8.0m (Greenwood/Jota/Mount); 7.0m (Torres); 6.0-6.5m(Raphinha/Benrahama etc), or any other combination which would suit your team best.

Forwards (27.8 – 29.0m): The forward line would look like – one premium ( 11.5-12.5m), and 2 mid-priced( 7.0-8.5m). For example – Ronaldo – Antonio – DCL/Jimenez. Currently, these forwards are the best value assets in the game, and their ownership is also going through the roof.

Here are a few possible drafts following this structure

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Pros: Not having Trent is always a disadvantage, however, the risk can be spread by having other great assets, who have the potential to match or even outperform Trent. The other pros are similar to those mentioned in Structure 2.

Cons: Of course, not having Trent will always seem as too big of a risk to take, however, owning a City, a Chelsea, and a Man United defender, have the potential to even outscore him.

Further Read: FPL Gameweek 4 Fixture Swings: Teams and Players to Target and Avoid

Structure 4: Big At The Back

Going big at the back is basically choosing the best FPL defenders available in the game, irrespective of their price. Needless to say, one of the defenders is going to be Trent-Alexander. Others can be from teams with great defensive sats, and who have great fixtures coming up. Manchester City is the best defensive team till now. Also, fixtures rarely matter for them, therefore going for one of their defenders in this structure seems like a no-brainer. Surprisingly, behind them at 2nd position in the list is Wolves, who have been posting some real good numbers, defensively as well as offensively. Chelsea are also one of those teams, to whom fixtures do not matter to keep clean sheets.

Goalkeepers (8.5 – 9.0m): Goalkeeper option, somewhat, remains the same as in the 3 premium players one.

Defenders (29.0 – 31.0m): The main focus of this structure is defence, so around one-third of your budget will be spent here. With four main defenders, you can go for a 5th 4.0m playing defender (Livramento, Duffy, etc). Trent and Shaw, seems like the must-haves here, whereas the other two can be from Man City, Chelsea or Wolves.

Midfielders (37.0 – 39.0m): To fund the pricey defenders, the front 7, would need to compromise. Salah will take the first spot in midfield, while one of the others can be chosen from – Jota, Greenwood, Traore, Torres etc. Two Midfielders would need to be chosen from the 6.0-6.5m bracket – Raphinha, Benrahama, Fornals – or a 5.5m midfielder.

Forwards (25.0 – 26.0m): Similar to Salah, the first name that comes to mind to fill the forward’s position is Cristiano Ronaldo. While the second can be in the 7.5-8.5m bracket. As of now, Antonio appears to be the king in that bracket, and an obvious choice for the 2nd spot. The 3rd spot would have to be compromised and would either have to be a 5.2m – Dennis (Watford), who is a regular starter, or a 4.5m bench fodder.

Let’s see, how a team shapes up when going big at the back:

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Pros: The most evident advantage here is, potentially getting more points from the defenders. The attacking defenders are great assets, as they get 6 points for scoring a goal. Result of which, they tend to fetch maximum bonus as well. Adding to that goals, they also have the potential to get a Clean Sheet, which then becomes a mega haul. Therefore, going big at the back can increase the chances of tapping those hauls.

Cons: There are a lot of midfielder and forward options in the game. By going big at the back, you will be missing out on some value attackers, who have great stats, coupled with great fixtures. Also, the bench would be a bit weaker as compared to other structures.

If you see points in defenders, it is certainly worth going for something like this.

Further Read: FPL Gameweek 4 Fixture Swings: Teams and Players to Target and Avoid

A Bonus Draft:

Before ending the article, here is a bonus draft, which might seem as a bit bonkers, and well, it is. Imagine the best 4 premium players in the game. And add them to your squad, and just fill the rest by whatever options are available. Here is an example of it:

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Each of these Players – Salah, Ronald, Lukaku and Kane – have the potential to score at least 20 goals. If each of them hits the 20 goal mark, you would get 80 goals from just 4 players!

The biggest disadvantage in this draft is, going through the headache of choosing a captain, week in week out. There are literally FOUR great options to choose from!

Further Read: FPL GW4 Wildcard – Best Combinations, Strategy Tips, And Team Reveal

Conclusion:

There are many team structures to choose from. To choose one, you need to think about what your future transfers are going to be and which are the potential players you would like to own. Say, you want to get Lukaku in after Gameweek 7. In that case, going for at least one premium forward would be wise, as you’ll be able to make a straight swap to him in that Gameweek. I hope, this blog gives you a better idea of how to build your Wildcard Team. Good luck for the rest of the season!

Thanks for reading the ‘A Guide To FPL Team Structure | Wildcard FPL Gameweek 4’ blog.

Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of FPL Gameweek 4:

FPL GW4 Watchlist – Stand Out Players Who Impressed In GW1-3
A Guide To FPL Team Structure | Wildcard FPL Gameweek 4
FPL GW4: Goalkeepers Analysis | Best Goalkeeping Option
FPL GW4 Wildcard – Best Combinations, Strategy Tips, And Team Reveal
FPL Gameweek 4 Fixture Swings: Teams and Players to Target and Avoid
Why You Don’t Need to Wildcard This Early Into The 2021/22 FPL Season
Bruno Fernandes Hold or Sell Going Into FPL GW4 | Stats Analysis
FPL GW3 Fixture Wise Stats Review | Key FPL Stats that Caught our Eye
2021/22 FPL Chip Strategy: What to do with the Elusive Boosts
Fixture Analysis For Optimal Wildcard Strategy | FPL 2021/22 Season

We have also made an elaborate guide covering every rule and chip available in FPL for the 2021/22 FPL Season ~ 2021/22 Fantasy Premier League Season Rules, Tips | The Ultimate Guide

Check out our Rules and Basics Guide, FPL Chip Strategy, FPL Chips, FPL Team reveals, FPL History, team reveals, FPL Tools here.

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What’s next from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL Gameweek 4?

We’ll be covering fixture analysis, players to watch out for in FPL Gameweek 4, differential picks, Wildcard drafts, captaincy metrics, transfer trend analysis, expected line up, press conference summaries, Buy, hold, sell analysis for FPL gameweek four, our expert panel team reveals and more. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for all our blogs and subscribe to our free newsletter through the link below. We’ll also be posting regularly about the same on our social media accounts so follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook keep our notification ON.

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