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The new Premier League season is less than 50 days away and with that came the launch of the game we all know and love - Fantasy Premier League. It's not easy to set up your Gameweek 1 side, as we all start with a budget of £100 million and realizing that we cannot get all the players we want, some compromise needs to be achieved.
This year the pricing is especially annoying as there is little to no value in the mid to lower price range in both the midfield and forward categories.
The transfer window is still open and potential bargains will emerge but taking the uncertainty of the new season into consideration finding the best fifteen for the first week is easier said than done.
While it's virtually impossible to nail your team from the start we can certainly do our best to prepare. Today I'll look at a few decisions that might shape how fast you get off the mark this season.
#1 Which Liverpool defender to get?
Let's talk about the Champions of Europe, an astonishing 21 clean sheets in the Premier League last year and missing out on the title by a single point, it's a question of which Liverpool defender rather than if. The full backs priced at £7 million each and the man mountain Virgil van Dijk at 6.5m, you really cannot go wrong whoever you end up going with.
This is where we can be smart, looking at points there's not much difference between van Dijk and Andrew Robertson last season, with the former ending up with 208 points and the latter racking up 213 points. They both played virtually every game as well, and Alexander-Arnold scored 185 but with considerably fewer minutes. Alexander-Arnold and van Dijk could give you more explosive points and potential captain options if you're feeling good about your luck someday.
In fact, given their fixtures at the start where they only play two top 6 sides in the first seven weeks coupled with the fact that similarly priced midfielders and forwards do not offer similar value, you might want to buy two of them start the season. I personally think that's a very viable strategy and one you should definitely consider.
#2 Which Man City attacker to get?
The Premier League champions sure as hell score a lot of goals, and as FPL managers we all want to get a piece of the pie. However, the premium services they offer come at a premium price, as both Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero will cost you £12 million with cheaper options emerging in Leroy Sane, both the Silvas and Kevin de Bruyne.
Sterling offers the most game time as well as virtually playing as a second striker. Aguero is on penalties. Leroy Sane is not a sure starter every week and neither is now club captain David Silva.
Bernardo will not be as good a goal threat as the others and that is reflected in his price. If you can spare the funds to get one of the two big hitters, Sterling seems like the best option. With the benefit of being a midfielder, getting that extra point for a goal and a point for a clean sheet, he will also play more minutes while Aguero's minutes will always be under threat from Gabriel Jesus.
However, if you cannot then I suggest having a look at Kevin de Bruyne. After an injury-ridden season, his price dropped to £9.5 million and we all know what he's capable of. He scored 209 points in the 2017/18 season and he could prove to be a bargain, only 12% owned at the time of writing, potential differential too.
#3 Kane or no Kane?
Harry Kane finally broke the August curse after netting against Fulham in a 3-1 win last year - the first time he scored in that month in 15 appearances. A fully-rested Harry Kane will start the next season at home to newly promoted Aston Villa.
He is also available at a relatively cheaper price of £11 million. All the stars align for an opening day celebration at Tottenham Hotspurs' new stadium. Spurs have strengthened well with the signing of Tanguy Ndombele and will be optimistic about their chances this season and Harry Kane would love to lead from the front. A big season could be incoming for the England number 9 and FPL managers won't want to miss out on that.
These are a few of the big decisions that FPL managers face at the start of the season. It's almost certain that you won't nail your team from the start but with careful planning, you give yourself the best chance.
Do remember FPL isn't won or lost in one Gameweek and there's time to recover. Your initial team is only made till the first wildcard so take the first 8-10 weeks into consideration - having some money in the bank left is always a benefit just in case you want to hop on another bandwagon. Best of luck with your planning and I wish you all the green arrows this season. Happy FPL'ing everyone.
