After receiving great feedback from our The Best 4.5m FPL Defenders article, we decided to follow this up by constructing an article with our opinions and your options for the 8.5m midfielder bracket. This has been a very popular topic, sparking FPL discussions wherever you look... so here goes.
Memphis Depay (24.6% Ownership) First up on the list is Man United's new signing Memphis Depay. The Dutch international was picked up for a somewhat reasonable 25 million and despite having no history whatsoever of playing in the Premier League has become the highest owned midfielder in this price bracket. Louis Van Gaal has praised him highly since his arrival and believes Depay can form a deadly striker partnership with Wayne Rooney. During Man United's pre-season trip to the US, Depay has been operating in ‘the hole' behind Rooney. It reminded us of the way Arjen Robben was utilized by Van Gaal in the 2014 World Cup; he played just off Van Persie and was very impressive. If the Man United manager is thinking along the same lines for Depay, then you could be buying a classified midfielder, who is actually playing up top… And there's something about a midfielder wearing the number 9 shirt, which is so appealing! Another reason for such high ownership is down to Man United's attractive opening fixtures; Spurs (H), Aston Villa (a), Newcastle (H), Swansea (a). The usual consideration for new players is that they might take a few weeks to acclimatise, but we are predicting that - similar to Alexis Sanchez - Depay will perform from the off. The 21-year-old already possesses the strength and explosiveness that is essential when making the move to the EPL. Combine his robust approach with his ability to convert (he scored 22 goals in 30 appearances last season) and it spells out FPL gold. Santi Cazorla (17.1% Ownership) Next up is the little Spaniard Santi Cazorla. Cazorla has been putting smiles on the faces of Arsenal fans ever since his summer move to the Emirates in 2012. But it's not just Arsenal fans that have been smiling because he does a great job for FPL managers too. Since Mesut Ozil's arrival Santi Cazorla has been used in a deeper role, he plays alongside the defensive-minded Coquelin as a deep-lying playmaker, a trequartista if you like. Many fantasy football managers were sceptical about him continuing to score goals and assist regularly, but their concerns have been banished. The 30-year-old gathered 11 assists last season and having taken over penalty duties scored 7 goals, 6 of which coming from the spot. A reason for selecting Cazorla over his teammates e.g Ramsey, Walcott & Ozil is obviously the fact that he's on penalties, but also that he takes the majority of free kicks and corners. Last season Arsenal scored 31% of their goals from set-piece situations or penalties, which was good for Cazorla owners as he is usually standing behind them. So going by our calculations if Arsenal scored the same amount of goals as the previous season (71), Cazorla could potentially be, just from set pieces/penalties, directly involved in 22 goals! Mesut Ozil (9.9% Ownership) Third on the list is another Arsenal player, this time Mesut Ozil. The World Cup winner causes some of the most conflicting arguments between his own fans, pundits and FPL managers…. but most importantly should you select him in your team? We say yes. In our opinion, Mesut Ozil is one of the most underestimated and harshly criticised players in World Football. If you look back at his Werder Bremen & Real Madrid days, it is clear to see that he is yet to hit these heights in the Premier League. Playing in the German top flight in his late teens, Ozil managed an impressive 16 goals & 55 assists in 108 appearances, earning him a big-money move to Spanish giants Real Madrid. The attacking midfielder spent 3 hugely successful seasons at Real and added 27 goals and another 81 assists to his club record, with an average of 16 assists per season. During this period, he also appeared in the UEFA Team of the Year in both 2012 and 2013. Ozil, as mentioned earlier, competed and won the World Cup in the summer of 2014, meaning he began the domestic season without a proper pre-season or rest. However this year he is fresh with a full pre-season under his belt. Ozil is without doubt one of the best No.10s in world football and he will now be playing in his favoured position. We are backing him to reach the level of his past and show his true colours. Aaron Ramsey (8.4% Ownership) The Welshman will again be a popular pick this season, but in our opinion we would stay clear, as there are better, more reliable options from Arsenal. Cazorla and Ozil are guaranteed to start whenever they are fit, which pushes Ramsey out wide where he is often unproductive or more likely he will play second fiddle to Cazorla in the centre. Either outcome is not ideal when he is priced in the premium price bracket. There was a time where it looked as though Ramsey could partner Cazorla in the middle of the park, but the transformation of Francis Coquelin has put a halt to that idea. We were not surprised to see that the 24-year-old has such a high ownership as he got off to a flyer last season with 2 goals in the first two game weeks, but this season we feel that he will not be at the forefront in Arsenal's challenge for the title. Christian Eriksen (7.9% Ownership) Christian Eriksen doesn't seem to be very popular at the moment, but he is the type of player that if not selected can come back to bite you. Tottenham have very good fixtures. Yes, a trip to Old Trafford is not the ideal start, but this is followed by; Stoke (H), Leicester (a), Everton (H), Sunderland (a) and Crystal Palace (H). Spurs are incredibly unpredictable but, when the occasional spurt of form appears, the Danish International is generally at the heart of things. Although the creative midfielder will not be overly content with his level of performance last season, he still tallied up 10 goals. Though he will aim to assist with greater incision after setting up a meagre 2 goals. Dead ball duties play a big part in FPL and this is only a plus point for selecting Eriksen. He has scored 7 of his 22 goals for Spurs directly from free-kicks and he will continue to place the ball down for an attempt at every opportunity. We feel that Eriksen has never been an explosive FPL player and it's difficult to place him in your squad at the right moment. We've all experienced transferring him in, watching our ranks drop with successive 2-pointers and then upon finally let him go… boom, a big 12-point haul. A perfect example of a player who is without doubt capable, but yet again very frustrating. Yaya Toure (7.7% Ownership) What kind of list would this be without a mention for Yaya Toure? The towering midfielder has scored 134pts+ in five consecutive seasons at Manchester City. After the fuss surrounding the birthday cake incident his future at the club looked bleak, but the 32-year-old has now decided to see out his contract at the club. Despite the controversy last year he still played a pivotal role for City, hitting double figures on the scoring chart yet again. Toure is often said to be very consistent when in fact his form often arrives in bursts. During the first 10 gameweeks last season he only managed to find the net on one occasion, picking up three bookings in the process. Then suddenly he found his feet and started banging the goals in from left, right and centre, scoring 6 in the following 10 matches. Even after his slow start last season we have had him planted in our draft since the player prices were released. An added bonus when selecting Toure is that he is one of the top free-kick takers in the country and will also be on penalties until Aguero is fit to return. Man City's opening fixture is a Monday night kickoff vs. West Brom, who they have beaten 9 times out of the last 10, scoring 3 times in each of the last 4 meetings. This gives us a feeling that you need some Man City coverage from the start and no matter what team you support, Toure's effortless style when striking the ball is a thing of beauty. Juan Mata (6.2% Ownership) Next up is Manchester United's playmaker Juan Mata. The Spaniard may not have set the world alight last season but he still stepped up to the plate when called upon. Mata really is a class footballer and hopefully he can rediscover the form that, in his Chelsea days, saw him rub shoulders with the best in terms of FPL scoring. In his debut season at Stamford Bridge he scored 6 goals and assisted his teammates 16 times… but even more impressive was that he topped this the next season with 11 goals and no less than 18 assists. If Van Gaal places his trust in Mata and gives him the freedom to drift into areas previously forbidden under David Moyes, then he could be a fantastic differential over Depay. As we stated earlier, it looks likely that Depay will partner Rooney up top, which means an unorthodox right midfield role for Mata. This may discourage buyers but during pre-season he has been given licence to roam and has flourished. Mata has also taken control of penalties with Van Gaal staying true to his ‘if you miss one you're at the back of the queue' rule after Rooney's miss. Man United fans will disagree but ‘The Reds', even without Fergie, will have a bit of leverage over officials when playing at Old Trafford. If you seek Man United coverage but intend to go against the grain and opt for someone else other than Depay, Mata is the best option. Roberto Firmino (4.8% Ownership) Firmino is one of the new faces in this seasons competition and the majority of FPL managers will avoid him due to their unfamiliarity of the player. They will be reluctant to use one of their premium midfield slots for an untested player in this distinctive league. The Brazilian, who has 4 goals in just 10 caps for his country earned his move to Liverpool after two impressive seasons in the German Bundesliga, in which he scored 23 goals and got 21 assists. He also won the Man of the Match award on 14 occasions. With Coutinho priced at 8m despite having experience in this league and following his most productive season, we were surprised to see Firmino above this price. We feel that Coutinho, Milner (7m) and Henderson (7m) provide better options from Liverpool to begin with. Henderson is our pick of the bunch because as captain he is guaranteed minutes, he is the penalty taker and has overall consistency - which Coutinho often lacks. Firmino has returned late from the Copa America, he will take a few weeks to accustom himself with his new surroundings. Give him a few weeks and then reconsider your options based on his performances. Oscar (1.4% Ownership) Oscar seems to have sneaked under the radar in the 8.5m price bracket. He has barely triggered any discussion and on the most part has been completely ignored by FPL managers. Yes Eden Hazard hampers his ownership, but could he be the unexpected differential we've all been waiting for? Thinking back to last season it's a struggle to remember Oscar doing anything spectacular but he still managed to score 126pts, more than the likes of Ramsey, Ozil and Willian. Despite completing 90 minutes on just 7 occasions, the baby-faced Brazilian finished the season with 8 goals and 6 assists. Jose Mourinho will most likely utilise the 23-year-old as one of the fluid three tucked in behind Diego Costa. So if you don't have the budget to cough up 11.5m for the elite option of Hazard then Oscar might just be the next best thing. Heading into the latter part of the season Oscar began to feature as more of a rotational player playing 60 odd minutes or featuring from the bench. The World Cup campaign most definitely played a part in this, Oscar featured in all 7 matches and appeared a burnt out figure both physically and mentally by the end of the domestic campaign. Nevertheless, like Ozil, he has had his first proper pre-season in over two years and has been performing well during pre-season. An excellent differential but nonetheless a risky pick.
OUR RECOMMENDATIONS
Memphis Depay (24.6% Ownership) First up on the list is Man United's new signing Memphis Depay. The Dutch international was picked up for a somewhat reasonable 25 million and despite having no history whatsoever of playing in the Premier League has become the highest owned midfielder in this price bracket. Louis Van Gaal has praised him highly since his arrival and believes Depay can form a deadly striker partnership with Wayne Rooney. During Man United's pre-season trip to the US, Depay has been operating in ‘the hole' behind Rooney. It reminded us of the way Arjen Robben was utilized by Van Gaal in the 2014 World Cup; he played just off Van Persie and was very impressive. If the Man United manager is thinking along the same lines for Depay, then you could be buying a classified midfielder, who is actually playing up top… And there's something about a midfielder wearing the number 9 shirt, which is so appealing! Another reason for such high ownership is down to Man United's attractive opening fixtures; Spurs (H), Aston Villa (a), Newcastle (H), Swansea (a). The usual consideration for new players is that they might take a few weeks to acclimatise, but we are predicting that - similar to Alexis Sanchez - Depay will perform from the off. The 21-year-old already possesses the strength and explosiveness that is essential when making the move to the EPL. Combine his robust approach with his ability to convert (he scored 22 goals in 30 appearances last season) and it spells out FPL gold. Santi Cazorla (17.1% Ownership) Next up is the little Spaniard Santi Cazorla. Cazorla has been putting smiles on the faces of Arsenal fans ever since his summer move to the Emirates in 2012. But it's not just Arsenal fans that have been smiling because he does a great job for FPL managers too. Since Mesut Ozil's arrival Santi Cazorla has been used in a deeper role, he plays alongside the defensive-minded Coquelin as a deep-lying playmaker, a trequartista if you like. Many fantasy football managers were sceptical about him continuing to score goals and assist regularly, but their concerns have been banished. The 30-year-old gathered 11 assists last season and having taken over penalty duties scored 7 goals, 6 of which coming from the spot. A reason for selecting Cazorla over his teammates e.g Ramsey, Walcott & Ozil is obviously the fact that he's on penalties, but also that he takes the majority of free kicks and corners. Last season Arsenal scored 31% of their goals from set-piece situations or penalties, which was good for Cazorla owners as he is usually standing behind them. So going by our calculations if Arsenal scored the same amount of goals as the previous season (71), Cazorla could potentially be, just from set pieces/penalties, directly involved in 22 goals! Mesut Ozil (9.9% Ownership) Third on the list is another Arsenal player, this time Mesut Ozil. The World Cup winner causes some of the most conflicting arguments between his own fans, pundits and FPL managers…. but most importantly should you select him in your team? We say yes. In our opinion, Mesut Ozil is one of the most underestimated and harshly criticised players in World Football. If you look back at his Werder Bremen & Real Madrid days, it is clear to see that he is yet to hit these heights in the Premier League. Playing in the German top flight in his late teens, Ozil managed an impressive 16 goals & 55 assists in 108 appearances, earning him a big-money move to Spanish giants Real Madrid. The attacking midfielder spent 3 hugely successful seasons at Real and added 27 goals and another 81 assists to his club record, with an average of 16 assists per season. During this period, he also appeared in the UEFA Team of the Year in both 2012 and 2013. Ozil, as mentioned earlier, competed and won the World Cup in the summer of 2014, meaning he began the domestic season without a proper pre-season or rest. However this year he is fresh with a full pre-season under his belt. Ozil is without doubt one of the best No.10s in world football and he will now be playing in his favoured position. We are backing him to reach the level of his past and show his true colours. Aaron Ramsey (8.4% Ownership) The Welshman will again be a popular pick this season, but in our opinion we would stay clear, as there are better, more reliable options from Arsenal. Cazorla and Ozil are guaranteed to start whenever they are fit, which pushes Ramsey out wide where he is often unproductive or more likely he will play second fiddle to Cazorla in the centre. Either outcome is not ideal when he is priced in the premium price bracket. There was a time where it looked as though Ramsey could partner Cazorla in the middle of the park, but the transformation of Francis Coquelin has put a halt to that idea. We were not surprised to see that the 24-year-old has such a high ownership as he got off to a flyer last season with 2 goals in the first two game weeks, but this season we feel that he will not be at the forefront in Arsenal's challenge for the title. Christian Eriksen (7.9% Ownership) Christian Eriksen doesn't seem to be very popular at the moment, but he is the type of player that if not selected can come back to bite you. Tottenham have very good fixtures. Yes, a trip to Old Trafford is not the ideal start, but this is followed by; Stoke (H), Leicester (a), Everton (H), Sunderland (a) and Crystal Palace (H). Spurs are incredibly unpredictable but, when the occasional spurt of form appears, the Danish International is generally at the heart of things. Although the creative midfielder will not be overly content with his level of performance last season, he still tallied up 10 goals. Though he will aim to assist with greater incision after setting up a meagre 2 goals. Dead ball duties play a big part in FPL and this is only a plus point for selecting Eriksen. He has scored 7 of his 22 goals for Spurs directly from free-kicks and he will continue to place the ball down for an attempt at every opportunity. We feel that Eriksen has never been an explosive FPL player and it's difficult to place him in your squad at the right moment. We've all experienced transferring him in, watching our ranks drop with successive 2-pointers and then upon finally let him go… boom, a big 12-point haul. A perfect example of a player who is without doubt capable, but yet again very frustrating. Yaya Toure (7.7% Ownership) What kind of list would this be without a mention for Yaya Toure? The towering midfielder has scored 134pts+ in five consecutive seasons at Manchester City. After the fuss surrounding the birthday cake incident his future at the club looked bleak, but the 32-year-old has now decided to see out his contract at the club. Despite the controversy last year he still played a pivotal role for City, hitting double figures on the scoring chart yet again. Toure is often said to be very consistent when in fact his form often arrives in bursts. During the first 10 gameweeks last season he only managed to find the net on one occasion, picking up three bookings in the process. Then suddenly he found his feet and started banging the goals in from left, right and centre, scoring 6 in the following 10 matches. Even after his slow start last season we have had him planted in our draft since the player prices were released. An added bonus when selecting Toure is that he is one of the top free-kick takers in the country and will also be on penalties until Aguero is fit to return. Man City's opening fixture is a Monday night kickoff vs. West Brom, who they have beaten 9 times out of the last 10, scoring 3 times in each of the last 4 meetings. This gives us a feeling that you need some Man City coverage from the start and no matter what team you support, Toure's effortless style when striking the ball is a thing of beauty. Juan Mata (6.2% Ownership) Next up is Manchester United's playmaker Juan Mata. The Spaniard may not have set the world alight last season but he still stepped up to the plate when called upon. Mata really is a class footballer and hopefully he can rediscover the form that, in his Chelsea days, saw him rub shoulders with the best in terms of FPL scoring. In his debut season at Stamford Bridge he scored 6 goals and assisted his teammates 16 times… but even more impressive was that he topped this the next season with 11 goals and no less than 18 assists. If Van Gaal places his trust in Mata and gives him the freedom to drift into areas previously forbidden under David Moyes, then he could be a fantastic differential over Depay. As we stated earlier, it looks likely that Depay will partner Rooney up top, which means an unorthodox right midfield role for Mata. This may discourage buyers but during pre-season he has been given licence to roam and has flourished. Mata has also taken control of penalties with Van Gaal staying true to his ‘if you miss one you're at the back of the queue' rule after Rooney's miss. Man United fans will disagree but ‘The Reds', even without Fergie, will have a bit of leverage over officials when playing at Old Trafford. If you seek Man United coverage but intend to go against the grain and opt for someone else other than Depay, Mata is the best option. Roberto Firmino (4.8% Ownership) Firmino is one of the new faces in this seasons competition and the majority of FPL managers will avoid him due to their unfamiliarity of the player. They will be reluctant to use one of their premium midfield slots for an untested player in this distinctive league. The Brazilian, who has 4 goals in just 10 caps for his country earned his move to Liverpool after two impressive seasons in the German Bundesliga, in which he scored 23 goals and got 21 assists. He also won the Man of the Match award on 14 occasions. With Coutinho priced at 8m despite having experience in this league and following his most productive season, we were surprised to see Firmino above this price. We feel that Coutinho, Milner (7m) and Henderson (7m) provide better options from Liverpool to begin with. Henderson is our pick of the bunch because as captain he is guaranteed minutes, he is the penalty taker and has overall consistency - which Coutinho often lacks. Firmino has returned late from the Copa America, he will take a few weeks to accustom himself with his new surroundings. Give him a few weeks and then reconsider your options based on his performances. Oscar (1.4% Ownership) Oscar seems to have sneaked under the radar in the 8.5m price bracket. He has barely triggered any discussion and on the most part has been completely ignored by FPL managers. Yes Eden Hazard hampers his ownership, but could he be the unexpected differential we've all been waiting for? Thinking back to last season it's a struggle to remember Oscar doing anything spectacular but he still managed to score 126pts, more than the likes of Ramsey, Ozil and Willian. Despite completing 90 minutes on just 7 occasions, the baby-faced Brazilian finished the season with 8 goals and 6 assists. Jose Mourinho will most likely utilise the 23-year-old as one of the fluid three tucked in behind Diego Costa. So if you don't have the budget to cough up 11.5m for the elite option of Hazard then Oscar might just be the next best thing. Heading into the latter part of the season Oscar began to feature as more of a rotational player playing 60 odd minutes or featuring from the bench. The World Cup campaign most definitely played a part in this, Oscar featured in all 7 matches and appeared a burnt out figure both physically and mentally by the end of the domestic campaign. Nevertheless, like Ozil, he has had his first proper pre-season in over two years and has been performing well during pre-season. An excellent differential but nonetheless a risky pick.
