There is an old saying in Fantasy Premier League. It is better to arrive late at a party than to arrive early to find out there is no party at all.
The benching of Joao Pedro combined with the shift in schedule run of Chelsea and the good form of Brentford has prompted Fantasy managers to look for options to bolster the forward department.
Kevin De Bruyne’s continued struggle with his injury has opened up doors for the likes of Julian Alvarez for consideration in Fantasy Premier League besides the ever-essential Haaland.
Looking forward to making my first transfer/s this week.
Mbeumo, Wissa, Alvarez and Jackson are all on the ‘likely’ list.
Two free transfers for most engaged managers in game week three have meant more room for strategy and options to consider.
There are also the recent consistent not good enough performances of Rashford and given his high price bracket owners of Mo Salah will be looking to trade in newer shores as well.
The equation in the forward department is simple. Joao Pedro has to go given the insecurity of minutes and Brighton’s coming fixtures. So who shall be taking his place?
Julian Alvarez
Much has already been written about Julian Alvarez, Pep Guardiola will be setting out his team this season with a fewer number of personnel in midfield than usual.
Gone are the days, of City’s bench possessing, the capability of running riot against most teams in the league.
New signing Jeremy Doku will help add up the numbers in the matter. City needed signings after the departures of Gundogan and Mahrez, but Doku is a winger, and it is likely he will more have of an effect in the playing minutes of Foden than Alvarez.
Alvarez has become more appealing for several reasons.
KDB injury is the obvious one.
Taking some set pieces is another
He's probably 2nd in the pen order too.
The less obvious one is if Pep continues to use wingers inside in some/all games then he can play the wide roles.
Alvarez’s versatility in playing position along with the ability to score goals is expected to greatly work in his favor.
In the current City team, there are not many players outside of Haaland, of course, capable of bearing the responsibility of being the goal scorer for the team.
Even Foden is probably not an out-and-out scorer. Alvarez in the game against Burnley started with De Bruyne in the middle then moved to the wings post his injury.
This ability to play in multiple positions has already helped him to maintain his place in the team despite the presence of Haaland as the forward player in the team.
Thus, even if Doku’s arrival has a knock-on effect in other positions, Alvarez will likely have a better chance to start than other City players in midfield.
At an xGi of 1.15 and an xG of 0.85 with a goal and an assist over the two games, Alvarez has started the season well with actual outputs.
Nicolas Jackson:
Nicolas Jackson arrived from Villareal to Chelsea with the expectancy he will likely be eased in. It was either expected he will start most games from the bench or play as a number ten behind Nkunku.
Even at Villareal with all his promises he did have plenty of bench duties. Fast forward two games in the new campaign and the injury to Nkunku have meant Jackson is starting forward for the Blues.
If you go check Sky, Chelsea or West Ham highlights they don’t even include this header in there.
It’s just under 0.7xG and over half of what Jackson has accumulated in the first 2 games.
He’s only just got to it, never looked like scoring, remember data is noisy for a while. pic.twitter.com/v9MFJ3UofP
Chelsea are already a team with a squad in flux. The incoming of multiple players at once has inevitably meant the requirement of bedding in the period for the new players. F
ootball is after all no rocket science and no matter how great a group of players are there is always a time required to get accustomed to the other’s playing styles. Such problems were especially in display in their defeat against West Ham.
xGI from the opening 2 GWs:
Bruno – 2.12 Jackson – 1.39 Rashford – 0.89
Should have 4-5 attacking returns from these three players, but I have 0.
A reminder not to chase points so early on in the season, where small sample sizes can sometimes skew our perspectives. pic.twitter.com/l8jdKdDv8k
For Jackson, he has huffed and puffed in the opening two matches but without having any actual return. He is one of the main underperformers in the league sitting only behind Bruno Fernandes amongst the popular players, or players of serious note.
He has underperformed an xGi of -1.39 with zero returns as mentioned. This is a classic case of make of that what you.
Chelsea’s kind fixture run starting with Luton at home in the Premier League might suggest he will turn the negative xGi into actual goals or assists.
He might fail as well and with the transfer window still open no one will probably be surprised if a new striker arrives at the club to take his place.
Even Pochettino might try new tactics and personnel within the squad if the trend continues. Jackson was after all not meant to be the focal point at the start of the campaign.
