The beginning of another season in the Premier League has meant forming of new narratives and storylines. The most expensive league in world football has one crisis club every week.
The goal is to never be that club. Opportunity and chaos combine at the start of the campaign with the arrival of fresh faces or individuals heading for the exit door.
The multitude of player movements and new formations and tactics has an echoing effect on Fantasy managers.
All the dramas surrounding a defensive midfielder might seem on the surface not concerning the everyday Fantasy player, but engaged managers will know the arrival of the player will improve the individual’s team defensively thus making the defensive options better.
This was of course an example, to say the least, there are no prizes in guessing the Caicedo saga is being talked about here. What else engulfed the world of Fantasy Premier League and English football at large? Well, there were a lot, and it is only game week 2.
Turner could have outshone Haaland in Fantasy Premier League for a brief time
Matt Turner’s arrival at Nottingham Forest had led to many FPL managers taking the plunge into the new Forest keeper.
The scheduling of fixtures meant anyone with either Pickford, Onana, or Johnstone in their drafts had the best hope of a clean sheet playing Turner as the starting keeper with Nottingham facing Sheffield at home.
The former keepers are all involved in tougher fixtures on paper. Social media spaces involving engaged players of FPL were filled with hopes on Friday evening of Turner banking a six-pointer.
However, any imagination of so was dented by a brilliant goal by Hamer on their debut in the English league.
To restore some of the heartbreak for Fantasy managers, the official website continuing in the custom of being a poor-run website provided Turner with incredible extra points.
While his actual points would be only two, after conceding a goal and not banking three saves, to warrant any extra points, many starting the game week with Turner had points in the range of mid-20s to mid-30s.
It was another cause to laugh at them involved in maintaining the website of the Fantasy League. Turner’s points were eventually corrected to what they should be.
Thus De Zerbi’s comments do come with a bit of a worry and added excitement for Fantasy players with Brighton assets.
New popular arrivals like Joao Pedro will be monitored closely for shifts in playing style and minutes. Japanese international Mitoma as well along with the likes of Estupinan fall in this monitor category.
If however, De Zerbi given his style historically chooses a more attacking approach it stands to benefit FPL managers greatly.
Newcastle players shift out of Haaland from their Fantasy squads before the game at Etihad
Game week 2 blockbuster fixture is undoubtedly Newcastle taking on Manchester City. Pep Guardiola’s men have around unprecedented success in the past decade.
This is something Eddie Howe and his squad will be dreaming to replicate in every manner. Back in the UEFA Champions League after 2003, Newcastle will be aiming to get one step closer to that crown of the Premier League.
Club captain Kieran Trippier, in a showing of a boast of confidence perhaps to the rest of the squad, has shifted Haaland as the last substitute in his Fantasy squad.
Jack Grealish has been shown the door, with Luis Diaz coming into his squad and has been handed the captaincy as well playing against Bournemouth.
Such planning has quickly evaporated out of the window with the constant injuries leading to game week two.
Defenders dropping like flies, with Mings suffering from an ACL, along with Arsenal’s new signing Timber, and with Basham missing out on game week, James being injured again, and Stones and Dias out meant there were squads with the super unlucky fate of having zero defenders to play with. Pep Guardiola does make a lot of sense.
