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Lars Hamer

Surprise omissions, underperformers and business as usual for Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal were some of the big talking points from Gameweek 1 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
Gameweek 2 is fast approaching and with Brighton hosting Manchester United at 7.30pm on Saturday (Hong Kong Time) it is time for managers to start putting together their starting XIs.
And in case you are wondering why you should listen to me when deciding who to pick, I scored a whopping 70 points in Gameweek 1, putting me inside the best 5,000 managers in Hong Kong.
Here is everything we learned from Gameweek 1 and how you could think about lining up for this weekend’s action.
Defensive nightmare

Gameweek 1 has taught us that, although it is early, defenders priced at £4.5m or less are good backup options, but squads should not be built on the assumption they will play.
Jarell Quansah (£4.5m) owners would have been delighted to see the 21-year-old start against Ipswich, but they were brought back down to earth when the centre back was hauled off at half-time.
Manager Arnie Slot’s post-match comments alongside Liverpool’s improved second-half performance mean Quansah’s minutes are at risk going into Gameweek 2.
“The first thing I said [at half-time] was we don’t have to speak about tactics if you lose so many duels, and that’s what we did,” Slot said.
“It’s not that Jarell lost every duel, many of us lost too many duels, so we needed Konate to win these long balls in the air towards their number nine, so that helped and gave us control.”
Another defensive headache that occurred was Brighton’s omission of Valentin Barco (£4.0m) from the starting XI.
If you own either of these two players, consider benching them for this weekend.
Underperformers

Bruno Fernandes (£8.5m) owners would not have expected their player to only register the three points gained from Manchester United’s clean sheet against Fulham, but the Portuguese midfielder missed two big chances and had three shots saved, leaving at least five points he would have got for scoring on the table.
Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze (£7.0m), meanwhile, should have scored five more points than the two he picked up for playing 90 minutes in his side’s 2-1 away win over Brentford, but had a goal controversially disallowed when the referee blew his whistle too early on some pushing and shoving in the box as Eze’s free-kick hit the back of the net.
Eze had the most shots of any player all weekend with seven, three of which were on target.
Manchester United face Brighton away on Saturday and Palace host West Ham in fixtures where both could score points.
Salah tops Haaland
Pre-season chat was dominated by whether to choose Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) or Erling Haaland (£15.0m) and the Gameweek 1 winners were those who opted for the Egyptian.
Salah was the highest-scoring player with one goal and an assist earning him 14 points in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Ipswich. Haaland scored in Manchester City’s 2-0 win away at Chelsea, but was booked, which cost him a point.
Ipswich had an expected goals conceded of 2.7 against Liverpool, the highest in the league, with Slot’s men creating six big chances.
But this weekend, Haaland will face Liverpool’s Gameweek 1 opponents Ipswich at Etihad Stadium, with some managers even opting to use their Triple Captain chip on the Norwegian.
Our advice is captain Haaland if you have him, but save your Triple Captain for a Double Gameweek.
Gameweek 2

Manchester City are likely to be the big scorers given their fixture against early relegation candidates Ipswich.
Haaland is set to be the most popular captain choice and Phil Foden (£9.5m), Kevin De Bruyne (£9.5m) and Josko Gvardiol (£6.0m) will also feature heavily.
As for Liverpool players, Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.0m) had the most big chances created with two and the highest expected assists rating with one.
We predict more of the same as he takes on Brentford at home on Sunday night.
Tottenham’s defender Pedro Porro (£5.5m) scored on Monday night against Leicester, but picked up a knock. Our tip is to start him for the home game against Everton, but make sure your first-choice backup defender is your best.
Arsenal proved that their defenders were still a good choice with a clean sheet against Wolves on Saturday. However, this week they face Aston Villa away.
Striker Ollie Watkins only played 60 minutes in a 2-1 win away to West Ham after returning to camp late following the Euro 2024.
If the England striker plays 90 minutes, we do not rate Arsenal’s chances of shutting him out, so suggest benching any Gunners defenders.
Lars’ Lineup
I will be going for a 3-4-3 with Dean Henderson (£4.5m) in net with Virgil van Dijk (£6.0m), Pedro Porro (£5.5m) and one of either Arsenal’s Gabriel (£6.0m) or Fulham’s Antonee Robinson (£4.5m).
My midfield quartet: Salah, obviously, and Eze, Christopher Nkunku (£6.5m) and Emile Smith Rowe (£5.5m).
Up top is captain Haaland, Alexander Isak (£8.5m) and Joao Pedro (£5.5m).


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English Premier League

Tips for winning in FPL Gameweek 2: bench Arsenal defenders, make Erling Haaland captain

Erling Haaland scores Manchester City’s first against Chelsea. Our tip is to make the striker your captain for Gameweek 2. Photo: EPA-EFE

Jarell Quansah (centre) heads the ball during his side’s game against Ipswich Town at Portman Road. Photo: AFP

Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes reacts after missing one of several chances he had to score against Fulham. Photo: AP

Tottenham Hotspur’s Pedro Porro celebrates scoring his side’s first goal against Leicester City. Photo: DPA

Fantasy Football tips: Premier League is back, Man Utd v Fulham kicks off Gameweek 1

Erling Haaland (left) is the most expensive player in FPL history as most managers look to emulate the success of Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola. Photo: Reuters

Trent Alexander-Arnold is popular with FPL managers as a defender who contributes to attacking plays. Photo: EPA

Chelsea’s Cole Palmer was arguably the best value-for-money signing for FPL managers in 2023/24. Photo: AFP

Brighton’s Joao Pedro (top right) will expect to improve on his 2023/24 numbers with no European football. Photo: AP

Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka could be a great option because of the Gunners’ relatively easy start to the campaign. Photo: AFP

Fantasy Premier League: more transfers, a mystery chip and 10 points if your keeper scores

England’s Cole Palmer, (second right) celebrates with his teammates after scoring against Spain in the Euro 2024 final. Palmer’s FPL price has more than doubled for the new season. Photo: AP

Manchester City’s Erling Haaland celebrates with the Premier League trophy with family and friends at the Etihad Stadium. Photo: DPA

Sport

Football

Bruno Fernandes underperformed in Manchester United’s opener, but is worth keeping for away trip to Brighton


Bruno Fernandes underperformed in Manchester United’s opener, but is worth keeping for away trip to Brighton.


Fantasy Premier League (FPL)