I must say I was quite surprised at the 65 points this team scored last week, but could have been so much more if I didn’t select a “soccer player” from America who pulled up lame and will cost me another wasted transfer this week to get rid of him. That’s the game we play, those are the risks we take, but can’t get any worse luck than a pregame knock. This week, I’ve got confidence going into the fixtures with this 5-man defensive team, more so than my other team, even though both are on the same total points, 379. Something about seeing green arrows are giving me that false sense of security that I am actually doing well, when in reality that isn’t the case when compared to my other team. Continue reading “Think Different: GW8 5Man Defense Starting XI”
2020/21 Premier League: GW7 Tale of Two Teams
Thought it would make for an interesting comparison, as this is the first year I am taking to distinctively different approaches to the FPL game. The first team, is the one that is not eight seasons old with 31k as the best finish. It’s the team I put all the time and effort into. The other started during the 2018/19 season when I decided to participate in WGTA zombie league. Last year, I used it in a “red on defense” and “blue on attack,” in regards to Liverpool and Man City. This season, the team has evolved into a 5-man defense that I intended on playing all season long, barring a defender not included in their starting XI. Continue reading “2020/21 Premier League: GW7 Tale of Two Teams”
Think Different: GW7 5Man Defense Starting XI
Thinking different last week didn’t really help my overall performance. It was a late roll of the dice, because Sheffield United defense is so bad this year, I decided to activate the triple captain chip. We know how that worked out. A whopping six points. Thanks Mo. However, one week doesn’t make a season and honestly it’s no worse than playing one of two games in a double game week and picking up an assist. So while it was a massive fail, I tried to make it look not so bad. This week, after my first red arrow, I do think this team will rebound. Continue reading “Think Different: GW7 5Man Defense Starting XI”
Think Different: GW6 5Man Defense Starting XI
Oddly comforting is how I describe this 5-man defensive adventure I have set out on this season. As I’ve mentioned all week on the Pitch & Pint Podcast, as well in numerous articles on 6thGoal, this team is playing well. Honestly, can you ask anymore from a week to week than green arrows? Four of them! Count them, four with very little thought or effort, one would think this game was easy. Okay, I won’t go that far. While OR is the indicator FPL managers base their team success on, one could argue this team isn’t successful because of their 1.5M rank. Honestly, that’s one week of good football and remember we’ve been without Kevin De Bruyne, who missed GW5 and who’s two prior games were both no returns. This team isn’t that far off from where my expectations lie. Continue reading “Think Different: GW6 5Man Defense Starting XI”
Think Different: GW6 Transfers
Unlike my 6thGoal squad, where the transfers came fast and furious, while the Merseyside Derby was still going on, I have decided to take my 5-man defensive team and approach it a bit more rationally. There was no knee jerk transfer for Virgil van Dijk during the week. Add to that the news that James Rodriguez won’t play and I decided to hold Kevin De Bruyne last week instead of transferring in Heung-min Son. This team is not without its share of problems, with a FT in my pocket and just 0.3 ITB. This team is also on a run of green arrows to start the season and who thought you couldn’t be successful with an all premium, 5-man defensive team? Continue reading “Think Different: GW6 Transfers”
Think Different: 5-Man Defense GW5 Retrospect
It feels as if I am living in DC Comics, fictional, Bizarro World (Htrae), which in popular culture has come to represent a situation or setting which is weirdly inverted or opposite to expectations. Take my first ever attempt to field a 5-man defense, over a 38 weeks Premier League schedule in a season where clean sheets are down and goals are up. Right there, it’s got the making for something that resembles a horror movie, fitting as we are nearing the end of October and Halloween is right around the corner. Who knows, maybe a “Freddie” or “Jason” could potentially carved up some points for my starting I. Continue reading “Think Different: 5-Man Defense GW5 Retrospect”
Think Different: GW5 Transfers
Coming out of the break my 5-man defensive team has two free transfers to potentially use. This team is…different, three green arrows just 216 points and a OR of 1.7 million. They picked up 63 points in the last game week and I am hoping that can spawn something in this squad. It’s been two weeks over 60 points, but two weeks in the 40-something range. I head into this transfer period with just £0.1 ITB and decisions to be made with a perennial favorite at the back, Man City. Continue reading “Think Different: GW5 Transfers”
Think Different: 5-Man Defense GW4
Clean sheets this season seem to be a rarity, even though we saw four more bringing the season total to 17 across the league. That is one fewer than last season (18) and three off the start of the 2018/19 (20). Numbers are fairly consistent over this time frame, even though Liverpool stand out with three clean sheets to open the 18/19 season. Never did I think I would see Aston Villa, Southampton and West Ham each on two cleans to start this season. Intentions going in this season was to buy “big at the back” but that seems to be a bit of a determent at the moment. Defensive points have been very difficult to come by, as witnessed by game week four, as my squad has posted just six clean sheets by my defenders. Continue reading “Think Different: 5-Man Defense GW4”
Think Different: 5-Man Defense GW4
Can’t argue with two green arrows to star the season, but there is a bit of disappointment having scored just 153 points (51 average) over three weeks, which is well off my goal of 60 points per week. This COULD be the week that figure changes, as I really am backing many of the matches this week. The wild card was beneficial last week and allows me some flexibility as I roll into the weekend knowing I will have two transfers, if I need them out of the break. This week will be unchanged in my starting XI, playing a 5-3-2 formation and looking for the premiums to have a banger of a weekend. Continue reading “Think Different: 5-Man Defense GW4”
Think Different: GW4 Transfers
In a very low scoring week I felt lucky to see a small green arrow for the second week in a row to start this season. To be honest, I can’t tell you another time that has happened in eight years playing FPL. While 45 points was quite unimpressive there is a confidence gain seeing that green triangle. On the season I’ve scored 153 points, which is 27 points off a weekly average of 60 points per week, which is a target I always shoot for. One factor leading to a poor start, in terms of overall points the fact we have seen just 12 clean sheets over the first three game weeks. Compare that to 14 during the 2019/20 season and 16 in the 2018/19 seasons. While Liverpool has just one clean sheets I’ve seen a total of five attacking returns that have helped my 5-man defense during this early part of the season. Continue reading “Think Different: GW4 Transfers”
Think Different: GW3 Retrospect
The Think Different series continues, as I look back on the decision to activate the wild card ahead of GW3. This decision wasn’t a “knee jerk” decision, coming off a green in GW2, I was looking to build on a modest 109 points I had scored the first few weeks, about 21 points lower than expected. This week I just scrapped by scoring 45 points, on a week we saw 43 as the weekly average across the game, while the top 1k averaged 42 points. That’s two consecutive weeks, where the the FPL weekly average has been higher than the top 1k, somewhat uncommon occurrence. That tells you how this season is starting. Continue reading “Think Different: GW3 Retrospect”
Think Different: 5-Man Defense GW3
This team just scraped by in GW2 with 61 points, enough to give me a small green arrow but green is always better than red. With just 108 points from two weeks, this team is struggling, yet could be the underlying theme all season long, as I need the defenders to pull their weight with clean sheets. Coming out of GW2, I was running with treble Liverpool that will really make or break every week, but looking ahead I feel there is a big need to get Manchester City defenders in. More importantly, this team started without Mo Salah, which I felt was a mistake, even though I attempted to convince myself it was okay. It’s not and while Arsenal’s fixtures are turning and we roll into fall, it was time to make some big changes ahead of GW3. Continue reading “Think Different: 5-Man Defense GW3”