Here we are again. A new season approaches, new signings
flood in to tempt the browsing FPL manager, and, after far too long, I return
to writing about fantasy football. This time around, I have been tasked with assessing the
options available from Liverpool – this means attempting to place my
considerable bias to one side, but my avid support does at least give me a good
knowledge of the squad. Over the next few paragraphs, I will take you on a tour
of the most and least attractive fantasy options in Klopp’s side.
Let’s start from the back. Immediately, alarm bells are
ringing: much has
been written on Liverpool’s shaky defence, and I will not
espouse further on the topic here save to say that there are much safer
options. A keeper from the Reds is a complete non-starter – Liverpool’s
unfortunate combination of few clean sheets and few shots faced means returns
could well be minimal, both in terms of clean sheets and save points. Even if
clean sheets are easier to come by this season for the Merseyside outfit, it is
not even entirely settled who will play between the sticks: Mignolet is a
relatively safe bet to start the campaign, but Klopp thinks highly of both the
young back-up keepers. Indeed, he has spoken of a three-way battle for the spot
– Ward and Karius will both look to get Premier League minutes ahead of the
Belgian stopper. The defensive options are, largely, similarly uninspiring: if
Van Dijk or a similar top-level centre-back joins then one of the back line may
be worth a punt, but currently there is no reason to expect them to be any less
leaky than they were in the last campaign. The only real exception to this is
new signing Andy Robertson – he is undoubtedly a gamble, given that Milner will
be determined to limit the minutes of the Scotsman, but at 5.0 it could be a
risk worth taking. I would imagine that Robertson will soon make the left-back
spot his own, and with Klopp craving width in attack he will certainly have
assist potential. This is especially true when it is factored in that Mane will
likely be switching to the left and playing in front of Robertson: the two of
them could end up running the left flank.
The midfield is where things really start to get
interesting. There are three Liverpool midfielders who all fall into a premium
bracket: Coutinho, Salah and Mane have the likes of Eriksen and Alli for
company in this range. In Mane’s case this tag is fully warranted, and could
even prove to be something of a bargain. His direct style means he plays an
integral role in a lot of Liverpool’s bursts forward, and his tendency to cut
in means he bags plenty of goals as well as assists. This will only be helped
by a move to the left, which will mean he is cutting in on to his stronger
right foot. This shift is to accommodate Salah, who can be purchased for 0.5
less at nine million. He, too, is well worth considering. He has already
notched twice in pre-season, and his link-up with the rest of the front line
looks highly dangerous – do not be surprised to see him replicate his goal and
assist numbers from Serie A. Of course, he represents more of a gamble than
Mane given that this is his first season with the club; he does come with the
advantage of being fully fit, however, whereas Mane has missed a significant
chunk of pre-season. The final member of the trio is probably the worst value.
Coutinho could well still be worth a punt, but the addition of Salah to the
attack means that the Brazilian will almost certainly drop deeper. He did this
towards the end of last season – I believe it is his best position, and think
he will shine in this campaign, but this does not necessarily translate to FPL
points. The danger of picking such a deep playmaker is that you will go
unrewarded for lots of ‘hockey assists’ (the pass before the assist, which can
often be the one that genuinely makes the goal). Coutinho will also likely end
up in fewer scoring positions, although his long shot ability makes anywhere
vaguely near the box a dangerous place. He will score points, but probably not
with the consistency needed to justify the 9.0. When just 0.5 more gets Eriksen
or Alli, I’d lean towards splashing the cash on one of the Spurs men.
Any other Liverpool midfielders come with too much of a
rotation risk to be immediately viable. Lallana’s 7.5 price tag might be
appealing to those a little short on funds, but his game time is far from
guaranteed – Coutinho going deeper leaves only two more central midfield slots
in the 4-3-3, and Lallana is competing with Can, Wijnaldum and Henderson. This
is even before mentioning Grujic, who is enjoying another strong pre-season and
making his case for selection. After a few weeks, if a clear first-choice
eleven has emerged, then Lallana, Wijnaldum or even Henderson could potentially
represent decent value – for the time-being, however, they are not worth
thinking about.
The forward position is a complicated one. Firmino, who
proved a good option from midfield in the last campaign, is now listed as a
forward – his price tag remains similar, however, making him cheap for a
striker at a top four team. 8.5 puts him three million cheaper than Aguero at
City, two million cheaper than the Gunners’ new front man Lacazette, 1.5 less
than Morata and a huge 4 million less than Harry Kane. This makes him hard to
completely overlook: goals are shared out more in Liverpool’s attack so his
returns will probably not be in quite the same league as these counterparts,
but in terms of value for money he could be a strong option. Unfortunately,
game time concerns complicate the matter. He will probably be Liverpool’s
first-choice centre-forward, but with Sturridge still on the books it is hard
to say this for certain. Klopp has said that he has never seen the England
forward in better condition, and it is universally acknowledged that Sturridge
is world class when fit. As such, if Sturridge can keep himself match-ready, it
is hardly beyond the realms of possibility that he reclaims the starting
striker spot. Add to this the pressure from Divock Origi, newly-fit Danny Ings
and new signing Dominic Solanke (who is mainly one for the future but has
caught the eye in pre-season), and Firmino starts to look like a bit too much
of a risk. On the other hand, he is very likely to at least start the season:
Liverpool’s opening run of fixtures isn’t bad, so it could be worth getting him
in.
To sum up, the bulk of Liverpool’s viable options come from
midfield. Salah and Mane are the stand-out options; Coutinho will probably do
well too, but his deeper role makes him the worst choice of the three. The
defence offers Robertson as a speculative pick, but this is a definite risk and
probably something to think about in a few weeks rather than from the start. Up
front, Firmino could prove to be good value-for-money: don’t expect truly elite
returns, however, and don’t even necessarily expect his spot in the team to be
safe.
-James Martin
Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013
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