Popular Player Comparisons ahead of FPL GW6

We all know that a successful start to the FPL season came down to tiny decisions; Jota or Greenwood, Ings or DCL, Gray or Smith-Rowe. 5 gameweeks in, it’s crucial to make the most of those free transfers. Or, if you’re in the process of wildcarding, you need to build this team with the view that it should take you to the end of the year.

Without further ado, let’s get into some of the decisions giving FPL managers a headache. This article analyses the popular player comparisons ahead of FPL GW6.

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FPL GW6 Player Comparisons-

Marcal (£4.5m) vs Semedo (£4.9m)

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Wolves are a team I’ve seen being targeted by those hitting the wildcard (including me). While their attack offers much clearer options in Traore and Jimenez, many are scratching their heads over which Wolves defender is going to get the most points.

Marcal (£4.5m) vs Semedo (£4.9m) Stats

	Marcal (£4.5m)	Semedo (£4.9m)
Goals	0	0
Assists	2	0
xGI	0.69	1.19
Goal Attempts	5	6
Shots in Box	1	4
Big Chances	1	2
Penalty Area Touches	4	13
Crosses	26	9

Looking at these figures, Semedo is the more promising asset and definitely proves to be worth that extra £0.5m. Bear in mind he’s also played one less game than Marcal. However, Marcal has been the one to get those returns thus far. Expected figures can be frustrating to work with (as Wolves prove on the whole), but when a defender is registering these numbers it’s hard to resist. So, from these stats, Semedo is the Wolves defender to have.

Semedo’s heatmaps

Heatmaps from FFSCOUT

Marcal’s heatmaps

Heatmaps from FFSCOUT

These maps also prove them to be very well matched. Coupled with the stats, however, Semedo has to be the favourable asset.

Wolves at a Glance

Goals	2
Penalty Area Touches	135
Chances Created	64
Goal Attempts	82
Shots on Target	19
Goals Conceded	5
Shots Conceded	42

Wolves are, by far, the most frustrating FPL team. They have scored a disappointing 2 goals in 5 games (joint last with Arsenal and Norwich) as a team. When you consider that whopping xG, FPL managers can feel a little hard done by. Especially when you realise only Liverpool and Man City have registered a higher figure.

This xG figure is drawn from their sheer attacking threat. They rank 4th among chances created, and 3rd for goal attempts. What is missing for Wolves is the finishing! For shots on target, they drop to 8th place among Premier League teams.

Obviously, it’s important to take into account their defensive stats. Again, Wolves impress here. Only Man City have conceded few shots, so those clean sheet points do look favourable for Semedo and Marcal.

Drawing a blank against Leicester, Tottenham, and Man United can be forgiven, and despite last week’s game it’s hard to ignore their lovely run of fixtures.

sou

NEW

avl

lee

EVE

cry

WHU

nor

In the upcoming weeks, they face teams that have struggled to get off the ground. Norwich, Newcastle, and Leeds are the three that have conceded the most number of goals while scoring very little. Although the fixtures have been undesirable for these teams, their weak start is something that a team like Wolves can exploit. After all, they are clocking attacking numbers equal to the likes of Man City, Liverpool, and Man United; the very teams that have come away with comfortable wins from Wolves’ upcoming opponents. And again, Wolves’ attacking threat is even more impressive when you consider they have played Tottenham, Leicester, and Man United in the opening weeks.

The Verdict

As I have said before, Semedo’s stats prove him to be worth the extra cash. Having a Wolves defender wouldn’t be advisable if you have Jose Sa in goal, but their fixture run is one of the really favourable ones.

Marcal isn’t a bad option if you don’t have those extra funds. But, if you do, Semedo would be the Wolves defender to get for me.

FPL GW6 Player Comparisons- Gray (£5.8m) vs Gallagher (£5.6m)

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It was Gray who emerged as the clear favorite for the £5.5 price point, but Gallagher has had a blistering start to his campaign. Is Gray the best pick, or does Gallagher prove more value for money?

Gray (£5.8m) vs Gallagher (£5.6m) Stats

	Gray	Gallagher
Goals	3	2
Assists	0	1
xGI	1.60	3.39
Post-Shot xG	1.46	2.7
Goal Attempts	10	10
Shots in Box	6	7
Big Chances	1	4
Penalty Area Touches	16	17
Crosses	11	26

Surprisingly, these figures show that Gallagher is the man to have. What they don’t show is that he has played one game less than Gray. 

Before the start of the season, Crystal Palace were a team I was looking to avoid. I just didn’t think they’d have the attacking prowess or a strong enough defence to invest in. Now, we have a £5.5m midfielder registering these kinds of stats. With the addition of Odsonne Edouard, Palace are looking like an exciting team.

I think the thing that puts people off Gallagher is the fact that Everton are a much safer team. FPL-wise, they have proven to be viable assets in the past. Players like DCL and Digne always crop up in discussions. Now that DCL will be out for a few weeks, it’s hard to imagine the effects this will have on Gray. The 3-0 loss to Villa is not a promising sign; Everton looked truly rattled. Still, Gray’s stats are very enticing for a budget midfielder.

Gray’s heatmaps

Heatmaps from FFSCOUT

Gallagher’s Maps

These maps give Gray an advantage here – he does sit slightly higher up the pitch than Gallagher.
Heatmaps from FFSCOUT

Everton vs Palace at a Glance

	Everton	Crystal Palace
Goals	10	5
Penalty Area Touches	96	94
Chances Created	58	35
Goal Attempts	70	51
Shots on Target	26	11
Goals Conceded	7	8
Shots Conceded	63	68

Everton clearly come out on top from an attacking perspective. Part of that is the fixtures; Palace have faced Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham (although coming out on top), whereas Everton are yet to play the top six. With DCL out, there is a worry that Everton have a reduced attacking power. After all, we saw how they struggled against Villa last weekend.

Considering Palace’s difficult run of fixtures, they have conceded only 5 shots and 1 goal more than Everton. This might be something to take into account, and is something that hinders Gray’s prospects.

Upcoming Fixtures:

Both players have a mixed bag of upcoming games. With DCL looking to be back in a few weeks, you could argue that Everton will put up a strong fight against the likes of Spurs and City. On the same point, Palace have shown that they can pull out great football by overcoming Tottenham.

I think it’s Gray that has the favourable fixture list. Even in the tougher games against United and West Ham, we’ve seen how these teams can come away with the goals and a win, but still concede. If you were to wildcard this week, Norwich is a much nicer game than Brighton.

The Verdict

Gallagher is the one with the most promising figures here. Question is: do you take a risk on Crystal Palace, who have shown that they can overcome the top teams, but also be completely quashed by them? After all, Tottenham were down to 10 men. Unpredictable is the word I would use to describe Palace, whereas Everton is much more comfortable.

This is a touch choice, and one that could go either way. If you wanted to take a risk with Gallagher, now is the time to take that chance. Everton are missing important assets in DCL and Richarlison, so it’s likely that they will have their poorer performances in the next few games. That being said, sticking with Gray wouldn’t be a necessarily bad decision. He could really emerge as a top-scoring asset, and the next match against Norwich could give us a really good indication of what to expect from him.

FPL GW6 Player Comparisons- Pukki (£5.9m) vs Armstrong (£6m) vs ASM (£6.7m)

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Some really nice budget forwards are starting to emerge in FPL. Toney (£6.3m) is finally starting to show his return potential. The only reason he doesn’t make the comparison is because of those less than desirable upcoming fixtures. Edouard (£6m) is another exciting prospect, but is yet to start for Palace.

Pukki (£5.9m) vs Armstrong (£6m) vs ASM (£6.7m) Stats

	Pukki	Armstrong	ASM
Goals	2	1	2
Assists	0	1	0
xGI	1.91	1.83	1.86
Goal Attempts	10	16	11
Shots in Box	10	11	6
Post-Shot xG	1.34	1.4	1
Big Chances	3	2	1
Penalty Area Touches	22	23	26
Crosses	2	7	12

Definitely a mixed bag here. Norwich’s fixtures have been the worst of the three, so it’s not surprising that Pukki’s overall attacking threat has been weaker than the other two.

ASM is currently sitting at 10 points higher than Armstrong. However, these figures suggest that they are much closer in attacking potential. At £0.7m cheaper, Armstrong is proving to be real value for money. It’s just a case of these upcoming fixtures.

Pukki’s heatmaps

Heatmaps from FFSCOUT

Armstrong’s heatmaps

Heatmaps from FFSCOUT

ASM’s heatmaps

Heatmaps from FFSCOUT

Again, Norwich have been lacking in attacking threat, so we can see that Pukki has been forced back a lot more than Armstrong and ASM.

We know that ASM is a very explosive player, and we can see that from his heat map. However, Armstrong has the highest average position thus far.

Norwich vs Southampton vs Newcastle at a Glance

	Norwich	Southampton	Newcastle
Goals	2	4	6
Penalty Area Touches	82	111	116
Chances Created	35	43	48
Goal Attempts	51	57	65
Shots on Target	13	16	18
Shots Conceded	86	68	93
Goals Conceded	14	6	13

Norwich appear to be falling behind so far this season. This hasn’t been helped by facing Liverpool, City, Arsenal, and Leicester. However, their performances have certainly meant that they are considered to be an extremely favourable fixture. Look at how Watford exploited them last weekend.

Although Newcastle take the edge over Southampton in terms of attacking figures, these stats don’t tell the whole story. Southampton’s fixtures have been tougher than Newcastle’s overall, and yet they have conceded the least number of shots and goals. Newcastle have looked shaky in defence, and have actually conceded more shots than the struggling Norwich. I think it’s Southampton who stands out here.

Upcoming Fixtures

Norwich	Southampton	Newcastle
eve	WOL	wat
bur	che	wol
BHA	LEE	TOT
che	BUR	cry
LEE	wat	CHE
bre	AVL	bha
SOU	nor	BRE
WOL	liv	ars

All three teams here seem to have equally difficult fixtures over the next 8 weeks. There isn’t a particular run of games that you could pick out as favourable. This does make it more difficult to predict who the best asset would be.

The Verdict

I don’t think Norwich are a team people should be investing in. It seems that this year they will be the main target – the ‘whipping boys’, so to speak. Most of the same things could be said for Newcastle. ASM is a very enjoyable player to watch, but I just don’t think Newcastle is a viable team to choose, especially compared to Armstrong.

For me, Armstrong is the budget forward to choose at the moment. I think he’ll prove to be a better asset in the long-term over ASM and Pukki. Armstrong has a nice little run after the Chelsea game that would be worth considering. ASM is tempting here, but for £0.7m less I like the look of Southampton’s main man.

Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of FPL Gameweek 5:

FPL GW5 Fixture wise Stats and Eye Test-Based Review
Differential Captain For GW6: TAA | Brentford Defensive Analysis

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

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