The unluckiest player in the EPL?

 

I am a huge fan of Cole Palmer. And I have him in my FPL team... perhaps more often than most folks. Sometimes, indeed, when I probably shouldn't; when I'm being a bit over-optimistic about a coming 'turn' in fixtures or an end to a mini goal-drought being the possible catalyst for a big upturn in form.

But I've been frustrated in his returns this season; yes, disappointed in him. So have many other FPL managers.

A lot of this 'disappointment', though, is probably inappropriate, unfair. It arises from the inflated expectations we have of the lad. We know what he's capable of at his best; and it's so, so, so much more than what he's given us so far this year. We remember his debut season with Chelsea, when he was the FPL 'Player of the Year'; and we want that - or even better! - every year.

Palmer's still the 6th highest-returning midfielder this year (and but for that unfortunate sending-off last week, would be much higher). Apart from the extraordinary run of form that Gross and Tavernier have been on, he's way up towards the top of the leading pack. He's started every game, and has returned 5 times in the 9 fixtures so far - including a nice double-digit haul in the season opener against Fulham. Indeed, despite a couple of big sell-off weeks, he's still owned by over 3 million Fantasy managers - more than treble his initial ownership: enough to have raised his value in the game by 300,000 pounds. So,... he's not doing at all badly.

But it's becoming frustrating to own him because.... well, damn, he is being astonishingly unlucky! Almost every week he's had at least one cracking effort on goal - often more - whistle just wide, rattle the woodwork, or draw a sharp save from the keeper. Most weeks Chelsea have had at least one decent shout for a penalty (which he would take, and almost assuredly despatch) bafflingly turned down by the officials. And just about every single week he's created at least one absolute peach of a chance for one of his illustrious colleagues - Morgan Rogers, Joao Pedro, or Pedro Neto - only to see them shin it into the stands or something. He could very easily have about twice as many FPL points as he currently does!

The current Gameweek 9 has given us a particularly egregious example. Estevao was clearly tripped in the box by Dalot - an absolutely stone-cold penalty that wasn't given. Palmer converted a later penalty that the referee couldn't ignore, but... missed out on a share of at least the last bonus point with fellow goalscorer Morgan Rogers by just a single BPS credit. And this because defenders Acheampong and Fofana had somehow achieved massive BPS numbers!! I really don't know how: there's clearly no qualitative element to this, or no adequate reflection of certain types of error - Fofana, in particular, was getting done for pace again and again by Amad Diallo, and was only being spared the opprobrium of being the reason for Chelsea's defeat because the Ivorian winger's finishing was so sloppy every single time he got in behind for a chance to shoot.

And to add insult to injury, Palmer had a very busy all-around game and ended up with 11 credited 'defensive contributions' - just one short of what he needed to be awarded 2 extra points!! (I absolutely hate that we never have any idea who's done well on 'defcon' in a match, or how; it's all a complete bloody mystery! And it seems innately random, arbitrary, unjust.)

So, yep, he got a very creditable 8 points this gameweek. But it really feels as if it should have been 18 points!!!

If Palmer is not currently the unluckiest man in FPL, he's certainly very close. Or perhaps we, his long-suffering owners, are the unluckiest people in FPL....

[On the other hand, it's always useful to maintain a sense of perspective. Cole was a bit lucky even to be playing this Saturday, as either of his yellow-card fouls against Spurs last week could have been a straight red; and the first one certainly should have been called as a 'violent conduct' offence, resulting in a three-match ban. (The second one I feel was not red card-worthy; in fact, it probably shouldn't even have been a yellow card. Although he did step on Conor Gallagher's ankle, the contact was only light and fleeting, not a crunching stomp; and it really wasn't his fault - Gallagher had slid in dangerously under him, sticking his leg under Palmer's just as he was about to finish his step and so making it impossible to avoid treading on him. So, some folks would argue that it was unlucky - unjust - that he got sent off at all.)

Moreover, in this week's game, the penalty that he did get was one of the worst he's ever taken: telegraphed, nowhere near the post, and lifted just enough to make it more invitingly saveable for the keeper. Lammens, having got hands to it, really should have kept it out.]