IIn his latest article, three-time top 200 player Lateriser looks at the squad structure dilemma facing many FPL managers this week.
With more and more games in the pipeline, one of the big questions for FPL managers is whether they should change their structure to get rid of their third cheap striker and buy a new player. Hugo Ekitike (£8.6 million) instead.
I’m one of the FPL managers swimming in that boat, mainly because I did Bryan Mbeumo (£8.2m) in my team with £1.7m in the bank. I just get it Bruno Fernandes (£9.3m) immediately or should I change my structure to get Ekitike first and then jump on Fernandes? For context, I’ve had Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha (£7.9m) over the last few weeks without Bruno, so I’ve seen a lot of FPL pain (I say FPL pain, not real pain, because I’m a Manchester United fan).
However, this game we are playing is about looking forward, not looking back.
THE CASE FOR EKITIKE
I’ve admired Ekitike for a while now and he seems to meet three relatively attractive criteria for me:
- He is in rich form and is playing football like he deserves to start for Liverpool. To me he looks like their most dangerous attacker.
- His shot volume is impressive: he has had 12 shots, 11 of them in the penalty area and four big chances, in the last two games against Brighton and Hove Albion and Leeds United.
- He is currently at the start of a good run of games with an away game against Spurs and home games against Wolves, Leeds United and Burnley over the next six gameweeks.
HOW WILL UNITED DO WITHOUT AMAD + MBEUMO?
Although I don’t have Bruno Fernandes at the moment, and I have blood points (and variance) on the pitch there, the fact is that Amad Diallo (£6.3m) and Mbeumo are off to AFCON, leaving many questioning how Manchester United could play.
I do think we won’t be as attacking as before because there are big losses on the right side. The fact that our next two games are against Aston Villa and Newcastle United also makes me think I have time to assess how we look before committing to Bruno if necessary in Gameweek 19. While I make the ‘being good at open play’ argument, three of Bruno’s results in the last two games have come from set pieces. I think with the departure of Amad and Mbuemo our ability to win penalties and free kicks decreases significantly.
THE THIAGO QUESTION
Now talking about the structure. With the slightest doubt about it Igor Thiago (£7.2m), I wondered whether I should hold on Marco Guiu (£4.2m) and stick with my structure of five midfielders and two strikers. Thanks to reassurance from Scout Notes, it looks like the situation in Thiago will be all ado about nothing – at least we hope so.
Which method of capture in terms of structure does require some planning, so let’s scan the matches for long-term goals.
FORWARD
- Jarrod Bowen (£7.5m) has had an excellent run from Gameweek 18 and is rotation-proof over the Christmas period.
- It’s a gamble, but someone like Benjamin Sesko (£7.2m) could emerge as an option by the time Gameweek 19 comes around. Manchester United have back-to-back games against Wolves, Leeds United and Burnley.
- Thiago himself still has a decent run of games until Gameweek 23 and hasn’t really done much to sell him.
- We’ve already talked about Ekitike, which is a very attractive option this week – especially with Mohammed Salah (£14.0m) away to AFCON and Cody Agat (£7.4 million) and Alexander Isaac (£10.3m) both have fitness problems.
- Ollie Watkins (£8.5m) could take shape and become an option from Gameweek 20 onwards.
MIDFIELDERS
- Chelsea are on a ridiculously good run of games from Gameweek 24 and are even looking half-decent from Gameweek 21 once they finish their trip to the Etihad. Maybe Cole Palmer (£10.3m) will be fitter by the time these fixtures appear; we know him historically as a flat bully.
- Manchester United are on a good run from matchweek 19 and both Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha should be on everyone’s radar.
- Kevin Damage (£7.0m) could become a cheap option in midfield, especially if Keith Andrews plays the 3-5-2.
- We have already talked about Liverpool’s matches and who plays as the ’10’ and on the right for Liverpool will be interesting options. I have both Florian Wirtz (£8.0 million) and Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.7m) on my radar.
- Morgan Rogers (£7.1m) are in rich form and Aston Villa have a decent run of games from Gameweek 20 onwards.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Looking at the above, Rogers, Bruno and Cunha emerge as the main candidates to replace Mbeumo in midfield, but none of them are as immediately attractive as Ekitike given the short-term fixtures.
The problem with shifting structures is that it requires an additional transfer, because you can’t keep buying attackers at the lowest price and spending additional transfers to do so.
Bowen is a strong back-up option for the striker pool if Thiago or Ekitike fail to deliver. I’m currently leaning towards a switch from Guiu to Ekitike, financed by a downgrade from Mbeumo to Freddie Potts (£4.4m), but is still wondering whether it is worth making the extra transfer.
If I had confirmed the news that Thiago was injured, I would probably sell him for Ekitike and buy a mid-priced midfielder for Mbeumo without changing the structure. We’ll see where we end up on Saturday, but I hope this article has given you enough food for thought.
Below is my team for your reference.
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