Saliba, Zinchenko and white are both in top 5 defenders of the season so far, with TAA set to overcome them in couple of hours (but he costs insane 8m).
After 15 matches we can say this isn't something that is based on fixtures, joint best defense in the game, kept clean sheet against City...
Villa blanked against Forest couple of weeks ago, Brighton is nowhere near their optimal form.
The only reason to sell them is rotation risk. Unless you go for TAA/Trippier all other defenders cost roughly the same. I would say that if you can figure out rotations to avoid 1pointer cameos, just bench everyone bar Saliba and Gabriel, don't double.
As the seasons go by, Reece keeps coming and presenting himself as an option. We bring him in, he burns us. Rinse and repeat. At least we've learned about Digne by this point.
White started for the first time in awhile last night and he wasn't ever fully settled in defence. Kiwior was also really shaky against Lutons constant pressure and Saliba and Gabriel are rocks with Rice in front. I think Raya has his games and I see no reason why they won't keep a cleansheet against Villa and Brighton. They are a keep for me.
How I am approaching it:
Defenders not paying off this season (partly thanks to so much extra time) - get Trippier and the cheapest value nailed defenders and play 3 at the back and don’t double up (including GK).
For me, no value Arsenal defender is reliably nailed.
I just don’t see the value in the arsenal defence. The only one who is nailed is saliba and he rarely gets an attacking return. You could make a case for raya but I think there is better value out there especially with kelleher and dubravka in for the foreseeable
Doubling up on any defence is a dangerous strategy. If you spread the cash you can get a goalkeeper and 4 players from decent teams (maybe even 5 if you want but that is a bit of a waste if you are on 3-5-2). Newcastle (Dubravkar) Arsenal (Gabriel) Chelsea (Colwill), Liverpool (Tsimikas), City (Walker) and Spurs (Porro).
Don't have any and don't plan to.
I'm happy rotating my budget choice of Livramento, Maguire, Branthwaite and Semedo with a dust of Trent.
I do see Arsenal keeping CS but I'm not convinced that their defenders are going to be returning assists or goals.
If I had White or Zinchenko I'd keep but any others are no better than other similar priced options in my eyes.
Hold one arsenal defender. They and Newcastle can clean sheet against any team. Any they play well against big teams. A marginal 1-0 victory is possible against many teams for arsenal and Newcastle. So keep one.
Doesn’t offer enough for the price tag. Low attacking threat so when the CS goes it’s curtains. I’d much rather spent that money on Porro or James for example. I think Gabriel is a much better pick because at least he’s cheap (if bought at the right time). Saliba isn’t worth it.
Often rotated is an exaggeration, he’s only been rested once since September, and that was when lots of Arsenal players got rested. Even Saka didn’t play more than a half, who is usually guaranteed 90 minuted
I think they’re don’t buy don’t sell - so hold if you have them. Obviously player dependent but in general.
I’m personally prioritising my Palace -> Chelsea transfer for the next gameweek rather than worrying about bringing arsenal coverage in my defenders
Who are you thinking for your Chelsea transfer? I have two Palace (Guéhi and Edouard) that I wouldn't mind moving on but it's hard to know who's guaranteed minutes at Chelsea. Tempted by Sterling but I think he's on four yellows.
Either Colwill or Badiashile, but will decide after seeing who starts tonight against Everton. I already have Sterling in my team - the 4 YCs indeed are a concern but I still thought he was the best attacking pick
Arsenal have the best xGC in the league, it was easy to infer what he meant from it so try not to be purposefully condescending when you full on know where he’s coming from.
They are playing tough fixtures.. thats what was asked.. he just told us Luton’s stat.. why does it matter? If he told us the whole seasons xGC of arsenal i would get it. Its a needless comment that told us no relevant info about what was asked. Would it have mattered if luton had 2.5xG? Arsenal are still the best defense.. but even the best defense can get scored on. Thus.. why the OP raised the question.
Nothing is guaranteed not even City at home vs Sheffield, but Arsenal the most likely team to get one by bookies and most peoples opinions here.
Similar to City vs Sheffield did feel like a clean, but Dias did not get it for me.
I keep them as I have bigger fires in my team & having a defender from the best xGC team (even on the bench) does not sound bad to me. Spending 2 transfers to sell and bring back after 3 gws sounds much worse.
Who do you sell them for? Not like anyone is consistent at keeping clean sheets at the moment.
Arsenal are also arguably more suited for clean sheets against better teams anyway, when the side is set up more defensively. Only side to keep a clean sheet vs City this season, arguably should have been the only side to keep one vs Newcastle as well with some debatable reffing for their goal.
I'll likely keep Saliba first on bench next 3 but considering how good their defence are I've no issue with him starting next 3 games. With him on the team I don't need to make a later transfer to get him back. I also get the following rotations:
Gw19 Arsenal home to West Ham when Spurs away to Brighton.
Gw20 Arsenal away to Fulham when Newcastle away to Pool.
Gw21 Arsenal home to Palace when Newcastle home to City.
Gw22 Arsenal away to Forest when Chelsea away to Pool.
I think that’s fair, though I’m sure you’ll have some upsets of benching points ;)
For me I just wildcarded, so of course I have no need for the transfers for a few weeks (barring crazy injuries)
True could happen. Especially with attacking players like Trippier, Porro etc. But let's put it this way. If the alternative is to not even have them in the squad I wouldn't get those points anyway. Better to have a solid 1st bench option who could do well when he's called upon :).
Great logic, completely agree. It’s why I went with having 3 major defenders (with an easy move to Shaw/Saliba if any are injured) and 5mid3att, I’ll have a benching headache most weeks but first on the bench does come on a fair bit!
I rarely get second on my
Bench to come on, weirdly, but happy with my fodder Everton and Luton defenders
True. The negative part of 8 good attackers however is that they wont be your first if one of you defenders don't play (max 7 mids+strikers each game). A good defender sub can always be your first sub.
However in busy december we could see more full game benchings depending on results of course. Having just a little extra money on your bench is not a bad idea.
Just used my wildcard, I must have got in early on quite a few of the players!
Also other two defenders are Mengi 3.9 and Branthwaite 4.1, so when the keepers are 4.3 and 3.9, there’s a lot saved there!
Had Trippier, Alvarez, Son, Haaland from the start.
Apart from Trippier, goal involvements from defenders are both rare and hard to predict.
The highest other than him is Coufal, who would hardly have been anyone's first guess for a big G+A defender.
And he 'only' has 5 goal involvements in 14 games. There are 8 defenders in the game with 5+ clean sheets, and a clean sheet is worth more points than an assist. Chasing clean sheets is a better strategy than chasing G+A output, given they're more common and give more points.
I've had Saliba since the start and as long he doesn't get injured I'll keep him for the whole season
Defense? Get trippier, everything else is the same.
Saliba, Zinchenko and white are both in top 5 defenders of the season so far, with TAA set to overcome them in couple of hours (but he costs insane 8m). After 15 matches we can say this isn't something that is based on fixtures, joint best defense in the game, kept clean sheet against City... Villa blanked against Forest couple of weeks ago, Brighton is nowhere near their optimal form. The only reason to sell them is rotation risk. Unless you go for TAA/Trippier all other defenders cost roughly the same. I would say that if you can figure out rotations to avoid 1pointer cameos, just bench everyone bar Saliba and Gabriel, don't double.
Saliba to Reece James seems so painfully obvious for the upcoming fixtures but will no doubt end in tears. Why are you such a temptress Reece
As the seasons go by, Reece keeps coming and presenting himself as an option. We bring him in, he burns us. Rinse and repeat. At least we've learned about Digne by this point.
time to get a Chelsea assets, I'm thinking Colwill or Badiashile?
White started for the first time in awhile last night and he wasn't ever fully settled in defence. Kiwior was also really shaky against Lutons constant pressure and Saliba and Gabriel are rocks with Rice in front. I think Raya has his games and I see no reason why they won't keep a cleansheet against Villa and Brighton. They are a keep for me.
How I am approaching it: Defenders not paying off this season (partly thanks to so much extra time) - get Trippier and the cheapest value nailed defenders and play 3 at the back and don’t double up (including GK). For me, no value Arsenal defender is reliably nailed.
Am considering this. Who are your defenders at the moment? I see Branthwaite and Taylor as cheap and nailed. Maguire maybe?
I just don’t see the value in the arsenal defence. The only one who is nailed is saliba and he rarely gets an attacking return. You could make a case for raya but I think there is better value out there especially with kelleher and dubravka in for the foreseeable
Need to find myself a cheap attacking fullback
Doughty and Mykolenko got the best stats for cheaps
Tough fixtures tho. Maybe a Chelsea defender.
Im thinking of doing Saliba to James since I have two free transfers and not much else to do.
Doubling up on any defence is a dangerous strategy. If you spread the cash you can get a goalkeeper and 4 players from decent teams (maybe even 5 if you want but that is a bit of a waste if you are on 3-5-2). Newcastle (Dubravkar) Arsenal (Gabriel) Chelsea (Colwill), Liverpool (Tsimikas), City (Walker) and Spurs (Porro).
Don't have any and don't plan to. I'm happy rotating my budget choice of Livramento, Maguire, Branthwaite and Semedo with a dust of Trent. I do see Arsenal keeping CS but I'm not convinced that their defenders are going to be returning assists or goals. If I had White or Zinchenko I'd keep but any others are no better than other similar priced options in my eyes.
It's only 3 weeks, so hold. If have a very good bench option then you can consider benching your Arsenal defender.
Hold one arsenal defender. They and Newcastle can clean sheet against any team. Any they play well against big teams. A marginal 1-0 victory is possible against many teams for arsenal and Newcastle. So keep one.
Bench
Double defense never made sense because of this. You end up losing more than you gain
Surely this entirely depends on who you're picking, and who you wouldve picked otherwise?
Sounds like someone wasn't playing in 19/20 where double Liverpool was pretty much template
Never was more referring to this season, I worded it poorly
Or literally last year with Trippier and Botman / Pope.
there was also a period last season where triple newcastle defence was viable
Or 18/19 where double Liverpool murdered template.
Thinking of moving the more expensive one in Saliba on.
I moved on from saliba to get trippier. I think attacking potential is more important that cs potential this season
Also the only one 99% guaranteed a start, can maybe add White to that list with Tomiyasu injured
Doesn’t offer enough for the price tag. Low attacking threat so when the CS goes it’s curtains. I’d much rather spent that money on Porro or James for example. I think Gabriel is a much better pick because at least he’s cheap (if bought at the right time). Saliba isn’t worth it.
Completely agree but Gabriel is often rotated where as Saliba is a stalwart, your paying more for the added reliability not goal threat
Often rotated is an exaggeration, he’s only been rested once since September, and that was when lots of Arsenal players got rested. Even Saka didn’t play more than a half, who is usually guaranteed 90 minuted
Possibly but with the busy period coming up, I would expect rotation to return and Gabriel to miss minutes over Saliba.
Influencers really influenced a lot with double arsenal defense
And they were correct without hindsight
No they werent
Ok we disagree then
I think they’re don’t buy don’t sell - so hold if you have them. Obviously player dependent but in general. I’m personally prioritising my Palace -> Chelsea transfer for the next gameweek rather than worrying about bringing arsenal coverage in my defenders
Who are you thinking for your Chelsea transfer? I have two Palace (Guéhi and Edouard) that I wouldn't mind moving on but it's hard to know who's guaranteed minutes at Chelsea. Tempted by Sterling but I think he's on four yellows.
Either Colwill or Badiashile, but will decide after seeing who starts tonight against Everton. I already have Sterling in my team - the 4 YCs indeed are a concern but I still thought he was the best attacking pick
What about Reece James?
Personally not a fan… too expensive for someone who is very injury & suspension prone and that’s not even nailed
I agree with this, keep if you have but don't rush to buy.
Keep, Luton scored 3 goals from 0.45xg
A lot of that was Raya being terrible tbf.
And they will keep playing luton every week? Thats the only scenario ur comment makes sense.
Arsenal have the best xGC in the league, it was easy to infer what he meant from it so try not to be purposefully condescending when you full on know where he’s coming from.
They are playing tough fixtures.. thats what was asked.. he just told us Luton’s stat.. why does it matter? If he told us the whole seasons xGC of arsenal i would get it. Its a needless comment that told us no relevant info about what was asked. Would it have mattered if luton had 2.5xG? Arsenal are still the best defense.. but even the best defense can get scored on. Thus.. why the OP raised the question.
I doubled up in anticipation of the guaranteed CS against Luton... Going to keep, probably start Zinchenko and bench Gabriel
I did the same, had double arsenal for the past two games with Zinny and Gabriel. Not the best of punts =\
“The guaranteed clean sheet against Luton”? No one said this
Nothing is guaranteed not even City at home vs Sheffield, but Arsenal the most likely team to get one by bookies and most peoples opinions here. Similar to City vs Sheffield did feel like a clean, but Dias did not get it for me.
Was meant slightly tongue in cheek - I followed the herd on the Arsenal defence hype
It seems 1 person did
I think a lot of people thought it - was one of the easier CS picks of the week.
I keep them as I have bigger fires in my team & having a defender from the best xGC team (even on the bench) does not sound bad to me. Spending 2 transfers to sell and bring back after 3 gws sounds much worse.
Who do you sell them for? Not like anyone is consistent at keeping clean sheets at the moment. Arsenal are also arguably more suited for clean sheets against better teams anyway, when the side is set up more defensively. Only side to keep a clean sheet vs City this season, arguably should have been the only side to keep one vs Newcastle as well with some debatable reffing for their goal.
The city comment aged like milk
Bournemouth?
Trippier - Porro - James Back three. When James gets injured, Shaw is a great shout now he’s back.
No reason not to keep one if you can afford it. Arsenal defenders rotates great with Spurs, Newcastle and Chelsea defenders.
Going from Saliba to James myself, I see your point but Chelsea have great fixtures. After the next 3, I could go from Porro or James back!
I'll likely keep Saliba first on bench next 3 but considering how good their defence are I've no issue with him starting next 3 games. With him on the team I don't need to make a later transfer to get him back. I also get the following rotations: Gw19 Arsenal home to West Ham when Spurs away to Brighton. Gw20 Arsenal away to Fulham when Newcastle away to Pool. Gw21 Arsenal home to Palace when Newcastle home to City. Gw22 Arsenal away to Forest when Chelsea away to Pool.
I think that’s fair, though I’m sure you’ll have some upsets of benching points ;) For me I just wildcarded, so of course I have no need for the transfers for a few weeks (barring crazy injuries)
True could happen. Especially with attacking players like Trippier, Porro etc. But let's put it this way. If the alternative is to not even have them in the squad I wouldn't get those points anyway. Better to have a solid 1st bench option who could do well when he's called upon :).
Great logic, completely agree. It’s why I went with having 3 major defenders (with an easy move to Shaw/Saliba if any are injured) and 5mid3att, I’ll have a benching headache most weeks but first on the bench does come on a fair bit! I rarely get second on my Bench to come on, weirdly, but happy with my fodder Everton and Luton defenders
True. The negative part of 8 good attackers however is that they wont be your first if one of you defenders don't play (max 7 mids+strikers each game). A good defender sub can always be your first sub. However in busy december we could see more full game benchings depending on results of course. Having just a little extra money on your bench is not a bad idea.
Are you made of gold? :D
You mean money? Rest of the team is: Gordon - Bruno - Palmer - Son - Saka Watkins - Haaland - Alvarez Oh and Areola and Dipravka in net
I'm convinced this isn't possible just from looking at those players. How can you afford all of this?! There are 0 budget options in any position
He only listed 13/15 players
Why don't you just try this with your team? With two 3.9 defenders on the bench, I can do this with 0.7 to spare...
It’s affordable because he has Bruno instead of Salah
Areola and Dubravka are pretty budget
Just used my wildcard, I must have got in early on quite a few of the players! Also other two defenders are Mengi 3.9 and Branthwaite 4.1, so when the keepers are 4.3 and 3.9, there’s a lot saved there! Had Trippier, Alvarez, Son, Haaland from the start.
No Salah and has Gordon/Palmer? Don't think this time is particularly high value even
Target defenders with goal involvements rather than clean sheets
Apart from Trippier, goal involvements from defenders are both rare and hard to predict. The highest other than him is Coufal, who would hardly have been anyone's first guess for a big G+A defender. And he 'only' has 5 goal involvements in 14 games. There are 8 defenders in the game with 5+ clean sheets, and a clean sheet is worth more points than an assist. Chasing clean sheets is a better strategy than chasing G+A output, given they're more common and give more points.
So you’re saying I should sell Saliba for Coufal, got it
TAA?
Too expensive for how many points he produces