FPL Gameweek 2 Preview — First XI, Captaincy Verdict, Transfer Thesis & The Differential Nobody Has Thought Of
Greetings, pupils, and welcome back to the only weekly seminar that really matters. I see some familiar faces, although a few of you appear to have spent the last seven days staring at your FPL app with the sort of expression normally reserved for people waiting for the results of a GCSE exam.
Relax.
Gameweek 1 did not go exactly according to plan for the Savant. It was not the triumphant opening lecture I had envisaged, but nor was it the catastrophe some of you seem to think it was. The important distinction, as I have explained before, is that a bad Gameweek does not necessarily mean you made bad decisions. Sometimes football simply has the audacity to ignore your carefully constructed plans.
Manchester United lost to Hull, Tottenham conceded three to Brentford, Haaland blanked and several of the players who had been quietly sitting in my squad suddenly became considerably less quiet. My score was underwhelming, but the bench performed extremely well. And did I use the Bench Boost? No. While every Tom, Dick and Harry on YouTube appeared to be activating chips before the first proper weekend had even finished, I resisted the temptation. I may have missed out on some points, but I also learned something considerably more valuable: the player identification was good.
That matters.
If your bench is capable of producing returns and your supposedly “differential” selections are performing, the answer is not necessarily to rip the squad apart because Bruno Fernandes blanked or Haaland didn’t score. The season is one Gameweek old. We have barely collected enough evidence to start making sweeping conclusions, and yet some of you have already changed your entire squad three times.
Please stop.
The First XI
There are changes, but they are measured rather than panicked. Gomez leaves despite producing a perfectly respectable six points in Gameweek 1. Six points is six points, and I am not going to pretend otherwise simply because I have decided to sell him. But FPL is about what happens next, not what happened yesterday, and Brighton now face Chelsea away. I would rather use the opportunity to bring in Schade and maintain flexibility elsewhere than chase the points Gomez has already banked.
Kinsky Gets The Nod.
Tottenham conceded three goals in Gameweek 1, which apparently means their defence has been declared legally deceased by the FPL community. I am prepared to take a slightly more nuanced view.
I cannot imagine Roberto De Zerbi watched his defence concede three goals and thought, “Excellent, lads. Let’s do exactly that again.” I suspect the Italian military may have been called in overnight to conduct defensive drills. There will be cones. There will be shouting. There may even be someone making them run up a hill carrying a Fiat 500.
I therefore refuse to believe Tottenham will concede three goals every week. Kinsky gets the start, and I am willing to back the idea that De Zerbi has had a few words with his defenders.
The Captaincy Verdict
Bruno Fernandes | Manchester United | £12.0m
Yes, pupils, the Savant has decided to trust Bruno despite Manchester United’s rather embarrassing opening-week performance. Before anyone starts asking whether I have lost my mind, let us remember that one defeat does not suddenly make Bruno a bad FPL asset. His penalty responsibility, creative role and involvement in Manchester United’s attack remain extremely appealing, particularly with Ipswich the next fixture.
This is precisely the sort of decision where I refuse to let one Gameweek dictate my thinking. Bruno blanked in Gameweek 1, but that does not mean the underlying opportunity has disappeared. If anything, the combination of a favourable home fixture and his importance to United’s attack makes this an excellent opportunity to back the player rather than chase whichever midfielder happened to score last weekend.
Erling Haaland takes the vice-captaincy. I appreciate that some of you will be looking at the fixture against Crystal Palace and wondering why I have not simply handed him the armband. The answer is that sometimes you have to trust your judgement rather than automatically selecting the highest-owned captain every week. Haaland remains an outstanding asset and is perfectly capable of producing another monster haul, but Bruno gets the nod this week.
And if Bruno scores twice while Haaland blanks, I shall expect each and every one of you to remember this lecture when you inevitably tell your mini-league that you “always fancied Bruno.”
You did not.
The Savant did.
The Transfer Thesis
We’re gonna roll. Yes, pupils, the transfer button remains untouched.
While half of FPL Twitter has spent the week frantically buying last week’s points and selling anyone who blanked, I am perfectly comfortable waiting. The first Wildcard remains part of the Savant’s strategy, and there is absolutely no prize for using four transfers simply because your Gameweek 1 rank made you uncomfortable.
The early weeks are about collecting information. Who has nailed their position? Who is actually playing 90 minutes? Which new signings have genuine attacking roles? Which apparently brilliant preseason picks were merely brilliant against a goalkeeper who had never heard of the offside rule? These are the questions we need to answer before we start tearing the squad apart.
The Differential
Anton Stach | Leeds | £6.0m
Now, before you accuse me of simply chasing his 13-point Gameweek 1 haul, let us establish that this is precisely what the Savant does not do. Stach is interesting because there are multiple routes to FPL points. He has set-piece involvement, can contribute defensively and showed attacking intent in Gameweek 1. At around 2% ownership, he also offers genuine rank upside rather than being another player who everyone owns by Friday afternoon.
The important point is that I am not selecting him because he scored 13 points. I am selecting him because there is a plausible argument that the 13 points were not entirely an accident. That distinction is everything. Will he haul again? Absolutely no idea. If you want certainty, FPL is the wrong hobby. What we can identify is opportunity, role and ownership, and Stach ticks enough boxes to make him an interesting punt for those willing to stray from the template.
The Savant’s Verdict
So, pupils, Gameweek 1 was not perfect. But perfection after one week is generally the preserve of people who have spent the entire summer preparing a screenshot for Twitter.
The Savant has taken the information, resisted the panic and made a couple of calculated adjustments. Gomez goes despite his six points, Schade comes in, Kinsky gets the nod and the transfer is rolled. The bench may have produced points without a Bench Boost, but that is not a failure; it is evidence that the squad construction was sound.
Haaland remains captain, Bruno remains vice-captain and Anton Stach is this week’s differential for those of you brave enough to think independently without completely losing your minds.
The season is long. We do not need to win it in August.
We simply need to avoid being idiots.
Now, close YouTube, put the transfer button down and take your seats.
Class is in session.
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