GW8 produced some scintillating individual performances from players that were heroes of past seasons but were yet to haul this season like Harry Kane, Firmino, Kevin De Bruyne & Ben Chilwell. Such emergence of players gives us FPL managers varied options in every position & price range. In this latest FPL Watchlist article for GW9, we look at some of the players that impressed in GW8. Vardy & Salah are definite options that have been consistently good this season, but while Salah looks to be an essential pick, we can take our liberties with owning Vardy due to the plethora of options in the forward position. Hence, I shall focus solely on some forward options due to the low ownership & explosive potential. Also, it should provide some context on players that are viable options for the Lukaku replacement conundrum as well. The players, Kane, Firmino & Broja, fall into different budget categories & I make a case for each of them based on stats & heatmaps of the players below.
Firmino – 8.8m fwd, 3.2% owned
GW8 performance – 20 points (3 goals, 1 assist)
Firmino rolled back the years with his eye-catching display against Watford. The ball seemed to find Firmino rather than him chasing the ball. His movement & marauding instincts came to the forefront last GW. These were in stark contrast to what we had expected from him due to his positional change to a false 9 by Klopp a few seasons ago. His omission from the Brazil national team must have surely spurred him to return back to form. He would want to keep this level going to get back into the Brazil setup (so an extra incentive as well). Jota’s return from injury is a concern, but that sort of a performance surely secures Firmino’s immediate game time prospects. He is exactly what we all thought Jota would be.
Seasoned FPL managers know that every year Firmino has this run of form which lasts for a few GWs. Those that dare to jump on him early enough are sure to reap the rewards with rapid rank rises. Another positive is that he is clinical with his shots & does not shoot unnecessarily which bodes well for bonus points as well. Below are some stats & player ranking for GW8 compared to other players in ( )
- Goal attempts – 3
- Shots inside box – 3 (3rd)
- Shots on target – 3 (1st)
- Chances created – 3 (4th)
- Big chances created – 1
- Penalty area touches – 9
- xG – 1.90 (1st)
- xA – 0.13
Next fixture: MUN (A)
Liverpool against United should be deemed as the fixture having best attack vs bottom 5 defence. Man. United have regressed alarmingly in terms of their defence after the recent injury to Varane. They have conceded chances left, right & centre. They are yet to keep a clean sheet in the last 9 fixtures. In the Premier League, they last kept a clean sheet in GW3 against Wolves (were incredibly ‘lucky’ to keep one then as well). With Ole’s job on the line, expect Klopp to rub salt in to the wound against their arch rivals. There is no doubt Liverpool will create a bunch load of chances.
Man. United last 4 GWs:
- Mins. per xG conceded – 19th
- Goal attempts conceded – 14th
Further Read: FPL GW9 Wildcard Team Reveal | Shiva FPL – 3 Top 10k | HOF 137
Harry Kane – 12.1m fwd, 5.6% owned
GW8 performance: 12 points (1 goal, 1 assist)
FPL’s evergreen forward option is owned by less than 6% of FPL managers currently. This was due to the uncertainty surrounding his future as well as the doubts on the tactical setup by coach Nuno. Thankfully, Kane has come back into form at the right time when we have injury concerns with Lukaku & Werner. This spices up the options along with already popular FPL forwards like Vardy & Toney.
- Goal attempts – 2
- Shots inside box – 1
- Shots on target – 1
- Chances created – 2
- Big chances created – 1
- Penalty area touches – 6
- xG – 0.41
- xA – 0.57
The numbers might not be too encouraging when compared with the likes of Vardy & Firmino, but his positioning & heatmap gives us encouraging signs that he might soon return back into the consistent form of yesteryears.
Next fixture: WHU (A)
If you are still not convinced with taking a punt on Kane, allow me to make a case for him.
- Kane loves the London derby with West Ham & has scored 11 goals & provided 2 assists in 16 games against them.
- West Ham started the season with good defensive numbers but in the last 4 gameweeks they are amongst the bottom teams for –
- goal attempts in the box conceded (20th)
- goal attempts conceded (18th)
- attempts from set plays conceded (15th)
- In GW10-11, he faces Man. United & Everton, two sides who have gone down a cliff defensively in recent weeks.
- From GW12, Spurs have a pretty long easy fixture run until GW17. Why not jump on the Kane-train well before it becomes a bandwagon.
Further Read: Best Romelu Lukaku Replacements in FPL Ahead of GW9
Armando Broja – 5m fwd, 0.9% owned
GW8 performance: 8 points (1 goal)
After a number of substitute appearances, Broja surprisingly started against Leeds over Armstrong. The Chelsea loanee validated his inclusion in the starting XI with a classy performance & troubled the Leeds defence with his positioning & attacking instincts. He offers a mix of clinical forward instincts well-suited for the pressing style that Hassenhutl has instilled in the Saints. Along with Redmond, they created enough chances to justify the 1-0 win over Leeds. With a good fixture run, they look like the go to team for budget assets in all the positions. Along with Livramento, Redmond & Broja look like enticing budget enabler options.
- Goal attempts – 5 (2nd)
- Shots inside box – 5 (1st)
- Shots on target – 2
- Chances created – 1
- Penalty area touches – 10 (3rd)
- xG – 0.77 (6th)
Next fixture: BUR (H)
This season Burnley have been defensively poor & Broja could profit big time. At 5m he is a risk worth taking based on his promising stats & fixtures.
Hope you enjoyed the article. Look forward to your valuable comments & opinion. May your arrows be green!
All stats & heatmaps are courtesy of Fantasy Football Scout & SofaScore respectively.
Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of FPL Gameweek 9:
FPL GW9 Analysis – Players To Buy, Hold Or Sell Ahead Of Deadline
FPL GW9 Wildcard Team Reveal | Shiva FPL – 3 Top 10k | HOF 137
Best Romelu Lukaku Replacements in FPL Ahead of GW9
FPL GW9 Differential Picks to Consider Ahead of Gameweek 9 Deadline
Players in Focus Based on Eye Test Ahead of FPL Gameweek 9
Form & Fixtures Analysis Ahead of FPL GW9 | Team and Players to Target
FPL GW9 Transfer Trends Analysis | Popular Transfer Combinations
Popular Player Comparisons Ahead of FPL GW9 ~ Kane vs Lukaku vs Vardy, James vs Chilwell, Hwang vs Toney vs Armstrong
FPL GW9 Budget Midfielders Analysis | Best Jota And Benrahma Replacements
FPL GW8 Fixture Wise Stats And Eye Test-Based Review
Link to all our FPL Gameweek 9 blogs.
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Avii (@Chap_FPL)
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