It’s all about the goals this week. I’m going big on strikers picking a forward looking 3-4-3 system so I’ll need to pray for a bit of luck at the back, better luck than I had last week.
I was an own goal away from having a complete clean sheet bonanza with goalkeeper and all four defenders not conceding. Unfortunately an own goal for Aston Villa against Crystal Palace lost me three clean sheets, this is one of the drawbacks of picking a goalkeeper and two defenders from the same team, you win big if it comes off, if it doesn’t, not so good.
Now on to this week…
Starting up front this week I’m picking the top strikers in the league with Sergio Aguero and Diego Costa both playing at home, City against Watford and Chelsea against Crystal Palace, I’m backing at least one of them to score a hat-trick.
In my column for the first week of the season I stated that picking these two was so expensive that the rest of the team would be so poor that the losses outweigh any gains. Under normal circumstances this would still be my philosophy but this week I think I’ve managed to get a decent blend to get enough points elsewhere to justify picking these two.
Using the 3-4-3 system I have a front three and on PremierPunt.com this week, and probably never again, I can also pick Chelsea’s new signing Pedro for a mere £7.5 million. I doubt he will be that price for long.
Defenders
That’s the easy part done, as I’ve often said before any idiot can pick Aguero and Costa, it’s getting points from the rest of the players that counts.
Despite not getting three clean sheets from players from one team last week, I’m using the same tactic this week, this time using three Aston Villa players. Villa are at home to Sunderland and I’m taking goalkeeper Guzan along with defenders Micah Richards and Ciaran Clark. Sunderland have been awful so far this season and I’m hoping Richards will keep Defoe quiet.
Completing my back three is Simon Francis of Bournemouth who are entertaining Leicester. Bournemouth have been playing well so far and had a good win last week and have a decent chance of keeping that all important clean sheet. Because I have spent the bulk of my cash on two forwards I have to be frugal with my spending on the rest of the team. None of my defence cost more than £8 million on PremierPunt.com.
Midfielders
From my £100 million budget on PremierPunt.com I’m left with only £30.8 million to pay for four midfielders, not easy.
Firstly I’m taking Morgan Schneiderlin from Manchester United for a surprising £7.2 million. Stoke’s new signing Xherdan Shaqiri could be brilliant or terrible, we will wait and see with interest, hopefully this week he will be brilliant. Stoke are at home to West Brom.
Norwich are playing Southampton on Sunday, tough game but I like the look of Nathan Redmond. I think he could score, if he gets a starting place. Completing my midfield is Gokhan Inler, Leicester’s new signing. Second placed Leicester are away to Bournemouth and therefore pitting one of my defenders against one of my midfielders, not something I will do very often. Redmond is my most expensive midfielder at £8.2 million with Shaqiri at £7.8 and Inler at £7.5 million.
Captain
My only difficult decision now is which one of Aguero or Costa to make my captain. The City man takes it as I think he could have a field day against Watford.
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