There are some hot topics being discussed on social media at the moment, sometimes with civility and grace, sometimes.. less so! But, that’s probably no different to any forum on the internet I guess.
I co-author a hot topics blog every two weeks with @FIGuide_ and @FootballIndexLM and we covered the widely criticised spreads, changes to the performance scoring system and then thoughts on FI over the summer break.
That was released just last night and you can check it out here. It has a good range of views in there and very sensible people are coming to different conclusions both on the blog and on social media. That reflects some of the difficulty FI have in finding the right solution for everyone (including themselves).
Overall, my view on these things is to quietly nudge FI in the direction of evolving the platform but at the same time just work with what we have.
In my view, it is best to find the players who work in this scoring system not buy them and then complain that the scoring system is wrong and it doesn’t reward the player we have. We know what the scoring system is and we buy on that basis.
You could buy in the hope that the scoring system is changed but that is a risk you are voluntarily taking. If you think a player is great and the scoring system may evolve to accommodate him in future, all good, but you should be factoring that risk into the buy price. You need a cheaper price to make that risk worthwhile.
Whilst you can tweak the scoring system to be a bit better, I’ve never seen a scoring system in any game that completely captures the dynamics of what makes a player “good”. It’s very subjective.
And ultimately, it is a game rather than a simulation. Most likely, FI will seek to make the changes that make the game more fun and exciting, not necessarily the changes that make the game reflect reality.
Risers
Ander Herrera
A very good game from Herrera including the match winner. Had the game been scored, I’d have put him on around 150 points. So decent, but not great.
That was a fairly low involvement game for him though, given the quality of opposition (ok no Sarri jokes, he would have got more possession playing a very soft team!).
So, he does have a big score in him provided his occasional goal is a) the matchwinner and b) against a soft team that lets him dominate the ball.
Given the budget price, he has picked up plenty of suitors off the back of it though. So, a patient holder may sneak a dividend if all those stars align.
I would not expect it too often, though. The on pitch improvement under OGS will not necessarily filter through to better scores on this one.
Anthony Martial
Martial almost certainly will get better scores under OGS, though.
He’s really playing his way into the team and showing the numbers I always knew he was capable of.
We need him back fit. And we need him to be completing 90 minutes rather than getting hooked off on 70. That will probably come in time.
The only issue on this is price. And at least, following the injury it looks a little kinder than it did. But it’s still hefty.
Buyers may get a quick rise towards £9.50 if he does put in a big performance in the coming games once back from injury (expected early March).
Beyond that, it’s questionable whether people will want to hold him for the Summer in my view.
For me, this is long past the price point I will normally hold for. But, patient traders looking to accumulate star players for long holds who can withstand any dips will probably end up pretty happy with this.
Fallers
Tahith Chong
Like a battered spouse, people keep going back to the one who beats them again and again.
“It will be different this time!”
No. It almost certainly won’t.
Whether it’s different people or the same personalities getting suckered in time after time we’ll never know.
The only thing I know is that buying this sort of player late is losing trading over the long run. It’s a bad habit that needs to be dropped because it will cost you money. And in future, the market will not be as forgiving as it is now.
Some traders just gotta’ harden up.
Hot Gossip
Sorry Sarri
Last nights shocker is being hailed as the beginning of the end for Sarri. It wasn’t long ago he was a genius. Now, he is a stubborn fool.
It’s been depressing the price of Chelsea assets (and depressing fans, too) for a while now and that means there are some bargains to be had.
I am not sure looking to extreme youth like Hudson-Odoi is the right answer, though. Chelsea’s reluctance to blood their own youth in the first team goes back way beyond Sarri. It’s a club philosophy. Youngsters get their minutes out on loan and then generally get sold.
We’d need a bigger change than just the manager in my view.
That might not translate to all assets though. If linked to an exciting manager (Zidane, hello?) then you could get a burst of confidence in Chelsea players across the board.
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