Dilemmas of the Week - GW34

 

There again don't seem to have been that many new injuries this week. 

But of course, this is a Blank Gameweek, with the four teams who had double-fixtures last week - City, Palace, Villa, and Arsenal - missing a game this week, because of the FA Cup Semi-Finals. (Nottingham Forest, also playing in the Cup this weekend, don't play their League game against Brentford until Thursday; but the League has decided that that's still part of Gameweek 34, rather than the more adjacent Gameweek 35, so..... no double for you!) Those who invested particularly heavily in doubling players last week are probably obliged to play their Free Hit (or Wildcard) this week to fill all the gaps those players will leave in their squad; and, if they haven't still got a rebuild chip to use for that.... a world of pain, taking multiple hits and/or putting out a short team.

In addition to those teams missing because of the FA Cup round, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Spurs might be decimated by precautionary rotations ahead of their massive European semi-finals this coming week.

I am trying to streamline these weekly round-ups, aiming to confine myself to just the injuries to players that are likely to have a major significance in FPL. [I currently find the 'Injuries & Bans' summary on Fantasy Football Scout the most reliable resource for this kind of information - go check that out for more comprehensive coverage.]

So, what are the conundrums we face ahead of Gameweek 34?

Does anybody need to be moved out because of injury?

Mikel Merino and Ben White missed Arsenal's midweek game against Palace with renewed injury concerns - but at least Arsenal don't have a league game this weekend.

Bournemouth's Lewis Cook has been struggling with tendinitis in an ankle, and seems likely to miss this week.

Brighton's Jan-Paul van Hecke will be out for at least a week under 'concussion protocols', after suffering a severe blow to the head in the final moments of last week's game against Brentford.

Malo Gusto had to come off against Fulham last week with a leg muscle problem; apparently not too serious, but is out of contention for the Everton game.

James Tarkowski looks set to miss the remainder of the season after straining a hamstring in last weekend's game against City. This is bad news for Everton, for whom he really has been a lynchpin for several seasons now. Michael Keane is a decent enough defender, but I don't think he comes anywhere near Tarkowski's levels in providing constant organisation and inspiration; and when he came on to replace him last week, the side immediately started looking much more vulnerable at the back.

Rodrigo Muniz missed last week's game with a training injury, and could be out for a little while. (Good news for fans of Raul, who may fancy Fulham's prospects against Southampton this weekend, but were wary of unpredictable rotations between the two strikers....)

Stephy Mavididi - Leicester's only dangerous player these days - had to come off last week with a muscle strain, and could miss the rest of the season.

Diogo Dalot has joined Manchester United's long injury list this week - with a calf strain that might sideline him for a few weeks.

And Fabian Schar was withdrawn against Villa last week, feeling hamstring tightness - so is a minor doubt for this week.

Do we have any players who are dropped, or not looking likely to get the starts we hoped for?

Joao Pedro, of course, is starting a three-match 'violent conduct' ban for his silly bit of argy-bargy with Nathan Collins last weekend. But at least there were no new totting-up bans last week. Likewise Ipswich's Leif Davis, suspended for three games for his horrific challenge on Bukayo Saka. (And Chris Richards - unable to get his absurdly unjust double-yellow dismissal last Saturday reviewed - has already served his one-match ban in the midweek game at Arsenal; but he isn't  in action in the League this weekend, anyway.)

Armando Broja - recently (and unfathomably) favoured to start over Beto for Everton - is a Chelsea loanee, and hence ineligable to play this week.

Evan Ferguson, who hasn't yet been getting much of a look-in at West Ham anyway, is similarly unable to to appear against Brighton.

Did anyone give other cause to consider dropping them?

The entire Spurs team.... just stumbling from bad to worse, utterly shambolic in the last couple of outings. (And now probably saving themselves for Bodo/Glimt....)

Did anyone play so well, you have to consider bringing them in immediately?

Omar Marmoush and Nico O'Reilly (and Matheus Nunes) continue to look outstanding for City. But unfortunately, no-one else at the club does, which rather limits their appeal too - especially with a blank this week, and only one straightforward fixture in their last four....

Matheus Cunha and Jorgen Strand Larsen continue to look very promising forward picks with massively improved Wolves; and this week, you might even go for both of them!

Ollie Watkins and Marcus Rashford were both outstanding in one half of last week's double-header - but unfortunately, there's now a likelihood of inscrutable rotation between the two of them. And they too are blanking this weekend, because of the Cup.

So, acquisitions for this weekend are mainly focused on players from teams facing the bottom-end clubs, Leicester, Ipswich, and Southampton.... and West Ham and Spurs.

ADDENDUM: I omitted to say this originally, but I would be very tempted to have a punt on Trent Alexander-Arnold this week, after the rousing moment of his crucial late goal against Leicester. I remain not fully convinced about Trent's overall usefulness - how fully he fits a specific role for any given team, beyond his undoubted ability to occasionally swing a game with a moment of brilliance... which, marvellous though it is to have, is, unfortunately, not enough - and he's probably not yet 100% fit again, and I probably wouldn't be starting him any more, if he really is bound for Madrid in a couple of months, but... his spirits are obviously sky-high at the moment, and with the emotion surrounding the prospect of Liverpool clinching the title at Anfield (with four weeks left!!), I would be very surprised if Slot didn't start him against Spurs... and if he doesn't have a big game. And, since most people are surely playing a Free Hit or a Wildcard this week, it's a reshuffle, a gamble that's easy to take. Go on - you know you want to.

Most people have probably used the 'Assistant Manager' chip by now - wanting to keep the tail-end of the season free to play other chips, like Bench Boost, Free Hit, and Wildcard. If it is still in play, Vitor Pereira and Wolves look like the best bet for posting a big goal-tally against woeful Leicester. If you're chasing the siren table-bonus opportunity, David Moyes and Everton - as usual! - look the strongest prospect for that, against floundering Chelsea (although I wonder how much momentum Everton will lose with the absence of Tarkowski to hold them together). However, there are plenty of other possibilities, and Southampton caretaker manager Simon Rusk (who only costs 0.5 million!) against flakey Fulham, or (no, don't laugh!) United's Ruben Amorim against faltering Bournemouth could be tempting left-field options.

BEST OF LUCK, EVERYONE!

AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET The Boycott; I loathe the pointless innovation of the 'Assistant Manager' chip - and I have been urging everyone to please consider quitting the game, or at least refusing to use the chip, in protest. 

But if you couldn't bring yourself to do either of those things, please do criticise the Assistant Manager chip as vigorously as possible on any relevant social media channels you use, raise objections to it with any football or media figures you know how to contact, and - if possible - try to find a way to protest about it directly to the FPL hierarchy (and let me know how, if you manage that!).

#QuitFPLinGW23         #DownWithTheNewChip