FPL Gameweek 8
2 steps forward, 1 step back. Praise God this is not my destiny, but on this occasion I made a serious blunder. I could’ve been 3-6, rising up the ranks, chasing down the leaders, but I have been derailed ever so slightly. Not to worry however- your boy is as confident as ever. The penny also dropped- what happens if/when I win the league? Shall I reward myself to a Nandinos, or should I expect a grand prize from the participants of this great league? Surely we will arrive at the same conclusion in 30 Gameweeks’ time.
To the high-level statistics, the average points scored in the league this week was 43, slightly lower than the average across all FPL players at 44. Comparing last week’s average fixture differential (14 points), the spread narrowed significantly to only 10 points this week. 10/18 of the games were decided by single digits, whilst 4/18 of the fixtures had a 15+ points differential, and only 2 fixtures by 20+ points (a decrease from 6 last week). There were also no draws across the 18 games.
Notable mentions:
Fixtures of the week: For the ‘Upset of the Week’ I took a leap of faith with Kwamz FC and predicted he would defeat our league leader Excellent Finish, however I was sorely mistaken. He had a league low 25 points due to his 12 points transfer deduction, but even without that he still would have lost the match. How Excellent Finish (aka Excellent Matchups) continues to win week after week is beyond me. Going through his team there were no outstanding performances, however he has a knack for getting enough from the collective. The luck of the draw continues to favour him yet we know how quickly things can change. The predicted ‘Neck and Neck’ tie between DanDamn419 vs VibesFC went the way of the visitor as she won fairly comfortably by 10 points. The difference proved to be Isak’s 13 point contribution with not much else between the two teams. Finally for the ‘Goals Galore’ game I couldn’t have been more incorrect as the fixture between Chrissyleboss XI vs #1 FC had the joint fewest points total (64 points) of any across the league. Perhaps it would be prudent to believe the exact opposite of my predictions…
Top scorer: This goes to CK with a 73 points total and 26 point margin of victory. It was the perfect example of how to use a wildcard effectively and captain the correct player (Salah producing a 30 points return). With a solid defence and assists for Maddison and Watkins respectively, his victory was well-deserved.
Blooper: Looking through the losing teams I noticed I was not alone in succumbing to defeat due to transfer deductions. The sign of support is well noted and appreciated- it is nice to know if I go down others will also follow suit. ChaBALRS, #1FC, and most egregiously Undisputed lost their games due to this, with the latter ceding 16 points in the process. The risk/reward for making additional signings is a fine line to tread upon and many have been on the wrong side of it thus far.
Unlucky: WeBackAgain takes this one with his narrow 2 point loss. There weren’t many contenders this week as either mistakes were made or blowouts occurred making the outcomes predictable.
Making Moves: The biggest riser was Vibes FC with her 10 point win lifting her 9 positions to 16th place. The next highest was IamHimFC, who moved up to 20th from 27th position. On the lower end, Nu Creations dropped 7 places to 14th, hereby continuing his dismal run of form.
With the international break upon us, we have a week off to reflect on what has been a very packed footballing calendar (as I know most are disillusioned to these pointless friendlies). Looking forward to the fixtures after the resumption of the Premier League, here are my predictions for GW 9.
Upset of the week: I 1000% fancy my chances against 2nd placed Chrissyleboss XI and expect to get the win. I see no bias in this selection, but for an alternative choice, the fixture between TA TA TA (28th) vs Undisputed (4th) could also see the host emerge victorious. I expect most matchups to go in favour of the team placed highest, however the fixture differential may be similar to this week so expect some close calls.
Neck and neck: WeBackAgain vs IamJoseMurinho could be a close contest with both near the bottom and in search of a victory. All or nothing V3 vs Yessirree FC (I hate typing this name out alongside Agueroo…) is another one to watch out for and I also think it could be a ‘Goals Galore’ candidate.
Goals galore: Alongside the aforementioned fixture above, Agueroooooooo vs Rassclart Addz has the making of a high scoring affair with most teams stacked across in all departments. I think Rassclart takes it by 5 points, but it could go either way.
Until next time,
To a simpler life;