Gameweek 26 has turned out to be another disastrous week for FPL managers as most of the big hitters failed to deliver again. Mo Salah let us down again on the road and Sheffield United failed to keep a clean sheet, another blank for Vardy. The above three factors in itself was enough to play spoilsport to our sides. Our only hope is on ManCity assets to save us. Let us now look into the top talking points from the GW 26 and our dream team.
*The review does not include the postponed Man City vs West Ham GW 26 fixture*
#1 The Mane is back
After missing the last two premier league games due to injury, Sadio Mane came back with a bang and scored the winner for Liverpool at Carrow Road. This has given a new headache for managers. Should we have both Mane and Salah? Or should we double up on Liverpool’s defense or have one of Mane or Salah, if so who? Let us look into some numbers !
Since Allison came back from suspension, i.e. from GW 16 onwards, Here’s how much points Liverpool assets have got, up and till Gameweek 26.
- Salah – 83 points
- Mane- 43 points( missed three games in that period)
- TAA- 86 points
- Robertson- 66 points
- VVD – 73 points
Liverpool have kept 10 clean sheets in those 11 games. It is clear from these stats and in general the way the champions elect have been playing this season, it is far better to have a defensive double as opposed to having both Mane and Salah, despite Liverpool having a favorable run of games. Which the begs a question as to who among Mane and Salah to pick? The answer to this is quite simple. Go with Salah simply because he gets far more chances, he’s on penalties and most importantly the Egyptian is in red hot form !!
Fixtures: WestHam(H), Watford(A), Bournemouth(H), Everton(A)
#2 Old Gold Gems
Wolves haven’t kept as much clean sheets as you’d expect them to and you could put that down to one factor : Willy Boly ! Indeed, the big center half has missed a fair chunk of this season due to injury and boy has his side missed him. To put things in perspective, Wolves have 5 clean sheets in 11 matches with Boly in the side this season and just 1 in the remaining 15 games without him.
Boly came back from injury in GW 25 and Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have kept two clean sheets from two games since then. In Gameweek 26, the Wolves’ defense hardly gave a sniff to Leicester City and Boly scored a goal which was harshly ruled out by VAR!
Now that we know Wolves will be solid at the back, we have got to hone in on their assets. Boly (4.7) is the best pick from their defense. Rui Patricio(5.1) could be a decent option too, he has racked up 18 points from last two games. The Black country side have an amazing run of games coming up. So, it will definitely be worthy enough to have at least two if not three Wolves players.
Furthermore, they do have a fixture in GW 31 and that too against relegation candidates Bournemouth. If that isn’t a cherry on top of the cake, I don’t know what is. Oh and ignore my pun !!
Fixtures: Norwich(H), Spurs(A), Brighton(H), WestHam(A), Bournemouth(H), Aston Villa(A)
#3 Tasty Toffees
Everton are one of the in form teams in the league right now. In Gameweek 26, they brushed aside a hapless Crystal Palace with ease, with Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the goal scoring charts again. Since Carlo Ancelloti was appointed as manager, the Toffees have picked up 17 points from 8 games. That is a tally bettered only by leaders Liverpool.
The Merseyside club do have a tough run of fixtures coming up so from FPL point of view it could be an issue. But, form is a big factor in football and in sport in general. So, do not hesitate to bring in one of Richarlison or Calvert-Lewin. Now, who among the two to bring in? Lets look at a comparison between the two!
I personally would go with Richarlison. But, both of them offer a great value and you could fit in either of them depending on which position there’s a vacancy in your teams.
Check out Foomni Analytics for more FPL stats, Player comparison, Algo picks and more exclusive FPL analytics.
Fixtures: Arsenal(A), ManUtd(H), Chelsea(A), Liverpool(H)
#4 Well played, Son
Gameweek 26 turned out to be a treat for 700,000 managers who have Son Heung Min in their side. The South Korean came up with a brace, also missed a penalty in the process. The Spurs midfielder now has scored 4 goals in his last 3 league games. But unfortunately for Spurs Son is ruled out for the rest of the season due to injury.
The North London outfit though have a good run of games coming up, so it won’t be a bad idea to bring in some of their other assets into your teams. Dele Alli (8.4) is probably the option right now. Also, keep an eye on Steven Bergwijn(7.5).
Fixtures: Chelsea(A), Wolves(H), Burnley(A), ManUtd(H)
#5 Wan the Man
Manchester United produced a stellar performance at Stamford Bridge on Monday night to get themselves back into the top 5 race. One of the key factors for that is Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s nigh on perfect display at right wingback. The English produced a sensational assist for Martial ‘s opening goal. Incidentally since Gameweek 20, Manchester United have kept 4 clean sheets in 7 games. Liverpool are the only side to have kept more.
Given the fact that the red devils have some promising fixtures on the horizon, its worth considering bringing in a United defender in to your sides. Wan-Bissaka is the best option without a shadow of a doubt.
Fixtures: Watford(H), Everton(A), ManCity(H), Spurs(A)
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AllAboutFPL Gameweek 26 Dream Team
Our dream team consists of players outside ManCity and Liverpool who are selected based on the GW26 performances and could be differential signings for GW27 and beyond!
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K K Anirudh
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