Thread by @FPL_InHindsight, Well with GW36+ finally drawing to a close & with less than [...]

Well with GW36+ finally drawing to a close & with less than 24hrs to the GW37+ deadline, let's have a Stat Attack for GW36+

All data taken from @FFScout members area. They're doing a free 3 day trial too, so don't forget to check it out.

1. To Mo or not to Mo? From the stats point of view Salah is smashing it as usual. Top for shots, SITB, SOT, 2nd for BCs, xG, 3rd for xGI, there's no doubt that he's in the thick of the action. Over the last 2 GWs especially he's been very unlucky to not get at least 1 attacking

return with 6 SOT & 3 BCs. All positive signs right? I don't think it's that straightforward. My concern with Salah isn't that he hasn't performed or that he won't in the next 2. It's the sacrifice you need to make to get him in. I've seen people look to get Salah in this GW

in place of players like KDB, Sterling, Mahrez etc. With most City assets getting a rest in 36, the likelihood is that they'll probably start in 37. They face a Watford team without a CS since restart & fresh from conceding 3 goals to West Ham. City scored 8 in the reverse game!!

2. A fallacy I've seen on Twitter recently is that Liverpool will be facing *that* Chelsea defence hinting at a hiding. Here are Chelsea's defensive numbers since restart per game:
Shots: 8.5 (5th best)
SITB: 5.8 (3rd best)
SOT: 3 (5th best)
BC: 1.8 (8th best)
xGC: 1.2 (8th best)

Clearly the stats don't back up the theory of Chelsea being terrible defensively. Another point not being talked enough is that 4 points guarantees Chelsea's top 4 spot. Logically, you'd think they'd be trying to get that 1 point out of the Liverpool game & win against Wolves at

home in 38. Taking this into consideration, I think Frank will set his team up even more defensively & try to keep the score down. Going back to the Salah/Mane conundrum, my advice would be hold if you own them or buy if you don't have other priorities to sort but they're not a

must buy, not for GW37 at least, definitely not for a hit. Another dilemma managers face is what to do with their Chelsea assets, my recommendation is Pulisic is an easy hold (unless you're selling for a United or City asset) since he could unlock Liverpool on the counter. Giroud

& Willian can be sold to other assets with better fixtures & stats in a simlar bracket.

3. Giroud had a plethora of chances & frustrated his fantasy to quite a large extent inspite of getting a goal. He had 8 shots, 3 BC & 2 shots on target. It was his inaccuracy which was his

major downfall as he missed chance after chance to score. Chelsea on their part weren't at their fluent best & Norwich were able to frustrate them by not conceding many clear cut chances initially. Norwich did however conceded lots of headed chances (9) & it looked like a goal

could have come from every Chelsea corner. This should bode well for Burnley who've scored 8 goals directly from corners this season. Tarkowski, Wood, Long would relishing this opportunity.

4. With West Ham having beaten Watford & effectively sealed their safety, it leaves

Watford, Bournemouth & Villa to fight it out amongst themselves for the 2 relegation places. I think having fantasy interest in their games can lead to some interesting & surprising results. Let's see why & how. Bournemouth & Villa are 3 points behind Watford & need to win

atleast 1 of their remaining 2 games to stay up. With both teams chasing wins it is likely to leave gaps in defence allowing their opponents to capitalise. Let's consider their cases one by one.

5. Aston Villa have the worst GD of the 3 teams & may need to do that extra bit if

it comes down to it on the final day. Their remaining 2 games are Arsenal home & West Ham away. Villains will face Arsenal 71 hrs after Gunners's FA Cup SF vs City. With Arsenal sure to play their full strength team vs City & also likely to have a lot of tired legs because of

all the chasing they'd inevitably have to do, the Arsenal game actually feels like a great game for Villa to target for a win. I'd expect Dean Smith to attack Arsenal & this should lead to a very open game. In case, Villa don't win vs Arsenal & are still in with a chance for

safety in GW 38, I'd expect West Ham vs Villa to be a goal fest.

6. Bournemouth have shown some fight in the last 3 games & with games against Southampton & Everton, they'll back themselves to pull of a heist. Bournemouth too like Villa will have a much better rest period than

their opponents in GW37. They have a rest period of 90hrs to Saint's 64h & this could have a bearing in the game especially in the 2nd half. With Southampton in great form & Everton not, it's entirely possible that Eddie Howe takes a point against Saints if they're level in the

2nd half.
In all the 4 games involving Villa & Bournemouth, it is tough to predict which way the cookie will crumble but my bet would be at least 1 of them will turn into a goal fest, if not more.

7. Watford's situation looks the most precarious out of all the teams inspite of

being 3 points ahead. This is because of their upcoming fixtures: Man City (H), Arsenal (A). With 0 points a likely possibility Watford will be keen to avoid a thrashing as their GD could keep them up by the barest of margins. With the way they're defending a narrow defeat looks

unlikely against City & it might actually force their hands to come out & attack against Arsenal in GW38.

8. Leicester City finally looked back to their best this GW against Sheffield United. They created 6 big chances & Vardy was involved in all of them. He created 4 big

chances & received another 2 himself. His fantasy managers could count themselves very unlucky as they could've had a monster haul on another day. For managers who still own him there might still be hope for redemption as they face a Spurs side who will be without Dier again &

possibly Aurier too.

9. For captaincy this GW, it's between the United & City assets again. West Ham turn up to Old Trafford having virtually secured their safety & could be slightly less concentrated as they might've been otherwise. Martial looks like a great contender as he's

scored more points than any other player in home games since restart with 56, with 3 double digit returns in the last 3. With just 1 blank since restart Bruno remains a viable & popular captaincy option this GW & is likely to continue his rich vein of form.
Rashford is finally

delivering on his underlying numbers & offers a differential captaincy option from United. Rashford's creativity along with his goal threat makes him an explosive option & with the next penalty likely to come his way, he could really propel you up the ranks if things go his way.

Another thing notable about Rash was that he often played through the middle for brief periods in games with Martial taking up his role out wide in the last 2 matches.

10. My captain is likely to be a City asset this GW. With KDB's rest out of the way, I think he starts both the remaining games. My rationale behind not captaining Foden last GW had a lot to do with KDB's likely benching. I still like Sterling as a captaincy option however his

45 mins in GW36 didn't help matters in terms of start. If Raz had come on for a 15-20 mins cameo, I'd have been more confident of a start against Watford. Now the concern remains about how many minutes he gets in the FA Cup, which will not be known to us at deadline. My captaincy

debate is likely to rumble on till deadline but will be between KDB & Raz. Jesus remains a good option too but with 6 starts in 6 games & another one in the FA Cup, GW37 might just be the breather he needs. Watford's defensive vulnerabilities have been evident since restart &

with Sterling the highest scorer away from home this season, my armband is likely to go his way again after his hat-trick gift in GW35.

Hopefully this helps you guys out with your fantasy decision for this GW.
Likes & RTs appreciated.

@FplRichard @FPLarrows @allaboutfpl

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