Dilemmas of the Week - Gameweek 11 (25/26)

 

Remarkably few new injury concerns arising from the week's European ties, so this could be quite a brief rundown (for once)!

I'm trying to streamline these weekly round-ups a bit from last year, restricting myself for the most part to just the injuries etc. affecting 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've already been ruled out for some time!  

[For some years, I have found the 'Injuries & Bans' summary on Fantasy Football Scout the most reliable resource for this kind of information; although this site, Premier League Injuries, is a very good alternative (often a little quicker to update, I think - though it did go through a bit of a glitchy period for a while last year).  Go check these out for more comprehensive coverage. 

I see the Fantasy Premier League site has added an improved 'Player Availability' page this year (though hidden under 'The Scout' tab?!). That also seems to be reasonably comprehensive and up-to-date, but god knows how it's supposed to be 'organised' - maybe by 'date of injury'? Obviously, arranging it by club and alphabetical order would be more sensible; but the denizens of FPL Towers seem to have a deep aversion to the sensible.]

So, what are the conundrums we face ahead of Gameweek 11 of the season?

Does anybody need to be moved out because of injury?

The biggest news of the week is probably the absence of Viktor Gyokeres at Arsenal, who had to come off at half-time in the Burnley game last week with a muscle problem, and now seems set to be out for at least a few weeks. That's quite a big deal for FPL, because, despite his very limited points output so far, Gyokers was remarkably owned by nearly 20% of managers! Mikel Merino looks likely to deputise at 'centre forward', as he did in Tuesday's game in Prague (although I'd rather see him in midfield, and move Trossard into the central attacking role, with Eze alongside him on the left).

Tyrone Mings suffered a hamstring strain against Liverpool last weekend, and might be ruled out for several weeks.

Romeo Lavia limped off the other night against Qarabag with a thigh muscle problem; still being assessed, but seemingly out of contention at least for this week. Pedro Neto missed the European game with a knock, but Maresca is optimistic that he'll be available this weekend.

Dominic Calvertt-Lewin had to come off against Brighton last week with a muscle problem. He has been of zero relevance in FPL so far, but his enforced absence should finally give a chance to Joel Piroe, who was outstanding for Leeds in the Championship last year.

Mateo Kovacic apparently missed the Bournemouth game last Sunday because an ankle injury picked up in training; seems likely to be out for some weeks.

Anthony Gordon was withdrawn at half-time against Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday with a recurrence of a hip problem. Back-up striker Will Osula is also struggling with an ankle problem, which is expected to now rule him out for some weeks. At least full-backs Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento seem to be nearing a possible return - though probably not this week.

Callum Hudson-Odoi suffered a dead leg against Manchester United last time, and seems set to be unavailable this week. Summer signing Omari Hutchinson should finally get a chance to appear on the right side of the attack, with Dan Ndoye probably switching to the left.

Lucas Bergvall suffered a serious concussion in Saturday's match against Chelsea and will be out for a couple of weeks. Mo Kudus is also suffering from a knock, and had to miss the Champions League game against Copenhagen on Tuesday.

Wolves midfielder Rodrigo Gomes needed surgery this week on a groin injury picked up in the recent League Cup defeat by Chelsea, and may be out for two to three months.

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

Wolves centre-back Emmanuel Agbadou is serving a one-match ban after being sent off (slightly harshly) for a 'denial of a goalscoring opportunity' against Fulham.

Did anyone give other cause to consider dropping them?

No-one really stank the place up last time out - although Wolves (currently under the caretaker management of youth team coach James Collins, as they struggle to find a replacement for the ousted Vitor Pereira), and perhaps also Leeds, look like poison at the moment, while Everton appear to have run out of steam, after their bright start, and Newcastle, Spurs, and Villa were severely unimpressive last time out.

And there are now several players who are getting worryingly close to a 'totting up' suspension.

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

Dominik Szoboszlai, outstanding all season, has been instrumental in Liverpool's apparent revival this week against Aston Villa and Real Madrid, and looks likely to have a lot more attacking impact if he continues to play in the 'No. 10' spot (only 50,000 new buyers this week is really a pretty sluggish response from the market!). Hugo Ekitike might suddenly be looking a temping option again too; although, with Alexander Isak expected to be available again by the end of the month, that might be a very short-term punt.

Joao Pedro has also suddenly looked very sharp again in his last two outings, against Spurs and Slavia Prague, and over 220,000 FPL managers have piled in for him already this week (many of whom probably only sold him in the last week or two!!), no doubt further encouraged by the prospect of his facing Wolves, Burnley, Leeds, and Everton between now and mid-December. However, with Chelsea's yo-yo-ing form this season, I would curb my enthusiasm on that: there are lots of other tempting forward options at the moment; and if you only just sold him, he hasn't yet given convincing evidence for anyone to repent of that.

Rayan Cherki has caught the eye as well in his last couple of outings for City; but the ever-present threat of 'Pep Roulette' must give us pause on that for a while, I think - until we see if he might become a regular and influential starter.

BEST OF LUCK, EVERYONE!