FPL GW5 Preview: Breaking Down FPL Dilemmas for Gameweek 5

Welcome to Insanely Football‘s Dilemmas blog for Gameweek 5 of the FPL 2022/23 season. This FPL GW5 Preview blog will break down all the popular Dilemmas FPL managers have this week and help you maximize your FPL points for Gameweek 5 and beyond.

Let’s dive right into it. We will start with the first one.

Link to all our FPL GW5 blogs including Fixtures/Players to target, Wildcard Drafts, Differentials, Captaincy metrics, Transfer trends, Watchlist and more. Completely free to access as well!

Do vote in the captaincy poll for this week below. The captaincy metrics blog from @AK_FPL1 will be posted based on the votes. The metrics had a 30/38 record last season and so far has a 4/4 record with Haaland topping the metrics in GW4 and returning with 34 points.

FPL GW5 Preview & Key Dilemmas Answered

1) Should you sell Salah against Newcastle?

Salah ended up blanking in a 9-0 win against Bournemouth. Yes, you read it right!!! There were no returns for Salah, meaning many FPL managers are suddenly thinking of selling him this week. I think it’s a bit of an overreaction. If we look at Salah’s numbers in the last game, they were still quite good.

Salah vs Bournemouth (GW4)

xG – 1.74
xA – 0.13
Shots – 4
Key Passes – 2

He had two excellent chances to score and was really unlucky not to get anything from the game. Salah has two goals and one assist for the new PL season. It’s only correct to think a player worth £13m in price should definitely get more attacking returns.

It’s okay to see what you do with that much money when selling Salah. One option is to spread it across the pitch, the other is to get premium replacements like KDB/Haaland/Kane. Despite these options, holding Salah for the upcoming fixtures is best.

Fixtures are a bit tricky, and with European competitions starting soon, there could be times where he gets subbed off in games, but the attacking potential is immense, and there is no way you should sell him.

Optimize your squad, check for player stats, and heatmaps on **FFFix**, signup with a 15% exclusive discount!

2) Is it worth saving a transfer in GW5?

The value of having an additional transfer is immense in FPL. This looks like a week where you can save a free transfer. Of course, if you have some fires in your team, sort out those on priority.

Note that Gameweek 5 takes place midweek, and Gameweek 6 is on the immediate weekend. There are high chances of teams rotating with such a less turnaround time. The European games are also just a little more than a week away. The top teams are expected to rest some of their best players and provide opportunities to others on the bench.

Make sure to have an injury/rotation-free playing XI. If you don’t have that this week, look at your bench for a replacement. If you are still not convinced with the bench options, use the free transfer to field your best team for Gameweek 5.

There is still value in getting in players like Trent, Diaz, Jesus, Haaland etc., as they are all high-performing players and would give you many FPL points. They are also heavily owned by managers, and not having them might result in substantial rank drops, especially if they haul.

I don’t see any high upside moves to be made this week. You can still get replacements for players like Zinchenko, Bailey, Mount, Saka etc. There are more than enough options available that should make your team stronger.

To summarise, if you don’t have anything obvious to do, it might be best to hold off any moves this week. You will get more information on rotation, which should help you assess FPL picks and your team much better.

3) What to do with premium defenders this week?

FPL GW5 Preview & Key Dilemmas Answered ~ What to do with premium defenders this week?

It’s been challenging to get the right set of premium defenders, considering the likes of Liverpool, Man City, and Chelsea have struggled a bit at the back. Many managers who went for double-ups on these defences are confused about whether to retain them.

Liverpool’s Trent and Robertson are the most premium combination, and with Liverpool only keeping one clean sheet in four games, it’s only a good thought in theory to drop one or both of these.

Trent definitely looks like a hold at the moment. More than 400,000 managers sold him before the GW4 deadline, and he punished them by scoring 17 pts. Robertson is a bit more tricky to call. If you have two free transfers, switching to Diaz or making upgrades in midfield/attack is okay. If you have a good team for GW5, hold him this week and assess further.

Man City is another team who has struggled to keep clean sheets, especially in their last two games. Cancelo is still a good option, but there is something about him that makes me wonder if he is not the same player as last season. With his price at £7.1m, there is an argument to sell him this week or even downgrade to Walker/Dias. I won’t recommend doing that just yet. City is playing Forest, who are pretty open at the back, and Cancelo can haul big. Definitely hold him for at least one more week.

Walker is priced much cheaper (5.1m), so if you don’t have anything else to do, there is a chance to take him out for another defender. If Walker is your only Man City option in defence, it’s worth holding on to him as he will at least cover the City clean sheet and give you safe points.

From Chelsea, James is still a perfect hold for GW5. He plays Southampton, who look pretty average in defence right now. There are high chances that James will play that RWB role. While there could be an occasional benching or an early sub, the attacking potential James provides is worth the slight risk.

Cucurella is an interesting one! I won’t be surprised if he gets benched soon with Fofana’s signing and the fixture congestion for Chelsea. An able replacement in Chilwell is available, but again, it’s worth holding on to Cucurella at least this week. If he loses his place in the XI, there are chances you go towards other options like Saliba, Dunk or even a Tripper.

Another player worth holding is Perisic from Tottenham. Having started the last two games, there are high chances he may not feature in the midweek fixture against West Ham. The turnaround time is short, but playing only 75 minutes might slightly work in Perisic’s favour. We know his attacking potential, and even if he comes off the bench, there is a chance of getting a huge haul. Despite the tricky fixture against West Ham, I’d hold Perisic.

Allaboutfpl is completely 100% free to access and will remain the same. We do not like putting a paywall on our blogs and disappoint our readers like other websites (Not naming anyone😉). So you can continue to scroll and read without having to pay.

4) Who are the best Man City options in GW5?

Pep Roulette has always been a dangerous game to play, and we are approaching a time when fixture congestion starts, and there is a high amount of rotation expected. An exciting observation after looking at the fixtures was that between now and the World Cup, Man City has a midweek game every week, excluding the International Break.

Let’s look at some of the best options from the Cityzens.

Best Man City Defenders in FPL

Among defenders, Dias and Cancelo still look the most nailed options.

Cancelo was subbed early against Palace, but he should play most games for Man City in the Premier League. In my opinion, he is worth holding this week against Forest. If you are still looking to downgrade to make upgrades elsewhere, get in Ruben Dias.

Dias was surprisingly benched against Newcastle, but he is Man City’s first-choice CB. With Laporte out injured and Ake out for the near future, he and Stones look like the centre-back pairing for Man City.

Walker is a decent-budget City defender, but he is expected to get rested. I won’t sell him if I had him, but surely he is not a buy.

Best Man City Midfielders in FPL

Kevin De Bruyne is a tough hold at the moment. He is costing a lot of money, and with Haaland getting more involved in attacks, KDB’s goal-scoring potential definitely takes a hit. He is still a great pick to hold against Forest in GW5, but I won’t buy him despite the easier fixture.

Foden and Bernardo Silva look the most nailed among other options, but their goal involvements are difficult to predict. Gundogan is playing quite advanced, but there are chances of a benching anytime. After his appearance as a substitute against Palace, there are high chances he will start the game against Forest. Mahrez is a clear avoid for now and if you have him, swapping for Gundogan makes more sense.

Whichever other Man City midfielder you own is worth holding this week. All options have huge potential against Forest, a team that has conceded quite a few chances in every game they have played.

Best Man City Forwards in FPL

FPL GW5 Preview & Key Dilemmas Answered ~ Who are the best Man City options in GW5?

Haaland is a clear standout in the Man City attack and a great FPL option. There are already more than 400,000 managers who have transferred this week. I can understand the appeal of the Forest fixture, but he could easily get benched with Alvarez waiting to take his spot in the XI. I won’t be selling Kane and getting Haaland this week, but if you have him in your team, he is an easy hold despite the rotation risk.

That will be all from this week. Do let me know what you think about these dilemmas. Also, tell me in the comments or drop me a DM on Instagram/Twitter if I have missed out on anything specific.

All the best for Gameweek 5, and I will see you all very soon!

You can also subscribe to my Youtube channel Insanely Football for more FPL-related content. Follow me on I nstagram for daily FPL updates.

If you like our content do consider supporting us by contributing to the website. ALLABOUTFPL is run by the community and for the community. All our content is and will always remain free.

Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW5

FPL GW5 Differential Picks To Consider Ahead Of GW5 Deadline
Top FPL Gameweek 5 Captain Picks Based on Analysis & Metrics
FPL GW5 Preview: Breaking Down FPL Dilemmas for Gameweek 5
Predicted GW5 Lineups of All 20 Premier League Teams
FPL Gameweek 5 Transfer Tips: Two Players to Buy, Hold and Sell
FPL GW5 Scout Picks | FPLDaggaFC & AllAboutFPL
FPL GW5 Ultimate Guide: Tips, Differentials, Captaincy & More
FPL GW5 Wildcard Team & Drafts to Consider | Wildcard Guide
FPL Stats Of Shithousery | GW4 Team Of The Weak

Link to all our FPL GW5 blogs including Fixtures/Players to target, Wildcard Drafts, Differentials, Captaincy metrics, Transfer trends, Watchlist and more. Completely free to access as well!

FPL Gameweek 5 AAFPL Stream on our YouTube Channel

Do give our stream a watch we cover all things FPL GW5 including captaincy, differentials, tips covered in 50 minutes. Subscribe to our channel if you haven’t already

Thanks for reading the ‘FPL GW5 Preview’ blog. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for regular blogs. Also, follow our 80,000+community on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to stay updated on regular Posts and FPL updates. Link to all our FPL Gameweek 38 blogs.

What’s next from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL Gameweek 5 of the 2022/23 FPL Season?

We’ll be covering player comparisons, differential picks, transfer trends, Buy, Hold, Sell analysis, eye test report, fixture analysis, captaincy metrics, FPL GW5 tips, 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.

Our content is always free and if you like our content do drop a comment, follow, subscribe, and support us. Your love is what keeps us going:)