Ah Dybala, what a player. Hello! Welcome to The Football Times, a new blog created by yours truly, JP. I’m an aspiring football journalist currently working as a football analyst at OPTA, but most importantly, I’m bloody crazy about football.
I’m hoping to bring a variety of content to the blog, from previews to reviews, transfer news to reactions and whatever else I think you lot will find interesting. I’ll also be sharing my views, stats etc on my socials so do give me a follow on Twitter: @TheFootballTimees (yes two e’s because someone else stole my completely unoriginal handle) and Instagram: thefootballtimees (I’ll get round to posting on there eventually, I promise).
I’m hoping to make the blogs useful for punters, FPL players, supporters and just people that like reading about football I guess.
I’ll leave it there for now. There’ll be plenty more to come on here so please stay tuned, subscribe to the blog, follow the socials and all that good stuff. Chelsea vs Arsenal preview coming up for tonight’s London derby- Lampard vs Arteta, ah the level of nostalgia.
Well FPL is back and it certainly didn’t disappoint in the opening weekend of another exciting season. If Mitrovic being benched in the first game of the new season didn’t remind you of the highs and lows of FPL, then I’m sure Salah’s hat-trick on Saturday night did (welcome back, Leeds). As part of my work with @WFC_17 (check the boys out on Twitter), I’ll be providing a weekly review of each gameweek, featuring my ‘Stars’- the top performers of the week, ‘Nightmares’- the biggest flops of the week, and ‘Ones to Watch’- the players who showed a lot of promise; despite not scoring the points in week one.
Stars
Mohammed Salah- 20pts
Who do we reckon for the top performer of the week then? Such a close call.. no, it’s Mohammed Salah, obviously. 3 goals, 9 shots, 88 touches and a MOTM winning 9.88/10 performance (WhoScored). Only one word describes Salah’s mesmerising display against Leeds, magic. Anyone who knows anything about FPL would’ve captained him right?.. eh.. maybe not (cheers Aubameyang). In all seriousness though, anyone without Salah in their side must be questioning their judgement more than ever after Saturday night and I’m thankful I’m not in their shoes, lets put it that way.
Romain Saiss- 15pts
Wolves in general were truly fantastic against Sheffield United on Monday night and showed why they are one of the biggest challengers to the ‘Big 6′ this season. One man, however, had one of the best performances from a defender you’re likely to see in the Premier League this campaign. Not only did Saiss score a fantastic first-half header to all but seal Wolves the three points at Bramall Lane, but he also could’ve easily scored another but for an excellent save by new Sheffield United goalkeeper, Aaron Ramsdale. On top of Saiss’ goal threat from set-pieces, he also capped off a solid defensive display with a goal-line clearance and the clean sheet to boot- an impressive total of 15 points for the 5.0m defender.
Willian- 14pts
A fantastic performance from the Brazilian against Fulham earns Willian the final spot on this week’s Stars. A player almost always overlooked by football fans and FPL players alike, it was no actual surprise to see him notch THREE assists for The Gunners on Saturday lunchtime. In doing so, he bagged himself two bonus points and a clean sheet, totalling a 14 point haul, not bad for Chelsea’s ‘leftovers’… At 8.1m, Willian is still overpriced for me, but this is mainly down to Arsenal’s plethora of wingers with both Saka and Pepe waiting in the wings.
Nightmares
Kai Havertz- 2pts
A pretty horrendous debut from Chelsea’s record signing, if we’re being brutally honest. Losing possession 8 times, having 0 shots and being subbed off with a rating of 6.5 (SofaScore) I’m sure were not in his dreams the night before making his debut. However, I refuse to sit here and judge a player based off of his first 80 minutes of football in the Premier League; playing out of position, away at the Amex, on a Monday Night. If you’re a Havertz owner I’m sure you’re praying Frank starts him in his favoured #10 role behind Werner in the coming weeks.
Sadio Mane- 2pts
There are thousands who made the decision to go with Mane over Salah in their starting squad this season, and to those people, I feel for you. If you tuned in to see Liverpool had scored 4 goals with Mane playing the full 90 minutes, you wouldn’t have quite believed your eyes that Liverpool’s Senegalese star hadn’t contributed with a single goal or assist. To make matters worse, he also lost possession 18 times and didn’t manage a single shot on target.. think you should’ve gone with Salah yet?
Harry Kane- 2pts
To wrap up the Nightmares of week one, we have the Tottenham talisman, Harry Kane. A blank for Kane is certainly not the start the thousands who captained him were hoping for. Despite the blank, owners can be assured slightly by the fact Kane didn’t have a particularly bad game, he did still look threatening. The issue, however, is just how bad Spurs were. For Alli, Son, Kane and any other Spurs attacking assets people have, the future seems bleak unless they show a drastic improvement in the coming weeks- Gareth Bale signing would of course be a huge lift too (unless you own Bergwijn/Moura.. then you’re a little screwed).
Ones to Watch
Richarlison- 2pts
Despite Richarlison’s blank, he earns himself a spot here due to a number of factors. Firstly, despite not registering a goal or an assist, he scored an 8.2 rating (SofaScore), which is very impressive for a blank gameweek. He also managed 7 shots, 11 successful dribbles and missed 2 big chances. Anyone that watched the game owning Richarlison would’ve (after calming down a bit) been comfortable in the knowledge it’s only a matter of time before he hauls- most likely vs West Brom this weekend.
Timo Werner- 5pts
Despite bagging 5 points for his assist by winning the penalty for Chelsea on Monday night, Werner still deserves a spot here as he looked menacing all evening and capable of much more. His runs in behind were a nightmare for the Brighton defence and he managed 5 shots from good areas. As a bonus to Werner’s performance, there’s also the fact he will most likely take over penalty duties if Jorginho drops out of the side to accommodate both Kovacic and Kante. I definitely wouldn’t be transferring him out in a hurry, so don’t panic.
Matheus Pereira- 2pts
Last but not least I’m sticking by a recommendation of mine in the ‘Panning for FPL Gold’ article I wrote a couple of weeks ago. The Brazilian was the shining light for The Baggies on Sunday, managing a 6.7 rating (SofaScore) and looked dangerous throughout. It was obvious if West Brom were to score it would come through him as he managed 3 shots and more touches than any other midfielder or attacker in blue and white. If you own him already, be patient as WBA’s fixtures improve soon, if you don’t, keep an eye on the lad, he’ll come good in a few weeks.
That’s all for this week’s review, as I said I’ll be writing one of these every week as part of my work with Worldwide Fantasy Club, so be sure to stay tuned for more helpful information and advice every week of this season.
As the new Premier League season draws ever-closer, I decided now might be a good time to look through the three teams that are joining the big time this season- West Brom, Fulham and (I’m not sure if you’ve heard) Leeds. There are a few players that stand out to me as viable FPL options, so lets get stuck into some analysis.
Stuart Dallas (4.5m) – Leeds United
Is Dallas the budget defender you’ve been looking for?
Leeds United boasted the best defensive record in the Championship last season, conceding just 35 goals in the 46 game long season, ultimately being the driving force in their title- winning campaign. Comparatively, West Brom conceded 45 and Fulham conceded 48 goals throughout the season. Because of Leeds’ focus on their defence, I think this makes them a great budget option for your FPL teams, and Stuart Dallas seems the best pick.
The key stats I looked for when picking from Leeds’ defensive options were their minutes played (ensuring they’re nailed in the starting XI is key), attacking contributions (goals, assists) amongst other more detailed statistics.
Dallas played 3935 minutes last season which ranked him 2nd behind only Ben White in the squad. In his 45 league appearances he contributed with 5 goals and 3 assists as well as keeping 19 clean sheets. In terms of FPL points this would’ve resulted in an impressive 115 points on top of his minutes total of approximately 90 points, not accounting for any bonus points he would’ve picked up on the way. Obviously he won’t be able to recreate those clean sheet bonuses in the EPL this season, but it does highlight the potential returns for Dallas. A good comparison for a clean sheet drop off is Sheffield United as, in the 18/19 promotion season they conceded 41 goals and kept 21 clean sheets. Sheffield United went on to keep 13 clean sheets in the 19/20 EPL season, a drop off of 38%. If Leeds were to replicate a similar performance they would also keep around 10-13 clean sheets this season, which would rank them in the top half for clean sheets (based on the 19/20 campaign). Dallas also missed 7 big chances last season. Bielsa will know the importance of clinical finishing this season and I’d expect them generally to convert a much higher percentage of big chances, which indicates Dallas could bag himself more goals, as he clearly gets into the right positions. The key selling point though, is the fact Dallas is incredibly versatile, making him an OOP (out of position) prospect. Last season, Stuart played 17 games at LB/LWB, 12 games at RB/RWB, 9 games as a RM and 8 games as a CM. These 17 games as a midfielder add a lot of weight to the potential attacking returns Dallas carries in comparison to other Leeds defenders and for that reason he’s in my initial GWK 1 draft.
Matheus Pereira(6.0m) – West Bromwich Albion
Will Matheus Pereira be the star man for the baggies again this season?
Matheus Pereira is WBA’s star man and will be keen to emulate his incredible 19/20 campaign in the Premier League this season after signing for the Baggies on a permanent basis for £8 million from Sporting Lisbon. The Brazilian notched 8 goals and an incredible 16 assists last season but his stats get better and better as you look deeper. Pereira created 20 big chances for his teammates, averaged 1.9 shots per game and averaged a 7.45 rating (SofaScore).
West Brom managed to score 77 goals in the championship last season, 2nd behind Brentford who just fell short in the playoff final, of course. Based on the average goals scored of a bottom half Premier League team last season (43.8), I would expect West Brom to score in the region of 40-45 goals this season, leaving a good scope for Pereira to rack up some FPL points.
His price of 6.0m makes him an exciting differential and, whilst WBA have a tough opening 3 games of the season, he is definitely one to watch to bring in for GWK 4-12 once their fixtures become a little easier, facing just two ‘big 6’ sides in those 9 games.
Aleksander Mitrovic (6.0m) – Fulham
How many goals will Mitrovic manage back in the Premier League?
An impossible figure to leave out of this list, Mitrovic smashed in an incredible 26 goals last season, earning him the golden boot. On top of his 26 goals, Mitrovic also missed 12 big chances last season and received an average match rating of 7.18, highlighting his impressive performances to back up his goal tally. He is Fulham’s talisman and will certainly be looking to better his tally of 11 goals in Fulham’s relegation season 2 years ago.
There are certainly examples of strikers who have unbelievable records in the Championship but don’t make the step up to the Premier League; Billy Sharp, Dwight Gayle and Oliver McBurnie to name a few recent examples of strikers with similar Championship records that didn’t make any impression on our FPL teams. However, with Mitrovic’s premier league experience I believe he will be able to bag around 15 goals this season, making him an excellent option for FPL at just 6.0m.
Fulham have a kind first 9 games back in the top flight, facing no top 6 teams from last season in their opening 9 games; including notably easier fixtures at home to Villa, Palace and WBA. Because of their opening fixtures I’ve decided to have Mitro in my FPL team from the off to avoid ‘missing the boat’ on him. Despite the aforementioned risks involved in this pick there is a degree of comfort in his Premier League experience that reduces it slightly making this is one of those semi-leaps of faith that FPL is all about.
Jack Harrison (5.5m) – Leeds United
Is Jack Harrison ready for the big league?
To round off the shortlist of my potential promoted gems for the season, I’ve decided to go with Jack Harrison. As a 5.5m midfielder, he is an excellent rotation option with the likes of Saint-Maximin for your final midfield option, to allow you to combine the likes of Salah and Aubameyang. With 6 goals and 8 assists last season, combined with his youthful age of just 23, Jack will be keen to show the world he has what it takes to play in the Premier League this season.
Having already touched on Leeds’ impressive defensive record in the Championship last season, they also scored 73 goals, with Harrison contributing to 14 of those (19%). The main draw to Harrison, however, are his underlying stats. Creating 17 big chances and missing 12 himself, it’s clear to see the potential he possesses for both assisting and scoring on a more regular basis as he develops more as a footballer.
As well as his potential, Harrison is already a nailed on starter in the Leeds squad, starting 45 games last season, and averaging 83 minutes per game. This makes him an even more appealing option as he is a lot more likely to start than some other options at a similar price- Diangana, Djenepo and Saka to name a few. However, it’s definitely possible that ASM (Allan Saint-Maximin) continues his much better post-lockdown form and could be a great option as well at the same price.
Summary
To round things off, there are definitely a lot of potential good options from the promoted sides to pick from this season, with Leeds’ defence being my personal favourite in terms of value. Stuart Dallas is an excellent way in at just 4.5m with the extra benefit of OOP (out of position) potential. West Brom midfielder Matheus Pereira is another well priced (6.0m) attacking midfielder with fantastic attacking return potential with both his keen eye for goal and high assist tally last season. Aleksander Mitrovic will almost certainly be Fulham’s top scorer this season and it would be no surprise to see him bag 10-15 goals, which at 6.0m would be a solid points-per-million ratio. And finally the riskiest selection- Jack Harrison is a rapidly developing player who will be keen to impress on the big stage and looks a well-priced differential at just 5.5m, if he can find his feet in the Premier League.
Chelsea continue to show a real statement of intent this transfer window, imminently adding Ben Chilwell and Kai Havertz to their already bolstered ranks; with Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech already joining the blues earlier this summer. I’m sure Chelsea fans, as well as English football fans in general, will be excited to watch a new-look Chelsea this season and I’m going to shed some light on what to expect from the summer signings, particularly from a Fantasy Premier League (FPL) perspective.
Timo Werner
Timo Werner joined Chelsea for £47.70 million from Red Bull Leipzig in July. He is Germany’s leading number 9 but enjoys making runs into the channels with his blistering pace and strong dribbling. The German scored 28 times in the Bundesliga this season, whilst also contributing 8 assists- by far his strongest campaign to-date. He also notched 4 goals in their impressive UCL run, despite being unable to feature in the recent knockout games due to his transfer to Chelsea. But the question we all want to know is, have Chelsea finally signed a successful striker after years of flops? My honest opinion is absolutely, and here’s why..
When we look at recent forwards from abroad that have hit the ground running in the Premier League- Mohammed Salah, Sadio Mane, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to name a few- they are all extremely fast but have the ability to play anywhere across the front 3 and enjoy making runs both into the channels and in behind centre halves. This makes them a menace to defend against as they become unpredictable and are able to lose their men much easier than the likes of Joelinton, Haller, Wesley, who have all come with similar price tags but have struggled to find their form in the Premier League.
Another key factor in why I believe Werner will be a big success in the EPL is down to his pedigree outside of the Bundesliga. For RB Leipzig in European competitions he boasts an impressive tally of 11 goals and 5 assists in 22 appearances. Internationally, he has also scored 11 times for Germany in 29 appearances, which although is certainly nothing mind-blowing, Germany have struggled in recent years and he is still just 24 years of age.
From an FPL perspective, although coming in reasonably expensive at 9.5m, I’m having him in my GWK 1 squad due to Chelsea’s opening fixtures; playing Brighton, West Brom, Crystal Palace and Southampton in their opening 5 games, with a home game against Liverpool to really test Timo’s credentials.
Can Timo Werner lead Chelsea to a title challenge?
Hakim Ziyech
Hakim Ziyech is a Moroccan international and Chelsea’s new attacking midfielder/winger. He is extremely versatile but mainly operates as either a right winger or as a number 10, however he can also play a deeper role as a number 8 if needed. Ziyech’s main strengths are his creativity, passing range and set pieces and he enjoys cutting inside onto his strong left foot and looking to either get the ball into the box or have a shot at goal.
During his 4 year spell with Ajax, Ziyech has an extremely impressive record of 48 goals and 82 assists in his 165 appearances for the Dutch giants, showing both his eye for goal and his selflessness. This of course makes him very appealing from an FPL perspective, but at 8.0m I do worry there is a risk involved in whether or not he can emulate that form playing in a much more demanding league. I’ve enjoyed watching Ziyech play every time I’ve seen him over recent years, whether that has been in the UCL for Ajax or in the World Cup for Morocco, however he can be a little one dimensional and I think he’s definitely in the ‘Ones To Watch’ category on FPL for me.
Can Ziyech emulate his incredible Ajax record for Chelsea?
Kai Havertz
I have to come clean on this one, I’ve been a massive Havertz fan for the past few years ever since he broke onto the scene at Leverkusen so I’ll try to be as unbiased as possible with this one. Kai Havertz is an attacking midfielder who can also operate as a second striker or on the wing, but his best statistics come when he’s playing as a number 10- so I expect Ziyech to operate on the right and Kai in a central role. He has an impressive 19 goals and 21 assists for Leverkusen as a number 10, with a further 30 goals and 11 assists as a winger/second striker. His key attributes are his ability to hold onto the ball, positioning and pass accuracy, as well as his eye for goal. He is yet to break into the German national side’s starting XI, but at just 21 years old he will be hoping to become one of Deutschland’s star men over the coming years.
From an FPL perspective, the issue with Kai is how much Lampard likes fellow attacking midfielder, Mason Mount. Despite the high transfer figure paid by Chelsea, we saw with Christian Pulisic that Frank will not always throw everyone into the starting line-up if there is already an established name in that position, so Havertz could be made to wait for his chance, as with Pulisic. I think Havertz will be an exceptional addition to the Chelsea squad, and it will be interesting to see what his FPL price will be, but again for me he is definitely someone to hold out on until his position in the squad becomes more ‘nailed’.
Will King Kai be the playmaker Chelsea crave?
Summary
Honestly, what a transfer window for the blues. The signings of Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech and soon to be Kai Havertz have made Chelsea’s attacking force one of the best in the league and it must be extremely exciting as a Chelsea fan right now. However, their issues last season were primarily in defence. Although the signing of Ben Chilwell from Leicester is undoubtedly a much needed improvement at left back, if the rumoured Thiago Silva is the only other centre back coming in to help them defensively, I still don’t think their back four is strong enough to mount a title challenge. I also think this means that, other than the excellently valued Reece James at 5.0m, any other Chelsea defenders are a good option for FPL players, as Chilwell will be pricey and I can’t see clean sheets being a formality again for Lamps’ men this season.
As the January transfer window draws to a close this Friday, football fans around the world eagerly anticipate the beloved ‘Deadline Day’, where we try to distinguish between panic signings and the ‘real deal’. Two of the big names already confirmed to be on their way to the Premier League are Steven Bergwijn and Bruno Fernandes, so lets take a look at them and see what they’ll bring to England.
Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes is a Portuguese, right-footed, 25-year-old Attacking Midfielder who can also play as a Second Striker or as a Central Midfielder. Fernandes signed for Sporting Lisbon from Sampdoria for £8.72 million back in 2017. His key strengths are his long range passing, set pieces and shooting both outside and inside the box.
Fernandes has some incredible statistics to back up his ability, notching 13 goals and 10 assists in 22 appearances across the Liga Nos & Europa League already this season. Obviously these stats have to be taken with a pinch of salt, as the Premier League is a much stiffer task than the level Bruno has been playing at. However, Fernandes has also been performing for Portugal at International level, scoring 1 and assisting 2 in the 6 games he played during their Euro 2020 Qualifying campaign.
It’s always difficult to tell whether a player will hit the ground running in the Premier League, as we’ve seen many cases over the years of players who have performed consistently abroad but not cut it when making the switch to the EPL, e.g. Di Maria, Higuaín, Shevchenko etc. However, I believe Bruno Fernandes has all the attributes of an attacking midfielder that will really suit the Premier League, and will be a fantastic signing for Manchester United. Nevertheless, he is only one of several players they need to sign to bring success (or even just Champions League football) back to Old Trafford.
Is Bergwijn enough to help Spurs retain their ‘Top 4’ status?
Steven Bergwijn
Steven Bergwijn is a Dutch, right-footed, 22-year-old Left Winger who can also play as a Centre-Forward or Right Winger. He developed through the PSV academy from the age of 16, scoring 14 times in 31 appearances for the U21’s. Bergwijn’s key strengths are his pace, dribbling and key passing.
So how has Bergwijn been performing for PSV? Well, this season he’s bagged 5 goals and 10 assists in 16 league appearances in the Eredivisie, however he’s failed to score or assist in his 5 Europa League appearances this season. He’s also struggled to make an impact for the Netherlands, failing to score and assisting just 1 in his 8 competitive appearances to-date.
These stats do make Bergwijn a much more unknown quantity than Bruno Fernandes, as he has (so far) struggled to make as much of an impact at a higher level of competition than the Eredivisie. Steven does have a youth on his side, of course, as he is just 22 years of age, so has a lot more time to improve yet and playing under Jose Mourinho could be fantastic for his development. It is also important to note the difference in transfer fees between the two as well, Bruno Fernandes is rumoured to be in the region of £65 million, with Bergwijn signing for reportedly just £27 million, making the risk involved in Bergwijn’s transfer far less than Fernandes’.
As a football fan, I can’t wait to see how both get on in the Premier League. Bruno Fernandes seems to be exactly what United need in their push for a Champions League spot, while Bergwijn will add a real spark to a Spurs side in need of firepower following news of Kane’s lengthy injury.
Tonight sees Chelsea and Arsenal battle it out at Stamford Bridge as Arsenal look to ‘mount’ (I apologise) a top four challenge, whilst Chelsea will hope to put some daylight between themselves and the chasing pack. But, as respective club legends as players battle it out on their new-found place on the touchline, who will have the bragging rights come full-time?
Who will come out on top as new managers Lampard and Arteta face-off?
Recent Form
Chelsea arrive at this fixture in mixed form, having won 2 (Arsenal A, Burnley H), lost 2 (Southampton H, Newcastle A) and drawn 1 (Brighton A) of their last 5 league games. Arsenal have shown signs of improvements under new manager Mikel Arteta, but have still struggled to find the crucial wins they need as they’ve won just 1 (Man United) of their last 5 games, drawing 3 (Bournemouth A, Palace A, Sheff Utd H) and losing 1 (Chelsea H).
But what’s been going wrong for both sides? For the Gunners, letting leads slip, wasting chances and defensive lapses have been the key factors in taking just 6 points from a possible 15 under Arteta. Chelsea, on the other hand, seem a totally different side when playing sides lower down in the table who are happy to set up shop and wait for their moment, failing to score against the likes of West Ham, Bournemouth and Southampton at home recently.
Expected Lineups
I expect Chelsea to match Arsenal’s 4-2-3-1 formation, with:
Kepa
James – Christensen – Rudiger – Azpilicueta
Kovacic – Jorginho
Willian – Mount – Odoi
Abraham
With Aubameyang still suspended for Arsenal, I expect:
Leno
AMN – Sokratis – Luiz – Saka
Xhaka – Torreira
Pepe – Ozil – Martinelli
Lacazette
Saka faces a tough evening against the in-form Reece James.
The biggest match-up in the game for me is Reece James and Willian on the right hand side against the inexperienced and defensively fragile Saka and Martinelli. I expect James to be a constant threat on the overlap and think it’ll be too much for young Bukayo to handle, Reece James assist for a Tammy Abraham goal is one of my predictions.
Tammy Abraham will be looking to haunt the Gunners again.
Predictions
In terms of bookings, I expect another feisty affair. Arsenal’s most booked players (card to game ratio) this season are Sokratis, Lacazette, AMN and Saka. Chelsea’s most booked players this season are Jorginho, Kovacic and Rudiger.
I think Lampard’s Chelsea will edge this one 2-1 (15-2), a repeat of the reverse score-line, with goals from Tammy Abraham (5/6) , Jorginho (7/2) & Martinelli (7/2). Bookings for Sokratis, Saka & Jorginho (28-1). All odds taken from SkyBet.
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