GW Points: 63
Overall Points: 136
Overall Rank: 74,331
Although game week 2 returned less points than game week 1 it was a much more positive result. This can be reflected by the rise to 74,331 in the overall leaderboard. This is still some way off where I’d like to be – I’m hoping to target another top 500 finish by the end of the season but at least it’s a move in the right direction. I’d put a lot of this week’s success down to Liverpool’s additional Champions League fixture – I wish I’d have had even stronger Liverpool representation with Firmino up front as originally planned. But it’s easy to look back in hindsight.
Positives:
Another clean sheet for Foster and Valencia. I put Foster in at the last minute as I wasn’t sure he would score too well but he’s definitely got off to a decent start. Valencia was my first choice defender who has also made a strong start.
Clean sheet for Matip against Palace was a bonus and he also picked up two points in the Champions League game. However I’m not sure this is enough to keep him in my team long term.
Ogbonna managed a clean sheet and 8 points in the EFL cup. After a very shaky start I’m not sure this will be enough to keep him in my team but it was good to see him get some points on the board.
Goals for Mane (Premier League) and Salah (Champions League) both contributed to a successful game week. As planned from the start of the season it was a good move doubling up on Liverpool attacking options with these extra fixtures in August. I’m happy with both players but going forward I’m not sure I’ll stick with two Liverpool midfielders.
Another goal from Lukaku was a positive. Out of all the big name strikers he’s got off to the best start.
Potential Issues:
Kane failed to find the back of the net for the second week running. I didn’t really expect much against Chelsea and I believe he hit the post again but at 8m I’d have wanted a bigger return than 4 points in two games. If his form doesn’t pick up quickly he could be one to watch and potentially replace. If he doesn’t score at the weekend I’d not be surprised to see his value drop.
Lacazette also failed to score at the weekend. He was a touch unfortunate not to get on the scoresheet as he was ruled marginally offside. I did watch the game and chances were fairly limited for him, this could also quickly turn into an area of concern.
For the second week running De Bruyne only picked up 3 points. As they were playing Everton this isn’t a huge problem but I’d have hoped for a better return after two game weeks. Hopefully this can change against Bournemouth at the weekend.
No points for Baines this week. Everton had two fairly good results this week but no clean sheets resulted in 0 points. They have a tough run of fixtures coming up so it could be time to take him out before game week 3.
Tips for Game Week 3
In the very short term Man City, Spurs and Man Utd look the most likely to score well in game week 3. Chelsea host Everton and Liverpool host Arsenal over the weekend so these could be fixtures that score lower on points. If you’re purely thinking about game week 3, I’d be looking at players like Aguero, De Bruyne, Alli, Eriksen, Kane, Pogba, Mkhitaryan or Lukaku.
My approach is more to plan for the long term. I’ve still got 3 transfers to use for August so game week 3 presents an interesting dilemma with prices set to rise and fall on Friday 1st September. If you’re in a similar position there are two choices to make:
– Stick as we are and hold the transfers until after the weekend. This then gives us a couple of days remaining in August to use our transfers and select players who are almost certain to rise in value. This means we would be almost certain to grow the value of our squad however it comes at the cost of having to keep players who may not score well this weekend.
– Option two is to make some transfers tonight, going into game week 3. At the moment I’m favouring this option. There’s little point holding onto the transfers if there are areas of concern already. We shouldn’t lose out in terms of players who are likely to rise in value as we should already have a good idea about players who will rise in price.
With this in mind and three transfers to use, I’ll briefly highlight the players I’m personally targeting to remove or keeping an eye on:
Matip and Baines for similar reason. Liverpool and Everton have now played their European qualifying games so no longer have the benefit of extra fixtures. I’m not convinced with Liverpool’s defence and they’ve once again got off to a poor start defensively. I’ve got more faith in Everton’s backline but they’ve got an awful run of fixtures coming up in the Premier League. As a result these two are priorities for transferring out and I may do these tonight.
Ogbonna has also not made the best of starts. However at 1.5m and some favourable fixtures approaching I think I’m willing to see how this one goes. Having said that I’m already questioning if he’s even going to be a regular starter at West Ham for long. As a result at this stage he will stay.
De Bruyne hasn’t made the best point scoring start but I’m willing to see how he gets on against Bournemouth at the weekend.
Lacazette is another I’m keeping an eye on, he got off to the best of starts but failed to score against Stoke. He’s another I’m willing to give another week to.
Kane has probably made the worst start of any player based on his value, however he has hit the post in both games. With a home game against Burnley at the weekend I’m hoping he will come good.
Actual transfers
Matip out – Kompany in
Baines out – Davies or Stephens/Pieters in
Kompany is a better like for like option than Matip at the same value. Swapping Baines is a little more complicated – I’m very tempted to go for a cheaper option to free up funds for Aguero in September. I’m concerned he may score 300+ points this season and Lacazette may flop. Going cheaper on a defender would ensure freedom for the next few months when it comes to attacking options. Hegazi has been mentioned a few times on social media as a great cheap option. He’s made a brilliant start but I’m not sure I see him as a regular for the duration of the season and I don’t want to double up with West Brom defensive players. I’m also not sure Stephens will be a regular for Southampton all season so Pieters is looking like a decent cheap option.
As always, feel free to share your own progress in game week 2 below, suggest any players to look out for or provide any other useful comments below.
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Hi,
When will you confirm your transfers?
Thanks
AB
Hi, as soon as I make them I will post them up. Need to have a look at upcoming fixtures tonight but should make a decision before the end of the day.
With Liverpool having difficult fixtures, how about transfer Baines for Pieters or even Kyle Walker peters and then swap Salah for Mkhitaryan?
Mkhitaryan is definitely on the radar, but long term I’m thinking about downgrading De Bruyne to Mkhitaryan then transferring in Aguero for my City representation. I know Liverpool play Arsenal but I’m not overly concerned with their upcoming fixtures, they could score in any game with the players they have going forward.
As always, on point with all of your analysis and thoughts. One interesting thought… Hergazi’s value is bound to go up to £1.8m this week, whereas Ogbonna will remain at £1.5m. Is it worth making this swap to increase the value of the team for later transfers? Just a thought that has popped into my head…
It’s a great point – I can’t decide about Ogbonna at the moment. West Ham have some good upcoming fixtures but not sure if he will hold onto his place long term. If he does start every game he could improve a lot which makes me think it’s worth holding onto him, although I agree his price won’t rise. I’m not sure if I can justify the transfer for Hegazi just for the £0.3m – purely based on the fact that I don’t want to double up on West Brom at the back and he may not hold onto his place in the team. I’ll certainly keep an eye on it but might give them both another weekend to look at them.
Great blog. I have been playing the game for two years now and in that time I have been writing about my team as well. It is a great learning exercise. I finished around 25 points behind your score last season (missed out on Kane’s points at the month). I only discovered your blog now and it’s a great read.
My team is Foster, Stephens, Matip, Milner, Valencia, De Bruyne, Mane, Salah, Jesus, Lukaku and Firmino with 0 transfers used yet.
Got big decisions to be made. Not having Kane in my team is tough but I feel he is too expensive for my game plan moving forward. Plus those champions league games are not easy as other strikers have. Might be thinking Erikson instead and save some funds.
Keep up the good work.
Looks like a great position to be in with no transfers used. Do you publish your thoughts on your team online anywhere? It would be interesting to have a read. I also debated not including Kane, in a way I wish I hadn’t with only 4 points on the board after 2 games but hoping he comes good this weekend.
I used to publish my thoughts on a fantasy football forum but don’t have the time now. I’m not sure about Kane right now, the best striker but doubts on Wembley, August, Value, champions league games. For a 8m player, I like to have no doubts at all. Still, all the stats are in Kane’s favour to break his (mini) goal drought.
Just another note
Long term thinking
Ben davies will not be spurs regular left back when danny rose returns in my view
But certainly picking him now is wise and potential good growth by 0.6 to 0.9
Completely agree, which is partly why I avoided him at the start but for the short terms he’s certain to start barring any injuries. I could see his price rising week on week and these funds could then be used on someone else. I may well go for the cheaper option to keep my attacking options more open.
Is Jones not an option or is he best avoided in fear of becoming man u heavy?
His value is bound to rise and man u have great fixtures, I’m debating getting him for a few weeks, what are your thoughts on this?
I didn’t really want to double up. Valencia was the only defender who I was sure would be a regular for most of the season for Utd. I expected Bailly and Lindelof to start ahead of Jones. Not sure how long he will be a regular starter and try not to change my defence too much.
With guardiola playing expansive attacking football, they can leave themselves open at the back, is davies not a better option than Kompany, add to that Pieters, and u have funds left later down the line for Aguerro, Hazard, or Sanchez.
It’s a tricky one, I completely agree about Pieters being a good option to free up funds. However if it was a choice between Kompany and Davies I think I’d go for Kompany. If he remains fit I think he will be a regular at City, Davies may not play when Rose is fit. Also City have an easier group in the Champions League.
Tell me if I am wrong, but if the transfers are Friday to Friday (Thursday midnight) and you can’t transfer players from teams that have played within the Gameweek, wouldn’t there be a restriction on player transfers after this weekend? I am thinking all transfers need to be made before the first game tomorrow?
I have used 2 already, thinking I would keep one in the bank for value changes but now I am thinking that is not an option. This is all compounded by next Friday being the 1st so all saved transfers will be lost.
You can still make transfers after the weekend and they will come out of August’s transfers according to Dream Team support. They will be pending until Friday 1st September but as long as they are made in August they will come out of August’s transfers.
Pieters is one for my shortlist as well. Price going up. Stoke defence good with Butland and Zouma playing well. Pieters playing now as a wing back.
I am being drawn more towards Pieters at the moment. As long as he doesn’t get injured I’d imagine he will be a regular at Stoke.
Thanks, appreciate the response
I’d get Baines and Matip out for Kompany/Davies as discussed tonight. Two clean sheets up for grabs this weekend as opposed to difficult fixtures. Davies looks nailed for now and there alot of speculation about Rose moving so he may become a must have! No return date for Rose.
Ogbonna has 3 ideal fixtures and there are risks with most low value defenders. Is he worth a transfer If he’s playing?! I’d only go with Stephens/Wba defender but both gametime risks and double up a wba looks risky. Don’t see a better defender at that low price with decent fixtures
Then I’d look at Mane/KDB out. Only need one Liverpool player and KDB is playing far too deep this season. Mikhi and Eriksen look better prospects long term. Mikhi at 4.5 is only going to rise rapidly in value and could be the pick of the season. Might be worth taking Mane out Vs Arsenal if that’s the plan. . . . He’s had alot of game time recently
I think Jesus or Aguero represent best value for attacking city assets with Jesus edging it for me on price alone and Pep litterally loves him. Lacca concerns me if Sanchez comes back and pushes him out of the central striker spot if he’s out of form.
Great blog BTW
Completely agree with everything you’ve said. Baines and Matip need to go before kick off tomorrow. I’m considering going for Pieters rather than Davies though. Purely because I need to free up the funds for Aguero. I’ve calculated I wouldn’t be able to afford Aguero unless I save some funds defensively.
Agreed that Ogbonna is probably worth holding onto for the moment. Mkhitaryan is looking like the best option in midfield. At the moment I’m favouring taking out De Bruyne and leaving in Mane. As long as I can go for Aguero as a replacement City coverage. I know I’d be doubled up with Liverpool players in midfield but they both play so far up the field they are almost playing as strikers. I also agree that Lacazette is a worry, he would be the one to go for Aguero.
Just took a look at United’s next 6-7 fixtures Vs those of Liverpool.
Liverpol:
Arsenal (H), Man city (A), Bur (H), Lei (A), New (A), Man u (H), Spurs (A) – Playing the top 4 sides, plus some tricky away games. Doesn’t scream a Liverpool attacking double up to me.
United:
Lei (H), Stoke (A), Everton (H), Sou (A), Palace (H), Liv (A), Hud (A) – Far better set of fixtures to get on Mikhi early . . . Some of the best available
KDB although playing in a deeper role also had the fixtures to score well if your looking to get Mikhi in.
Personally I’d ditch Mane with those fixtures . . . Look to get KDB out next month as he could still score well if he’s still playing so deep
I’d agree Man Utd have better fixtures. At the moment I’m looking to create a front 6 of:
Mkhitaryan, Mane, Salah
Kane, Aguero, Lukaku
It’s going to take four transfers to get to this stage so I may hold fire on taking out Mane or Salah.
Looks an outstanding front 6!
I think if your getting a City Striker for coverage then KDB is very dispensable. Ive already got Jesus, so am happy to stick atm
Liverpool did have a quite ridiculous record against the top 6 last season and seem to struggle against the lesser sides. Mane represents twice the attacking threat of KDB atm.
I would perhaps leave KDB I’m against Bourmouth this weekend as I recall a least a couple of 4-0 city wins in the past few seasons. Then get Mihki in Tuesday before the price rise.
Yeah I’ve made my transfers. Matip out, Kompany in. Baines out, Pieters in. Should have complete freedom to get whoever I want up front in September then. I will probably do as you said and swap De Bruyne for Mkhitaryan before the price rise with my last remaining transfer.
Baines for pieters = 1.5m profit
Debruyne for mikth=1.5m profit
Adjusting sergio for lac
Then having money for eden over mane is a well thought out plan
But isnt that all dependent that
Sergio doesnt go up .0.3m
Lac doesnt plumet 0.3m
And mane price skyrockets ?
Plan looks good tho..i think a lot of managers dont forward think like you…..great work keep it up
Love your blog !!
It could get complicated with the price rises but I don’t have enough transfers to make all the changes before they change. Fortunately they can only rise or fall by £0.3m. I’d have 1m in the bank so should be able to afford Aguero regardless of Lacazette’s price falling. That may cause a problem for getting Hazard in but I’ll have to cross that bridge when I get to it.
Also unsure of the transfere policy next friday as the rules state you can make transfers from friday
So after midnight on thurs
Could you possibly swap lacc for sergio for the price tag now ?
As i am led to think new prices are disclosed from.07.00am on friday mornings…..is this a loophole in the system to take advantage of ?
I hadn’t thought about that – quite possibly. I thought I’d found a loop hole by saving August transfers until after this weekend then making a move for players whose values are certain to rise, which Dream Team say you can do and it will come out of the August transfers. You could certainly try making changes at midnight on Thursday, it could well work.
I’ve contacted Dream Team support over this and they’ve confirmed you are right. Transfers can be made between midnight – 7am and they will go through before the prices rise…
I may email them on this
Also if you may a transfere players fri 1st between 00.01 and 06:59
If you decide to reverse transfere prior to the weekend games 9th/10th what prices will they use ?
The mind boggles but just going to try and squeeze as much as an advantage as i best can
Every pt and every price rise will be valueble come buisness end of the season
I’d imagine even if you make the transfer between 00.01 and 06:59 that you will take the price when it changes rather than taking advantage of the price change.
Hey I was thinking I have been looking at Alvaro Moratas record and it is very good because each time he scored he was sub in the 70th minute and then the 2 games at the end of the season he did start he scored a brace and then a hat trick I think Morata is a dark horse this season.
he scored 7 goals after being subbed after 60 minutes
He looks like he could be a good option. Chelsea also have an easy first fixture in the Champions League