Green arrows! Actual green arrows. It’s fair to say my choice of Alexis Sanchez as triple captain was almost perfect, as the Chilean amassed 81 points. I say almost perfect, because I didn’t expect Harry Kane to plunder four goals on Thursday night and prompt a hasty re-write of this opening paragraph. Kane’s total of 31 would have been a tasty 93 when trebled, but beggars can’t be choosers. I finished with 185 points (not a misprint) which smashed the average of 81. My overall ranking, which has taken a pummelling in recent times, has staged a mini-recovery and is back up to 178,290. It’s not bad, but with only one week to go, will there be a chance for it to get any better?
The Dilemma
There are only three games that matter. Liverpool host Middlesbrough in what should be a routine win as they go chasing a Champions League place. Coutinho is obviously the big draw here, especially with Firmino doubtful, but Dan Sturridge is back fit and we all know he has to make hay whilst the sun shines, so if you’re looking for a differential he could be an option. Man City are at Watford, who have basically hounded their manager out by all accounts so I’m sure they will bust a gut for him in his final game. I was doubtful about whether Pep would stick with Aguero and Jesus away from home but he surely will now, right? If not, there’s always De Bruyne and Silva to rely on. The final team with anything to play for takes us to the Emirates, where Arsenal will welcome Everton. Sanchez is an obvious choice against an Everton side who have nothing to play for, but don’t discount Ozil or even Giroud.
Chelsea have a nice looking fixture at home to relegated Sunderland, no doubt wanting to wrap up their season with a healthy win before being presented with the trophy. The problem is, they have an FA Cup final next weekend, so will they play a strong team? Hazard played 90 minutes on Monday which makes me doubt he will here, but the likes of Diego Costa were rested so he should be back in the fold. Man Utd have basically declared it’ll be the youth team and Bailly at home to Palace, whilst Spurs will travel to Hull and probably score a hatful. But if you don’t have Kane now, where have you been?
Also Consider…
With so little on the line across the majority of the fixtures, we have to go digging deeper for something of note. The golden boot race was looking pretty close until Kane smashed four on Thursday night, but when the entire team have the sole instruction to pass to you (as they did for the final half hour) then you too could score four goals. Kane leads Lukaku by two goals, Sanchez is one behind Lukaku but Costa is six behind, so it’s not going to be him.
It’s the last week so make sure you’ve used all your chips, and I guess make sure you have as many players in the three games that actually matter as possible, as the other seven games could have any result. I’m talking your WBA 5 – 5 Man Utd, Middlesbrough 8-1 Man City and Newcastle 5 – 1 Spurs type results. It’s not worth even trying to predict.
Oh, one final thing. The deadline is 2pm Sunday. So you can think about it all Saturday…
Captain
If you want to play it safe, captain Sanchez. I think Arsenal will beat Everton but I don’t think it’ll be enough to get them in the top four. Liverpool have the easiest fixture on paper which makes Coutinho an option, or Sturridge if you want to bring him in and take a gamble. The other obvious choice is Harry Kane. I imagine Spurs will get another couple of goals at least on Sunday and there’s no reason to believe he won’t be back amongst them. Anybody else is a rotation risk. Quote me on that.
It’s the final week of another FPL season. I only started this weekly preview half way through the season but I hope it has helped you on some level, even if it’s just reading about somebody making a series of terrible decisions and telling you about them in advance. Anyway, whether you are playing for fun or you are in a tightly contested money league, I wish you luck and may your arrows be green one final time. Hopefully, if my contract is renewed, I’ll be back with a full season of FPL antics. Have a great summer.