'Back To The Future'
My opponent this week was my old friend Adi, and I needed to stop the rut after losing four straight games. My promising start to the head-to head season was now non-existent after my poor run of form. I won five out of my first seven matches, and since then I have only won one out of eight, which is shambolic. Relegation form. Pitiful.
I had two free transfers to make, after not making any for gameweek 15 in midweek. Again I toyed with who I could bring in. I decided to make transfers that would help my budget, as in one of the coming gameweeks I planned to use my bench boost, so I wanted to have good options all over my squad. As Alex McCarthy has now taken over as Southampton's number one, I decided to bring him in for Angus Gunn, as I had been using Ben Foster every week recently. I also decided to get Brighton's Lewis Dunk into the team, despite the fact he likes to get booked, he is a goal threat from set pieces, and he has a couple of assists this season too. I was going to put both of my new players on the bench, but then I had a late change of heart, and started both of them, would I go on to regret that?!
As I had no one playing in the early match between Everton and Chelsea, Liverpool started things off well for me in the 3pm games. A 3-0 away win at Bournemouth for the Reds, was capped by a goal and assist by my captain for the gameweek Mo Salah. I had decided to pick Salah, as he was not used in the 5-2 win at home to Everton, so I knew he would be fresh. Salah was actually not the star performer in the game however, as Naby Keita also scored and assisted. What was even more nice, was the fact that Liverpool kept what was only their third clean sheet in the league, so there were even more points for Andy Robertson at the back. Sadio Mane, did not start as he was rested for Liverpool's important European game against Salzburg, therefore my first substitute John McGinn would be whom I got points from when Aston Villa played at home to Leicester on Sunday. As I benched Foster, and Crystal Palace's Martin Kelly for McCarthy and Dunk respectively, the only people I had play on Saturday were from Liverpool. So as it always goes, trust the game between Watford and Crystal Palace to finish goalless at Vicarage Road. 'Rage!'. This meant I missed out on bonus points from Kelly, and of course clean sheet points from him and Foster. Adi, had Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford in his side and they both scored, Kane got two and an assist in fact, so I ended Saturday well behind. I did have 9 men still to play though, so I was very optimistic about making up the gap. Adi had only 4 men still to play, so if I could not get at least a draw, then you know it just was not meant to be.
So to Sunday, and with me having three Leicester players, I needed them to deliver against Aston Villa. And deliver is exactly what they did, with a 4-1 win at Villa Park. Jamie Vardy grabbed two goals, and James Maddison got an assist. Maddison actually got two 'fantasy' assists, as his ball in, took a nick off of a defender before Kelechi Iheanacho scored the second goal. There was no clean sheet for Alex McCarthy at St James Park, as Newcastle won 2-1 against Southampton. Of course Danny Ings got on the scoresheet, meaning he has scored three games in a row since I decided not to put him back in my side, and he has scored in five consecutive league games overall now. 'What a mistake I made!'. Sheffield United came from behind to beat Norwich 2-1 at Carrow Road, but there was no big contribution from my two Blades players, John Lundstram and Lys Mousset. Mousset also came off injured, hopefully he will not be out of action for too long. So thanks to Leicester, I knew I had already won this week, but I still had two men left to play in the last game of the day between Brighton and Wolves. The game finished 2-2, and Lewis Dunk also was booked, so he got me no points, 'yes zero! , thanks mate!'. This meant I missed out on the eight points that Kelly got for no reason, which infuriated me, I should have just left him and McCarthy on the bench, like I was originally going to. But I have this thing where I immediately like to start my new players that I transfer in, just in case they make a good contribution. I did get an assist from Raul Jimenez at the Amex Stadium however, which was the only consolation. I am seriously thinking of putting Ings back in for Jimenez now next week, as Southampton play West Ham, who are basically hopeless at the moment. Knowing my luck Ings' run will end though.
So I was back with a win, and my points tally, could have been even better had I stuck with my original plan. A solid week nonetheless with 68 points, and I have risen in a majority of the traditional leagues I am in. I still languish in mid-table in the head-to-head league, but hopefully I can go on a run now. The only problem I may have is that my points total may not be enough to qualify for the FPL Cup, which takes the best point scorers of week 16, but I will find out in due course about that.
@DubulDee
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