My gameweek 10 opponent was the head-to-head league's biggest trash-talker, Muji. Muji, was a former champion of the 'Justice League' and had won four of his last five games this time around. He is always gunning to defeat me as he knows that I used to be easily triggered, but I have worked on trying to not react sometimes when he is on the wind-up. I was looking for my fifth consecutive victory and if I was to succeed here then it just may be the most satisfactory one thus far.
Previously, I would feel that I need to make a change given I may have felt intimidated at being taunted by my opponent, but I looked at my team and thought I might just be able to leave it as it is. When I used the 'wildcard' in gameweek 9, I had belief that the players selected could do a job over their small group of fixtures, so I decided to keep the faith. Dejan Kulusevski, was the only player that I was likely to let go, but in the end I decided to stick with him for Tottenham's trip to Palace as he was so close to getting me vital differential points against Fulham. I wanted to get Kaoru Mitoma back into my team as Brighton's upcoming fixtures on paper look like a points-fest but for this week I left it alone. I had scoured Muji's team and his team looked good, but I had a feeling that he may use his wildcard and my instincts served me right as when the deadline passed I saw he had used it. To my surprise he let go of the in-form Spurs midfield duo of Heung-min Son and James Maddison as well as their teammate Pedro Porro (who I had). He went all-in on Arsenal as they had what looked like straightforward fixtures coming up and I was cautious whilst also bemused at the same time. He also doubled up on Brighton midfielders and this was all going to be very interesting, Muji and I both captained Mo Salah.
The action began on Friday, as my local Premier League team Crystal Palace welcomed Tottenham. Odsonne Edouard went close in the first half as Guglielmo Vicario made a decent low stop as the Eagles were the better team for the first 50 minutes. It was to be Spurs who took the lead however, as Maddison cut in and fired across the box and Joel Ward put through his own net as Maddison acquired a 'fantasy' assist. Ange Postecoglou's men made it 2 just over 10 minutes later when substitute Brennan Johnson found Son, who finished well, both the Spurs men Muji sold had now contributed. I was denied clean sheet points from Porro as Jordan Ayew scored a fantastic volley, but it was just to be a consolation. Friday ended 5-0 to me as Kulusevski blanked and his days might just be numbered in my side.
Saturday, started with Brentford's short trip to Chelsea and the Bees were to gain their third consecutive league victory at Stamford Bridge as they ran out 2-0 winners. Bryan Mbeumo, assisted the opener for Ethan Pinnock and then scored the second as Robert Sanchez had vacated the goal to come up for a corner. Sanchez fell when trying to get to Neal Maupay and Mbeumo put it into the unguarded goal. My opponent had sold Mbeumo to get in Mitoma and must have been pulling his hair out as he would have had a massive lead had he not made the changes he did. Mark Flekken, who returned early from illness has now kept back-to-back clean sheets, at £4.5m he could be a good option. Thomas Frank's men play West Ham next but then have Arsenal and Liverpool, before a decent run of matches until late January. If you have another keeper that has better fixtures then could get him in now, play him in gameweek 11, bench him for 12 and 13 and then play him from gameweek 14. In the 3pm contest that effected the head-to-head, if you told anyone Arsenal would score 5 goals you would have expected large hauls for Muji's duo of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli but between them they only contributed to one goal. The FPL gods were really looking down on me as he had Gabriel Magalhaes too and he was an unused substitute. Saturday, was actually my birthday, so it was only right that FPL acted according.
The late Saturday kick-off was at Molineux between Wolves and Newcastle. I had eagerly anticipated this encounter and it delivered as the poor weather did not spoil things. Matheus Cunha put an effort wide from a pass from Hee-chan Hwang as I thought points were coming my way. The Magpies took the lead as Jose Sa fumbled a ball in and at the second attempt Callum Wilson scored. Wolves drew level through a Mario Lemina header, as that man Pedro Neto assisted yet again as he now leads the league with 7 assists, but he unfortunately came off in the second half with what looks like a hamstring issue. Hwang effected the game at the wrong end as he conceded a dubious penalty right at the end of the first half. He kicked out but he seemed to kick the ball rather than fully connect with Fabian Schar, but it was viewed as not being a clear and obvious error by the referee so the on-field decision to award a penalty stood. Wilson bagged his brace from 12 yards and Eddie Howe's men went in 2-1 up. The second half saw a big cheer from me as that man Hwang redeemed himself to salvage Gary O'Neil's men a point. He collected the ball after really good work from Toti Gomes, sent Dan Burn for a hotdog with a sharp touch on his left foot before finding the bottom corner, 'woohoo!'. Was it 'Hwang Time!' or 'Hwang-nam Style!', it does not matter as my differential had delivered! At the time of print his ownership has only just gone up to 2.7% as his price has risen to £5.5m despite now having 6 Premier League goals. To my pleasure, Kieran Trippier was booked so ended with no points, and what made my birthday even sweeter was that Jamaal Lascelles came in for Magalhaes not starting and he also got a big fat zero as Muji's defenders were crumbling. 'Zero' was also a 2012 song by singer Keyshia Cole featuring Meek Mill and Muji will have been feeling meek after his Arsenal and Newcastle players let him down. Saturday concluded with me up 12-9 as a plethora of our players did not step on the pitch until Sunday.
So, to Sunday we go. West Ham and Everton kicked things off at the London Stadium in a 1pm kick-off. The Hammers went close a couple of times, but Everton were wasteful when they had chances on the break. Muji and I both now had Alphonse Areola, as our keeper but he was not to get the clean sheet we desired as the Toffees prevailed thanks to a fine Dominic Calvert-Lewin goal. The Everton frontman turned well and finished low into the corner. Leaving Vladimir Coufal and James Ward-Prowse on the bench luckily did not come back to haunt me. In the 2pm games. Ollie Watkins, was the most transferred-in man for gameweek 10 as Aston Villa were at home to Luton. So, in true FPL fashion he blanked despite Villa winning 3-1. He was close to returning as a good double save from Thomas Kaminski prevented him from opening the scoring after he was found by Matty Cash. Many FPL managers brought Douglas Luiz into their sides and his run of scoring at home ended but he still provided for them as he assisted the first goal for John McGinn. The second goal for Unai Emery's men was expertly taken by Moussa Diaby who drove in a half volley. I pumped my fist at the goal as he was differential in the head-to-head. I got a notification that Diaby had made it 3-0 only to realise it was an own goal as Tom Lockyer turned his goal-bound effort into his own net. Luton pulled a goal back, and as I was listening to the Liverpool game I thought I had been robbed of Matty Cash clean sheet points, but Eman messaged the FPL WhatsApp group to inform that Cash was taken off before the goal own goal by Emiliano Martinez, 'come on!'.
Brighton and Fulham had a stalemate at the Amex Stadium. Luckily for me the FPL gods were still present as Mitoma and Adringa blanked as Pascal Gross made the Seagulls' goal for Evan Ferguson. Joao Palhinha levelled for the Cottagers with a good strike and this birthday weekend was lit considering I had not gone anywhere near a nightclub. Liverpool, kept up their 100% home record with a straightforward 3-0 dispatching of Nottingham Forest at Anfield. Diogo Jota gave the Reds the lead after Darwin Nunez's shot was saved by Matt Turner and he dedicated the goal to Luis Diaz whose parents were sadly kidnapped back home in Colombia. Nunez, got the second goal as Jurgen Klopp's men swiftly countered and he finished in the six-yard box from Dominik Szoboszlai's cutback. Salah had a role in both of the first two goals, but people were settling for the fact that he was not going to contribute when Turner misjudged a long ball from Szoboszlai and Salah made him pay as he slid the ball in with his right foot. Szoboszlai's double-figure haul was impressive and at £7m which is the same price that Kulusevski costs who has not yet returned for me, the Hungarian is under strong consideration. The issue is that will take up all my Liverpool slots and Nunez looks like he will assist even when he does not score if I was to decide to switch up my frontline.
The last match was the Manchester Derby at Old Trafford, regardless of United's lack of form, some thought as it was a Derby that this may go out of the window, but it was not to be close as City embarrassed their neighbours in a 3-0 away triumph. In fact, if it were not for the maligned Andre Onana, it could have been at least 5. Haaland scored the first from the penalty spot and would have got a second if it were not for a brilliant Onana save. The Norwegian did finally get his second as he headed in after a fine move by Pep Guardiola's men. Later, he was in on goal and could have got his hat-trick after Onana saved Rodri's powerful effort but instead he played the ball across the face of goal for Phil Foden to make it 3. Even without my differential here Julian Alvarez returning Muji was beaten, 75-56.
Muji has probably having sleepless nights thinking he used his wildcard prematurely and probably needs a hug, and I now actually fear for his next opponent to be honest as they will feel his wrath. For the first time since creating the Justice League I lay top of the table with 21 points, Dwayne also is on 21 points but I have more classic points then him which is why I am above him. I actually play Dwayne next in the big battle of the top 2 and I have already started plotting. After falling to 832k in the world on Saturday night, a walloping 63 points from my 8 men on Sunday put me back up to 373k overall, a lovely birthday weekend then now onto gameweek 11!
@DubulDee
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