Amidst missed opportunities and the regret which follows, passion drives us forward. Both in life and in FPL. And it was unfiltered passion along with a tinge of reason, which prompted some of the FPL managers to dream big, dream wild.
As it has happened with Manchester United in the last three years, registering another shock win, this time at a packed Emirates, took some time to sink in.
Be it Manchester City at the Etihad recently or at the Wembley in May 2023, or Liverpool in the FA Cup last eight, United has made it a habit to punch above its weight in recent times.
Therefore, another massive upset, another big turnaround and a new hero was born. The Turkish Delight, Altay Bayindir.
The one who was playing only his fifth match in one and a half years. The one who cost United its English League Cup hopes against Spurs. And the one was responsible for the Gabriel equaliser.
But Bayindir got a second chance and his late heroics were enough to allow him to sing the Redemption song. His United career was salvaged, big time.
A regular-time penalty save, followed by two crucial saves from almost point-blank ranges and a crucial, decisive penalty save in the shootout. Bayindir went home with the MOTM trophy along with endless accolades from critics and unchecked love from the Manchester United faithful.
However, when such an OP performance gave the Turkey international some quality sleep, it kept many FPL managers awake with the crazy idea of transferring in a huge FPL differential. An asset who is yet to score a single point.
There were 0.1% of the teams who decided to sign him before gameweek 21. We at Thick Accent, shared our thoughts around this idea, how Bayindir could offer a cheaper route to goalkeeping points while being a superb differential. Meanwhile, I too, transferred him in, replacing Sanchez.
However, Bayindir didn’t take any part in last night’s comeback win from Manchester United against Southampton, orchestrated by Amad Diallo. When the names flashed on the screens of Old Trafford, it was Andre Onana coming back to his familiar position.
Though Manchester United couldn’t manage to walk away with a clean sheet (a match they were losing by 0-1 till the 81st minute, went on to win by a 3-1 margin), Onana earned an extra point for pulling off five saves. But it became evidently clear that despite his match-winning performance against Arsenal, Bayindir is not currently in the scheme of things for Amorim in PL. He may continue to stand under the bar in cup matches but Onana remains the first-choice for Premier League assignments.
Today, I squared-off Bayindir in a bid to have a quick-fix of the backfired wild move and signed Matz Sels, who has an excellent fixture in GW22 against the struggling Saints at home.
This was another gentle reminder from FPL and life — don’t jump the gun. Rather, wait and watch. Now, FPL is all about taking risks, right?
I know, it hurts. But it was indeed fun to sign Bayindir after his exemplary show and get carried away with the wild fantasy of the Turkish shot-stopper churning out a clean sheet, as a great differential.
After all, this is what keeps us, the Fantasy managers, to successfully tackle regret and despair while remaining hooked to the game. Hence, never mind, cheers!