Popular Player Comparisons Ahead of FPL GW8

This International Break has, like many, brought unexpected injuries and doubts for FPL managers. It seems as though many of us have hit the wildcard, and are making those all-important player comparisons to construct a squad that will give us those elusive green arrows. In this blog let us look at the popular FPL GW8 player comparisons.

[All statistics taken from FFSCOUT]

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FPL GW8 Player Comparisons

Mbeumo (£5.5m) vs Toney (£6.3m)

Other than Ivan Toney, who was the Championship’s top scorer last season, Brentford were a team who didn’t seem to offer that much potential for FPL managers. Even after their surprise win against Arsenal, it only seemed to be Toney who was getting the attention – even though he went on to score some very unlucky blanks.

Brentford are going into GW8 sitting at 7th in the Premier League table, having held Liverpool to a brilliant 3-3 draw and overcoming West Ham with a 94th minute winner. It’s safe to say that Toney and the out-of-position Mbeumo are becoming staples for those hitting the wildcard.

But which Brentford asset has the biggest potential, and is it worth doubling up on a newly-promoted team?

The Stats

	Mbeumo (£5.5m)	Toney (£6.3m)
Goals	2	2
Assists	0	0
xGI	3.74	3.81
Goal Attempts	17	16
Shots in Box	11	11
Big Chances	5	2
Penalty Area Touches	32	29
Crosses	11	4

Both players are pretty evenly matched thus far, but for almost £1m less it’s Mbeumo who seems to be the Brentford player to get.

It’s clear that both players are over-performing their stats – the only forwards with a greater xGI than Toney are Vardy, Lukaku, and Antonio; and Mbeumo ranks 4th for xGI among midfielders. Looking at these, doubling up on Brentford is a very tempting option.

Mbeumo’s Heatmaps

Toney’s Heatmaps

Heatmaps from FFSCOUT

As we can see, Mbeumo and Toney have very similar maps – bear in mind that Mbeumo is actually listed as a midfielder in FPL.

Brentford Stats at a Glance

Goals	10 (joint 7th)
Penalty Area Touches
Chances Created
Goal Attempts	72
Shots on Target	21
Goals Conceded	6 (joint 4th)
Shots Conceded

As we all know, Brentford have exceeded expectations, and there’s no reason why they can’t go on to cause even more upset.

However, despite Brentford’s great form, only two teams have had less goal attempts and shots on target. This suggests that, although Brentford have been clinical in front of goal, in the long-term they are unlikely to consistently have high-scoring results.

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NOR

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Brentford’s upcoming fixtures are a bit of a mixed bag. Chelsea and Leicester will prove to be very difficult, whereas Burnley, Norwich, and Newcastle are the worst defensive teams so far this season.

We’ve seen them stand firm against Arsenal, Liverpool, and West Ham, but can this form continue? I’m a little sceptical that they will be able to outperform the likes of Chelsea, Leicester, Everton, and Tottenham over the next few weeks. However, I don’t think this fixture run should deter you from opting for at least one of Mbeumo or Toney, especially considering their price tag.

Mbeumo vs Toney: The Verdict

I do think it’s a great idea to bring in a Brentford player pretty soon, even if you’re forced to bench them against Chelsea. Mbeumo and Toney are both brilliant budget options, but Mbeumo just about edges it for me.

Toney has a lot more competition in that striker position: Lukaku, Ronaldo, Antonio, Jimenez, Vardy, Saint-Maximin, Armstrong – the list goes on. The great thing about Mbeumo is that he’s an out-of-position player. For under £6m, you can have an in-form striker, listed as a midfielder, in a team that have already caused quite a stir.

I also don’t think it would be a bad decision to double-up with Mbeumo and Toney. However, maybe having both would give yourself a bit of a benching dilemma when they come up against Chelsea, Leicester, Everton, and Tottenham.

Further Read: FPL GW8 Double-Digit Returns Metrics-Wildcard Special

Grealish (£7.9m) vs Foden (£7.9m)

Do we dare gamble on the Pep Roulette?

Given City’s blistering form and an extremely enticing set of fixtures, we have to consider if a City attacker is worth the rotation risk. As of now, it seems to be Grealish and Foden gaining a lot of attention; with a lot of people still reeling from Torres’ lack of game time.

Grealish vs Foden: The Stats

These two are a little more difficult to compare, as Foden has just returned from an injury and played only 2 games compared to Grealish’s 6. Therefore, I have included stats from City’s previous 2 games, and in brackets are the stats per game for each player, to make it easier to compare.

	Grealish	Foden (£7.9m)
Goals	0	1
Assists	0	0
xGI	0.61 (0.50)	1.08 (0.40)
Goal Attempts	4 (1.70)	2 (1.0)
Shots in Box	11	3
Big Chances	1	1
Penalty Area Touches	13 (7.3)	10 (4.3)
Crosses	3	14

Grealish’s Heatmaps

Foden’s Heatmaps

City Stats at a Glance

Goals	14 (joint 3rd)
Penalty Area Touches	263 (1st)
Chances Created	96 (3rd)
Goal Attempts	127 (2nd)
Shots on Target	33 (5th)
Goals Conceded	3 (joint 1st)
Shots Conceded	42 (1st)

As we can see, City’s form has been phenomenal. Despite drawing against Southampton and Liverpool, and an opening loss against Tottenham they have overcome title contenders Chelsea and are one of, if not the best, attacks in the league right now. Overall, this is very impressive.

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Looking at this, it’s easy to see why some people are more than willing to take a gamble on a City attacker. Even those trickier games against United, Everton, and West Ham are hardly deterring – City are about as ‘fixture-proof’ as you can get.

But we have to consider whether, alongside Champions League football, these more favourable fixtures will be the perfect opportunity for the Pep Roulette to strike. If we could guarantee that Grealish or Foden would start all of these games, it would be a no-brainer.

Grealish vs Foden: The Verdict

There are several ways you could look at this.

We have Grealish, who has started all games under Pep so far, and Foden, who is fresh from injury. Both are largely considered ‘nailed’ in that City squad, whatever that means. So I don’t think there’s a clear winner here. Perhaps Foden is less likely to be rested.

Then, we have the major headache that is the Pep Roulette. I don’t see the City squad being any easier to predict as the season progresses. City will have Champions League football alongside the Premier League, as well. However, there does seem to be an urgent need to decide which City attacker to gamble on to secure some major points over the next few weeks.

If I had to choose, I think Foden’s superb performance against Liverpool would push me towards him.

Further Read: Players In Focus Based On Eye Test Ahead Of FPL Gameweek 8

Son (£10.1m) vs Vardy (£10.5m)

This one should be of particular help to those wildcarding – Son and Vardy are players that we know can deliver consistent points throughout the season. I’m sure a lot of managers will be frustrated that they have opted for premiums like Lukaku, Kane, Ronaldo, and Bruno over these more affordable options.

So, is it worth spreading your budget out to fit in these mid-premium options?

	Son (£10.1m)	Vardy (£10.5m)
Goals	3	6
Assists	1	0
xGI	2.50	4.26 (2nd among strikers)
Goal Attempts	19	20 (3rd among strikers)
Shots in Box	10	19
Big Chances	3	6
Penalty Area Touches	31	41
Crosses	31	7

Both players have some very impressive stats, but it may not be a huge surprise that Vardy comes out on top.

The great thing about Vardy is that he is Leicester’s main man; over half of Leicester’s goals this season have come from him. The reliability of Son, considering the form of Harry Kane, has been questioned. As of now, Kane is completely off form, and it has been Son providing Tottenham with those all-important goals and chances. If Kane can get back into the form that gave him the Golden Boot last season, I think Son becomes even more important.

Son’s Heatmaps

Vardy’s Heatmaps

Again, both very evenly matched!

Tottenham vs Leicester at a Glance

	Tottenham	Leicester
Goals	6	9
Penalty Area Touches	131	149
Chances Created	51	56
Goal Attempts	73	74
Shots on Target	30	22
Goals Conceded	10	12
Shots Conceded	116	114

It just so happens that Tottenham and Leicester appear very evenly matched thus far. Perhaps Tottenham have had slightly tougher opening fixtures, but I think this edges us towards Vardy.

Son	Vardy
new	MUN
whu	bre
MUN	ARS
eve	lee
LEE	CHE
bur	WAT
BRE	sou
nor	avl

Unfortunately, there’s no clear favourable fixture run here. I would be inclined to side with Son, but, given Tottenham’s unpredictable start, I think that it would be a difficult decision to opt for one over the other based on fixtures alone.

Son vs Vardy: The Verdict

At a price point like this, I would be inclined to settle for one over the other. However, looking at the figures, opting for both of these assets seems like a green arrow waiting to happen.

With premiums like Ronaldo and Bruno looking unviable over the next few weeks, it’s perhaps the ideal time to fit in these mid-premium options. A problem I can see is that, if you want to go big at the back with Trent, Cancelo/Dias, and Rudiger/Azpi, you’ll only have the funds for one of these options.

If you had to pick, I think Vardy will be the one to accumulate the most points in the coming weeks. The downside is that there are so many striker assets in contention. It looks as though fitting in Son won’t be as much of a headache.

This one is probably the most difficult decision, so it would be interesting to see some wildcard drafts including both of these players.

Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of FPL Gameweek 8:

FPL GW8 Double-Digit Returns Metrics-Wildcard Special
Players In Focus Based On Eye Test Ahead Of FPL Gameweek 8
FPL GW8 Wildcard Structure and Best Possible Drafts and Combinations

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

Link to all our FPL Gameweek 8 blogs.

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