GW Points: 73
Overall Points: 73
Overall Rank: 172,002
After a lot of careful planning game week one was fairly average for the team. I felt like I’d got off to a decent start with Mane, Salah, Lukaku and Lacazette all being amongst the goals. I also gained clean sheet bonuses from Foster, Valencia and Baines. This resulted in 73 points for the team – which I thought was a fairly decent start. My overall rank is a little concerning – I finished the last few months of last season consistently within the top 1,000 teams in the competition. Sitting so far down the leader board already is a bit disappointing after week 1, but it is very early days.
Positives:
Clean sheets for Foster, Baines and Valencia felt like a good start. Especially with the late change in keeper when I took out Pickford in favour of Foster to free up some budget.
Lacazette getting on the score sheet within minutes on Friday evening was a huge positive. I wasn’t sure how he would start in the Premier League, however it was slightly disappointing that he didn’t go on to grab another in this game.
Lukaku grabbing a brace against West Ham was the start I’d hoped for. He was the first name on my team sheet so it was great to see this paying off so early on.
Mane and Salah both scoring in Liverpool’s first game couldn’t have gone any better. Unfortunately this goal scoring form didn’t carry on into the Champions League qualifier.
Potential Issues:
Kane got off to a slow start from a point scoring perspective. At 8m I believe a lot of managers would have been questioning his selection – I personally didn’t want to risk excluding him. This didn’t pay off with only 2 points in game week 1 and they now face a tough fixture against Chelsea in game week 2. He did however hit the post, had this gone in it could be a different story.
Liverpool were poor defensively against Watford and this cost Matip a lot of points. They also failed to keep a clean sheet in the Champions league qualifier. Very disappointing and he will almost certainly need to be transferred out.
Man Utd destroyed West Ham and this resulted in -4 points for Ogbonna. He was always going to be a risk with West ham facing Utd in the opening game of the season. At 1.5m I’m hoping they will improve and over the course of the season (should they finish in the top half of the table) he could still be a good cheap defensive option. Early signs are not looking good though. On a more positive note, at least he started the game, suggesting he could be a first choice centre back.
De Bruyne only picked up 3 points against Brighton. Despite playing well he didn’t grab a goal or assist. This was a slightly disappointing start but I guess I shouldn’t expect a goal from every one of my midfielders every game week. Two out of three scoring wasn’t so bad.
It’s very early days but I’ve already spotted a few areas of concern in terms of players missing from my team. This could change very quickly but if results continue in the nature of game week 1 then I’m going to need to make some changes to address this. Aguero looks a worry as a first team regular for City. Pogba, Alli and Eriksen also look like they could score well this season. Defensively Davies and Kompany are both players I’ll be keeping a look out for. Having some Man City and Spurs coverage may be necessary and could be a value for value swap for Baines and Matip.
Any Team Selection regrets?
I chopped and changed my team quite a lot before the start of the season. Things could have gone very differently in game week 1 but I do think I made a couple of mistakes in selection based on how things did pan out.
– Pickford in goal. Two clean sheets in game week 1. Speaks for itself. I wish I’d stuck to my initial instinct and doubled up with Everton defenders as they had additional fixtures. This went away from my usual principle of selecting players with the best fixtures but I wasn’t sure Pickford would start in Europe.
– Lacazette instead of Firmino. For the same reasons as Pickford, I should have stuck with Firmino based on Liverpool’s extra fixtures. Luckily he didn’t score mid week. I got influenced by the percentage selection stats on the Dream Team website and wanted to reduce risk by going for the three most popular strikers.
Other than these two decisions I don’t regret any other choices. I think they were still the right players to go for based on last years stats and starting fixtures. It was just unfortunate that Kane and De Bruyne didn’t hit the ground running.
Tips for Game Week 2
I’m personally sticking with my team as it is. It’s too late for me to bring in Firmino or Pickford as they’ve already played their first additional fixtures and I still have a reasonable coverage of Everton and Liverpool players for game week 2. My team was chosen based on August fixtures and I’m still confident that it’s a good choice going into the next game week. I also want to hold onto my transfers. It’s way too early to jump to conclusions about how players will perform for the rest of the season, so I’m not going to rush into taking Kane out for example. Having three transfers for the end of the month could be very beneficial as players values are going to rise, I could then make a move for players who have played well in the first few weeks and be sure of growing my overall budget.
However, if you have got off to a really awful start and are looking to make changes. A few teams or players I’d look out for are:
Man Utd – (Next games: Swansea, Leicester) they have a good run of fixtures and obviously made a strong start. In my opinion Lukaku is a must have but Pogba also looks like he will score well, as does Mkhitaryan.
Liverpool – (Next games: Palace, 1899 Hoffenheim, Arsenal) Mane and Salah made good starts, they also have the return leg of the Champions League qualifier. I see these two as essential at least until the end of August.
Other than that I wouldn’t be looking at many other players for game week 2. Spurs, Everton, Chelsea and Man City are all playing each other.
As always, feel free to share your own progress in game week 1 below, suggest any players to look out for or provide any other useful comments below.
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Wouldnt kick yourself too much about your decision to omit Pickford and Firmino, that would have been another £1m you would have had to squeeze from other areas. In hindsight it is easy to say “just leave out Kane”… but it also wouldnt have been a shock if he bought his form from last season and scored a hat-trick against Newcastle! Then you would have been even more annoyed!
There is only so much money to go round…. here’s hoping for a change in fortunes this week. As a Saints fan, I wanna see West Ham get smashed again… but an Ogbonna brace would soften the blow if we were to slip up 🙂
Completely agree – I don’t think I made any real mistakes. The team was well thought through and as you say it could have easily gone the other way. A change in fortune would be ideal for this weekend to get back on track. I’d be very happy with an Ogbonna brace, to be honest I’d probably be happy as long as he starts after last weekend.
Trippier, possibly due back 2moro, need to eek out another half million, evans inevitable move to city, puts more doubt into city’s regular line of defence, sigurdson worth a look at back end of september, even after game week 2, mite keep a hold of Willian, as chelsea cover, Hazard a few weeks off full recovery.
I was going to go for Kompany, but as you say it puts doubt on their regular selection at the back and if anyone is going to be rested it will be him. Evans would be a cheap option if he moved but can’t see him getting regular game time either. It’s a difficult one.
Worth taking of lacazette for vardy? Brighton and wolves seems worth it
Vardy made a strong start but I don’t really see his value over the course of the season. I think I’d only end up having to take him back out, so not for me. I wouldn’t personally look at a striker beyond the top teams.
Cool yeh, was only gonna put him in for those two games, then switch to another striker. I can’t decide lol.
Worth taking off a chelsea defender for a southampton player? I doubt chelsea will be keeping many clean sheets this month, based on their fixtures and suspensions.
I’d be very tempted to do that, especially if you’ve got an expensive Chelsea defender. I’d probably look to save some budget by swapping them for cheaper defenders with better fixtures.
Thanks will do
Very early days, the only forced change for me is Zaha. Used up all transfers in some of my teams, with regards to thinking long term.
Salah and ogbonna left out of starting 11’s any tips?
It’s not ideal but I won’t be rushing into any transfers. Salah has made a good start so I don’t think he’s been dropped based on performance. Ogbonna could be a problem but will have to wait and see.
Unfortunate circumstances for West Ham but Ogbonna back in the starting line up after an injury to Reid in the warm up.
I know it’s early days but that hegazi is looking alot more promising for points then Ogbonna… Might consider also same price 1.5mil
Yeah with how things are going I’ll probably be looking to replace Ogbonna. There are a few good options around 2m. Including Hegazi – not sure if he will be a regular all season though. Pieters at Stoke and Stephens at Southampton could also be decent options.
Looking ahead to game week 3, can we look to putting in Mkytarian, above Pogba and thus saving 1.5 million, game time for both is guaranteed, as for quality defenders at affordable prices, ben davies extended run in the team looks inevitable even doubling up with trippier, Kalasonic subbed, jury out on him, and guardiola’s rotation put’s Kompany inclusion into question without the threat of injury, no doubt man utd’s fixture’s will become tougher, but bailly and valencia cld become a possibility.
Mkhitaryan is looking like a great option, agree at this stage that he’s probably a better option than Pogba based on his price. My team is going along fairly steadily but there’s a lot of players I’m considering taking out. Going to wait until at least the end of the week before making any decisions but I can’t see the value of Matip or Baines when the qualifiers are complete. I’m also not happy with Ogbonna. I’ve probably also got question marks next to De Bruyne, Salah, Kane and Lacazette at the moment. It’s very early stages so trying to give it a few weeks to see how players perform over time.
Tell you what looks like a great swap at the minute.
Hegazi from West Brom 1.5 mil 31 points from first 2 games inc 2 star man awards.
For ogbonna.
Yeah he’s definitely made a good start, can you see him playing every week when they have a full squad to choose from though?
I can if he continues to play as well as he’s playing now. And West Brom have allways kept things tight at the back.
They could be the surprise package this season.
I do have Mkhi luckily, hoping Kane can get off the mark today. Loving your site by the way.
Kane looked dangerous last week and was unlucky not to open his account, I have still have faith he’ll come good
I hope so, I’m thinking Aguero might be a better option at this stage. Really hoping he proves me wrong before I take him out but can’t see him getting much joy against Chelsea today.
Thanks Marc, I’m really hoping he gets on the score sheet today. Could be difficult against Chelsea though
I already have aguero in, I may leave Kane in for the majority. Like you say it’s more thinking long term. Just the defence needs tinkering possibly
Yeah I think I’ll need to do a lot of tinkering towards the end of August.
hi their, my team is.
Hennessey
Valencia
Stephens
Matip
Baines
Willian
Saleh
Mane
Jesus
Kane
Lukaku
My intentions r to take out baines and Matip after thursday evening, replaced by Trippier, Kompany/Davies/ Rudiger, cld b subject to rotation, & then take out saleh/willian, replaced with Mkytharian, what do u c as the best options, or have i missed something, i know u have ur own concerns, appreciate ur thoughts.
Hi Dave, I like your way of thinking. The transfers you are suggesting would be the exact transfers I’d be looking to make at this stage. I’ll be taking out Matip and Baines as well after this week (probably) and I’m also keen on Mkhitaryan possibly for Salah or De Bruyne (in my team).
Yeah, Trippier a definate, how long is ben davies gametime, rose’s ongoing injury problem, + pay demands saga, when champions league comes around will Kompany b trusted to play 2 games in a week, evans crocked at the moment, where and how does he fit in, & Rudiger great price is he a regular starter in a defence which will b tough to crack once it hits top form, interested to c how ur going to solve this puzzle.
It’s usually really obvious to me but this year is a real struggle. There are so many good options that I’m a little undecided at the moment. I take all your points about the defenders and none of them are ideal around that price mark. The only defender I’m happy with at the moment is Valencia, the others may well all go. How many transfers have you got left? I’m considering saving all of mine until end of game week 3 and making a move for players who are almost certain to rise in terms of price. This would be a quick win for growing squad value.
Like ur self, i still have 3 transfers left, the problem is when do the prices rise and fall, do we really want to wait beyond thursday nite, to make transfers, chances r the players we want will have gone up in price, and the players we want shot of gone down, its all about budget, get in their sooner and cut out the risk, September becomes a different issue.
I believe the prices won’t change until end of game week 3. So could wait until this time next week to make changes when we are almost certain of who will rise and fall in value.
Am i right in saying u need to do transfers before they play this weekend?? As the game week is friday to friday. And the following friday is the 1st of sept so will have 3 fresh transfers.
Yes this is how I understood the system. It’s either this weekend or forfeit this set of transfers and start with a new set in sept.
As such I will be making all three this weekend
Could we not make the transfers on Monday 28th? This would still be part of game week 3 and the transfers would be pending until September?
I’m not sure how pending transfers work, I had thought they count as a transfer on the day they occur but you may be right
I think they may be frozen out having already played so need to do them before. Not 100% though
I’ve just checked with Dream Team customer support. And it appears that you can make transfers after the weekend of game week 3 and they will still come out of August transfers:
This is really good news. This means we could use the 3 transfers to re-balance the back line, and still have transfers for Sep without a game being played!
Yeah exactly – gives us this weekend to have another look at who is performing well. And who may be in for a price rise at the end of the game week as well.
Transfers can take place any time during the week, however, if either team have played during that Game Week, then the transfer will be pending until the next Game Week begins…
Snippet from the Rules:
For this Regular Season a Game Week will run from 00:00:01 on a Friday and ends at 23:59:59 on the following Thursday and will include all the Eligible Matches played during that period.
An eligible Transfer will take immediate effect and will occur if you transfer a player out for another player where neither the outgoing player’s club nor the incoming player’s club have played during the Game Week in which you make that Transfer.
A pending Transfer will take effect from the following Game Week and will occur if you transfer a player out for another player where either the outgoing player’s club or the incoming player’s club have already played or commenced playing during the Game Week in which you make that Transfer.
For example, if you transfer out Eden Hazard in Game Week 4 and replace him by transferring in Sadio Mané, that transfer will remain pending until Game Week 5 unless neither Chelsea nor Liverpool have commenced their matches yet during Game Week 4 in which case, that Transfer will take immediate effect in respect of Game Week 4.
All pending transfers will be confirmed after completion of the Game Week at 07:00:00 every Friday.
I think that’s spot on. So we could make transfers from Monday 28th – Thursday 31st August and they will come out of August transfers but will be pending until September. Dream Team customer support confirmed this on Twitter.
I’m finding it tough to sort out a reasonable defence
Hennesey
Ogbonna
Valencia (only one I’m keeping)
Matip
Baines (Everton aren’t actually that bad defensively)
I got a cheap keeper because I have Aguero and Kane both of which I’m confident will come good…. It’s very tricky as I have to pick cheaper defenders.
You mention Matip and Baines, so I guess you are looking around the 3-3.5m mark. Stephens (SOU) £2m, Pieters (STO) £2m, Roberston (LIV) £2.5m, Maguire (LEI) £3m, Dawson (WBA) £3m, Soares (SOU) £3m, Jones (MUN) £3.5, Kompany (MCI) £3.5m are all on my radar at the moment….
I’m facing the same problem. I went for Foster in goal who I plan to stick with. I do plan to replace Matip, Ogbonna and Baines as well though. Dean has listed all the players I’m currently considering above. At the moment my favourites are likely to be Stephens, Davies or Kompany.
What about doubling up Valencia with Blind, gets regular gametime, only 4 million, Bailly the rock at the back, 4.5, & barring injuries 4.0 million Trippier, more longterm gametime than Davies, plan to take out saleh or willian on Friday for Mkytharian has better fixture than other 2, don’t know which one to take out though.
I’m trying not to go over 3.5m for a defender. I really want a front 3 of Lukaku, Aguero and Kane so trying to save my funds.
If u intend to keep baines and matip for a further week, their fixtures r tougher than the defenders ur interested in, stephens Kompany, Davies, etc, do we not run the risk of falling even further behind in our respective mini leagues.
I’ve got no intentions at the moment. Going to wait and see where I am after tonight’s fixtures. I’ll also be keeping an eye on the Champions League draw which I believe is tomorrow night. I may well make some changes before game week 3. But I’ll be sure to post any changes before making them.
ok great, thanx for reply.
When are the next round of champions league games?
I believe the first games will be played September 12th/September 13th.
Yes 3.5mil area is definitely what I will be looking at. Kompany, Davies probably looking the most promising. Also atm in time my front line is very expensive with Kane, Aguero and Lukaku.
Thanks for the input though guys
Thanks for clearing that up…ill be leaving my transfers till next week now. Cheers mate
I wasn’t sure either myself, so I’m glad we got to the bottom of it. It’s worth knowing August transfers can be used as late as 31st August.
Another piece of info on Transfers…
The first round of Variable Player Pricing updates will take place after the completion of Game Week 3 and thereafter until completion of the Regular Season.
The maximum a Player’s value may increase or decrease per Game Week is £0.3m
What justifies a value increase?
From last season I’m assuming it’s just going to be based on good form and the price the player is currently at. For example Lukaku currently at 6m and with 3 goals already is surely certain to rise in value.
Who’s contemplating dropping Kane? With Spurs at Wembley I’m tempted.
Good fixtures ahead for Spurs and I think he will prove his worth across the season starting this weekend.
He stays in for me
He has been playing well. Hit the woodwork in both games. Its only a matter of time…
He stays for me 300 plus over the season if fit never coming out
I need to somehow get a front 3 of kane lukaku sergio
And very soon when fit and firing hazard i’m not the best at long term thinking and plotting price rise long term thats why i love this blog….maybe be tempted to throw out matip this week i dont think his price will rise and liverpools defence is in my view weak and will continue to leak goals all season long
I think I agree with you. There has been a lot of talk about Kompany on this blog. For a like for like swap, I think the time is right now. Liverpool have a tough game at the weekend, and I think the general consensus was Matip out at the end of the month anyway. City have Bournemouth this weekend, then Liverpool, Watford, WBA and Palace in the next 4 GWs.
For me, I dont see the point of delaying the transfer
I completely agree with Darren, a front 3 of Kane, Lukaku and Aguero would be ideal. I had considering dropping Kane but I’m hoping his luck in front of goal will improve.
I think mikth for utd and sergio prices will rise .3m after this week
Tempted to ditch
Matip debruyne lac of arsenal
Maybe stephens mikth and sergio
Then in sept somehow plot hazard for mane i’ll wait for mr bloggers views this is the stage i usually screw up !!!
I’m thinking along the exact same lines:
De Bruyne out for Mkhitaryan
Lacazette out for Aguero (to keep some City representation going forward)
Then sort out the defence by taking out Matip, Baines and Ogbonna. Not quite figures out how to best approach this yet but I’ll be putting up a blog tomorrow about game week 2. If I decide to make any transfers before the weekend I’ll be sure to put a blog up about it.
I’m with you mhki looks great but ibra is expected back in October and will likely take the position behind lukaku displacing mhki so may need to ditch him by then
I’m happy with my mid and str. Yes will be interested to see where you go with defence. Unfortunately not happy with my keeper but that was the funds I had.
Hennesey
Matip
Baines
Valencia
Ogbonna
Mane
Mkhi
Salah
Kane
Aguero
Lukaku
I’d be more than happy with that front 6. Did you start the season with that team? Matip and Baines for Kompany and Davies could really strengthen the defence as well.
Yes I started with that team, not used any transfers yet. Also yes I agree I’m probably looking at them two above the rest. Just wish I had a bit extra for a better keeper.
With so many europa group games
And koeman playing a full strength line up…..views on maybe keeping baines ?
Matip out
De bruyne out
Laczet out
Maybe for
Stephens
Mikth
Sergio
Then sept
Develop a way of mane out for eden
It’s something I’ve considered myself but Everton play Chelsea, Spurs and Man Utd in their next three Premier League fixtures. They only have one Europa League game during this period so for me he probably has to go. He didn’t pick up a single point last week even with the Europa League game. If I make any changes I’ll post them up tonight.
Hi, my team; Pickford
Valencia
Kompany
Kolasniac
Danilo
Saleh
De Bruyne
Mikitaryian
Lukaku
Aguero
Lacazette
I have 3 transfers left, was thinking De Bruyne out for Pogba/Mane, Kolasniac out for Blind and Lacazette out for Hernandez, West Ham. Only thing I am frightened of not having Kane as he looks in form and very unlucky not to have scored yet. The other option could be Lacazette to Kane, Kolasniac to Hegazi, De Bruyne to a cheaper option. Any thoughts?
I’d be fairly happy with the line up you’ve already got. If it was me, I’d probably replace Danilo with a cheaper option. I’ve just put Pieters in my team as he’s fairly good value at 2m. However if Danilo is starting tomorrow I’d probably wait until after the weekend to make this transfer. Unless of course you want Kane in for the weekend. You would have to take a really big hit on De Bruyne if you did and swap him for someone like Willian. If you were happy not having Kane I’d be tempted to swap De Bruyne for Alli to give you some Spurs representation. It’s tricky when you’ve already got a strong team.