Popular Player Comparisons Ahead of FPL GW7

This season has been one of unexpected injuries and suspensions. In particular, many of our back lines will have more than one yellow flag. So, there’s a big focus on defenders from in-form teams in this week’s fpl gw7 player comparisons article, as well as a look at popular budget midfielders ahead of GW7.

[All statistics taken from FFSCOUT]

Before going further, Do vote in this week’s FPL GW7 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 Salah as the best captaincy candidate and he returned once again in GW6 with a goal. Stay tuned for the GW7 Captaincy metric to see who tops it. Link to all our FPL Gameweek 7 blogs.

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

FPL GW7 Player Comparisons

Rudiger (£5.7m) vs Alonso (5.9m)

With popular picks Luke Shaw and TAA now in doubt, it’s the perfect time to be considering a Chelsea defender for this great run of fixtures. Rudiger and Alonso seem to be the ones in contention here, so let’s see what the stats say.

Rudiger vs Alonso Stats

	Rudiger (£5.7m)	Alonso (£5.9m)
Goals	1	1
Assists	0	0
xGI	0.34	1.68
Goal Attempts	5	6
Shots in Box	3	6
Big Chances	0	1
Penalty Area Touches	4	15
Crosses	3	41

Looking at this, Alonso definitely proves that he’s worth that extra £0.2m. The only defenders with a greater xGI are Trent and Cancelo (more on him later). 

Tuchel’s rotation is not nearly as risky as Pep’s right now, and both players seem pretty ‘nailed on’. It’s unlikely as of now that Chilwell will be taking Alonso’s starting spot, but his status needs to be kept a close eye on if you’re going with Alonso here. Rudiger, on the other hand, won’t be fighting for a spot as much. Any chance of rotation seems worth the risk, looking at the figures.

With Lukaku being the target man, surely Alonso’s crosses will start to really pay off.

Rudiger’s heatmaps

Heatmaps from FFSCOUT

Alonso’s heatmaps

Heatmaps from FFSCOUT

This definitely solidifies Alonso as the greatest potential for returns.

Chelsea stats at a Glance

Goals	12
Penalty Area Touches	151
Chances Created	59
Goal Attempts	78
Shots on Target	27
Goals Conceded	2
Shots Conceded	75

Not too much to highlight here. So far, they just make the top ten in goal attempts and chances created. However, tough fixtures against Liverpool and City do contribute to this lower figure.

We know Chelsea are going to be challenging for the title this season. Therefore, the next six or so games are hard to pass up…

SOU

bre

NOR

new

BUR

lei

MUN

wat

Although they were very quiet against City last week, I can’t see them not being able to bounce back over this lovely fixture run.

Newcastle and Burnley have both conceded over 100 shots so far. Norwich are yet to get any points on the board, and have scored just 2 goals in 6 games. All in all, there is so much potential for Chelsea to bag a few goals in each of these games, with high probabilities of a clean sheet. Reece James is potentially out for a few weeks, but I believe Chelsea have strength in depth to really dominate over these gameweeks.

Alonso vs Rudiger Comparison Verdict

Well, I think my stance on this is already quite clear. Alonso offers a much greater attacking potential than Rudiger. There is the niggling worry that he’s at a higher risk of rotation, but surely that’s worth the risk when you look at Chelsea’s next run of games. There may be no harm in playing it safe, but Chelsea have such a good chance of getting numerous goals across these gameweeks, and so Alonso’s potential for hauls seems very favourable.

I do think a Chelsea defender is a necessity to bring in either this week or next. If you’re hitting the wildcard, a space surely has to be made for Alonso or Rudiger.

Is it worth bringing in both? If you’re going big in the back, you also have to consider one of the in-form City defenders.

Further Read: Form and Fixtures Analysis Ahead OF FPL GW 7 | Best FPL Assets to Own

Cancelo vs Dias

Do we dare take a gamble on the Pep Roulette?

The most ‘nailed’ defenders in this City team are by far Cancelo and Dias. Both seem to have gained a bit of traction. Again, with some popular defensive assets in doubt, a City defender could be the perfect combination with Rudiger/Alonso.

Cancelo vs Dias Stats

	Cancelo	Dias
Goals	0	0
Assists	1	1
xGI	1.74	1.08
Goal Attempts	10	2
Shots in Box	2	2
Big Chances	1	2
Penalty Area Touches	16	9
Crosses	22	2

Both defenders have very solid attacking stats. As you can see, Cancelo comes out on top overall.

Both have also started every Premier League and UCL match so far. That’s definitely a good sign of things to come, but FPL managers know that Pep’s Roulette can strike at any time. For now, though

Cancelo is only really second to Trent. So, with Trent potentially out for a few weeks, is a move to Cancelo the most obvious option?

Cancelo’s heatmaps

Heatmaps from FFSCOUT

Dias’ heatmaps

Heatmaps from FFSCOUT

From this, we can see that Cancelo is the most attacking of the two. His positioning along the wing is a very good sign for FPL managers.

City stats at a Glance

Goals	12
Penalty Area Touches	237
Chances Created	87
Goal Attempts	115
Shots on Target	30
Goals Conceded	1
Shots Conceded	36

Some things to note:

• City have conceded the fewest shots thus far
• They are second for goal attempts and chances created

liv

BUR

bha

CRY

mun

EVE

WHU

avl

Perhaps the big thing deterring managers from bringing in a City defender is the next fixture. If you’re wildcarding, I think it’s difficult to have a spot taken by a defender who is coming against the attacking power of Liverpool – I’m not biased, I promise. Then again, they have seen off Chelsea and Arsenal, all while conceding the fewest shots.

After that, however, it looks to be a favourable fixture run. It’s hard to imagine Burnley, Brighton, or Crystal Palace shutting out such a strong team. It’s not impossible, but I like City’s chances of coming away with a clean win. Then we enter more unknown territory. United and Everton have had an inconsistent start, to say the least. City will go into those games the favourite, but don’t be too surprised if those teams give them a real run for their money.

Cancelo vs Dias Comparison Verdict

Of the two, Cancelo is the best pick all-around. He’s probably as ‘nailed on’ you could get for City.

For me, Chelsea are the team to target with your WC and FTs – at least for GW7. If you’re making a move in your defence this week, I think Rudiger or Alonso will be the one to get. The WC is a little more complicated; of course, if you’re hitting it next week then it becomes much easier to make the decision of bringing in Cancelo. After all, City’s defensive and attacking stats outweigh Chelsea. Ideally, you would go into GW8 with defensive assets from both sides.

Let’s just hope that, maybe, we’ve cracked Pep’s code for a little while…

Further Read: FPL GW7 Watchlist – Stand Out Players Who Impressed In GW6

Sarr (£6.3m) vs Saka (£6.2m)

Of course, most of the debates this week are centered around defensive assets. However, I’m seeing a lot of people are hitting the wildcard either this week or next.

So the budget midfielder position, is, as always, a crucial decision that could make or break the next few weeks. I’ve discussed Gray and Gallagher already, so I think it’s time to consider fan-favourite Sarr against Saka, who may be on the cusp of incredible form.

Saka vs Sarr Stats

	Saka	Sarr
Goals	1	4
Assists	1	0
xGI	1.67	2.78
Goal Attempts	11	16
Shots in Box	9	13
Big Chances	1	5
Penalty Area Touches	28	36
Crosses	5	24

As you can see, Sarr’s figures overwhelm Saka.

How much of this can be attributed to fixture difficulty? Well, Arsenal have faced Chelsea, City, and Tottenham (who they dominated), whereas Watford’s standout tough fixture was against Tottenham. Saka also seemed to be adjusting back to Premier League football after the Euros, but has evidently shown that he can be one of Arsenal’s crucial players this season.

There is also an element of Sarr really over-performing his expected statistics here. Have we already seen his best scores, or will he continue this sublime form?

Saka’s heatmaps

Heatmaps from FFSCOUT

Sarr’s heatmaps

Heatmaps from FFSCOUT

Sarr’s maps here reinforce his incredible form, but is this sustainable? Let’s have a look at their respective teams.

Arsenal vs Watford at a Glance

	Arsenal	Watford
Goals	5	7
Penalty Area Touches	134	153
Chances Created	70	55
Goal Attempts	84	65
Shots on Target	23	24
Goals Conceded	10	9
Shots Conceded	93	85

By now, we are all familiar with Arsenal’s poor start to the season. They haven’t had the greatest run of fixtures.

Although Watford have really surprised everyone with their performances, they are in the bottom five for goal attempts and chances created.

Upcoming Fixtures For Saka and Sarr

Saka	Sarr
bha	lee
CRY	LIV
AVL	eve
lei	SOU
WAT	ars
liv	MUN
NEW	lei
mun	CHE

Due to their terrible start, when Arsenal’s fixtures took a favourable turn many FPL managers overlooked their assets. After their great show against Tottenham, I definitely think this will change. I don’t see why Saka can’t carry on his brilliant performance last week against a run of Brighton, Crystal Palace, and Aston Villa. Of course, we can’t comfortably say that they will get the wins, because of their unpredictable start.

However, Saka’s main contender will face Liverpool, Everton, Man United, Leicester, Chelsea, and Arsenal themselves over the next few weeks. Yes, Watford come up against a Leeds team suffering from ‘second season syndrome’ this week, but after that it becomes much tougher.

Saka vs Sarr Comparison Verdict

An easy point to make here is, probably after the Leeds game, moving from Sarr to Saka looks like a great move. If you really want to hold Sarr for potential returns against Everton onwards, be prepared to bench him, or for him to draw blanks against the likes of Liverpool, United, and Chelsea.

After a comfortable win in the North London derby, things are looking promising for Arsenal. Maybe this was the boost they needed to really put themselves on the map FPL-wise. If you’re stretching your budget, I think Odegaard and ESR make great cases too.

After all, you can’t chase last week’s points, and Watford’s upcoming fixtures are a mixed bag. If you’re on the WC, I don’t like to plan in too many transfers. This year is displaying that, as ever, injuries and suspensions are unpredictable.

As always, I try to stick to the numbers as much as possible. But all FPL managers know that anything can happen. Maybe Leeds will bounce back against Watford. Maybe Pep’s Roulette will strike again. We never know for sure, and that’s what makes FPL such an addicting game.

Good luck to everyone this week – may your arrows be green!

Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of FPL Gameweek 7:

Form and Fixtures Analysis Ahead OF FPL GW 7 | Best FPL Assets to Own
FPL GW7 Watchlist – Stand Out Players Who Impressed In GW6
Making a For and Against Case For Three Premiums FPL Assets | Threemiums
Bukayo Saka The Explosive FPL Differential Ahead Of GW7 Fixture Swing

Link to all our FPL Gameweek 7 blogs.

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