Last updated on July 28th, 2024
Let’s dive into the pre-season talks of the new FPL season.
Written by Mohon C(FPL M10)
At the time of writing this on July 27th, more than 2.5 million managers had already signed up for the game, and by the time the GW1 deadline hits, I am sure the number will reach three times as many as now at the very least. But the excitement is at its peak right now, as all of us are eagerly waiting for this season to start. The first drafts are being revealed by most managers, and to be honest, after the price reveals of the players, it seems that picking a safety team (by which I mean template) is going to be pretty tough, although I won’t be surprised if eventually the template is established before the deadline.
First things first, Haaland becomes the highest-priced player ever in FPL with a $15 million price tag. I just loved this, as I think a player of his calibre who can score 1 goal per match must be priced higher, although it’s also true that his last-year performance was not better than the previous season (27 goals in comparison to his 36 goals in the previous season), but still, his price increased from 14 million in the last season to 15 million in this one. Haaland isn’t the only one who is a record-breaking FPL player this season, as Cole Palmer becomes the player whose price increase from 5 million to 10.5 million becomes the highest increase ever, which according to me is perfect; 10.5 million for a player with more than 20 goals and who is the 2nd highest scorer plus penalty taker for his team is perfect. But let’s come back to the talk of the town: Haaland or no Haaland?! The FPL community is flooded with this question. Many people are suggesting that the No Haaland draft gives you a better team balance as it gives you enough funds to get all the players in your team, which will make it look better than the draft with Haaland. Let’s break it down real quick. I will tell you what I feel and how it’s going to affect your final GW1 draft.
Let’s talk about the cons of having him on your team:
- His first match is against Chelsea (away).
- His performance against the top six teams is ‘Meh’, particularly in away matches, which is not very good.
- You have to make sacrifices in other positions on your team.
- It makes your team imbalanced.
- It is hard to keep premium defenders like Trent or Gvardiol on your team if there are not enough funds.
Now let’s take a look at the pros:
- His first match is against Chelsea, a billion-dollar team that couldn’t finish in the top six last season and is currently under a new manager.
- His goal-scoring ratio is almost 1 per match.
- He always starts the season well.
- His fixture run is excellent with IPS, WHU, and BRE in the next 3.
- I don’t see anybody else winning the Golden Boot at the end of the season other than him.
- No Euros in the break between the seasons will keep him up and running from the first minute.
For me, the pros outweigh the cons. I do agree that the away match against Chelsea is going to be tough, at least not easy enough, but I do want him in my team from the GW2 for his spectacular run of fixtures, and if I go without Haaland in the first week, that means I will have to transfer him in the second week, which for me is impossible without taking a hit because of his 15 million price tag. And I don’t like the idea of taking a hit so early on in the season, particularly in a season where you can roll up to five transfers. I don’t like Chelsea’s defence yet, and Chelsea has yet to keep a clean sheet against City for nine matches in a row, and I don’t see it changing soon. Last season, Haaland scored twice at Stamford Bridge in the 4-4 draw. So in case you are not going with Haaland in GW1, I don’t see him in your team in GW2 because I would advise against taking a hit, but it’s a big risk that I am not willing to take. A fully rested Haaland against a newly promoted side in GW2—that’s a captaincy choice right there. And the alternatives to Haaland for this run of fixtures are none.
Now, with that in mind, the No Haaland draft does look good, and mostly, the logic that is being used to justify the decision to not have Haaland on your team is having a balanced team and more depth in the squad. This makes me come to the second point, which is the overhyped and the overlooked. The alternatives to Haaland are many, and those are good alternatives too, but the current best and fan favourite is Watkins. I have seen hundreds of No Haaland drafts, and in about 90% of drafts, Watkins is there to accommodate Salah, Palmer, Saka, Son, Foden, etc. on your team. As per the good run of fixtures that City has, no Haaland drafts help you get all these players on your team, and as for a City asset, Foden is good enough and a great City alternative.
But here is the catch: if we are using the logic that Foden is a good alternative to Haaland (in terms of having a City attacker on your team) and also helps you get the other premiums in midfield and defence, then the same logic can be used vice versa. The alternatives to the above-mentioned players are being overlooked, and the current ownership percentage clearly shows it. For example, rather than having Saka and spending 10 million, aren’t we overhyping Saka as an essential and ignoring the likes of Martinelli, who is only 7 million and mostly nailed on to start? The same goes for Trent, who is 7 and has an excellent run of fixtures in the first few gameweeks, but you must make sacrifices elsewhere. And with the change in the bonus points systems this year, I would rather expect points from an attacker than from a defence, as once a clean sheet is gone, it’s pretty tough for the defender to get bonus points. You can have Haaland and Salah and still have an Arsenal attacker (in case you are attracted to them) and also a premium defender like Trent and Gvardiol, but you need to know which position you are going to attack more in the first few weeks.
The logical argument in favour of no Haaland draft is that sacrificing one best asset of a team to get three or four best assets of other teams is a better choice, which I agree with. The likes of Saka, Palmer, and Son are undoubtedly the best assets of their respective teams, but we should not overlook the other cheaper but more aggressive attacking options. Martinelli, Trossard, Almiron, Nkunku (cheaper but the only name on this list who is overhyped rather than overlooked), Richarlison, Johnson, etc.—all these players can be the differential when the season starts. Well, the pre-season games are still going on, and there’s a lot to know. These are just my initial thoughts, which I am sure will change by the time the deadline day comes, as we will get more information about the team structure, new signings by teams, press conferences by managers, and a lot more. Also, once the pre-season game ends, I will be able to put more light on the performances, the statistical details and the likely line-up of teams, but one thing is for sure: some players are being overlooked, which I am expecting to change very soon.
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Note: These are all personal views. FPL is subject to varied opinions and mental stress; make sure to follow your way and play accordingly.
