GW Points: 97
Overall Points: 412
Overall Rank: 235,985
Transfers: Morata out, Aguero in
Game week 6 turned out to be a fairly disastrous week. When looking at points scored, I was surprised to see that the team had actually dropped in the overall leaderboard. Every one of my attacking 6 players scored, including five goals for Kane and a few for Lukaku. When I saw these points coming in I thought I’d had an improved game week. To see the team drop in position was bitterly disappointing. It’s clear to see that with only Valencia picking up 4 points out of all my defenders this is the area of concern.
Positives:
Kane was once again in fine goalscoring form. He’s a solid choice. Despite difficult fixtures in October, I’ll stick with him.
Lukaku continues his consistent scoring record at Old Trafford. Very happy with his performances to date.
Salah had another fairly positive game week for a midfielder. It was slightly disappointing that he didn’t do more in the Champions League but he’s been a good choice so far and continues to rise in value.
It was good to see Mkhitaryan back amongst the points with a goal in the Champions League.
Another clean sheet for Valencia, disappointed with only 4 points from this though. Ideally I’d have like to have picked up 8.
Potential Issues:
Kompany missed out again. I’d delayed making my last transfer as I was waiting to see what happened with Kompany. He was declared fit before last weekend so I had hopes of him making an appearance during this game week. City have now gone back on this saying he’s not ready. Really irritating situation when trying to play fantasy football because it’s hard to know what the actual problem is and when he will be back. As I’ve got no transfers left for September, it will be a case of waiting to see what happens. If he comes back into the team before we need to make changes in October, then I may keep him. If not, he may have to go.
Ogbonna comes back into the West Ham side against Spurs. As documented in previous blogs this is another really difficult situation to call. If he becomes a regular starter for West Ham, then I can’t see the need to take him out. That’s difficult to call at the moment as he appears to be getting chances in the more difficult games and missing out every time they keep a clean sheet.
Pieters made a good start to the season but hasn’t contributed anything since I put him in the team. Stoke should be a solid mid table team who will keep a steady number of clean sheets. However this isn’t paying off at the moment. In an ideal world I’d swap him for Baines right now, but with the lack of transfers available this isn’t going to be possible.
Aguero could now also be facing a spell on the sidelines after being involved in a car crash. Very unfortunate situation considering I’d transferred him in only last weekend. He was a player I’d wanted to keep for the majority of the season, I was more than happy with my front three and I really didn’t want to have to waste a transfer changing it.
Eriksen missing the Champions League fixture was another unfortunate situation this week. I opted for him to replace Mane as I saw some potentially easy fixtures for Spurs. This was a game I’d marked as a potential good point scorer. Without being able to see into the future there was no way of seeing this coming.
Quick note on the Morata to Aguero transfer:
This decision has come under some scrutiny. I’m just going to clarify the decision again briefly. Before the start of game week 6 I had no City attacking players. City were absolutely flying and Aguero picked up a hat trick the week before. They then faced Palace (at home) and an easier fixture in the Champions League. Chelsea travelled to Stoke and then travelled to Atletico in the Champions League. As a result I felt it was too risk not to have Aguero (the player I wanted long term anyway) as he had much easier fixtures for the game week. I don’t believe anyone disagreed with this decision on this basis before a ball was kicked in game week 6. I also didn’t mind losing Morata as long term I want Hazard as my Chelsea representation.
Obviously having seen the week play it, this decision couldn’t have gone any worse. Morata grabbed four goals. Aguero got one, missed a penalty and is now injured. In a literal sense it was a bad move because it’s cost us points, however I can’t predict the future. No one would have called it going that way before the start of the game week. On another day it could have easily gone massively in Aguero’s favour. Do I regret the decision or think it was an oversight on my behalf? Absolutely not, I hate losing the points but the logic behind the transfer was absolutely sound. But it’s not a situation anyone could have predicted.
Tips for Game Week 7
Personally I’m out of transfers and with a fairly turbulent month I’d imagine many others are as well. If you’re fortunate to have any transfers remaining, I’d personally be looking at Chelsea or Man City players. Despite them facing each other at the weekend both have good fixtures during October so it would be a good time to bring them in. Hazard is a player who looks a decent price, as I can imagine his form is only going to improve. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Morata continue his good form during October with plenty of opportunities to grab some goals. I appreciate this conflicts the decision to transfer him out, but that was more to do with my long term plan of having a Hazard/Aguero combination. Rather than a Hazard/Morata combination with no City coverage. If Aguero is also facing a spell on the sidelines, I’d be looking at Jesus as another potential striker who may have a good October. City have some decent fixtures during that month.
I’d personally avoid bringing in any Spurs players now. They have a very tricky run during October. Which is why I’d ideally like to swap Eriksen for Hazard.
It’s also worth noting that if you’ve got transfers to spare and are struggling defensively. Everton’s defender are currently extremely low. For me it’s only a matter of time before their form changes so I’d be tempted to grab them at bargain prices. Baines has dropped as low as 2.4m. For me this is an absolute bargain.
As always, feel free to share your own progress, suggest any players to look out for or provide any other useful comments below.
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If you really want Hazard, DTT, then why don’t you consider going 442, i.e. keeping Eriksen & swapping Aguero for Hazard, leaves you with two October transfers to try & change your defence.
I don’t like to go 442, but in this scenario, it doesn’t look too bad at all.
That’s a useful thought. I’d not considered that. I guess then it’s a choice between who I think will score more between Hazard and Morata for the month. I must admit I’ve never gone 422 before as tend to favour strikers.
I know you think i’m having a constant dig. Between the lines, i’m trying to give some advice. ( Even though, i’ve ballsed up my own teams, to a degree. )
I wouldn’t feel too bad about that particular 442, at all ! Yes, you lose a striker, but that “4” can rack up points.
Although, i’m not going to sway you too much, it ultimately has to be your decision. Just my opinion, but getting rid of Eriksen is a waste of a transfer.
Yeah, I was just thinking if I had DTT team, I would go 442 and bring in Hazard for Aguero and either Walker or Otamendi for either Pieters or Ogbonna. Not sure if funds allow this. Keep Kompany in hope of city clean sheets so have city semi block. Keep transfer spare for injuries.
If I had Eriksen no way now I would get. He is an asset and taking him out is not something I am comfortable with as he can score points even in tough games.
Only other way to improve team is by three transfers straight away. Comes with very high risk.
I agree in principle, it’s just not ideal with Spurs having some very difficult fixtures in October.
You said the same thing when you took out Morata for Aguero and look how that panned out. Morata scored 4 goals in two tough games whereas Aguero scored 1 goal.
With 442, bring in Midfielder/striker and defender and leave one transfer for bad luck which your team encounters frequently.
The other route I would use then is to utilise three transfers in one go (defender, Midfielder, striker) but then your team could be in serious trouble if bad luck happens.
Yeah I’m not keen on using up all my transfers in one go. I wouldn’t say getting a hat trick against Stoke was an overly difficult fixture though. Spurs face Madrid twice and Man Utd and Liverpool.
Why get Eriksen in at all then if you knew Spurs had these fixtures then. That does not make sense.
I thought you got rid of Morata because he had though away games at Stoke and A.Madrid. If scoring a hat trick against Stoke was not difficult, why get rid.
I thought we had turned a corner, but clearly not. I didn’t get rid of Morata. I went for Aguero because I wanted him long term and he had better fixtures. It wasn’t really anything to do with Morata having harder fixtures, it was more because Aguero had better ones and I wanted a specific front 6 of:
Salah, Mhki, Hazard
Kane, Lukaku, Aguero
Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea
Spurs, Man Utd, Man City
That was the balance I wanted. I’ve explained this several times already. I don’t really know why we are going over this again. I agree it didn’t pan out well but it was made very clear why I made the moves I did.
That’s exactly what DTT stated. Then he responds again, with a ridiculous explanation, making him look quite frankly foolish ( & he has the option to “remove reply” on his posts, so no one can respond further on that post. )
Quite frankly i give up, because he has an excuse for every bad decision he has made.
Clearly, doesn’t like criticism in any form, yet he sets up an interesting blog, open for feedback & advice, also being a “diary” of his fantasy journey.
As you have said, RR. Why choose him in the first place, why choose Eriksen, knowing he had difficult fixtures in October ??
How is DTT, going to approach things from here on in ? Take someone out after one game, because he didn’t perform as he hoped ! ? That plan isn’t going to get him anywhere, sad to say !
If the criticism hurts, sorry, but it’s kind of deserved.
I’ve not removed reply – it’s built into the design of the blog. I can’t change it, it switches off at a certain amount of replies on a thread.
It’s not a ridiculous explanation, everyone other than you and RR get it. And everyone else keeps posting basically telling you to pipe down but you carry on with the same questions. I’ve explained it several times. I chose Eriksen for a month not one game. That’s a long period of time. I don’t see how you don’t get it. I wanted him for September but I wanted Hazard for October, it’s quite clear. It’s the whole point of the game to get players in when they’ve got better fixtures.
I can take criticism. The problem is we keep going over the same thing time and time again. When it’s already been explained. Everyone else who comments gets it (other than RR). Have you not picked up on all the other comments from people who are also getting fed up of it?
Let me try and explain in a concise way:
Start of September with 3 transfers in the bag I had:
Lukaku, Kane, Lacazette
I wanted rid of Lacazette. I looked at fixtures for the upcoming game week. I wanted Aguero or Jesus but they faced Liverpool and a tougher fixture in the Champions League. I couldn’t decide between them anyway and noticed Chelsea had an easier game in the league and then a very easy game in the Champions League. I thought I’ll bring in Morata for one week just to try and get a big hall of points from this game week then replace him with either Jesus or Aguero once I’d had chance to look at who was getting more game time. I had 3 transfers at this point so why not? Then Mane got suspended and Kompany got injured.
2 transfers left and still fairly early on in September. I thought Mane has to go. Spurs had good fixtures for September but I noticed bad ones for October. My plan was (and I stated it at the time) to bring in Eriksen for this good run of fixtures. This would allow me to swap Morata for Aguero (as I’d decided this was the City striker I wanted) and I’d then swap Eriksen (when Spurs have bad fixtures) for Hazard.
This would ensure good coverage from the top 6 teams going forward:
Salah, Hazard, Mhki
Kane, Lukaku, Aguero
Liverpool, Chelsea, Man Utd,
Spurs, Man Utd, Man City
I think it’s important to have consistent goal scoring midfielders, if you can get them. Hazard is probably the best option for this. So I opted to have Hazard and Aguero rather than a Man City midfielder and Morata. As I don’t feel like a Man City midfielder would be as consistent as Hazard when he gets going. This was also all planned around ease of fixtures. It’s all been laid out in previous blogs. I also felt like Aguero/Kane/Lukaku would be the highest scoring strikers in the game for the season. Yes I agree it’s not panned out well but there was a lot of thought that went into it. I’ve got all the fixtures written down so I could see exactly which players had better fixtures and at what times. I’ve never bought in a player without having a plan for how long I wanted to keep him. But you both keep asking “why did you bring Eriksen in then” or “why did you get rid of Morata” I really don’t mind criticism but I just don’t see the point in going over the same things time and time again when it’s all been documented. And I think it’s starting to annoy other people as well.
There have been no ridiculous explanations – everything has already been explained before. Have you not read comments other people are making telling you this?
You’re not Anthony in disguise are you haha it’s already been documented. I got him in to replace Mane – in early September. As I wanted him for Spurs good fixtures during this month. The plan was always to swap him for Hazard when Chelsea had much better fixtures than Spurs. I’ve got all the fixtures for the season for the top 6 written down so I can compare them next to each other, to check for good fixture runs. I did say this at the time. I don’t think having someone for a month with a clear plan of when to take him out is a bad thing at all. A month is a fairly long time, I was aiming to hit the better fixtures.
Been thinking that all the long ! ( & if i recall correctly, DTT mentioned the fixtures, Stoke away, amongst them ! )
I feel like I’m banging my head against a brick wall. Are you sure you two aren’t just trying to wind me up haha? It’s all been clearly documented but if you really want me to I can write it all down again.
I did mention it, but I went for Aguero because he had Palace at home. My comparison was that I felt this was an easier game than Stoke away. But I didn’t take Morata out because he was playing Stoke away. I took him out because my plan was always to have Aguero or Jesus long term.
Agree with you 100% RR.
So are you likely to get rid of Eriksen, then ?
If DTT does, I might bring him into one of my teams.
No I don’t think so. It’s almost not going to be possible now. It’s been pointed out that quite a few players need looking at and if Eriksen is fit he should be less of a priority. Which I agree with. I’d have swapped him for Hazard if Aguero hadn’t got injured.
have to agree with this. Anthony – how are you feeling about my Schindler transfer 3 weeks later – still think it’s a bad move?
Can’t ever recall saying Schindler was a bad move, Phil. ( I’ve been to bed since. ) It’s obviously worked out for you & whoscored seem to love him.
How long before Huddersfield start conceding though ??
I don’t see that as a dig. I think it was a useful observation.
hi their, i agree with rest of the lads, 4-4-2, if Aguero longterm, take him out for Hazard, Erickson quality 4get fixtures, leaves 2.5 million, put Kompany to pasture add Pieters = 8.1 million, no need to pay anymore, Danilo & Luiz, just affordable, luiz on 22nd October, need to watch players performances this week-end, & probably need to make transfers on thursday, the team needs surgery, i think these moves r the best way to move 4ward, Arsenal have kind fixtures for Monreal or Kalasinic, but man city & Chelsea defenders r better picks, let me know what ur thoughts r.
For October it looks like we are going to have a few options:
Option A
Foster
Valencia
Kompany or Danilo/Stones (transfer 3)
Baines (transfer 2)
Ogbonna
Salah
Eriksen
Mhki
Kane
Lukaku
Morata (transfer 1)
Option B
Foster
Valencia
Kompany (transfer 3)
Pieters (or transfer 3)
Ogbonna
Salah
Hazard (transfer 2)
Mhki
Kane
Lukaku
Morata (transfer 1)
Option C
Foster
Valencia
Kompany (transfer 3)
Pieters (or transfer 3)
Ogbonna
Salah
Hazard (transfer 2)
Mhki
Kane
Lukaku
Jesus (transfer 1)
Option D
Foster
Valencia
Kompany or Danilo/Stones (transfer 3)
Baines (transfer 2)
Ogbonna
Salah
Eriksen
Mhki
Hazard (transfer 1)
Kane
Lukaku
It’s basically a toss up between a number of things. Who replaces Aguero? Either Morata/Jesus or Hazard and switch to 442? Do we want to risk using all three transfers straight away? Should we address the defence? If so, surely we can only afford one transfer when removing Aguero.
The defence has surely been our downfall with Kompany being injured and Pieters/Ogbonna not performing well. I think two transfers to attempt to correct this would be worthwhile. Or at least one at the start of the month and holding back another in case of any further injuries. I’m not suggesting using all the transfers at the start of the month but we probably need to use at least two.
I would choose option D but feel DTT will go for option C.
I would go for D too, as i indicated in first post.
“A” isn’t looking too bad for me at the moment. It’s basically a choice between who will score more points in October between Hazard/Morata/Jesus. With those fixtures, I certainly favour Chelsea and Morata proved me wrong this week so it’s tempting to go with the striker over the midfielder. But to be honest I’ve not thought about it much yet need to wait and see how prices change after this game week and what happens with injuries.
DTT,
What a nightmare week!? Have you been breaking mirrors?!
I think with Aguero out for a while Jesus is a must . . . In a city side that scores so many with no real competition for a central striker spot. Aguero could be looking at 1/2 months out. Sane and Sterling could offer some value aswell I’d imagine
I feel Hazard will be a far better long term pick over Morata especially for star man awards. I think Morata may suffer from rotation in the more straightforward games where you’d be wanting him to score well.
The premium strikers have been scoring very well, I think going 442 would leave you short
I’d see Hazard and Jesus as massive priorities with the next month of fixtures and now long term. For the record I’ve followed your posts I’ve completely agree with your logic throughout. It’s easy to make critical comments with hindsight
The Kompany situation is frustrating, it would worry me calf issues have been his major issue. Kompany has not trained for a month according to Pep . . . Just in terms of match fitness hes a long way away. Who would you be considering as a replacement?
For me . . . Ogbonna is still good value if starting and the above 3 transfers would be a prioriry. Using all 3 would be risky . . . But I think you must be due a bit of fortune
My team is as follows:
Foster
Valencia, Baines, Mendy, Davies
Mikhi, Eriksen, Salah
Kane,Jesus, Lukaku
I’m thinking Eriken out for Hazard after this weekend’s fixtures?
My next issue is Mendy. I’ve got 4.9 million for a replacement. Who would you advise? I’m thinking maybe Stones or Kolasinac? But happy to hear your thoughts?
My mini league rival has 3 city defenders and has been killing me . . . I do see them being less solid without Mendy and do wonder if such defensive form can continue
Obviously as well Arsenal play on Sunday 1st Oct, I take it I could put Kolasinac in before that very easy home fixture? Brighton, Watford, Everton, Swansea for the next month looks kind?
That’s the reason why I put Kolasinac in but for a much cheaper price.
Agree with all your points – glad you appreciate that I’ve been unfortunate so far in places.
There’s so many ways to look at it and it’s going to be a difficult choice to know which route to go down. If I was in your position I’d make the move your suggesting, Eriksen out and Hazard in. I’d probably go for Stones, City look a much stronger team than Arsenal and I think he should get more game time. It would a better long term option.
DTT, i could have sworn that you have said, “I wouldn’t choose Stones” in one of your posts & i’ve also read that you’ve posted someting like, “Stones is an upgrade, better option than Kompany”.
( I can’t trawl through posts to quote. )
Are you considering Stones has an option then ?
I said I preferred Mendy over Stones. Because Mendy was getting forward down the wing. And when I say upgrade I mean in terms of price. I am considering any Man City defender who I can get if Kompany isn’t coming back any time soon.
Ryan, i have the same team as you, agree 1st transfer after weekend, Erickson out Hazard in, leaves me 5.4, Davies has fairly easy fixture on 15th, but Real madrid midweek, & Danny rose due back, currently wld leave me 9.4 for 2 defenders, after taking Mendy out aswell, why not just go danilo, & luiz on 22nd October after ban, both should b long term picks, & saving funds, or do u c better choices, interested in ur view point with having same teams.
-2 points from the whole of the defence would set alarm bells for me. That surely needs to be addressed.
My defence not much better of Foster, Stephens, Valencia and Kolasinac still brought 9 points.
GW Points:
Overall Points:
Currently my team is:
Foster
Valencia, Blind, Ogbonna, Davies
Mikhi, Eriksen, Salah
Kane,Jesus, Lukaku
Also thinking Eriksen out for Hazard after this weekend’s fixtures.
Thinking of changing Blind? He’s picking up good points but not playing every game. I’d have 5.4m if i took him out. Options could be Bailly? Walker? Cahill? Jones? Kolasinac? Stones?
Suggestions on the team welcome.
I think Eriksen out for Hazard would be a good move. If you had the option to take out Blind it wouldn’t be a bad move, I’d probably look to free up some funds to change Ogbonna to say Baines as well.
GW Points:114
Overall Points:477
I think this game week was such a high scoring one that the minimum score any team should have got was over 100 points.
My main team achieved 145 points up from 55k to 13k, my best team got 181 and my lowest weekly score was 122. For me, anything over 120 points for game week 6 was satisfactory. Anything less not so good.
Hey man don’t sweat the choices, they were sound decisions at the time, nothing wrong with what you have done just unlucky so far
Appreciate the comment, glad you identify that the decisions were sound at the time they were made and that luck has come into play at times.
DTT, you bought Eriksen in for a month ( In your words. ) Turns out, that was week 5, replacing Mane, it’s only game week 7 tomorrow.
Your idea of a month, is very different to mine.
Was Morata just for the one game then….the easy one….that he wasn’t selected for…..then he had Premier League Champion contenders Stoke to deal with….he had to go !
Aguero, scored his hat trick & then Morata HAD TO GO ! ( It’s called a “reactive response”, which is presebtly affecting your choices….it’s not planned, as you’re saying.
Your decisions have been “sound as a pound”.
The idea of the game is to get as many points as you can, not see “how many points i could have had this week”.
Good Luck, at the weekend, DTT !
No you’re wrong. There was no reactive response. It was all already planned and it’s all written in black and white in front of you. You’re just choosing not to listen. We’ve been over all of these comments many times in the past as well. Are you not picking up on other people’s comments who are also getting annoyed by it?
I couldn’t give a flying fig about other people, or the comments from the likes of Fred e.t.c.
October 14th, first games after break ? I look forward to reading your “plan” then. Don’t have too many sleepness nights from now till then, studying the fixtures.
There are numerous other people who have taken issue with your comments. Always negative and argumentative, at times gloating. I don’t get why you can’t just be helpful and insightful.
I’ve given you helpful & insightful advice. ( Does 2 posts constitute numerous ?? ) One of those posts calling me a prick & telling me to shut up. )
I’m just giving a valid opinion, like RR, but you don’t appear to like that. I’ve not gloated about anything….you appear to be in “fantasy” land.
I don’t condone the name calling and if you would like me to remove that post I will (but there are more than two posts, I’ve seen at least 4-5 different people show annoyance). But most things you post about anything I say isn’t helpful and comes across very argumentative. It’s mainly questioning decisions that have already been made and well documented, often accusing me of making rash decisions even though I’ve already outlined every move in advance in a lot of detail. The only person who agrees with you (sometimes) is RR. I think everyone else is getting fed up of it. I’m sure they will correct me if I’m wrong.
My aim is not to be negative nor to cause any arguments or upset. I just wanted to understand your thinking behind transfers that’s all because every decision about transfers has consequences – some positive, some can have negative impact on the team’s performance. Some decisions have short term effects, some have long term. My comments are not meant to be unhelpful. I take an interest in your team. I try not to mention previous transfers again.
Not a problem at all – partly my fault for assuming you’d read every comment or blog on the website. Nothing would ever offend me, so feel free to keep the comments coming and be as critical as you like. It’s just been a little frustrating at times as I seem to have spent a lot of time going over the same things with Anthony in the past week and all of it has already been documented. I’ve not seen any comments from anyone else who doesn’t understand the logic behind any decisions – they are all laid out with the thought process behind all of them. They may not have worked out for the best but at the time the decisions/transfers are being proposed they make perfect sense and no one has ever challenged a decision before it’s gone wrong.
Don’t know whether you take this in a bad way but I think I feel most people really want your advice and agree with your transfer decisions no matter what. They will see this blog and take it as written by an expert although you are a very good player and follow and copy your every move. You certainly done your homework and put in a lot of effort but then so have I. I have put many hours, made different choices and mistakes. We see tactics from different angles and this can cause conflict. Different ways to play the game. Your player selections I don’t necessarily agree with them all but then I don’t want to influence your decision making as it is your team at the end of the day. I have to spend time managing my own teams. At the same time, I shouldn’t criticise your decisions after the event even though my thoughts were made in my mind before the event but when expressed come with the added benefit of hindsight.
I like to see my efforts rewarded by winning my mini league. It annoys me when my rivals say I won by luck. I like to think I win it through hard work researching and mainly through the fact I wanted to win more than them.
That’s completely how I see things as well. I try and put the time in and give myself a competitive advantage. I also honestly don’t mind any criticism and I don’t even mind people having a bit of a laugh when things do go wrong. But I don’t think everyone else just agrees with the decisions no matter what. I think the difference is (especially with Anthony) I can always see things from your sides as well. With the Morata transfer – I can perfectly see what you mean, that he’s a good player and Stoke wasn’t a tricky fixture. But I weighed that up against wanting Aguero long term and him having better fixtures for the game week and decided to make that transfer. That’s not a mistake, that’s just how I saw things logically before kick off. I’m just a bit surprised at times that you both can’t see things from both sides as well. We all know this week could have easily panned out very differently and it could have been Aguero with the hat trick but it just didn’t pan out. I think everyone else appreciates that. You both obviously do your research as well but I don’t think there’s any need for anyone to clash – I’d encourage you both to keep giving your opinions. It just gets a little frustrating when decisions are questioned after the event with no positive input before. I also struggle to see how you can’t see the logic behind the decisions I make, I understand that it’s not what you would do but at the same time you must be able to see they aren’t just rash decisions, they are well thought through and researched.
You’re only stating what you’re observing, RR, like myself.
I find that I do question your choices sometimes and try to put it across in a nice manner. If my team was the same as yours I probably won’t comment on anything.
Someone else agrees with what I say and repeats my points but uses a different tone (not a way I agree with).
The only post I totally agree with your critic is the opening 442 one – now that was a suggestion I was thinking of but he put it up before me.
Yeah and that was a really useful comment – I’d not even thought about 442 and I said I appreciated the comment. That’s the kind of comments we need. With regards to the other comments disagreeing is fine but I’m sure you can see the logic in most of my decisions even if you don’t agree with it.
DTT, i like your blog. I want to read it & i want to follow it & hopefully contribute to it, whether that be yourself, or anyone else posting on here.
Lets move on. I’ll try not to be so emotive, but that’s born from, “Are you being 100% honest” ? ( but we’ll leave it there. ) and look forward to whatever fortunes, good or bad, happen this football weekend ?
All i know at this moment in time, that after tomorrow, we’re all in for two weeks of boredom ! ( Other than when transfers are allocated on Friday.
I always move on, nothing offends or bothers me but I will always respond when I’m challenged. I’m not sure why I wouldn’t be 100% honest. This is the team I’ve entered into mini leagues to compete with others. Every decision is planned and thought through in advance. If you agree with it or not you can’t deny that it’s not all documented clearly. Suggesting I’m not being honest is just scandalous – I’ve got nothing to gain from hiding anything. The whole point of the blog is to document the process in as much detail as possible. No one would agree with you that I’m not being honest.
My manner comes from annoyance & frustration & a feeling that DTT is not being completely honest with his decision making & explanations for those decisions.
Whether he listens to my advice, or anyone else’s has no relevance, because ultimately he will make his own decisions, regardless of how many opinions there are.
I’m completely transparent in my decisions. You just keep questioning every decision although the logic is written right in front of you. If you don’t agree that’s fine but you try and make out like I make rash decisions without thinking about it. However it’s all documented right there on the page.
Here’s some of your highlights for someone who is just making observations:
“October 14th, first games after break ? I look forward to reading your “plan” then. Don’t have too many sleepness nights from now till then, studying the fixtures.”
“Aguero, scored his hat trick & then Morata HAD TO GO ! ( It’s called a “reactive response”, which is presebtly affecting your choices….it’s not planned, as you’re saying.”
“Then he responds again, with a ridiculous explanation, making him look quite frankly foolish”
“but who knows what “bad luck” is around the corner in this game”
“What happens with your next transfers, if impatient” mode sets in ?? Are you going to ship out again after one game ??”
“Captain “bad luck””
“Have you thought of dumping Aguero for Morata, free up some more funds ! LOL”
“How easy do you want them to make it, DTT “Oh, i ballsed up again, can i have another transfer, please” ?”
“There’s no getting round the decision of your Morata move, i.e. bringing him in for one game, making a hasty decision to immediately replace him.”
“That call was not bad luck, but bordering on stupidity & needless.”
“DTT, i really don’t understand your logic. You don’t even want Kompany, but YOU brought him into your team.”
“I don’t understand the obsession with Kompany ??”
Those were my belief’s & observations, yes a few are quite emotive !
Without keep harping on about it, i cannot see the logic of the Morata decision.
That’s my opinion, it’s not going to change, regardless of your explanation for it. If you don’t like that particular opinion, then there’s not much i can do about it.
Exactly so don’t keep asking about it everytime it’s mentioned. If I’ve explained it once in the post and again in the comments there’s no point in going over it again and again. If you don’t agree fine and feel free to say that. But repeatably bringing it up is simply going around in circles. Also you didn’t say it before the transfer was made – you said it in hindsight which is no real use to anyone.
Hi DTT, like last season, I’m only really interested in your opinion on this blog. I have 1 sept transfer left, which I want to use on Eriksen to Hazard, but after this weekend as Spurs have the easier fixture. So do you think if I make the transfer after Chelsea kick off on Sat 30th, it will become effective in the next game week? Thanks
The Dream Team website says September transfers will expire 06:59:59 Fri 6 October. However I’d use it as close to after this weekend as possible, which is what I think you plan to do. Based on their rules this should be absolutely fine and go through out of your September transfer budget.
That’s great, thank you.
Hi their, DTT, i have 9.4 million for 2 defenders, why spend more than danilo & Luiz he is due back 22nd October ,=8 million, what do u c as better options to probably keep for season barring injuries, thanx.
I’d looked at Danilo myself as a replacement for Kompany. Do you think he will play every game in the absence of Mendy? I wasn’t so sure but can’t see who else might play in this position. Luiz is a decent price if you can wait until 22nd of October to bring him in.
I think danilo will be in for a good while, mendy out for 9 months, he can play on the right and left side, i can wait on Luiz, as i plan to leave davies in till then although spurs do have Real madrid a few days b4 the 22nd, for instance why go for stones & Cahill, when the other 2 can do a similar job & save funds, irrespective of funds will the former two be the best options, thanx.
Completely see your logic, if Danilo is likely to play most of the games then he will probably be the one I go for if Kompany needs replacing. With regards to Luiz, there’s just something erratic about him that I don’t trust. He’s more than capable of a mistake or a red card than most players, this shouldn’t cost him too many points over the season if he can avoid getting sent off again but he’s a bit of a lose canon. I’m always up for trying to save funds at the back though, but it’s not paid off for me this season yet.
I seems to me that spending more money for top 6 defenders is the safe option.
Yeah I think so too, they would be affordable now the value of the team has grown. I think we could get at least 3 out of the 4 from top 6 teams.
All valid pts, i’ll take it on board.
I must say, some of these transfer rules are ridiculous! Shame because I like The Sun DT.
How can we be given ‘Monthly’ transfers where September’s run over until 6 October and where you cannot use October’s allocation until a week later!
I wanted to sub in an Arsenal defender yesterday thinking I had my October allocation, as there was high a probability of points to be earned… couldn’t do it! And to make matters worse, the defender I wanted to bring in will no doubt go up in value now, as a result of yesterday’s clean sheet.
Almost as silly as all this player-locking nonsense!
I’m currently winning all of my mini-leagues,so it isn’t sour grapes, but I do think that The Sun could take a leaf out of the Telegraph Dream Team’s rule book.
Aguero will only be out for 2-4 weeks, I have him in my team and am tempted to keep him for that period and focus on my defence improvements plus Hazard.
What are others thoughts?
If he’s out for only 2 weeks that would be great. I’d stick to the plan – remove Eriksen and sort out the defence. With how Kompany’s injured has been managed I’d not be surprised to see it drag on and on. I can’t really afford to drop any more points and fall further behind so would probably be forced into taking him out if he’s not back in action very quickly.
Good news Kompany is included in the Belgium squad.
That is good news, but can you see him starting at today? It really wouldn’t surprise me if he doesn’t play for City this weekend. Plays for Belgium then comes back on the bench for City. I’m convinced he’s probably been fit enough to play for a couple of weeks but they are just using it as an excuse to not play him and give him much longer to recover purely because of his history with injuries.
Pep said he was defiantly not ready to play for Belgium I have given up with Kompany
It’s a really annoying situation. If they had said Kompany was out for the month I’d have used my final transfer on him straight away. Which meant at the time I’d have been “stuck” with Morata, who went on to have a good week. But as they said Kompany was fit to play I thought it was worth saving the transfer and it’s just dragged on and on.
Hi DTT
Talking about defenders have you looked at Davinson Sánchez I have monitored his additions to the team and he has played in 5 of the last 6 games for Tottenham the only game he has missed is the EFL Cup game against Barnsley which was not a first team game he is 3.6M after the hard run of fixtures he could be one to keep an eye on.
Definitely one to keep and eye on and possibly quite a few of the Spurs defenders. If they do have an awful run when they play Madrid twice and Man Utd and Liverpool they could all drop in value quite nicely.
These are the defenders I am currently looking at as a good price that are starting 11 players in the Top 6
Monreal 3.8M
Kolasinac 4.4M
Luiz 4.2M
Sanchez 3.6M
I was looking at Monreal but noticed he didn’t travel in the Europa League. Kolasinac at 4.4m I think I’d rather have Stones. Luiz looks a decent price but can be a bit of a loose canon. Sanchez, agree he looks good but probably worth waiting until after their run of hard fixtures. I do like Baines at 2.4m as well. I know they are on a terrible run but surely he will score over 100 points for the season.
Hoping for a positive weekend:
Huddersfield v Spurs
Hoping Eriksen starts after illness and Kane can grab a few.
Man Utd v Palace
Mhki having a good game is essential, enjoy seeing Lukaku score but with most people having him it’s not going to make a huge difference
Stoke v Southampton
West Brom v Watford
West Ham v Swansea
Three home games for our weaker options in defence. Surely there’s a clean sheet amongst them. Really hoping Ogbonna starts against easier opposition for once.
haha guys you got to watch this goo.gl/MvY8PJ
Eden Hazard is taking the piss out of Sterlings girly running hilarious 😀
I am literally dying watching this video of Hazard
DTT, my observations were absolutely nothing to do with hindsight, at all. My thoughts were there, i.e. “Why on Earth are you doing that” ?? I just didn’t post those thoughts at the time.
Why not say it at the time then? That adds a lot of value. Saying it after is what got you described as an “arse” (not my words). If you had called it before I think everyone would have much more respect for the opinion. I’d appreciate other people’s opinion on this but I’m not sure anyone’s reading the comments anymore. I’m happy to be corrected if others think I’ve got it wrong in this debate. But I doubt many would agree that I’m not being honest and that my decisions aren’t already well documented. I’m guessing most people just don’t want to get drawn into it as well.
I just chose not to.
( and one final observation, which RR also pointed out to you. ) Your reasoning ( or one of them. ) was difficult fixtures, Stoke away & Atletico away. You’ve then gone onto to contradict that by saying a relatively easy fixture aginst Stoke. )
That’s in black & white, your words, posted on here.
In future, i will comment on your decisions at the time you make them, if i feel the need to ?
Still going over the same thing again. I’ve already responded to that. I went for Aguero because he had Palace at home. My comparison was that I felt this was an easier game than Stoke away (which it is). But I didn’t take Morata out because he was playing Stoke away. I took him out because my plan was always to have Aguero or Jesus long term. You’re just splitting hairs. Once again it’s all been already documented. It might not have been the right move in your opinion but it’s not hard to understand the logic behind it.
I think its time to give up trying to justify your decisions DTT, there is nothing that hasn’t been explained several times and your decision making process has been documented and justified perfectly well by yourself and you are just wasting your time going over it time and again. While certain people do not agree with what you have done you have fully justified your reasons for making those decisions so don’t feel you have to continue to defend yourself as it is all already clearly documented and justified in black and white.
Thanks Nick appreciate the support. Glad someone can see the process has been clearly documented.
Well lets put it like this, at this point right now, before you make your final decision. You’ve posted you probably can’t afford to take out Eriksen, because your defence is more of a priority.
You’ve also said your intention, is likely to take out Eriksen for Hazard.
We’ll obviously see what your final decision(s) turn out to be ?
Enjoy Spurs, DTT !
I’ve been discussing them both as options. It’s all going to depend on when Aguero comes back and if Kompany ever recovers from injury. Any decisions will be documented. Please read Nick’s comment – sums it up perfectly.
Anthony, your comments are clearly designed to be inflammatory. DTT stated when he bought Eriksen in that his plan was to switch him to hazard in October (correct me if I’m wrong DTT) but with the injury to Aguero plans have to change . you have to adapt to situations as they occur, I’m sure you have changed your transfer plans this season
Perfectly correct Nick.
No Nick, there just observations…..before i’m accused of hindsight comments !
Yes, we all have to adapt, which actually makes a bit of a nonsense of this so called “plan”, that DTT refers to.
I look forward to his future decisions….
I think you’d argue black is white Anthony. There’s no nonsense in having a plan. It’s simply looking at the upcoming fixtures and weighing up who I’d like when – really isn’t hard to understand. If you still can’t see it when other people are pointing it out and then start clashing with them as well we might as well give up.
“Yes, we all have to adapt, which actually makes a bit of a nonsense of this so called “plan”, that DTT refers to.
I look forward to his future decisions….”
this is exactly what I’m talking about Anthony, this is not just an observation it is a statement designed to provoke a reaction. We make a plan, an injury happens, we react to it and make a new plan. its not nonsense, you don’t make a plan and then blindly stick to it regardless of what else happens. I only posted as I enjoy reading DTTs thoughts and wanted to show that his work has been understood and I hope that he will carry on and while he may feel it necessary to continue to respond to your provocation I certainly don’t so you can have the last word that you obviously enjoy so much and I wish you all the best for the rest of the season but YOU will not be hearing from me again
Thanks Nick, appreciate the comments and it echos exactly how I see it. I’m sure there are others thinking the same thing who don’t wish to be drawn into a debate about it either.
You are welcome DTT, its been a tough start for you with, if I dare say, some tough luck along the way but everyone will have that at some point so you just have to ride it out and hope for better in the future
I definitely think I’ve had some unfortunate luck but things can surely only get better. Hoping things will change once we’ve got our October transfers.
Thank God for that !
Hi guys,
When does this last transfer have to be used? is it midnight tonight?
I have one left and 0m in the bank and have no idea what to do…..was tempted to do Daniels > Pieters
Pickford
Davies
Valencia
Danials
Koclasic
Salah
Alli
Myki
Kane
Jesus
Kaku
Any ideas?
Actually if I do Danials to Pieters I can just afford Alli > Hazard next week
Pieters hasn’t been a good move for me. What about Baines? He’s a really good price and surely Everton will turn things around. I’m not sure how that fits within your budget but for me he’s a much better option than Pieters.
I cant fit in Baines sadly, i only have 2.2 to spend 🙁 It’s tricky, can I use the ;last sub up until midnight tongiht or does it have to be done before the spurs game starts?
If you don’t want the changes to become active until the next game week I think you can do them at any point really. The Dream Team website says they can be made until the end of the game week but I’m not sure I’d risk it. I’d probably get it done as soon as possible. If you’re happy to take a hit on a cheap defender and 2.1m is all you’ve got then Pieters isn’t a bad option.
I think probably a better option than Daniels, Bournemouth can’t seem to keep a clean sheet and stoke and be quite tough at home. It’s either use it or lose it as its the 30th today.
Maybe Creswell for Westham? puts a lot of crosses into the box. West Ham Slowly improving also…..
Kane & Davies, a good start, now becomes my best team.
Ok I’ve rounded my last transfer of the month down to……
Danials for….
Pieters – creates chances, stoke can be decent
Holgate – Everton fixtures are easing but doesnt create much, not sure I want to double up with Pickford
Creswell – westham improving, easier fixtures coming up, creates chances
Any thoughts?
I don’t think there’s too much between them to be honest. I’d probably avoid Holgate because of rotation as well. In terms of Pieters or Creswell you could probably toss a coin between them, neither have started overly well.
Yeah thats true, Westhams next 4 fixtures are Swansea, burnley, brighton, palace.
Maybe I should just do Danials to Ogbonna so I have just enough to do Alli > Hazard/Mane for the next transfer. Cresswell will not allow this.
I’d wait and see if Ogbonna starts. I’m not sure about his long term selection, he’s been a bit of a disaster for me since the start of the season. You’ll probably know much more after today’s fixtures.
Yeah I’ll wait till the team sheet comes out, if he starts i’ll transfer him in, i’m not will be plan B. Is it only the european matches holgate is rested for? so cheap at 1.7!
I’ve not really followed their team too closely but he seems to be rotated with Martina. Also both are only playing as Coleman is out injured.
Thats plan A down the pan. Ogbonna on the bench!
Gomez or J. Evans?
I’d probably prefer Evans out of the two.
Evans was a good shout! Goal! lol
Haha yeah I did think that when he scored. Shame they didn’t keep a clean sheet with Foster in goal.
Schindler, gets a rating…..quel surprise !
Unfortunately the 4th goal wiped it off. Good sign that he was on course for a rating at 0-3. i think he’ll get rated almost every game
A nice Hammers clean sheet.
Yeah – fuming that Ogbonna didn’t feature. Although West Ham haven’t had the best of starts I’d keep him for a while if he was getting a regular game. I can’t see him securing a starting place so will need replacing.
Morata off injured.
Unfortunate for those who have got him, couldn’t have come at a better time though with the international break coming up and new transfers available in October.
Conte says Morata’s injury not too serious, needs to rest during international break, he’s had a tough week. Hopefully he will be refreshed for Palace away in mid October.
Abby, if ur keeping in touch with this blog, i intend to put in stones b4 next friday as he will surely rise again, & intend to take out Erickson 4 Hazard, 2day Erickson 3 pts Hazard 0, should i wait or make the transfer b4 Friday, just trying to save funds, i think u knew how the system worked.
DTT:
October transfer suggestions
Out :
Ogbonna -not playing at all
Pieters – woeful pts tally
Sergio – out most of oct
In: luiz – will slot back in chelseas solid back 4/5
Evans – wba quite tight and pops up with the odd goal and star man
Hazard – will.no doubt be back to his best soon price cheap at present and chelsea have favourable fixtures
This though.leaves us with kompany and we cling on to the belief another 2 weeks rest from now he’ll be up to scratch at at least have some game time…
Because the first games are 14th its pretty much the middle of the month and i dont think we can stand on princaple and save a transfer for emergency….
I know theres no everton defenders and i know its not a custom 433 but i think in my opinion the best way of making a move forwards in oct
Please all share your thoughts…
P.s like to get the pending transfer in before next friday at evans current value 2.0m no doubt and abby can confirm this will go up to 0.3m
Love to hear all your thoughts on this
Darren, Evans seems a decent pick but don’t think his price increasing by 0.3m on Friday.
I thought you get October transfers after Friday (after the next price ranges), SDT are always changing their rules.
Eriksen could stay the same or go down 0.1m (most likely) whereas Hazard will go down 0.3m again
Yeah I don’t think we get our transfers until next Friday.
If eden does indeed go down an additional 0.3m instead of
upgrading to evans we could look at other options
We would have to wait until after friday though when price rise and falls out…..eden drops 0.3m
If everton concede tmrw baines likely to fall again ?
Abby if you could fill us in on likely price rise or falls on the following before midnight fri i could do some formats
Eriksen…hazard baines evans
I like the look of creswell also but i think he’ll go up .3m easy
Glad I got De Bruyne – season long pick for my team. Likely to do Mkhitaryan to Hazard so have midfield of Hazard, KDB and Salah – not too bad.
Wish I had stuck with De Bruyne – he’s proved me wrong since I got rid of him. Mkhitaryan was a steady replacement but De Bruyne has been much better since I swapped them.
That’s what i’d like but proving to be difficult with budget & having to replace Mendy.
DTT how about the following:
Out sergio ogbonna pieters
In jesus luiz williams
You get the 433 ,everton def cheap also….
I think Ogbonna certainly needs to go. After that I can’t decide between Pieters, Kompany and Aguero. We won’t get our October transfers until after Friday (as far as I know) so I think it’s worth waiting until as close to 14th October as possible to make any transfers. I need to have a good look at players and prices after they change on Friday. But Luiz does look good value, Baines looks a good option as well. It would be great if Aguero was fit to play after the international break as I really don’t want to take him out.
After which Friday?
I don’t think we got October’s transfers until 6th October.
DTT – if baines wasn’t on penalties would he still be on your radar? he has only rated in 2/10 fixtures so far. i havent played dream team since they brought in the whoscored ratings. i’m focussing my team on the players who seem to rate consistently (e.g. schindler). i’ve got my eyes on Loftus Cheek for 1.7m for the same reason but i’m conscious that it would be very difficult to shift him if he were to get injured long term. he could enable a massive upgrade in defence. it sounds ridiculous given that they havent scored but i think he could be a real option from november onwards to enable upgrades elsewhere in the team
At 2.4m I’d always be considering Baines, not sure if he is still on penalty duties or not. Both Baines and Williams scored over 100 points each last season. They’ve made a terrible start but have also have some very tough fixtures. I think now or as soon as possible is a good time to get him in because they are pretty much as low as they could get.
Would love to keep sergio ..you are right……..lets hope he has a speedy recovery…and vincent those are 2 transfers that could be used elsewhere in a perfect world
Hazard for eriksen
Ogbonna and pieters out
And 2 good upgrades
Lets hope DTT both are match fit for the 14th october so we can explore other avenues than waste these 2
I would think twice about getting rid of Eriksen though.
My research shows that in the last two season’s combined, he has accumulated the second highest total of sun dream points for a midfielder.
Something to mull over.
I like Eriksen as an option – always have done. I just don’t like his fixtures for October, although I now don’t think we will have the luxury of using a transfer on him with the option to bring him back in after this difficult run of fixtures. I take your point that he’s capable of playing well against anyone but with having Kane and Eriksen, I think points could be less likely for him when they face Madrid twice and Liverpool and Man Utd.
That would be ideal, but hard to imagine it will pan out that simply. It’s just going to be a case of waiting to see.
I think DTT we will have to wait right up until peps news conference on fri 13th oct before looking at our ins and outs ?
Yeah I think so. But I’ll be certain to have a few options depending on how things go. We will make sure all bases are covered before hand.
My best team now around 100pts behind top spot. Game over for winning I think.
100pts isn’t much of a gap to catch up. It’s surprising how quickly things can change.
What do you think of a team that looks like this for the start of November
Foster
Luiz D.Sanchez Baines Williams
Hazard Salah Mkhitaryan
Kane Lukaku Jusus
I could also have this team at the start of November
Foster
Luiz Pieters Baines Williams
Hazard Salah Mane
Kane Lukaku Jusus
What team do you think is better
Sanchez is definitely on my radar as well. Not sure about Luiz – I’d like a Man City defender in the mix. Prefer Aguero over Jesus as well but so much could change between now and then. Baines or Williams are both good options but not sure about doubling up.
Want to know DTT’s thoughts on Mkhitaryan? I don’t think I want him in my team or am being hasty.
He’s a bit inconsistent for me. I put him in for De Bruyne because I thought his value was going to keep rising and it freed up funds for Aguero. However I’m finding it a little frustrating having him in my team now. I think he will score well and maybe in the top 10 midfielders but don’t see him being in the top 5 which is where I’d want my midfielders to be.
who do you think is looking the best to buy at the moment of of midfielders can you please list you top picks for midfield at this present moment
Coutinho, Salah, Mane, De Bruyne, Eriksen (I wouldn’t bring him in now if you don’t already have him – hard fixtures in October), Hazard, Mkhitaryan (looked good at the start of the season but unsure if he will be a top point scorer by the end of it)
Luiz, not due back in premiership till 28th October away to Bournemouth.
I know that’s why I said my team at start of November
De Bruyne playing outstanding at the mo, thinking of bringing him in rather than Hazard???
I feel like with Hazard you are just waiting for a points explosion so I think it’s just safer to have him in your team so you don’t have to worry about him scoring massive amounts of points without him in your team.
I’d agree I think Hazard is more likely to pick up a lot of points quickly. Also depends on the balance of the rest of the team.
Anyone thinking of dropping Kane, after the Bournemouth match ???
Absolutely…thinking of dropping Kane after next game.
Or even before ??
If “Eriksen has difficult fixtures for October,” then Kane ( & the rest of the team. ) has as well, surely not ?
but you are forgetting that Kane scored 2 goals 3 goals 2 goals in his last 3 games he on fire and he is one of the best strikers in the world.
I would not put it past Harry Kane to score a goal against any team in the world.
I think Kane is the exception to the rule as well. He’s on fire at the moment and like you say could score against anyone. Having said that I don’t think he will be getting two/three goals a game against Madrid/Man Utd/Liverpool, but you never know.
I’m not forgetting that at all, but that does not guarantee goals in October, given the fixtures. ( & yes, he is capable of scoring against anyone…..as he is just as capable of not scoring in August ! )
I don’t know if you’re being sarcastic but it makes sense that both Kane and Eriksen are less likely to pick up points when they are playing Madrid twice and Liverpool and Man Utd, with no easier games in between. I haven’t got the time to look up who Man City and Chelsea are playing during the same time period but I know they have a much easier run. If I didn’t have bigger priorities I’d be looking to make the most of this.
It wld b a blessing in disguise if Aguerro was out 4 several weeks, we need xtra funds, i’ m struggling to c where we can get quality defenders, stones, Kolasinic, & even probably Monreal out of reach, we need quality players from teams that don’t concede, only Luiz who ur not keen on, & sanchez who’s price will drop in coming weeks will b suitable, 4get Ogbonna, Pieter s to drop even further, Kompany even if he makes a remarkable comeback, who is going to b dropped to allow him back in2 team, Man city didn’t even play Danilo, even with Mendy out, so his inclusion becomes a risk, that leaves Everton even with easier fixtures of late, no clean sheets, it has to b 442, Erickson is quality regardless of fixtures, it’s going to need a masterplan to get this team climbing up the leader board.
Agree with all of your comments. Ogbonna is the biggest concern and needs to go. Pieters is probably capable of an average score. Kompany – agree that even if he was fit, who would he replace now and I’d also noticed Danilo isn’t getting any game time. Everton’s form does look a concern but surely they’ve got to improve, I don’t think I’d want to double up on their defenders now though. Plenty to think about over the next couple of weeks, I’ve not put too much thought into next moves yet but will obviously post any decisions up. What I’ll probably do is put a few options up and attempt to get people’s thoughts before making any decisions.
Ok, i think we need to shaw up the defence, alot of people will have the same front 6, we need to get back in the game somehow, i’ll watch out to c how ur going to approach this.
I agree – wouldn’t be half as bad if Kompany hadn’t cost us so many points. Had they just said as soon as he got injured that he was out for the month, I’d have taken him out. But because it’s dragged on with conflicting information it’s been a nightmare. I haven’t done the maths but I’d guess it’s probably cost us 40+ points.
If that’s addressed to me, DTT, then no. As i’ve explained in my post, Spurs have difficult fixtures, on paper & i’m totally serious about my question.
It would be a brave man, to drop Kane for October, or even part of it, but that bravery could be rewarded, especially if he fires blanks !
It was addressed to you Anthony. Just a little surprised as you were a bit critical of the idea of taking out Eriksen when I was basing it on those difficult fixtures. If I had an abundance of transfers I’d consider taking them both out for most of October.
As you know, DTT, i stated an option in the first post, i.e. keeping him & bringing in Hazard for Aguero, because Eriksen is a player, has pointed out by more than one poster, that typically is an high scoring player.
As i said, i think it would be a waste of a transfer. Regards Kane, it is a genuine thought, one that you’ve agreed, that he may not score so well this month. As i said it would be a brave, bold decision if that paid off ?
I think it could pay off, if someone was 100% happy with the rest of their team. But I’d imagine it would cost two transfer because surely they would want to bring him back in straight after the tough fixtures based on his current form.
@Dream Team Tips
I discovered your blog during the closed season and then spent time reading through all your comments. I learned a lot from this and my game has improved tremendously.
Thanks you so much for doing the blog again this season and please do hang in there despite the detractors.
I follow TriggerLips blog as well (FPL) and because of constant criticism of his team selections (many of them using hindsight) he has decided not to discuss his transfer decisions. This has been a great loss as TriggerLips is one of the top FPL players. Hard to believe – TriggerLips has huge experience but so many people know better.
I genuinely hope that you do keep posting.
Hi Jeff, thanks for the comment, greatly appreciated. Glad you find the blog useful. I will certainly be continuing the blog, no amount of criticism would put me off writing the blog and I’ll still be 100% transparent with any decisions.
I echo the thoughts above. Keep up the good work.
Thanks RR, will certainly be keeping up the work. Not sure it could be classed as “good” with the shape of my team at the moment though.
With regards to dropping Kane after Bournemouth i don’t think that’s the way to look at it…..you can’t…….you’re actually dropping him after Madrid away which is in the same game week. Puts a slightly different spin on it imo and becomes more of a ‘trade-off’ over the 2 games. Just thought i’d throw that in as everyone on here seems to relish on getting stuck into folk after the event.
By the way, I enjoy reading your blog DTT and although not agreeing with all your decisions i cannot recall having a real problem with your logic for any of them.
Yes, Rob, that’s why i then posted, “even before”. I don’t think i can be brave enough to drop him ! ?
Thanks Rob appreciate the comment. I won’t be dropping Kane regardless or even Eriksen based on priorities in other area, but we will see. I’d be surprised if many drop him, based on his current form he will only need bringing back in anyway.
The most annoying transfer for me is Mendy. I have him in every team & it’s one transfer i could have done without. Still even toying with the idea of keeping him till November, to try & improve my midfield more, for October.
Nothing worse than an injury or suspension. Especially when it’s long term like that. I don’t envy you having him in every team.
I was actually doing ok till the whole Mane fiasco and i just seem to be going 2 backward before going forward since them!! I’m seriously considering doing something which i thought as ‘radical’ by dropping both Eriksen and Kane either before Bournemouth or after Madrid. Not as radical as i thought as Anthony and others i’m sure thinking same. At the moment it gonna take something out of he box stuff to try and peg some back. Only have 1 team sitting on 525 so well behind.
Possible pros to dropping-they ‘may’ struggle with monthly fixtures
sell high buy back low/financial gain..main point of exercise
Cons- Kane scores about 15 against Bournemouth all ass by Eriksen
if they grow in value may not get back.
Man U fixtures are a wee bit tough too(admittedly not like Spurs on paper)…..anyone thinking what i’m thinking with regards to a certain Man U striker and thinking alone same lines as Kane.
Could be totally suicidal but if it came off……what a play!! Only been a 2.5 week month is tempting me more
I’d probably be making the same considerations if I didn’t have other areas to sort out first. I know the feeling about it all going wrong around the Mane sending off. At the end of August I had one transfer in the bank and almost wasn’t sure what to do with it because I didn’t really feel like I needed to use it. I then made one change in September Lacazette out – Morata in. Then before I knew it I was faced with having to take Mane out and Kompany picked up an injury. Obviously Mane had to go and it’s fallen apart since really. I saved my last transfer to try and claw back some points when Aguero has better fixtures, he then got injured. And the Kompany injury just continues to drag on. I’ve gone from not knowing what to do with my final August transfer to now needing to look at taking out 4 players with only 3 transfers in October. Difficult times.
Hi their, is it possible to put in any transfers as pending on perhaps midnight to 7am, Friday /Saturday, to save funds on certain players.
Hi Dave, do you mean before prices change?
Yes, this week, Erickson to Hazard, leave till Friday, but i want to put stones in b4 Friday, & save an enevitale 0.3.
Do you have a transfer left for September? We don’t have our October transfers until 7am on Friday so can’t make any changes before then. If you’ve got a transfer for September you could certainly use it before Friday, in fact you would need to use it before Friday if you want to make the most of it.
Ok, thanx for reply, going to have to pay 5.0 for Stones, he’s the best priced premium defender, going to need Davies to continue to rise by the 28th of October, to get luiz in aswell no premiership games till then but his 4.2 current price cld go up with league cup game & champions league game b4 then , felt sure chelsea wld score on Saturday 2 keep stones price at 4.7.
Ohhh don’t worry DTT…i’ve got plenty so sort….i’ve had Baines from the start but just can’t bring myself to dropping at current value. If any considering another ‘risk’ by doubling on Everton for value. Also, Matip and Liverpool leaking goals for fun.
Going back to the Kane/Lukaku thing for me City and the Chavs have the best fixs for October so ‘if’ value can be found there it’s not really weakening….like i said it might be a crazy move that comes off. If it doesn’t game’s a bogey i’m afraid!!
I’m not totally against idea of taking out Kane and spent much time thinking about it but to me it might be a worthless exercise. Even if Kane fails to score points against Bournemouth and Madrid, his value will go up. If he blanks in all his games in October by the time you get him back he will either at the same price you sold him for or 0.3m cheaper. I would probably want to ideally make 0.6m or 1m profit on this two way transfer.
Next who is the replacement for Kane? I already got Lukaku and Morata (their club’s main goal scorers). So the best contenders are Aguero and Sanchez. Aguero is out of the picture with injury and I still harbour doubts if he is Pep’s number one striker. Still he might been my Kane replacement choice if I was doing the move.
That brings up Sanchez but I feel his form has not been great, good but he is not producing the point scoring form of last season. He plays in wide areas, not on penalties and likely to be rested for Europe.
Kane scored 102 points in September, Lukaku scored around 65, the rest scored around 50 or less. So if Kane has a bad month, maybe I expect 50 points which I would settle for. Now I want his replacement to double Kane’s score in October to make it worthwhile. At this moment I don’t see anyone who can.
Yes, City and Chelsea have got good fixtures but my plan is to have KDB and Hazard in my side as these are currently their team’s most important players and Star Man magnets. KDB scored more points in September than any other midfielder (that’s why he has been in my team since the start) and Hazard – well everyone knows what he can do.
I think i am forced to keep him too. He was the one player to enable me to improve my weak midfield & i don’t want to break up my City defence, although i’ve got to get rid of Mendy.
Yeah I was thinking of stones as they are very close in price.
I agree with all your analysis 100% other than one thing but you got me thinking. Kane is still to get credit for last weekend but what makes you think he’ll hold value after a blank the first week? However, what you highlight is I hadn’t factored in last weekend making the net negative prob not worthwhile now even with a couple of blanks.
Morata has a grade 2 tear of his hamstring. I don’t know how long that is likely to keep him out ??
DTT its plain to see Anthony is a troll and offers no insight or benefit other than just be argumentative and provocative. There is enough evidence of this and a lot of people here agree. Time to block him I and I think we will see a much smoother and effective discussion. Or at least give him a warning.
Not telling you what to do as its your blog but just my humble opinion. I am sure many will agree.
Offered plenty of insight & benefit, abby. What posts have you got a problem with ? Perhaps. you don’t like me posting that Morata has got a grade 2 tear ?
I would be nervous about taking Kane out. I think with the team the way it is there are certainly other areas of the pitch that need addressing.
DTT, I appreciate that last season, these quick IN and OUT Transfers gave you the edge over opponents, and allowed you break free from the pack, but I think that there are longer term issues with the team that need addressing.
I wont list them, as they have been listed many times already, but I think removing Kane (and Eriksen at this stage) is a luxury transfer and a calculated gamble that we cant afford right now. There is no way that we would want him out of the team for long, so are using 2 transfers to gain a few extra points. I think these transfers would be much better suited bolstering the defence, and finding some consistent scorers were we are currently scoring 0 or negative points!
If your team was in the mid 500s and had a steady defence then it might be worth the gamble, where other managers would be more conservative… but we are not in that position.
Just my opinion…. 🙂
Completely agree Dean, I won’t be taking Kane out – I wasn’t considering it, I was just talking around the idea of it as a topic. Even if the rest of the team was perfect and we had 3 transfers to spare, I’m still not sure I’d risk it. There are definitely more important areas to address.
May I add that my only reasoning for possibly dropping Kane SHORT TERM to try and boost other areas is my lack of options. I would gladly drop Salah or mikhi but that makes no financial sense to me. The only ‘value’ options left to me are Eriksen and Lukaku and then keep everything. Lukaku would be short term and Eriksen could go either way.
I think if you decide to take Kane out, short term, you’ve got to do it on the understanding, that you can bring him back in. That’s not going to be easy, especially if your replacement doesn’t work out & then drops in price, which makes it even more difficult.
I think dumping him, has got to be with a long term gamble in mind, hoping that he won’t score so heavily, or get injured.
Correct but it’s a case of having to cone back in not if he comes back. Not even up for question imo. If there was a decent financial incentive and a slight point loss I could line with that. It’s a huge gamble no doubt about it but options are running thin and for me Liverpool/Everton just continue to leak goals. 🙁
*keep everything crossed.
Everyone that’s talking about bolstering other areas ( defence a priority for me) must have a lot more funds available than me then if they’re not at least considering Kane!! My squad was approx 55m but the prob is i only have 0.3 available. I just would love to know what rabbits you’re pulling out…..you’re rolling the dice that way too!
Kane would be a huge short-term gamble but i’m a gambler…just ask my missus!!! Main thing is to have a Plan B to get him back in pronto if it very possibly goes south!! 😉
I’m definitely going to improve my defence but won’t be taking Kane out. I’ll just have to do the best I can with the back line depending on what budget is left.
I dont think anyone is saying that we will have the perfect defence, but currently DTT has £1.3m in the bank. This means that we can upgrade to a £3.4m defender by swapping out Ogbonna/Pieters…
Other thing to note, Baines at £2.4m and Williams at £2.7m should be seen as an upgrade, Everton should finish in 7th, and you’d expect them to come good soon enough…. They are very undervalued at the moment.
Depending on what happens with Kompany, we could potentially transfer out Kompany and Ogbonna and have £6.8m in the bank to spend on 2 defenders. That could afford us Baines and Trippier/Kolasniac/Luiz/Danilo….
We will also make a profit if we have to replace Ageuro, although maxing out our spending is risky, as I am sure DTT will want to bring Aguero back in once fit.
Lot of Ifs, buts and maybe’s at the moment…. a long 2 weeks ahead to judge the fitness of players!
If Kompany gets back to fitness, we could have:
Foster, Valencia, Luiz, Baines, Kompany, Hazard, Eriksen, Salah, Mkhi, Kane, Lukaku
I am not the greatest fan of 442, but that team looks pretty good to me…
Only issue, like I said, is getting Aguero back in – would have to reshuffle the whole team again and use multiple transfers to accommodate is I expect. Lots to think about, and need to think tactically! Hopefully Aguero will be back, and we dont have to worry about it….
International break actually come at a good time, even though I am already missing the game!!
Once again agree with your comments Dean. Not a big fan of 442 either and hoping Aguero is back fit. Like you say, we would only want to reshuffle things back around eventually anyway.
All good thoughts Dean. My plan is to wait until prices change on Friday before putting too much thought into what transfers to make. Fortunately with price changes not being an issue, I think we can wait until teams are released on Saturday 14th before making transfers. We should be able to take a look at who is starting then make our changes with Man City, Stoke and West Ham all kicking off at 3pm. Obviously we will have to have a plan with regards to what choices we will make depending on who’s starting.
Anyone considering taking a punt on a cheap striker for October transfers & if so who are you thinking of ?
West Ham have a good run of fixtures… They play Burnley, Brighton and Palace in October, plus a game at Wembley against Spurs in the League Cup… Poch has already implied that he is going to deprioritse the League Cup…
Hernandez at £3.1m seems like a good choice!
West Ham do look like they have some decent fixtures. I’m actually looking at Newcastle strikers. The only thing is which one, if any ??
Gayle is presently at 1.8m but he hasn’t been in the starting 11. Does anyone know if he is coming back from injury ?
Joselu seems to be their main man. I wouldnt stick my hat on either of them though.
I cant see anything about Gayle being injured, and he has featured in their last 4 games.
Gayle has always found the Premier League a struggle, and Joselu looks like another lightweight Spanish striker that has dropped off the conveyor belt into St. James Park. We have seen his ilk in the Premier League, and he has shown nothing the make me think he isnt going to be another disappointment.
I spent some time looking at the cheaper strikers last night, and honestly, the only one that popped out was Hernandez.
Other team to look out for are Everton, they have the extra European game. Rooney (2.5), Ramirez (2.4) and Calvert-Lewin (2) are cheap options – but I am put off with the fact that Koeman insists on a team of Number 10s and no strikers!
Thanks Dean, for your feedback & thoughts. As you say, Gayle has never set the Premier a light & i was just curious why he appears to be a sub most of the time.
Everton aren’t convincing me at all, at the moment. Hernandez is a decent shout, but i was looking for really cheap. Someone that hasn’t produced yet, but might do ! ?
In that case…. and it is a big gamble…. Someone like Berahino?
I would never put him in my team, but if you have a few teams to play with and are looking for a gamble – the man is lacking confidence, but we have seen in the past he can be a consistent goal scorer. Once be breaks his duck, he could go on a run…
He is someone that crossed my mind….even when he missed the pen, at the weekend !
It’s an interesting area for discussion so thanks for posting Anthony. For me, I never tend to stray away from the top clubs when it comes to strikers. This obviously comes at a cost but this position tends to provide the highest scoring players every year. Stats from last year back up that up:
Sanchez: 348
Aguero: 307
Kane: 305
Ibrahimovic: 290
Lukaku: 247
Costa: 212
Son: 208
Firmino: 180
Benteke: 180
Walcott: 161
With the exception of Benteke (who wasn’t overly cheap either), the top 10 point scoring strikers were all from teams towards the top of the table. It’s also interesting to see how quickly the point totals drop off – with Sanchez on 348 and Walcott in 10th place with less than half as many points. When it comes to strikers I think you get what you pay for generally.
True, DTT, but this is mainly addressed at my “Llorente” team, that i ballsed up with, which was at one time, position 687, before the balls up.
It’s still my second best team on 523 pts, it now includes, Knockaert, Mendy & Morata, of course besides Llorente.
So i was thinking of taking a really cheap striker gamble, to give me more budget to try & strengthen other area’s.
Anthony mate, how many points your best team got now?
Best team 544 pts….it’s my one & only, Kane, Aguero, Lukaku combo.
I wouldn’t assume Burnley to be an easy opponent for the likes of West Ham.
You are right, and it is at Turf Moor, but I would expect a player of Hernandez’s quality to get at least a couple of half chances, that could result in goals.
Not the easiest fixture admittedly, but overall it isnt a bad run for October. Burnley (A) is probably the most difficult
DTT will you be doing an October article of teams with best fixtures/ player suggestions etc?? I find this very useful!!
I certainly will. I’ll try and get it published in the next couple of days.
Top man!!!
Reading that Lukaku & Fellani are presently carrying injuries. Don’t think they’re too serious though ?
DTT, This my team playing 4-4-2
LOSSL
KOLASINAC
HEGAZI
VALENCIA
MENDY
SALAH
KDB
ERICKSEN
MKHI
LUKAKU
KANE
I am looking to change formation and bring in another striker and Hazard while also changing Mendy out. Quite happy to use all October transfers at once with it been a short month but also looking long term . This is why I need your expertise and planning to advise me . Always look forward to reading your blog ,comments and replies.(.2 in bank)
Personally if I have this team and wanted to bring in Hazard;
OUT: Mendy, Eriksen
IN: Stones, Hazard
With current prices, that would leave you nothing in the bank. I have opted for Mkhi over Eriksen because of the fixtures, even though I think Eriksen is the better option long term.
I would personally hold on to the last transfer and dont think you necessarily need the 3rd striker yet. It would be a wasted transfer. See how things pan out. If you were dead set on the extra striker, I would look at something like….
OUT: Mendy, Eriksen, Mkhi
IN: Luiz, Hazard, Jesus
There are so many different scenarios, and about 20 players that are more or less interchangeable!
Completely agree with Dean’s comments. I’d make the same transfers as he’s suggested. With Aguero and Morata both injured there aren’t many really good options if you’ve already got Kane and Lukaku. I’d probably wait and see if Aguero is likely to be fit for the first game in October.
One glaring option, re- Morata is “The Bat”. i have overlooked him & with Chelsea’s fixtures…..
That is a great shout, Batshuayi could certainly take his opportunity to step up to the plate. He’s done well when he’s played this year. The only concern I’d have is that I believe he didn’t come on when Morata went off injured. Conte opted to play without a striker instead, although I may be wrong on this.
There’s also the “Pedro” factor to take into account, although i think Conte will want to play with an out & out striker, in the coming games.
DTT, looking forward to the next review, when’s it due?
I’ll be putting up the usual look forward to fixtures in October shortly. Will get the review of the game week up before the end of the week. It’s likely to be a short one – nothing too positive to say this week.