Average of 56. Brighton scored five past Crystal Palace, three of them inside the first ten minutes. Haaland got two and limped off. Chelsea kept their first clean sheet in 23 matches. I got 66 points and I am still not satisfied.
The average was 56. I got 66. Above average, but nowhere near satisfied with myself.
I am recording this before the 12:00 final processing, so some of the league standings I read out may shift slightly. Not by much, but I wanted to be upfront about that.
The week had some difficult moments. Schade was not supposed to play. I had not removed him from my team and he came on, picked up a yellow card, and got zero points. That is entirely on me. Brentford had chances against Liverpool until the red cards changed everything. Isak is back, which I did not expect. Chelsea beat Everton and kept their first clean sheet in 23 Premier League matches. Fulham beat Hull, which you expected, but Hull have lost something since the international break. Haaland got two goals and was denied the hat-trick. Newcastle were completely outclassed by Villa. Sunderland were affected by a red card. Bournemouth finally won their first game of the season. And Brighton absolutely demolished Crystal Palace 5-0.
GW7 Match Highlights
Brighton 5-0 Crystal Palace
The highest-scoring game of the gameweek and it was not remotely close. Brighton were 3-0 up in the first ten minutes. They pressed Crystal Palace into mistakes. Palace looked like a Championship side.
If you had Brighton assets, you only cared about three things: whether Gross delivered, whether De Kuyper got his points, and whether Verbruggen kept a clean sheet. For a 5-0 result, none of them left empty-handed. Verbruggen kept the sheet. Gross had an assist and a yellow card. De Kuyper collected his clean sheet points.
It started with a corner from Gross. Canvot headed it into his own net. 1-0. Then Diego Gomez scored the goal of the weekend from half pitch. The keeper was off his line and Gomez has been trying that shot for weeks. This time it went in. 2-0. Then Ayari scored. 3-0. At that point Crystal Palace looked shellshocked and it was one-way traffic from there.
Mateta hit the post. Someone else hit the post. But Kostulas and Vuskovic finished the game. Boscagli, Gross, Ayari, Kostulas, and Vuskovic had the assists. Kostulas got three bonus points. Ayari two. Boscagli one.
Crystal Palace were facing the best attacking side in the Premier League this season. You cannot fully hold that against them. But they looked terrible. No structure, no fight.
Newcastle 0-1 Aston Villa
If you had to nominate one marquee fixture this weekend, this was it. Newcastle were second best and it was not even close. If there had been a third team on the pitch, Newcastle would have been third.
Aston Villa put a long ball in and they were always clear. Every single time. Nicolas Jackson was everywhere but made poor decisions and worse finishes. If he had been Watkins in this game, he might have had a hat-trick. The 1-0 scoreline was a thrashing. Newcastle never really threatened.
I had Harvey Barnes. He got two or three points. My midfield did nothing. Manzambi finally scored for Villa and they just need to convert their chances at a better rate. When they do, they will have a very good season.
Joao Gomes had the assist. The same Joao Gomes who was sent off on his debut. I will say this plainly: this player will get many more red cards. He reacts. He cannot help it. He reminds me of a certain type of Argentine player who is calm one moment and wants to end your entire lineage the next. He seems emotionally unregulated. I would not be surprised if he misses several games through suspension before the season is out.
Manzambi got three bonus points. Suzuki got two. McGinn and Lindelof got one each.
Chelsea 1-0 Everton
The one surprise of the weekend. After 23 Premier League matches without one, Chelsea finally kept a clean sheet.
Other Results
There were five clean sheets across GW7 in total. And Tottenham finally won a match as well.
Haaland scored two for Man City and was denied the hat-trick. Captain reliable. He continues his record against promoted sides.
Brentford had good chances against Liverpool but the red cards changed the entire match. Once they went to ten men and then nine men, it was very difficult.
Isak is back. I genuinely did not expect that.
Fulham beat Hull. Hull have lost their momentum since the international break and they are starting to look like a team with a problem.
Bournemouth won their first game of the season.
Stats of the Week
Bobby Thomas is first in defensive actions this season. He has registered hits in five of seven matches and costs 4.0. That might be the cheapest route into defensive returns.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored in six of his last seven Premier League home matches.
Since his Premier League debut in August 2018, James Maddison has scored 21 goals from outside the box. At least two more than any other player. Kevin De Bruyne and James Ward-Prowse each have 19.
Pedro Neto now has three goals and one assist in the Premier League this season. Only one fewer goal contribution than Palmer and Rogers combined. He might be the cheaper route into the Chelsea attack.
Martinez was stretchered off after a collision. He will be out for around two weeks. Semenyo is out for eight weeks. If you have him, remove him.
Diego Gomez scored from 51 metres. The furthest-range Premier League goal since Rooney did it for Everton against West Ham in 2017 from 58 metres.
Brighton scored five or more goals in a match for just the second time in their history. The first was in January 1956 when they were in the Third Division South.
Brighton are the ninth team in Premier League history to score three goals in the first ten minutes of a match. The first since Newcastle did it against Spurs in April 2023.
By defeating Newcastle, Emery reached his 100th managerial victory in his 197th game. Only eight managers have done it in fewer games. He has been exceptional for them.
Haaland scored his 100th non-penalty Premier League goal in 139 appearances. The fastest in the competition's history.
Haaland has now scored in six consecutive Premier League games and has 22 goals in 22 matches against promoted sides.
Foden scored his first Premier League goal in 23 games.
Lewis Potter scored for Brentford. Five of his nine goals have been to make it 1-0. He only scores the important ones.
Isak has played against Brentford five times in his career and scored in each match.
Brentford lead the league in points dropped from winning positions with 11. Bournemouth have nine. Fulham eight.
Brighton have scored 23 league goals, the best in the Premier League. They have conceded five, tied for the best with Arsenal. Four clean sheets in a row.
Only Barcelona at 43 goals and Bayern Munich at 30 have scored more in all competitions this season than Brighton at 29.
Since Mikel Arteta became Arsenal manager in December 2019, Arsenal have had the most 1-0 wins in the Premier League with 32. Level with Everton.
Since the start of last season, Arsenal have the most goal contributions from their substitutes: 14 goals and 12 assists. Brighton are second. Aston Villa are third.
Tavernier has scored more Premier League goals this season than every player except Haaland, Joao Pedro, and Isak. If you do not have him, consider it.
Evanilson has scored in his last three games. Kostulas has had three goal contributions in his last three games as well.
664,000 managers triple-captained Haaland this gameweek. He gave them 39 points. Great call to all of them.
Haaland moves to joint second in the fantasy player standings on 58 points. De Kuyper leads. Gross is also on 58.
Crystal Palace have faced the most shots in the Premier League this season. They have allowed the most opposition touches in the box. The statistics say we should have been targeting them all along.
Player Performances: GW7
Goalkeepers
| Player | Points |
|---|---|
| Raya | 9 |
| Suzuki | 8 |
| Martinez | 8 |
| Petrovic | 6 |
| Verbruggen | 6 |
| Leno | 6 |
Defenders
| Player | Points |
|---|---|
| Hall | 11 |
| Vuskovic | 11 |
| Boscagli | 10 |
| Konsa | 9 |
| Lindelof | 9 |
Midfielders
| Player | Points |
|---|---|
| Neto | 15 |
| Ayari | 13 |
| Manzambi | 11 |
| McGinn | 11 |
| Tavernier | 10 |
Forwards
| Player | Points |
|---|---|
| Haaland | 13 |
| Evanilson | 12 |
| Kostulas | 12 |
| Calvert-Lewin | 9 |
| Isak | 9 |
| Marmoush | 9 |
FPL Global Picture
Haaland was the most selected and most-captained player globally this gameweek. Joao Pedro was the most vice-captained. 664,000 managers used their triple captain on Haaland and received 39 points from the armband. Well done to all of them.
Most selected globally: Haaland | Most captained: Haaland | Most vice-captained: Joao Pedro
Top Transfers In
| Player | Transfers In |
|---|---|
| Gross | 152,000 |
| Cherki | 147,000 |
| Tavernier | 134,000 |
| De Kuyper | 130,000 |
| Rogers | 111,000 |
Top Transfers Out
| Player | Transfers Out |
|---|---|
| Solanke | 238,000 |
| Semenyo | 191,000 |
| Bruno Fernandes | 168,000 |
| Wissa | 150,000 |
| Doku | 84,000 |
Szoboszlai has pulled his hamstring. Remove him. Semenyo is out for eight weeks. Remove him. Bruno is too expensive for what he is delivering. People are finally coming to that conclusion.
Global High Score
The highest-scoring team this gameweek got 122 points using a bench boost. The team is called blink 1-Eto'o. Their squad:
Here is how the global table looks heading into GW8.
The current world number 1 manager has been exceptional all season. Here is their squad.
Our League: GW7 Breakdown
Top Performers This Week
| Manager | GW Points |
|---|---|
| Jesce Njenga | 95 |
| Melita Elvis | 86 |
| xavinho stars | 86 |
| Ken Kimani | 84 |
| Arnold Midunga | 84 |
Jesce Njenga, manager of Jesce's Team, led our league this gameweek with 95 points. Their squad:
| Player | Points |
|---|---|
| Raya | 9 |
| Hall | 4 |
| Calafiori | 6 |
| Basi | 8 |
| Ayayi | 2 |
| Neto | 15 |
| Lewis Potter | 9 |
| Saka | 3 |
| Manzambi | 11 |
| Haaland (C) | 26 |
| Barry | 2 |
Bottom Performers This Week
| Manager | GW Points |
|---|---|
| keith njagi | 28 |
| Denis Mutua | 34 |
| Angular nayo | 34 |
| Haidar Yassin | 35 |
| kigz kigz | 36 |
Most Points on the Bench
| Manager | Bench Pts |
|---|---|
| Mathangani Kihoro | 23 |
| Mike Wao | 23 |
| Sir Chivini | 21 |
Transfers and Rank Movers
145 transfers were made across our league. Six wild cards were used. Five triple captains were played.
Biggest risers:
Biggest fallers:
Penalty points (most transfers):
Most Owned Players in Our League
| Player | Owners |
|---|---|
| Haaland | 44 |
| Calafiori | 43 |
| Joao Pedro | 43 |
| Gross | 36 |
| Raya | 29 |
Captaincy in Our League
| Captain | Managers |
|---|---|
| Haaland | 59 |
| Joao Pedro | 25 |
| Bruno Fernandes | 22 |
| Saka | 12 |
| Palmer | 10 |
| Isak | 6 |
| Wissa | 5 |
| Gross | 4 |
| Rogers | 3 |
| Schade | 3 |
| Odegaard | 3 |
| Morgan Gibbs-White | 2 |
| Doku | 1 |
| Barry | 1 |
| Schaki | 1 |
| Semenyo | 1 |
| Gayé | 1 |
| Gonzalo | 1 |
| Gabriel | 1 |
| Kostulas | 1 |
59 of us captained Haaland and he delivered 26 points with the armband. 22 managers are still on Bruno. I will leave that without further comment. Three managers captained Schade. He got zero. Three times zero is still zero.
Team Values
Highest:
Lowest:
Our Overall League Table
| Pos | Manager | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Kimani | 528 |
| 2 | Martin Asewe | 527 |
| 3 | Melita Elvis | 521 |
| 4 | Charles Cardovillis | 519 |
| 5 | John Mongi | 514 |
| 6 | Sam Loud | 513 |
| 7 | Papichulo | 508 |
| 8 | SAMBA BOYZ | 507 |
| 9 | Mistaken | 505 |
| 10 | Mutegi Mwangi | 502 |
Peter Kimani leads on 528 with Martin Asewe just one point behind on 527. It is as tight at the top as it has been all season. John Mongi is the biggest mover in the top ten, jumping six positions from 11th to 5th. Melita Elvis has risen four positions. Charles Cardovillis has dropped one. The gap between first and 84th place is around 100 points. If you are within that gap, do not give up.
Here is our league's tally leader heading into GW8.
GW8 Match Previews
Before the fixtures: Champions League is again this week. Many of our top teams are in Europe. Make your team decisions on Thursday or Friday morning. What happened to Cherki in GW7 will keep happening to players in the week. Rotation will be a factor.
Ipswich vs Nottingham Forest
Ipswich were beaten by Man City 3-2 but were very impressive throughout. Forest were solid defensively against Arsenal. Murillo had a chance that would have been one of the best goals of the season from a defender. Head-to-head favors Forest. Form-wise they are similar. Ipswich have lost three and won two in their last five. Forest have lost three and drawn one.
Ipswich are better going forward. Do not look for clean sheets from them. If Morgan Gibbs-White did not play the last fixture, I am not confident he plays this one. Choose wisely.
From Ipswich: Emerson, Enciso, and Davis. From Forest: Murillo, Delap, and Ndoye. I would rather enter Ipswich players before Forest players given recent form.
Man City vs Aston Villa
Both sides will have come through Europe this week. We do not know how Haaland looks. We do not know how Villa look either.
Villa were excellent against Newcastle. Four wins and one draw in their last five. Man City have four wins and one loss, the PSG game.
From Villa: McGinn and Manzambi are the best picks right now. If you want the goalkeeper, that is a personal call, but not against Man City. From Man City: with Semenyo out, Ndiaye could get more starts because of how hard he works. Haaland, Doku, and Ndiaye.
Arsenal vs Everton
Arsenal never look completely comfortable but they get results. Four wins in their last five. Everton have won two, drawn two, and lost one. They lost to Chelsea. I believe Arsenal win this.
If you have two or three Arsenal defenders, I would still encourage it. Barry is not the greatest finisher and that helps Arsenal defensively. From Arsenal: Rice, Calafiori, and Saka. From Everton: Tarkowski, Ndiaye, and Dewsbury-Hall. I would not have two Everton defenders.
Coventry vs Fulham
Coventry were beaten by Spurs but had won two in a row before that. Two wins and three losses in their last five. Fulham have two wins, two draws, and one loss.
Fulham look encouraged by their win over Hull. Garcia came so close to more contributions against Hull. He set up a chance that was hit straight at the keeper and his own shot hit the post. He could have finished that game with nine points. I am keeping him for one more fixture.
From Fulham: Castagne, Iwobi, and Garcia or King. From Coventry: Rudoni, Cherif, and Sakamoto.
Chelsea vs Tottenham
Chelsea's form is much better. Three wins, one loss, one draw. Spurs have two draws, two losses, and one win. Chelsea should win this.
From Chelsea: Joao Pedro, Palmer, and Rogers. I would choose Neto over Palmer personally. If you are considering Spurs players, Maddison is the first name. He has transformed how that team looks going forward. Maddison, Kulusevski, and Mbeumo as options. Both teams: stay away from the defenders for now. Chelsea finally kept a clean sheet, but the operative word is finally.
Crystal Palace vs Newcastle
Both teams are unimpressive right now. Palace have lost three, drawn one, and won one in their last five. Newcastle have lost three and won two. They are essentially at the same level.
Crystal Palace also have Europe, which adds another layer of unpredictability. If you are going to have Palace players: Yeremi Pino, Wharton, and one of the wing backs. From Newcastle: Lewis Hall, Wissa, and Harvey Barnes. I would not choose a captain from this fixture.
Hull vs Brentford
Hull have lost their momentum completely. Their numbers are terrible. Three losses and two draws in their last five. Brentford have two draws, two wins, and one loss.
I think the window has closed for Hull until they show something different. Grimes is unavailable. From Brentford: Sangare is a good shout. From Hull: Egan and Ayayi are cheap and can get you defensive points. I still like Mcburnie and Belloumi, but only if you believe in an upset.
Liverpool vs Brighton
This might be the most interesting fixture of the gameweek. Liverpool have won four of their last five. Brighton have won their last five. Both are in Europe. Make your decisions late, Thursday or Friday.
Brighton have not conceded in three or four games. It will be interesting to see whether Liverpool can break that. Up until the Brentford red card, Liverpool did not look that impressive. But Brighton are the best attacking team in the country right now.
From Brighton: Gross, De Kuyper, and Kostulas. From Liverpool: Isak if he is truly fit, Barcola, and Wirtz.
Man United vs Bournemouth
Bournemouth have been losing points from winning positions, but if they can fix that they can be a force. Three wins and two losses in their last five. Man United have lost two and drawn three. Form favors Bournemouth. I expect a draw.
From Man United: Mbeumo first, then Cunha. Bruno is too expensive for what he gives right now. From Bournemouth: Tavernier and Evanilson. Then Ryan or Adams.
Sunderland vs Leeds
Sunderland are not playing well in the league. They are doing well in Europe but it is coming at a cost. Two wins and three losses in their last five. Leeds have lost two, drawn two, and won one.
Sunderland have unavailable players and Europe to manage. From Sunderland: Hume, Le Fee, and Shaka. Hume in particular because he acts as a decoy and creates space. From Leeds: Calvert-Lewin, Okafor, and Bogle.
Captain Picks: GW8
- 1Ipswich vs Nottingham Forest — No captain from either side. Neither team offers enough certainty.
- 2Man City vs Aston Villa — Manzambi, Haaland, or Cherki if he is fit. Wait for European results before deciding.
- 3Arsenal vs Everton — I would go with an Arsenal defender. Rice or Calafiori are the picks.
- 4Coventry vs Fulham — Rudoni or Cherif from Coventry. Garcia or King from Fulham if you believe they will win.
- 5Chelsea vs Tottenham — Joao Pedro, Palmer, Neto, or Rogers from Chelsea. Maddison if you are considering Spurs. Chelsea is the right call.
- 6Crystal Palace vs Newcastle — Do not choose a captain from this fixture. If you must gamble: Wissa or Harvey Barnes.
- 7Hull vs Brentford — Thiago or Belloumi from Hull. Value picks if you believe in an upset. No captain from Brentford rotation risk.
- 8Liverpool vs Brighton — Gross, De Kuyper, or Kostulas from Brighton. Isak or Barcola from Liverpool. High-scoring game likely but I would not captain from here.
- 9Man United vs Bournemouth — Tavernier or Evanilson from Bournemouth. Mbeumo from United. Bournemouth are the better side right now.
- 10Sunderland vs Leeds — Calvert-Lewin is the clearest captain choice from this fixture. He scores at home and Leeds should give him chances.
Fixture Difficulty: Next 5 Games
My Assessment
The easy teams remain Man City, Brighton, Arsenal, and Chelsea. Get your players from those four and build the rest from there.
Arsenal face Everton, Liverpool, Hull, Newcastle, and Man City. I am only concerned about Liverpool and Man City. They can beat the other three. Rice, Calafiori, and Saka remain the picks.
Aston Villa have Man City first. Once that passes, Fulham, Man United, Sunderland, and Ipswich are all manageable. After the Man City game is when I would look seriously at Villa. Manzambi, Nicolas Jackson, and McGinn are the picks.
Bournemouth have Man United, Leeds, Ipswich, Forest, and Fulham. That is a genuinely good run for a team that just won their first game of the season. I am getting into Bournemouth. Tavernier and Evanilson are the picks.
Brentford have Hull, Forest, Brighton, Everton, and Man United. Mixed. Brighton is the difficult one. Outside Brighton these are winnable, but they have a habit of dropping points from winning positions. One or two Brentford players is fine.
Brighton have Liverpool, Man City, Brentford, Hull, and Newcastle. The unbeaten run might end this weekend or next against Man City. But I would not drop Brighton players now. Let the games play out first. Gross, De Kuyper, and Kostulas.
Chelsea face Spurs, Man United, Sunderland, Leeds, and Forest. All five of those are beatable for the Chelsea I am looking at. If you have three Chelsea players, keep them. If you do not have Neto, consider adding him.
Coventry have Fulham, Sunderland, Everton, Crystal Palace, and Leeds. These are good fixtures on paper. The concern is they just lost to Spurs, which adds some uncertainty. Cherif and Rudoni are the picks.
Crystal Palace have Newcastle, Spurs, Liverpool, Coventry, and Hull. Newcastle and Spurs are both beatable right now. After those two it gets harder. I would not heavily invest but there are gambling opportunities.
Everton face Arsenal and then Newcastle. Only Arsenal is a serious concern. After that: Coventry, Brentford, and Liverpool make for a manageable stretch. Tarkowski, Dewsbury-Hall, and Barry when the fixtures open up.
Fulham need to beat Coventry. If they cannot beat Coventry and Hull in back-to-back games, the manager is in serious trouble. Garcia, King, and Bobb if they find form.
Hull have Brentford, Ipswich, Arsenal, Brighton, and Crystal Palace. Arsenal and Brighton are the difficult ones. I had more faith in Hull a few weeks ago. Right now they look like a team that has forgotten what made them good.
Ipswich face Forest first. After that, Hull, Bournemouth, Spurs, and Villa. Once Forest is out of the way the run is very manageable. Enciso, Davis, and Emerson remain the picks.
Leeds have Sunderland, Bournemouth, Spurs, Chelsea, and Coventry. I believe Leeds can win four of those five. Only Chelsea concerns me. Calvert-Lewin, Okafor, and Bogle are the options if you can work out who the consistent starters are.
Liverpool have Brighton, Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Man United, and Everton. Two of those five could be very difficult depending on how long the injury absences last. I would not invest heavily until the situation is clearer.
Man City have Villa, Brighton, Forest, Fulham, and Arsenal. Fixture-agnostic at this point. Haaland, Cherki, and then rotate between Ndiaye and Doku based on news.
Man United have Bournemouth, Chelsea, Villa, Liverpool, and Brentford. Those are not nice fixtures. I would not be getting into Man United right now. But I would stay with Mbeumo.
Newcastle have Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Arsenal, and Brighton. Crystal Palace and Fulham are winnable. But Newcastle are seesaw right now. They win one and get hammered the next. Wait until the pattern changes.
Nottingham Forest have Ipswich, Brentford, Man City, Bournemouth, and Chelsea. Glasner has not gotten this team going the way he needs to. I would not invest until they show something worth getting into.
Sunderland have Leeds, Coventry, Chelsea, Villa, and Spurs. They are devoting too much attention to Europe and it is hurting them in the league. Avoid for now.
Tottenham have Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Leeds, Ipswich, and Sunderland. They finally won a game. Wait and see if it is the start of something before committing.
Haaland is my captain. See you on Saturday.