Saturday, May 10, 2025

Dilemmas of the Week - GW36

A close-up of Rodin's famous statue of a sitting man, resting his chin on his hand, deep in thought

Goodness me - we seem to have yet again been spared many new injuries this week...  It really isn't often we get so fortunate - especially at this tail-end of the football year.

Nevertheless, 'form' always becomes more and more unpredictable in the closing weeks of the season...  And with Manchester United and Spurs now facing each other in the Europa League Final (which, this season, is unhappily scheduled between EPL Gameweeks 37 and 38) - and not having anything to play for in the League any more (except avoiding the ignominy of finishing below the other...) - I imagine they're going to be concentrating their focus on that, and not putting forth much effort in their remaining League games. Arsenal, however, after being narrowly bested by Paris St Germain in the Champions League Semi-Final on Thursday night, can now give all their attention to trying to finish as strongly as possible in the League; something that might perhaps have been in doubt, if they'd had a Final to prepare for over the next few weeks. Also, of course, Palace are playing City in the FA Cup Final next Saturday, so are quite likely to be resting a few key players (but which ones, and how much???) this weekend.

But at least we've been spared having any more blank and double gameweeks to have to worry about, as the fixtures missed next weekend for the Cup Final have simply been moved back a few days into the following week, and remain part of Gameweek 37,

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; and also, of course, only to new injuries - I figure everyone should be aware of players who were already ruled out for the last gameweek! [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 36?


Does anybody need to be moved out because of injury?

The big news of the week seems to be that the recently excellent (though barely owned!) Youri Tielemans has picked up a muscle injury that seems likely to keep him out for the rest of the season.

Poor Solly March of Brighton missed last week's game because of a new knee problem, and Bournemouth's Dango Ouattara has a groin strain - though apparently not too serious (and nobody has him any more, anyway).

Christopher Nkunku missed last week's win over Liverpool - and both the Europa Conference semi-finals - because of an unspecified knock; originally not thought serious, but now it seems doubtful that he'll be available again before the end of the season.

Adam Wharton suffered a twisted ankle against Forest last week, but Glasner is hopeful he'll be OK for this weekend. (One of those where nobody has him, but Eze's and Mateta's prospects look much better with him playing behind them.)

Timothy Castagne has had to have surgery on a recurring ankle problem this week, so will be out until next season. (At least Fulham have Kenny Tete available again now, who might be a better choice anyway.)

Matthijs de Ligt had to come off with a muscle problem against Brentford last week; not thought to be too serious, but has been ruled out of this weekend.

Kieran Trippier and Fabian Schar suffered muscle soreness in last week's game; might have been just cramp or fatigue rather than a strain, but Eddie Howe was evasive  about whether they'd be OK for this week.

Murillo had to come off against Palace with an apparent hamstring strain, but Nuno claims to be hopeful that he'll be back this week; this could have a big impact on Forest's prospects over the run-in.

And at Spurs it has been announced that injuries picked up 10 days ago by Lucas Bergvall (ankle) and James Maddison (knee) are going to keep them out for the season (although I wonder if Maddison isn't just pissed off with the way he's been treated by Postecoglou and put in for a transfer).

At Wolves, though, Jørgen Strand Larsen, who was a last-minute precautionary withdrawal a week ago because of a groin strain, looks as though he might be back in the side this week - although 80,000 of his owners have given up on him already since last Friday! (And, amazingly, despite having clocked 6 goals and 42 points in the previous 6 games, his ownership was barely above 4% anyway.... What??)


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

Joao Pedro and Leif Davis are serving the last instalment of their three-match bans this week. But - remarkably - there are no new suspensions to worry about. 


Did anyone give other cause to consider dropping them?

West Ham under Potter have joined Spurs in the 'embarrassment to watch' category - though at least Jarrod Bowen continues to provide occasional bright spots for them.

Oh, and Arne Slot has indicated that he wants to give Conor Bradley more minutes, and will probably be starting him ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold this week. That shouldn't be any great surprise to anyone. (However, I suspect Trent is still likely to be allowed an emotional Anfield farewell in the game against Palace on the final Saturday.)


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

Well, this may be a tad premature, but... I think Mason Mount has looked absolutely outstanding since his return: he really has the air of a player hungry to make his mark again after two seasons on the sidelines. Amad Diallo looked lively on his (earlier than expected!) return too. It's a pity they're stuck in an absolutely woeful Manchester United side....

And, of course, Kevin DeBruyne and Cole Palmer are starting to attract a lot of interest again - though that's probably sentiment getting the better of people. Chelsea have a tricky run-in, and KDB can't be relied on to be capable of full minutes, or big performances, in all three of the remaining games.


Most people must surely have used the 'Assistant Manager' chip by now. (It was never actually specified in the 'rules' for this chip if it would cease to be available in GW37 if you hadn't activated it yet...) Anyone who hasn't must surely have forgotten about it. (Or wasn't aware of it. Or couldn't understand it. Or thought it was too much hassle to work around the other chips...) With the increasing unpredictability of results in the closing weeks of the season, it really shouldn't be a good time to play a chip based on team results anyway; and most of the top teams actually have quite tough run-ins, so there aren't many secure wins in prospect even for the biggest names, and certainly no huge margins of victory or easy clean sheets likely; moreover, most of the stronger teams at the lower end of the table have recovered so well in the past month or two that they no longer have many table-bonus prospects (Wolves and Spurs might have been expected to have one this week, but... no). Brentford, Manchester City, and maybe Wolves look the likeliest prospects for a big win - though maybe not a clean sheet...? - this week. If you're chasing a table-bonus, Leicester seem the only slim prospect of that; Midlands derbies do often produce an upset, and Forest have been faltering in the last few games - and Vardy looks hungry to rack up his 200th goal for his club; I doubt Leicester can win it, but maybe they can snatch a draw.



BEST OF LUCK, EVERYONE!


AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET The Boycott; though I'm willing to comment on its possible use, I actually loathe the pointless innovation of the 'Assistant Manager' chip - and I have been urging people 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 


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