Dilemmas of the Week - GW 23 (25/26)

It looks as though the midwinter injury onslaught may be slackening off a little at last, as remarkably few new problems seem to have emerged during the past week. However, it seems likely at this time of the year that a number of players are carrying 'hidden' injuries of some sort, and may be well below their best. Team form is certainly all over the place at the moment, and it's very difficult to assess relative fixture-difficulty or anticipate match outcomes with any confidence. Moreover, Liverpool, City, Spurs, Newcastle and Chelsea are not yet assured of automatic qualification for the final phase of the Champions League, so might get tempted to rest key players ahead of the crucial last ties of the league phase next week. Palace and Forest, after their disappointing European results this week, also face massive games next week to guarantee their progression. Even if these looming European crunch matches don't affect player selection this weekend, they might be an unwelcome distraction in the players' minds. These are amongst the many reasons why it's a dreadful week to be considering playing any of the chips in!

I am 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 23?

Does anybody need to be moved out because of injury?

No clear details have yet been anounced regarding the knee injury that forced John McGinn off against Everton last week (looked like a cartilage problem to me); Emery has said it's not too serious, but could keep him out for a few weeks at least - and that will likely have a big negative impact on the team as a whole, since he had been so crucial to Villa's strong performances at the end of last year.

Marcus Tavernier pulled a hamstring against Brighton last week.

Tosin Adarabioyo's withdrawal against Brentford last weekend because of hamstring tightness was initially described as 'precautionary', but it now seems he's going to be ruled out for some weeks. Filip Jorgensen had to come off in the midweek game against Pafos after a knock, although he was unlikely to be replacing Robert Sanchez as the league starter anyway. Cole Palmer was complaining again of discomfort in his thigh after the Brentford game and was subsequently omitted against Pafos.

Leeds defender Gabriel Gudmundsson (a surprisingly popular pick in FPL, with over 4% ownership) has been suffering with leg muscle problems in training this week, and seems likely to miss today's game against Fulham.

Jeremy Doku and Nathan Ake were apparently omitted from the line-up in the shocking defeat by Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday because they felt problems during the warm-up, and are thus presumably very doubtful for this weekend. (At least that should mean that both Semenyo and Cherki can start....)

Bruno Guimaraes came off against PSV on Wednesday after suffering a knock to his ankle. It doesn't sound very serious, but he is a 'yellow flag' for the weekend.

Ben Davies broke his ankle in an unfortunate collision at West Ham last week, and will likely miss the rest of the season. Lucas Bergvall suffered a less serious ankle injury in the midweek game against Dortmund, looks set to be out for some weeks. I think Thomas Frank's been doing an awful job at Spurs; but you have to sympathise with his difficulties, now having 6 or 7 likely preferred starters sidelined long-term. At least Dominic Solanke was finally able to make a comeback against Dortmund - although there must be doubts about whether he's yet fit enough to play 90 minutes twice in succession.

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

Michael Keane is this week serving the last part of his three-match 'violent conduct' ban for hair-pulling.

Matheus Cunha had a good impact off the bench last week; but it's difficult to see how he's going to earn a regular start in the formation Carrick seems to want to play. Benjamin Sesko was another casualty of the new broom - although at least his pace and height may recommend him for certain fixtures (Arsenal this week?!), with Mbeumo probably moving to the right (at the expense of Diallo) to accommodate him occasionally as the No. 9.

Rob Edwards has said he intends to include Jørgen Strand Larsen 'in the squad' against City, despite his having just become the subject of a transfer bid; it might however be rather doubtful if he'll actually start in these circumstances (and Mané and Arokodare are starting to look like more than adequate substitutes for him anyway).

Did anyone give other cause to consider dropping them?

Rodri had a rare stinker against Bodo/Glimt in midweek; as did the whole City team, really. But you have to be wary of a 'wounded tiger'. City really need a 'statement win' now to restore confidence after a string of shakey performances, and I imagine they'll be fired up to try to give Wolves a proper spanking. (I wouldn't bet against Wolves to nick at least one goal off them, though.)

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

Well, I've been particularly glad to see Ben White back as the Arsenal right-back, and he was excellent last week; but, alas, he seems to have fallen somewhat out of favour with Mikel, and there must be doubts about whether he'll keep the start once Calafiori and Hincapie are available again. Karl Darlow, stepping up to replace the recently struggling Lucas Perri in goal for Leeds, had a very good game against Fulham. He's probably not good enough to get in anyone's FPL squad purely on merit (and there may be some doubts about how long he'll keep the start), but, at only 3.9 million pounds currently, he is looking like a very tempting 'budget-enabler' (much more so than the long-time favourite in that slot, Martin Dubravka; more expensive, and not in such convincing form recently).

And of course, Manchester United appear to be immediately transformed, their 'true potential' unlocked by Michael Carrick. Bruno Fernandes has been a top midfield pick for quite a while already, but he now faces competition - within his club quota! - from Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo in midfield, and also from Patrick Dorgu (a goalscoring defender is always nice to have) and Harry Maguire (he's finally back???).

BEST OF LUCK, EVERYONE!