It’s almost December and the Premier League fixtures will come thick and fast. Just two days after the final game in GW13, GW14 is here and the next one will follow another two days after.
Before getting into the right mix for the team, it’s important to note the deadlines and then not miss them.
GW14 deadline: November 30, 2021, 11:30 PM IST
GW15 deadline: December 4, 2021, 4:30 PM IST
So with the very basics sorted, there are headaches of the team combination to solve. With more games, comes the risk of rotation and in December most FPL managers are going to be at the wrong end of the rotations. So the key aspect of going through this hectic period with as less damage as possible is to have 15 players who regularly feature for their respective teams.
IN GW14, Arsenal’s trip to Manchester United stands out, so does the Merseyside derby. Manchester City face an awkward trip to Steven Gerrard’s high-flying Aston Villa. League leaders Chelsea face a tricky trip to Watford.
Fixture Difficulty
The fixtures are turning for the good for the Manchester clubs who have a few winnable matches in the coming weeks. Brentford, Leicester, Newcastle and Tottenham also have it kind in terms of the fixture list in coming weeks.
Aston Villa, Everton, Southampton, Watford and Wolves face some daunting games in the next three gameweeks.
| Team | Combined Difficulty rating for GW 14-16 | GW14 opponents | GW15 opponents | GW16 opponents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 9 (4, 3, 2) | MUN(A) | EVE(A) | SOU(H) |
| Aston Villa | 12 (4, 3, 5) | MCI(H) | LEI(H) | LIV(A) |
| Brentford | 7 (3, 2, 2) | TOT(A) | LEE(A) | WAT(H) |
| Brighton | 9 (4, 2, 3) | WHU(A) | SOU(A) | TOT(H) |
| Burnley | 9 (3, 2, 4) | WOL(A) | NEW(A) | WHU(H) |
| Chelsea | 8 (2, 4, 2) | WAT(A) | WHU(A) | LEE(H) |
| Crystal Palace | 9 (2, 4, 3) | LEE(A) | MUN(A) | EVE(H) |
| Everton | 10 (4, 3, 3) | LIV(H) | ARS(H) | CRY(A) |
| Leeds | 9 (2. 2, 5) | CRY(H) | BRE(H) | CHE(A) |
| Leicester | 7 (2, 3, 2) | SOU(A) | AVL(A) | NEW(H) |
| Liverpool | 9 (3, 3, 3) | EVE(A) | WOL(A) | AVL(H) |
| Man City | 8 (3, 2, 3) | AVL(A) | WAT(A) | WOL(H) |
| Man Utd | 7 (3, 2, 2) | ARS(H) | CRY(H) | NOR(A) |
| Newcastle | 7 (2, 2, 3) | NOR(H) | BUR(H) | LEI(A) |
| Norwich City | 9 (2, 3, 4) | NEW(A) | TOT(A) | MUN(H) |
| Southampton | 10 (3, 3, 4) | LEI(H) | BHA(H) | ARS(A) |
| Spurs | 7 (2, 2, 3) | BRE(H) | NOR(H) | BHA(A) |
| Watford | 10 (4, 4, 2) | CHE(H) | MCI(H) | BRE(A) |
| West Ham | 9 (3, 4, 2) | BHA(H) | CHE(H) | BUR(A) |
| Wolves | 11 (2, 4, 5) | BUR(H) | LIV(H) | MCI(A) |
The big ins and outs
In-form Digo Jota, who has scored three goals in his last two Premier League games for Liverpool, is tops the list of most transferred-in players. Reece James continues to gain ownership and so does Connor Gallagher. Jamie Vardy is back in the reckoning after his brace last week and Newcastle’s Allan Saint-Maximin has also entered that discussion.
Most transferred (in) players ahead of GW14
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| MID | Jota | LIV |
| DEF | James | CHE |
| FWD | Vardy | LEI |
| MID | Gallagher | CRY |
| FWD | Saint-Maximin | NEW |
Injury has forced FPL managers to do away with Ben Chilwell, Phil Foden and Ismaila Sarr. West Ham’s Antonio who has not blacked in four straight games is also falling out of favour. The surprising name is that of Cristiano Ronaldo who has had a rough run in the Premier League but faces a good run of fixtures next.
Most transferred (out) players ahead of GW14
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| DEF | Chilwell | CHE |
| MID | Foden | MCI |
| FWD | Ronaldo | MUN |
| MID | Sarr | WAT |
| FWD | Antonio | WHU |
Top picks for Gameweek 14
Whether you bring them in through transfers or (luckily enough) have them in your squad already, these are the five hottest selections for GW14:
Diogo Jota (Liverpool): The Reds midfielder has scored three goals in his last two matches and has moved ahead of teammate Mohamed Salah in the xG (Expected Goals) charts for the last four gameweeks. Up against a struggling Everton, Jota can be explosive.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United): With just one goal since GW6, Ronaldo isn’t the most popular pick at the moment but his track record suggests that he will get on the scoresheet sooner rather than later. The Portuguese has a good record against Arsenal and the Red Devils are likely to enjoy a new manager bounce. Expect United to be pumped up for the Arsenal game and during these big occasions, Ronaldo usually scores.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool): The Reds full-back has been extremely consistent over the last few weeks and delivered attacking returns in each of the last three matches. Facing an Everton team that has struggled to score goals, Alexander-Arnold will fancy keeping a clean sheet too.
Allan Saint-Maximin (Newcastle): The Newcastle forward has been one of the brighter parts of their season. With three goals and four assists, Saint-Maximin always looks threatening on the ball. He is expected to thrive under Eddie Howe who likes to play on the front foot and it was evident in his last performance at home which saw him score a goal and provide an assist. Expect him to shine against Norwich City too.
Raphinha (Leeds United): Marcelo Bielsa’s team have not scaled the heights of last season but Raphinha has been their best player. He has scored five goals so far and looks their biggest weapon. Leeds have scored in all games barring one at home while visitors Crystal Palace have kept just one clean sheet on the road.
Top differential picks for GW14:
Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City): The German midfielder was in great goalscoring form last season in Kevin de Bruyne’s absence and he is delivering the goods again now that the Belgian is out. Gundogan is sixth in the xG charts for the last four games in the Premier League and provided a goal and an assist in his last game. Owned by less than 4% of FPL managers, he is a good differential option.
James Maddison (Leicester City): The English midfielder served a reminder of his prowess last week when he racked up a 16-point haul. With the Foxes facing a good run of matches he is a great and cheap differential to own. He is owned by just 5.1% of FPL managers.
Marcos Alonso (Chelsea): With Chilwell out, Alonso is a natural choice for the left wing-back position. He was a bit rusty against Manchester United but expect him to deliver attacking returns sooner rather than later. With Chelsea’s defensive record, he can be counted on to deliver clean sheet points too. He is owned by just 10% of the FPL managers.
Captaincy Conundrum
Liverpool’s Salah has competition from his teammate as Jota has been in fine form in the last few matches. With Firmino out, the Portuguese is a sure starter and he has made the most of the extra minutes on the pitch. However, Salah’s ownership makes him a hard choice to ignore.
Also a strong candidate this week is Ronaldo, a man for the big occasions, especially if it’s against Arsenal. He has six goals against the Gunners in the past and he could well add to the tally on Thursday. He will have a point to prove after he was benched against Chelsea and that’s when he is most dangerous. Banking on Ronaldo in a big game is always a good idea even if it means drifting away from the tried and tested formula of Salah.
The Field’s FPL team
Gameweek 12 points: 52
It was a decent week for our team thanks largely to the faith we kept in Vardy. His 12-point haul made a big difference. Also our bench strength finally delivered as Brandon Williams came in with seven points. Captaining Salah worked as always.
Thus heading into GW14, we don’t want to make any changes to a team that has been consistently delivering above-average results for us. With no Jota and Ronaldo is our team, we will stick with Salah as the captain.
