The Rounded Keeper - FPL Pub Talk & Matchday Banter 2021/22

[Oxford NZ]

renton top scores with 81 in the rounded keeper league and wahini goes top with a GW score of 79 and a 414 over all FPL points and an OR of 1260

Average score was 61

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... sp=sharing

[nemo7x]

I needed Lulu to do something....... 46 all out.

He didn't response because his name is Lukaku not Lulu

[Smurphy Paw]

How is it that more than 3 million FPL players have brought in Ronaldo in little more than 2 weeks and his value has gone up just .1 mil!?

As a new addition to the game his price was locked for the first week or so when a lot of the transfers were made.

Also a good proportion of the transfers will have been on wild card. Presumably the FPL price change mechanics remain the same this year and these transfers don’t count towards rises/falls

[blahblah]

I needed Lulu to do something....... 46 all out.

He didn't response because his name is Lukaku not Lulu

Not when the lump blanks it isn't

[Fatbat]

How is it that more than 3 million FPL players have brought in Ronaldo in little more than 2 weeks and his value has gone up just .1 mil!?

As a new addition to the game his price was locked for the first week or so when a lot of the transfers were made.

Also a good proportion of the transfers will have been on wild card. Presumably the FPL price change mechanics remain the same this year and these transfers don’t count towards rises/falls

Ah, didn't know that. Thanks!

[raoul]

renton top scores with 81 in the rounded keeper league and wahini goes top with a GW score of 79 and a 414 over all FPL points and an OR of 1260

Average score was 61

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... sp=sharing

And I was last!

It seems I am not doing "average" this season...

[blahblah]

renton top scores with 81 in the rounded keeper league and wahini goes top with a GW score of 79 and a 414 over all FPL points and an OR of 1260

Average score was 61

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... sp=sharing

And I was last!

It seems I am not doing "average" this season...

I'm too embarrassed to look

[TheRumourMill]

What a bizarre week in FPL, I hadn't picked it out as an obvious rotation hotspot yet that was what we got. Anyway, its not even really related to FPL that much, but is anyone else absolutely baffled by Leicester? Having found a formation and style which worked really well towards the end of least season, he's now torn it all up to placate his favourites Barnes and Maddison, who are both wildly overrated and playing like drains to boot. Absolutely bizarre. So he's got his best finisher on the bench alongside his biggest signing of the summer, both of them kicking their heels as the team fails to win again and again. I don't know what he's scared of, people mention the injured centre backs but surely better to have one Amartey in there than carry 2 passengers in midfield every week?

[germainelefoe]

What a bizarre week in FPL, I hadn't picked it out as an obvious rotation hotspot yet that was what we got. Anyway, its not even really related to FPL that much, but is anyone else absolutely baffled by Leicester? Having found a formation and style which worked really well towards the end of least season, he's now torn it all up to placate his favourites Barnes and Maddison, who are both wildly overrated and playing like drains to boot. Absolutely bizarre. So he's got his best finisher on the bench alongside his biggest signing of the summer, both of them kicking their heels as the team fails to win again and again. I don't know what he's scared of, people mention the injured centre backs but surely better to have one Amartey in there than carry 2 passengers in midfield every week?

It is weird yeah, especially the Iheanacho benchings, when he ended last season so well. Another aspect of it is that Vardy has quietly been getting the job done in FPL (now is the second highest scoring fwd in the game) yet has been completely ignored by all fpl podcasts and twitter accounts. I get that his price is high, but nobodys even mentioned him.

[SirMattBugsby]

Barnes hasn't been that bad imo, was very good in the EL game against Napoli. Iheanacho needs to replace Maddison in the 10 role.

[Ruth_NZ]

Anyway, its not even really related to FPL that much, but is anyone else absolutely baffled by Leicester? Having found a formation and style which worked really well towards the end of least season, he's now torn it all up to placate his favourites Barnes and Maddison, who are both wildly overrated and playing like drains to boot. Absolutely bizarre. So he's got his best finisher on the bench alongside his biggest signing of the summer, both of them kicking their heels as the team fails to win again and again. I don't know what he's scared of, people mention the injured centre backs but surely better to have one Amartey in there than carry 2 passengers in midfield every week?

Iheanacho can certainly consider himself unfortunate, though I'm not sure he's the best finisher at the club. It certainly is surprising that the Vardy/Iheanacho pair hasn't had a look in.

Personally I rate Barnes highly and he wasn't far from being in my wildcard team, had he already fallen to 6.7m he might have been but I didn't want to buy a price drop. He did score and assist against Napoli in a proper EL game last week. He's coming back after a long injury and it looks to me that he is getting near to his level. My suspicion is that we may see Leicester trying a 4-4-2 soon, that would accommodate everyone except Maddison.

One other aspect is that Leicester have enlarged their squad in order to make a better run at the EL this season. By adding Daka and Lookman and with Barnes back fit, they have attacking options they didn't have last time. Rodgers is a good manager, he'll figure something out. But it may well be that Leicester need the run of European games to stretch their squad and provide enough opportunity for rotation. The early weeks of a season can be difficult for larger squads in that respect.

[SirMattBugsby]

Love how RNZ explains a point so well and I say it in 2 lines like, "I think so too!" Always good to have someone like that, esp on a forum

[TheRumourMill]

On vardy, I think Leicesters malaise is masking the fact he is playing quite well. He's always been a fairly unfashionable player too!

I think Rogers is a great manager, which is why I'm surprised he seems to be persisting with something that isn't working. I think the Europa League comment is a fair one and it's good to see them taking it seriously. I just think Barnes could have been eased in gradually, rather than destroying a functioning team to accommodate a half fit winger and a woefully out of form number 10.

[Ruth_NZ]

I think Timo Werner might turn out to be Chelsea's secret weapon this season.

One thing I have noticed since Lukaku arrived is that he has had a negative effect on Chelsea's attacking play. Last season, without a focal point in most games, our attacking play was all combinations, it was unpredictable and fluid, especially when Kai Havertz was playing as a half-9. Attacks could unfold in multiple ways. Now, with Lukaku, the team plays much more to him and the focus for chance creation is much more to him. It's more obvious and the two inside-forwards (whoever is picked, let's say Mount & Havertz) have looked a bit less sure of their role, less dynamic.

This is nothing against Lukaku, he's obviously a great addition; I have long considered him to be at least the equal of Harry Kane and now think he is clearly the better player. He's not fundamentally selfish like Ronaldo is and he'll definitely serve the team rather than expecting it to serve him. Part of what I have described is simply a case of him not being fully integrated yet, he only had 4 games so far. Also he's a very good finisher and is great in the air so will give the team plenty. But the issue of the focal point creating more predictability for opposing defences will remain valid.

That's where Werner comes in. It was interesting to see how Spurs opened the game on Sunday - high line, high press, try to catch Chelsea playing out from the back. It worked for a while and it's something other teams will try too. But it is far harder to do if Werner is in the team because he always and immediately gives Chelsea a threat going long, not for hold-up (few better than Lukaku at that) but the ball over the top. His pace is frightening and to play a high, squeezed-up defensive line against a team with Werner in it would be extremely risky. It would restore an element of unpredictabilty to Chelsea's attacking patterns and make it harder to press them in the build-up phase.

It's not a question of either Lukaku or Werner, though Timo is surely going to be used as #9 in games when Lukaku needs resting, perhaps later in the season. But Werner can also play with Lukaku as one of the inside forwards, furthest forward in some situations and slightly deeper/wider in others. We might even see a 3-5-2 (as TT implemented in the 2nd half against Spurs) in some games. Wouldn't even be surprised to see that against City, who will undoubtedly try to squeeze Chelsea and will be open to the ball over the top. It might be too soon - it would take some coaching of Werner/Lukaku about how to work as a pair, detailed work that I saw TT do last season with Werner/Kai. But I do think Werner has an important part to play for Chelsea this season, more so than may be apparent thus far.

[TheRumourMill]

Great analysis Ruth, thanks for that. Just to add that Werner's best work in his career so far came at Leipzig when he was playing in a front 2 with either Schick or Poulson, much bigger target man types who can hold the ball up almost as well as Lukaku. Werner has been awful so far at Chelsea, there's no getting away from that. But he's also been played out of position and in a style not geared to get the best out of him. If Chelsea try out a front 2 or Werner as an inside forward along side Lukaku, thats giving him the best chance of success. If it works, great, if not, then you can sell him safe in the knowledge you gave him the best possible opportunity to thrive.

[Ruth_NZ]

Werner has been awful so far at Chelsea, there's no getting away from that.

Most Chelsea fans wouldn't agree and neither would I. His finishing has been awful but everything else has been pretty good. Whether he has that finishing ability in him is the open question but his previous track record suggests he does and he's only 25 so not the finished article. For me it's not conclusive by any means. What he certainly can do is to give a variety to Chelsea's attacking patterns; it will be harder for opposition coaches to prepare a high-line high-press approach if they think there's a good chance Werner will be playing.

[TheRumourMill]

Werner has been awful so far at Chelsea, there's no getting away from that.

Most Chelsea fans wouldn't agree and neither would I. His finishing has been awful but everything else has been pretty good. Whether he has that finishing ability in him is the open question but his previous track record suggests he does and he's only 25 so not the finished article. For me it's not conclusive by any means. What he certainly can do is to give a variety to Chelsea's attacking patterns; it will be harder for opposition coaches to prepare a high-line high-press approach if they think there's a good chance Werner will be playing.

I guess the finishing has kind of blinded me to other aspects of his play, he was the starting centre forward for the entity of the champions League campaign after all, and that went ok I suppose I just get worrying Roberto soldado at spurs or Torres at Chelsea vibes where the link up play and assist potential is rather good but you can't trust them with shooting any more. Completely agree on the high press negation by the way. I'll be interested in seeing how it plays out.

[Ruth_NZ]

Completely agree on the high press negation by the way. I'll be interested in seeing how it plays out.

As luck would have it, an interview with TT just came out on the Chelsea website where he spoke about just this.

"Timo can play with Romelu, that is sure, and he did very well at Tottenham the last 25 to 30 minutes of the match. That gave us a clear impression of how dangerous these two can be together. We had him in dangerous positions around Romelu, he was not too far out on the pitch, he was in and around the box and he had his chances, and the assist which was well done."

[germainelefoe]

James Milner has a cold (Source Klopp interview on Sky pre Norwich game tonight). Doesn't mean much for FPL I guess but perhaps makes TAA slightly more likely to start again at the weekend.

[Lucky]

Torres playing in the EFL Cup tonight, probably too tired to play against Chelsea at the week-end.

[germainelefoe]

Norwich v Liverpool sounds like its at Anfield, and has done since the start.

[raoul]

For those concerned about BHA GK2, Steele starts tomorrow night apparently

[Kris_fiso]

Man City dont look like they need a striker

[Ruth_NZ]

Man City don't look like they need a striker.

No, not as long as they only have to play Norwich, Wycombe or a 10-man Arsenal. Any inept opponent will do really.

[murf]

Man City don't look like they need a striker.

No, not as long as they only have to play Norwich, Wycombe or a 10-man Arsenal. Any inept opponent will do really.

Or Southampton. Oh......

[Ruth_NZ]

Man City don't look like they need a striker.

No, not as long as they only have to play Norwich, Wycombe or a 10-man Arsenal. Any inept opponent will do really.

Or Southampton. Oh...

Maybe Southampton aren't as inept this season as we are used to? I am kind of waiting for the statutory 9-0 defeat to come along but maybe this season it won't?

[murf]

The Southampton thing is more that maybe they DO need a striker.

City have always been good at thrashing inept teams on good days and, relatively speaking, not as good at grinding out 1-0s when the going gets tough.

[Ruth_NZ]

The Southampton thing is more that maybe they DO need a striker.
City have always been good at thrashing inept teams on good days and, relatively speaking, not as good at grinding out 1-0s when the going gets tough.

Yeah, that was what I was saying really, though in an oblique way.
Chelsea v City this weekend will be fascinating tactically if nothing else. A 0-0 wouldn't surprise me at all.

[blahblah]

The Southampton thing is more that maybe they DO need a striker.
City have always been good at thrashing inept teams on good days and, relatively speaking, not as good at grinding out 1-0s when the going gets tough.

Yeah, that was what I was saying really, though in an oblique way.
Chelsea v City this weekend will be fascinating tactically if nothing else. A 0-0 wouldn't surprise me at all.

I'm not expecting many goals, unless there is a very early one.

[Ruth_NZ]

Yeah. Both teams will want a win, of course, but this early in the season you'd think that neither manager would be that disappointed with a draw.