FPL Milanista’s Gameweek 21 Wildcard team

Here, FPL Milanista – who has finished in the top 5k three times in the past five seasons – explains why he is stepping up.

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WHY THE EARLY WILDCARD?

After much deliberation, I finally decided to activate the chip. For many, this may sound way too early. But FPL isn’t about following the crowd, it’s about playing your game. And for me, a few key factors made this decision feel not only justified, but necessary.

First of all, those five free Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) transfers disappeared like a dream. One minute they were there, giving flexibility and breathing room, and the next minute they were gone.

Without them I feel like my team has fallen far behind where I want to be. Instead of limping along and taking multiple hits to solve the problems bit by bit, I opted for a complete reshuffle. The hope is that this reset will allow me to stabilize while saving transfers ahead of future Blank and Double Game weeks.

Another major reason is this year’s aggressive price changes. It really feels like if I wait even a few weeks I’ll be around £1.0m short of what I can currently afford. Team value may not mean everything, but it absolutely matters, and I didn’t want to be priced on the moves I can make with ease today.

After weighing everything up, I’ve decided that now is the right time to hit the activate button. That feeling was only heightened when I looked at my squad and saw three Liverpool signings about to visit Arsenal. Players I had little confidence in.

At that moment the discomfort became too great to ignore. So let’s dive into Wildcard thinking.

GAME WEEK 21 WILDCARD DESIGN

The main strategy here is clear: rewards for defensive contributions (DefCon), premium midfielders and Erling Haaland (£15.1 million).

In my opinion, forwards are suffering this season, largely due to the introduction of DefCon. They simply don’t have access to that, while some defenders start the match almost with four points. Reaching the 10-action threshold feels achievable to the point that they’re regularly halfway through a reward before anything even happens in the match.

Therefore, my first line-up after activating the Wildcard was a Haaland frontline, plus two £4.5m strikers. This structure allows me to put as much budget as possible into defense and midfield, where value and consistency seem to belong.

Igor Thiago‘s (£6.9m) hat-trick on Sunday was more than welcome in my team. But does that change the plan? Frankly, I’m not convinced this is so.

Brentford’s upcoming games aren’t great, and owning him in recent weeks has been quite painful. One explosive pull won’t solve the underlying problems, and I’m wary of chasing points.

Another prospect I have considered is Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.9 million), but only in a very specific scenario. If I were to prepare for a quick Bench Boost – especially to get rid of a chip that in my opinion causes more headaches than it delivers – then the Leeds United man makes sense.

After that I’d probably drop him back to a £4.5m name and effectively burn that spot in the near future.

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I only have one more day to tinker (and chances are there will be more tinkering to come!), but I hope this Wildcard acts as a good reset. Not only for my team, but also for my motivation.

Sometimes when you press that button the sound disappears so you can enjoy the game again. As always, play your own game. When it pays off, the satisfaction is incredible. And if that’s not the case? So be it.

All the best for Gameweek 21, everyone.