After the second-highest scoring week in Gameweek 9, it was the second-lowest scoring week in GW10. With captain Mohamed Salah recording a low score by his lofty standards this season and Manchester City suffering a shock defeat to Crystal Palace, a lot of FPL managers lost out on big points.
There were a few surprise names in the Team for the Week, led by Chelsea’s Reece James who recorded a 21 point haul. Burnley’s Matthew Lowton, Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes, and Norwich’s Andrew Omobamidele all produced double-digit hauls.
Connor Gallagher finally converted his promise into points with a fine performance at Man City as defensive midfielders Declan Rice, Jorginho and Jordan Henderson all registering double-digit hauls.
Cristiano Ronaldo served a reminder to FPL managers, a large part of those who had sold him that he remains one of the greatest goalscorers of all time with a goal and an assist against Spurs before a superb brace against Atalanta in midweek.
The Manchester derby takes centre-stage in GW10 with Liverpool’s trip to West Ham also a key game. It makes FPL managers’ jobs slightly harder as three of the top four teams face each other.
But there are plenty of fixtures to exploit for FPL managers who could look to move up the ladder by picking the right differentials in GW10.
Fixture Difficulty
The fixture list favours Aston Villa, Brentford, Brighton, Crystal Palace, Norwich, Tottenham and Wolves in the coming gameweeks, but given the form these teams are in, FPL managers can focus on the likes of Brentford, Brighton, Palace, Tottenham and Wolves.
With Antonio Conte at the helm in north London, expect improvement in north London and it could make the likes of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min an attractive proposition again.
Fixture Difficulty Index
| Team | Combined Difficulty rating for GW 11-13 | GW11 opponents | GW12 opponents | GW13 opponents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 9 (2, 5, 2) | WAT(H) | LIV(A) | NEW(H) |
| Aston Villa | 7 (2, 3, 2) | SOU(A) | BHA(H) | CRY(A) |
| Brentford | 7 (2, 2, 3) | NOR(H) | NEW(A) | EVE(H) |
| Brighton | 7 (2, 3, 2) | NEW(H) | AVL(A) | LEE(H) |
| Burnley | 10 (5, 2, 3) | CHE(A) | CRY(H) | TOT(H) |
| Chelsea | 9 (2, 3, 4) | BUR(H) | LEI(A) | MUN(H) |
| Crystal Palace | 7 (2, 2, 3) | WOL(H) | BUR(A) | AVL(H) |
| Everton | 10 (3, 5, 2) | TOT(H) | MCI(A) | BRE(A) |
| Leeds | 8 (3, 3. 3) | LEI(H) | TOT(A) | BHA(A) |
| Leicester | 9 (3, 4, 2) | LEE(A) | CHE(H) | WAT(H) |
| Liverpool | 9 (4, 3, 2) | WHU(A) | ARS(H) | SOU(H) |
| Man City | 11 (4, 3, 4) | MUN(A) | EVE(H) | WHU(H) |
| Man Utd | 9 (4, 2, 5) | MCI(H) | WAT(A) | CHE(A) |
| Newcastle | 9 (3, 2, 4) | BHA(A) | BRE(H) | ARS(A) |
| Norwich City | 6 (2, 2, 2) | BRE(A) | SOU(H) | WOL(H) |
| Southampton | 10 (3, 2, 5) | AVL(H) | NOR(A) | LIV(A) |
| Spurs | 8 (4, 2, 2) | EVE(A) | LEE(H) | BUR(A) |
| Watford | 11 (4, 4, 3) | ARS(A) | MUN(H) | LEI(A) |
| West Ham | 11 (4, 2, 5) | LIV(H) | WOL(A) | MCI(A) |
| Wolves | 8 (2, 4, 2) | CRY(A) | WHU(H) | NOR(A) |
The big ins and outs
Three of the players in last week’s team of the week are among the most-purchased players this week. Chelsea’s James leads the way followed by Emil Smith Rowe, Gallagher, Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale and Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell.
Most transferred (in) players ahead of GW11
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| DEF | James | CHE |
| MID | Smith Rowe | ARS |
| MID | Gallagher | CRY |
| GKP | Ramsdale | ARS |
| DEF | Chilwell | CHE |
Three Chelsea players lead the exits due to either injury or falling out of favour. Marcos Alonso is now clearly second choice behind Chilwell while Mateo Kovacic is injured. Mason Mount was flagged as doubtful but should return to the starting XI after returning to training.
Aston Villa’s Danny Ings and Watford’s Ismaila Sarr are the other two players in the top five.
Most transferred (out) players ahead of GW11
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| DEF | Alonso | CHE |
| MID | Kovacic | CHE |
| MID | Mount | CHE |
| FWD | Ings | AVL |
| MID | Sarr | WAT |
Top picks for Gameweek 11
Whether you bring them in through transfers or (luckily enough) have them in your squad already, these are the five hottest selections for GW11:
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal): Having scored in every home game he’s started this season, Aubameyang must be one of the first names on your team sheet ahead of GW10. The Gunners who are in fine form welcome struggling Watford at the Emirates who have the fourth-worst defensive record in the Premier League.
Reece James (Chelsea): The Blues full-back is on fire and has already scored four times this season including three in his last three games. James almost plays as a winger in Thomas Tuchel’s system and his eye for a goal makes him a real quality addition to any FPL side. Chelsea welcome Burnley to Stamford Bridge and a clean sheet is quite likely. With James in the current form, don’t rule out an attacking return.
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool): The Liverpool midfielder is a must-have this season even if he hasn’t scored in the last two matches and faces a tough opponent in West Ham this weekend. The Hammers have tightened up at the back in recent weeks but they will find it hard to be ready for the game after a midweek trip in the Europa League. The Reds and Salah who are more used to this kind of schedule are expected to come up trumps in east London.
Shane Duffy (Brighton and Hove Albion): Brighton have been excellent this season at the back and have kept four clean sheets so far and face a Newcastle side that have shown little ability and even an appetite to score goals. Duffy is a good bet for clean sheet points in GW10 and is always a candidate for an attacking return.
Bryan Mbuemo (Brentford): The Bees midfielder plays as an auxiliary striker and has hit the woodwork more often than any other player in the Premier League. Despite the close misses, Mbuemo is among the top ten players for xG (Expected Goals) charts this season. Up against Norwich who have conceded 25 goals in ten matches, Mbuemo is due a big haul.
Top differential picks for GW11:
Enock Mwepu (Brighton and Hove Albion): Brighton will fancy their chances against Newcastle and Mwepu has been the shining light of Brighton’s attack in the last two matches. With one goal and assist in the last two matches, Mwepu has emerged as a top differential for GW10. He is owned by just 0.1% of FPL managers.
Che Adams (Southampton): The Saints striker has scored the team’s last two goals in all competitions and looks rejuvenated. Adams seems to have stepped up to the plate with injury to Armando Broja and is a great bet against Aston Villa who have been leaking goals for fun in recent weeks. Owned by just 0.9% of FPL managers, Adams can be a good differential option.
Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace): The Palace winger made a goalscoring return to the side last week at Man City and will look to build on it against Wolves. In three home starts so far Zaha has scored two goals and provided an assist. He is owned by just 6.6% of FPL managers and given his track record over the years is a great differential option to have in the coming weeks where Palace have a good run of fixtures.
Captaincy Conundrum
Like every week, Salah is among the equation for captaincy thanks to his immense consistency this season and Liverpool’s attacking numbers. The Egyptian is being considered as a keep and forget captain this season and it could well be the right thing to do. But in GW10 he faces competition from Arsenal’s top forward Aubameyang who has shown great consistency whenever the Gunners have played at home.
While most would hand the captain’s armband to Salah, the Reds face a tough game and may not be at their free-scoring best against David Moyes’ men. The Gunners’ form makes Aubameyang an equally good if not better bet for the armband in GW10.
For those looking elsewhere, one of Chilwell or James might also be a great option for the armband. The Blues have conceded just three goals in the Premier League this season and that is unlikely to change when Burnley visit. The way Chelsea play, the wing-backs get plenty of goalscoring or assisting opportunities. Handing a defender the captain’s armband might be risky, but the way Chelsea re playing right now, it could probably be a really good choice.
The Field’s FPL team
Gameweek 10 points: 57
Our midfield finally fired and pretty much rescued our team in GW9. Our faith in Gallagher and Raphinha was repaid and the duo fired us above the average score quite easily. Going into GW11, we are decently placed and will roll our transfer. We had a dilemma with our starting XI but in the end, decided to leave Tino Livramento out on the bench.
We felt it was necessary to bring back Duffy into our line-up for the game against Newcastle. It was a toss-up between Livramento and Trent Alexander-Arnold and the Reds full-back edged the battle.
With no Aubameyang, Chilwell or James in our squad, we are sticking with Salah as our captain.
