CAPTAIN:
HAZARD
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FIRST SQUAD OF THE SEASON:
CECH "Mate" (£5.5M) IN
Reason: I wanted Arsenal cover at the back. I was close to
buying Koscielny with Courtois between the sticks. However, I think Cech
offers more value than Courtois and will be looking to impress at the Emirates
(he may even make more saves over the course of the season) which is why I
opted for him. In addition, I didn't want rotating goalies and 7 of
Cech's first 10 PL fixtures are reasonable.
HENNESSEY "Hen" (£4.0M) IN
Reason: He may have 49 international caps to his name, but he's
hardly started in the Premier League since 2012, which is a bit of a
shame. I'm not looking to boost his professional career - I have
effectively bought him as dud sub goal keeper to free up funds elsewhere across
the park. He could start a few matches for Crystal Palace from August,
but under Pardew's set up he's unlikely to keep many clean sheets. This
bodes well for my "fixture proof" goal keeper, Cech.
IVANOVIC "Ivan" (£7.0M) IN
Reason: I could have easily bought
Azpilicueta and saved £1M, but Ivanovic ("Ivan") is simply
amazing. He chalked up 10 attacking fantasy returns - goals and assists -
last season with 17 clean sheets for good measure too. Stats don't lie
and he is FPL gold. He is my fixture proof defender. I intend to
start him whether he plays at home or away, even against Man City in Gameweek
2. Expect Ivanovic to pop up in the opponents box as much as his own. The only
thing that worries me is his yellow card risk (18 in the last two seasons
alone).
HUTH "Bobby" (£4.5M) IN
Reason: Here's more defensive coverage with a
Chelsea association and of course another defender with attacking
pedigree. He is definitely not the same player from a few years ago; when
scoring for fun at Stoke. I only bought him due to Leicester's OK-ish
rotation with Southampton. In all likelihood, I will probably start him
in GW 1 & GW 5 and then see how things go thereafter.
CEDRIC "Sid" (£5.0M) IN
Reason: He's a new arrival that has already seemingly cemented
his place at right-back following the departure of Clyne. I expect Southampton
to keep a similar number of clean sheets as last season. In addition,
Cedric is probably the best priced defensive player from Southampton that is
likely to see regular game time. Not bad upcoming fixtures also gave
credence to his place in my squad.
FRANCIS "Fran" (£4.5M) IN
Reason:
Bournemouth's first 8 fixtures aren't too bad (rotating well with West Ham) and
it's for this reason I decided to get a defender from their team. It
seems that Francis has no real rivals in his position which made him appealing
to me. He may even chip in with an assist here and there. Sure, some FPL
managers show reluctance towards newly promoted teams' players. But ask
yourself this, would you rather put one in defence or one as a starting
striker? I know where I stand on that debate.
OXFORD "New Ox" (£4.0M) IN
Reason: My "secret player"! He's played the majority
of West Ham's off-season games (including some Europa League qualifiers). He is
listed as a defender but can operate as a midfielder. I bought him as I
wanted a cheap 5th defender so that I can invest more further up the pitch. I
think he will start some PL matches. I will even put him in my first XI
on certain rare occasions. Even if he hardly starts, he's perfect sub3
material for now while also being a hot prospect for the future. Read
more about him here.
OZIL "Oz" (£8.5M) IN
Reason: He's not exactly been that amazing since the first half
of the 13/14 season. In many respects he has been a disappointment. But
with some speculation that he will play in a No10 role, he offers more
value. I think a lot of Arsenal's players can be chopped and changed
including Walcott. But for some reason, I fell that Ozil will probably be
allowed to flourish in a specific position higher up the pitch. In all
honesty, if I had an extra £0.5M I would have probably risked it on
Walcott. Having said all that, I think this could be Ozil's season and he
may prove a few doubters wrong.
HAZARD "Haz" (£11.5M) IN
Reason: Hazard did start a bit slow last season, but there's no
denying that he came of age over the past 12 months. His ability to cut
in from the side and cause havoc in the opposition's final third is well
documented. Without a doubt, Hazard is the engine to Chelsea's
attack. As stated, he's an absolute must-have player. I think he
will do even better this season. He can score (for fun). He can
assist (when required). What more do you want your midfielder to do?
STERLING "£" (£9.0M) IN
Reason: He didn't make the first editions of my off-season FPL
squad. I wasn't too impressed with him last season. But I realised
that I needed Man City cover in midfield. Silva's price seems
inflated. Yaya is cheaper, but may be squeezed back. With no
Aguero, I feel that Sterling can fill a void at the front. He will be
looking to make a good impression immediately after his protracted transfer
saga. Sure, Man City's opening fixtures aren't amazing, but they do have
a knack of scoring goals and it's time they cashed in again with Sterling in
their pocket.
CHADLI "Chad" (£7.0M) IN
Reason:
Many FPL managers would balk at the thought of having Chadli in their team
after not so great showings in the second half of the 14/15 season. I
understand that there were some valid reasons for this, so don't be too harsh
on him. With his amazing goalscoring ability, I think he's
under-priced. Sure, he's a rotation risk and will face stiff competition
with Spurs' numerous midfielders. But I think he has something special
about him. The fact he is scoring in pre-season is a good signal
too. I needed at least one attacking player from Tottenham due to their
generous upcoming fixtures after GW1 and Chadli fitted the bill.
RITCHIE "Rich" (£6.0M) IN
Reason: I
have a reluctance in picking too many (or any) attack-orientated players from
newly promoted teams as they don't often score a lot. However, I think
Ritchie is a bit different. His strike rate exceeded 33% last season,
which is excellent for a midfielder at any level. The fact he can also
link up with Francis (also in my team) is an added bonus. I needed a good
5th midfielder as I want to start off with a solid 3-5-2 formation. He
seems to be the best one priced at £6m. I'm willing to give him a chance
and I think he'll prove his worth.
ROONEY "Roo" (£10.5M) IN
Reason: I
think Rooney was being wasted as a de facto central midfielder last
season. All that has now changed with the departure of Van Persie.
Sure, Man United may buy another striker before the transfer window
closes. But there's no denying Rooney's ability when playing in a no9 or
no10 role - given a proper chance he will score 22+ goals a season. He
has proven himself in the top-flight and will be a focal point to Man United's
attack. With Costa and Aguero being unavailable from GW1, Rooney will
fill a void for a large chunk of FPL managers.
BENTEKE "Teke" (£8.5M) IN
Reason:
Liverpool needed a goal scoring forward with PL pedigree. Benteke wanted
a team that could offer newer challenges and enhance his talent to another
level. On paper this transfer makes perfect sense. With Sturridge
being absent, a 100% fit Benteke will be able to stamp his authority upfront
from the onset. Sure, he wasn't a forward in my FPL squad during
mid-July. However, his potency can't be overlooked and with the likes of
Firmino and Milner behind him, he may score more goals than he did last season.
GRAHAM "Danny Boy" (£4.5M) IN
Reason: I
bought him as a dud sub so that I could accommodate a strong 3-5-2
formation. I still can't believe he left Swansea for Sunderland when he
could have easily secured a League Cup winners medal. It's also strange
to think that he scored 12 goals in his first PL season, yet in the 3 seasons
thereafter he's accumulated a paltry 5 goals. His FPL price has been
almost static since 2011. I'm not expecting much from him, 1-2 points on
the bench is perfectly fine.
