Welcome to Scouting! The most popular page on FIT!
This is a snapshot of my player scouting exactly as it was at the end of November 2020.
Just click on any team or player to open the drop down and see my observations after each game. FI veterans in particular tell me this saves them a lot of time!
This gives you an idea of the level of detail you can expect. Scouting is updated throughout each week and includes every match day. You can also see my Explosion Imminent list – players I consider to be very close to producing big FI scores based on recent form.
Please note – these are my views frozen in time from November 2020 – a players ability level, price and circumstances can change often so my analysis has likely moved on too. The latest Scouting is only available in the real members area.
30 November
Demirbay follows up his win with another decent display. Some fierce efforts from range and if another one of these flies in he’s usually going to be a contender.
His 32nd minute shot nearly took the keepers wrists off.
Still value at around £1.03. He’s consistent and whilst he won’t win every week he’s often just 1 goal away from a very big score – anyone who thinks he is a one hit wonder after his midweek win is mistaken.
Bailey starts again – decent enough but no major threat. I think holders are just happy to see him starting and over the last 7 games as a whole he’s very impressive. This is the sort of form that can spark those big transfers rumours again and I can already see them starting.
Wirtz continues to impress – making a starting spot his own at just 17. Has FI relevance too as a sort of high baseline occasional big scorer type.
One to look out for at IPO – hopefully he’s been just quiet enough that not too many people have noticed. Hopefully.
Kramaric back, with a rare blank. In fact this is the first game in… well for all intents and purposes essentially forever where he had no threat at all.
But that’s highly unusual. His 2020 form is insane.
In terms of his overall contribution it was superb and just 1 goal can see him challenge – and he’s often capable of 2 or 3 in a game.
Really unfortunate he has been out with covid recently.
£1.41 to £1.66 is a steal for him and he’s only 29 he has tons of time both in this season and the ones to come. We may even see him transfer. I’m keen.
I’ve been tracking Sessegnon recently too and he’s impressive here. Arguably his best overall game for FI purposes. Contributed an assist and was very advanced.
Decent chance of resurrecting his career at Hoffenheim and it would not be outrageous if he won anytime soon either. At just 74p to 94p I think he’s a decent punt.
29 November
Poor result for Dortmund – they were wasteful and looked a bit lazy. But it’s not all bad for FI purposes.
Some potentially huge scores on the board here had Dortmund won.
From an FI perspective this is arguably one of Sancho‘s best FI games of the season, big potential score here. Hit the bar early on and had that gone in this could all have looked very different.
Traditional match reports will slam him for a poor performance but in FI terms there is only good stuff here. Consistent good form lately.
No real reason for that performance to cause a drop in price. Maybe people will just be more fearful the second time around as the “he can only go up” garbage has been dismantled.
A skilled trader may do well out of this from here though if that transfer rumour stays alive and provided they aren’t too greedy and push it too far.
Reus – strong overall numbers. Couple of half chances. Strong FI forward and a real contender to be another of those forgotten men who turns up and wins one of these days. But it should not be a surprise to anyone paying attention.
Brandt savaged for a woeful display. After a good game last time out. FI numbers track the general perception here it’s poor.
Yet based on recent form in general he is well within range of wins when on the pitch. Given consistent minutes I’d have little doubt in his ability to deliver – it’s really all about his place in the side.
Unless the Gods of probability are very unkind Emre Can is going to turn up with a monstrous score at least once over a season. Almost to 100 passes here and he had a really good chance to score that just went wide.
One of the best long range punts around in my view for 52p or anything close to that when that big score comes you have a shot at making 50% of your purchase price with just one win and he’s only 26 so you are going to have chances to resell most likely.
Dortmund CB’s can do really well on baseline alone and Akanji and Hummels are close here.
Akanji is much younger obviously but Hummels could well have blown scoring away yesterday. 3 shots and good quality chances too. Could have walked the defender dividend so easily yesterday.
Both good value pickup. Hummels may be older but he’s contracted until 2022.
Lovely goal from the bench for Thorgan. Like I said midweek in the CL article things are looking up for him and I think people are far too negative on him at 64p to 92p. May not be a powerhouse but he’s a solid player and that’s too cheap.
Good to remember at times that trades don’t always have to be sexy and players don’t need to win every week – they just have to be great value.
Another goal for Angelino – a player I’ve long considered one of the strongest defenders and he’s sitting on my explosion imminent list.
If his goal had stayed the matchwinner he’s beating Stones yesterday. Consistent and this is why he’s more than worth his money. Actually he had enough chances for a hatrick, incredible really for a defender. Created chances too. So many ways he can pump his score up.
Improved threat from Olmo in recent games. Suffering from heavy substitutions at the moment but per minute he looks a contender. Provided an assist.
£1.06 now or anything close is great value and I’d happily pick that up on the basis that constant substitutions is unlikely to last forever even if you have to wait for next season in a worst case. Price is so low it makes that kind of patience viable.
Sabitzer started from the bench this time but again, he’s close to scoring. Very capable of turning up with a big score soon and nobody should say he didn’t warn us.
Bayern win but it’s nothing like their best performance.
Tolisso starts but then frustratingly has to be subbed off on 83 with a possible injury. And he’s only just back from his previous one. No date set yet could be nothing but we’ll see.
Shame because it’s a really tidy FI performance. Lacked threat but he’s had chances on recent games. Given time he’s high potential but these injuries are frustrating no doubt.
Coman probably Bayern’s best player here as he continues his superb form. The more he plays and the more he shows this form the more tempting he gets.
Difficult decision this one because if I clicked buy I’d be not surprised at all if I won. But I’d be equally unsurprised if he went off injured and I got burned. I have trust issues with Mr Glass but I want to get over them.
Goretzka excellent again. His big scores are a matter of time if he maintains this level.
Gnabry quiet again. Off the boil for sure and hasn’t scored in 7 games now. But really not far away and one of those that can easily bounce back.
Not much new on Lewandowski. Scored again. Yawn. Should score pretty much every game the only blot will be likely rotation in the CL but I don’t think this is a major deal. It’s important to be active with him and keep refreshing for IPD at good opportunities. If people are sad because he doesn’t start a CL game that would likely be a good moment to buy.
Pavard holders can be happy to see a spark of life. He has been very quiet recently but this was a better performance. He got forward and had some chances – had a really good crack that the keeper saved well.
Out of favour but he hasn’t really dropped off much. He’s always been more of a steady slow burn sort rather than a week in week out challenger. But he should turn up with his big scores over the season.
I flagged Costa as a potential winner in the next CL rounds if Bayern rotate as expected. Here’s a warning shot as he comes off the bench to score a lovely goal. Given 90 minutes he can do some damage. Good punt.
Andre Silva of Frankfurt turns up with a brace. Great IPD rotation player as I’ve covered many times this season. And a possible transfer prospect. Portugal minutes too.
He should just not be 75p to 92p by all logic. The price is just too low and this is almost certain to correct itself.
Youngster Neuhaus is a player I flag up often and he’s unlucky not to be our midfield dividend winner here. Actually I call him a youngster but by now he’s 23 and maybe that’s not appropriate anymore.
But it’s a prime age for us on FI.
Only losing the matchwinner to a Schalke equaliser keeps him off top spot yesterday.
He scored a great goal and assisted too. Solid overall involvement as usual. This isn’t a one off – he’s consistent and he is improving in recent games. Always had potential but is getting better.
Getting Germany minutes too. A long range pick I’ve long liked – often gets bigger club transfer rumours. Could win now. Not much to dislike at 75p to 96p and in this downturn people have gone way too negative on these promising fringe players.
Good displays from both Plea and Thuram here. Thuram scored but could have had more.
On another day Plea could have been scoring 2 or more with his chances. And he put in a solid overall performance we could see more wins from him as well as solid IPD.
Both look bargains right now for their ability at Gladbach and possible big transfers.
23 November
Another goal for Leon Bailey who is having a good time recently after a long period on the fringes.
A regular starter now and 4 goals in his last 3 Leverkusen games.
And the all around contribution is good although he is suffering from making a high number of risky passes – a common issue with the FI scoring system that can punish some of the best players.
If they update the scoring system (further change is a long way off don’t worry!) I’d hope this is something that gets addressed.
Still, he’s well in range of wins on his day and and the IPD alone would be justification enough. He looks like scoring most games here, and he can throw in assists too.
Also one of the long standing reasons to hold Bailey has been his EPL transfer rumours – and these will only improve if he keeps playing like he is recently.
Lots of reasons to be holding him and if you can get anything like this £1 bid it’s insane value. Even the £1.30 Blue Button I’d consider good.
Another assist for youngster Florian Wirtz. I’ve already covered him – one of the breakout youngsters of the campaign so far. Showing notable consistency and I am sure he will be in demand when he is IPO’d. And should be FI relevant too.
Big numbers from Jonathan Tah. One of the very select group of CB’s that can actually make consistent challenges on FI due to their massive baseline play. Didn’t quite appear here because of a lack of clean sheet, but it’s there. Leverkusen’s inability to keep clean sheets is an issue fir him though.
He does have EPL transfer prospects and is only 24. Germany fringes. A stunning 44p to 61p – bargain. Would be surprised if he didn’t pop up with at least 2-3 big scores and could easily win on a Bronze/Silver day on baseline alone.
Possibly the most tempting target at Leverkusen is Diaby. Wasn’t brilliant in this game and in fact threat recently has been a bit soft. Assist potential very strong though.
And his ceiling is so high. In an U21 France game this month he registered over 100 total actions which is just insane for a forward, elite level. He is often well out ahead of most forwards for his all round contribution, so it feels like he really doesn’t have to improve a lot to become a really strong FI player.
I’d be picking at this lack of recent threat more at a higher price but he may be available on an under £1 bid. And that’s just exceptional value for a 21 year old who could become a real FI force. And he can win now on a good day he isn’t just one for the future
Started the season strong but domestically they are struggling now – covid ripped through the squad which didn’t help.
They are however doing very well in the Europa and have more soft fixtures up in the next couple of weeks.
Kramaric is back so he could have a good time – a shame he missed some of these easy games because he could have exploded.
Wasn’t far away here on his return. A late goal conceded took his match winner away but he would have been competitive, if ultimately beaten out by a big 300+ from Ronaldo.
Such a strong player. Over the last 10 for club and country he has 13 goals. We don’t see this level of threat outside of Europe’s elite strikers.
£1.34 to £1.40? Great value for IPD alone. He is a very capable winner particularly on these Europa nights to come.
And at 29 he still has a chance for another big transfer it does get rumoured. Bayern were sniffing around in the window just gone. Maybe that doesn’t happen but when he is value at his existing club this can just be a nice bonus. His Croatia involvement is good too.
First goal for Sessegnon too, really nice run and finish. A forgotten English wonderkid at the moment. Hoffenheim numbers aren’t great .
He may be a bit too long range in this market – I think traders will have an easier time focusing on the more low hanging fruit right now.
But he’s worth keeping an eye on – he is still just 20 and if he made a name for himself in the Bundesliga he could be a value pick. If we can pick him up just before he returns to the spotlight.
Skov, hero of the last round of Europa ties, was one of those out with covid this time. May miss the next game vs Liberec, probably back for Mainz on the 29th assuming he gets through quarantine normally.
A rare stumble for Bayern, drawing 1-1 with Werder Bremen.
Teamsheet was a little unfamiliar which may explain it. Tolisso sidelined with a muscle injury, not severe. Kimmich long term injured. Gnabry and Goretzka rested.
They still dominated though and were capable of generating some big scores here.
Coman bagged the only goal. Had other chances too. Good numbers for 65 minutes – he is one of those players who tends to rarely finish a game which can hurt his chances.
And his injury record is very questionable. Still, this is one of his most consistent runs without injury and the more this goes on the more viable he looks. Especially at just £1.26 on a bid. Very tempting, if you can get over his injury record. I’m not sure I’m there yet.
Muller strong as ever. Little goal shy of late but he’s got everything needed for big scores. When he hits another patch of form he’s going to be challenging. Just over £1 on a bid is crazy value. Still a long season to go and I’m not stressed about holding elite veterans at these sorts of prices when they have long contracts.
First Bundesliga start for youngster Jamal Musiala, who we expected to get some pitch time this season. Not on FI yet but one to look out for when he is added.
Had a good game on a day where lots of the big names were off colour so he has done his chances of a recall no harm.
Very tidy baseline numbers with a bit of threat. I like him – his youth stats show FI suitability. He may just go under the radar at IPO if released on the same day as some other distractions. So if he could be picked up for anything close to £1 or under £1.50 I’d be interested.
Not the best game for Bayern here but in just two days they have Salzburg at home in the CL and it could be an opportunity for the big hitters to shine. Gnabry. Muller. Lewandowski. Goretzka. These are the most likely in attack.
Coman and Sané too depending on team selection. Tolisso could be back and he’s been looking strong – I rate him as a high potential player.
And Pavard and Hernandez the best at the back – though Hernandez went off here and is likely to miss this next game, maybe even the one after that.
That probably brings Alaba into it as a punt as he moves to full back.
RBL only managed a draw away at Frankfurt, a disappointing result perhaps.
However, there were some very good FI performances that would have been more obvious if they had won.
Angelino is one of FI’s best defenders right now. He assisted yet again here, even better, he had two shots from inside the box. Really getting in there and has every chance of adding to his goal from the previous game vs Freiburg. Remains on my explosion imminent list.
Sabitzer is fully fit again and playing full matches. Solid stats, with his main threat coming from penalties. Really good pick these days – been out of the limelight for a while but he can drop on a penalty any day and win.
Things have changed from his overpriced days – £1.18 to £1.44 is a bit of a steal.
Olmo was subbed at half time possibly because he picked up a booking. Unfortunate perhaps as he looked his most dangerous for a while.
He really needs a goal. A good young player as covered in the Spain review last week. Was notably more advanced than usual here. And he doesn’t have to improve much to make an impact.
Especially at his new knockdown price.. £1.11 or anything up to the Blue Button £1.38 feels like extremely good value.
Tough game for Leipzig away at PSG next but two very kind fix
The Haaland show with 4 goals including the match winner. But, still eclipsed by Ronaldo’s brace. Which highlights the difficulty he has.
Most of the time he’ll be winning it with 4 goals and a matchwinner, basically any player would. This is just a bit unlucky.
But also not – when you have to do this much to get into contention it is a real problem.
He had almost as many shots as he had passes and you’ll never build winning baselines that way. Worse – this is likely to never change.
So no win. But it was well timed for holders as it coincides with the market bounce back – renewing confidence in a player that has really struggled on the market.
I mean. At £5.50 on a bid it’s out of “this is crazy” territory. Buying him at £8+ was insanity. At these prices.. it’s making many previously unviable trades sensible again.
But only just. It’s a trade that in the longe term is utterly dependant on him getting an EPL transfer and that’s just a big gamble to take. Latest is he will be at Dortmund until 2022 minimum and will people wait that long for serious returns? Doubtful to me. It’s likely other newer and shinier targets emerge to tempt this sort of buyer.
Still, he may get a natural bounce back with the market as people will generally consider him cheap after reaching a previous high of £8.39. So now would be the best time if looking to exploit that mentality. But if he were to get anywhere near that again I’d very much be cashing that in rather than gambling on the transfer.
Guerreiro was on the scoresheet too. The only surprise is this was his first of the season. Could/should have been more.
Did concede two as well so that hurts in defence. He’s a monster though and right now I consider him the best defender on the platform.
In great form and worth every penny of his £1.71 to £1.95 and then some, even if his numbers eventually dip a bit.
Captain Reus is back playing regularly now and this was another good display. No big score yet but he’s simmering and it would not surprise me at all if he turns up with a big score sometime soon. 64p to 94p? A bargain and he has a long contract to 2023.
Decent from Brandt who got some credit from fans for silky passing. 4 key passes, 1 turned into an assist. Great involvement. No threat but did get forward.
Much better. And was excellent for Germany in the friendly vs Czech Republic too actually.
He’s having troubles but 80p to £1.25 now!? That’s nuts. Even if he struggles at Dortmund he’s 24, he’ll get a move somewhere decent in all likelihood. Really does not have to improve much at all to be an FI contender.
Hertha may have been tonked by Dortmund but Cunha still managed 2 goals. That’s 4 in his last 3. Plus a goal and assist for the Brazil under 23 this month.
Fantastic form and surely this will tempt big club offers. Just 21. £1.87 to £2.12? Looks a very solid choice to me.
9 November
Sessegnon has been farmed out to Hoffenheim, following the trend of English youngsters heading to the Bundesliga for minutes.
He is getting them, starting the last 3 now. Some quietly encouraging numbers.
He’s a defender now on FI but is essentially playing as a wing back. He’s in and around the box plenty. He’s only really had one decent attempt in the last 3 but he is in the areas where things can very easily fall to him.
And he’s got enough baseline involvement to make a goal count in defence.
An intriguing punt, 97p on a bid now and he’s still just 20. Hoffenheim have some tasty Europa fixtures too.
Leverkusen are turning out some attractive FI performances in the last 3.
28 year old Alario is hogging a lot of the goals though and he’s a bit of a spoiler as he isn’t the one traders really want. However, 46p to 68p for a player who has scored 8 goals in 7 games? The only 2 he blanked on in that run were games he only played 45 minutes.
These goals are no fluke he’s got the threat. Another great IPD rotation option.
Leon Bailey is doing really well of late. Getting regular minutes. Scored yesterday making 3 in the last 2 games. No assists but he is creating chances. Good stuff – he’s a contender – always has been but he has lacked the minutes to show it. Generally considered Leverkusen’s star player yesterday.
And good form can kick up those transfer rumours once more. I like him.
Diaby is a bargain too at £1.16. 2 assists here. Decent involvement. Lacking threat in the last 3 but he’s in the right areas. And historically he’s been able to put them away. Optimistic.
17 year old Wirtz is doing very well for such a young player – basically a regular now and he added another assist here. Lovely stuff for a young player – definitely one to watch at IPO.
I’ve also noted an improvement for Amiri too recently. He too added another assist here and he’s in range of goals too. With the baselines to make it count. Good for the patient trader he’s a bright prospect now making Germany squads.
And damn. Tapsoba. Dominating play yet again with an elite level 135 touches. Was a little sloppy in passing yesterday but it was a tough game.
Also heavily punished for fouls and even an offside as well as those 3 goals conceded. But all these issues I’d expect to evaporate on a flatter track. One of the rare CB’s who can be a contender. Glad I picked him out early this season he’s looking good.
25 year old Gladbach defender Bensebaini ain’t no one hit wonder.
He was nearly on the scoresheet again yesterday from open play after his midweek goal.
Must surely be the best budget defender available for under 50p on a bid right now. Or if he isn’t he can’t be far off.
Can be a consistent challenger and they have 3 juicy ties up next including home to Shakhtar in the CL.
8 November
Before we get to the on pitch performances… Kimmich is the headline. 3 months out potentially with a meniscus tear. Awfully bad luck for holders and with him on a hotstreak this is going to hit a lot of people at a time when confidence is low anyway.
Can you do much about that? Not really, not after the fact anyway. Any player can get an injury at any time.
What you can do is structure your portfolio in such a way so that one player isn’t making up an outrageous percent of it. So when one does fall over, it’s not such a big deal. I tend not to have any player more than 7.5% total portfolio value for this reason.
And, this is one of the reasons why I tend to sell players who are overperforming or hitting hot streaks. High prices and attention are nice but they do come with pressure too. If something goes wrong many will want out at the same time.
This could be good for others like Tolisso who may see more minutes, and players like Goretzka who may be tasked with carrying more of the ball.
On the pitch, starting at the back, Neuer was a beast and almost certainly was decisive in the win. Ever since GK’s got their own category I said he was the best on the platform, I think that’s proving true.
No win here but consistency is bringing rewards, making regular challenges for dividends and figuring in Team of the Month too.
Also reassuring recently that he discussed retirement – he doesn’t want to go on forever but should see out his contract taking him to 2023. That’s a long time on FI and I don’t really see fear of age as a real reason not to hold him certainly not for this season.
More minutes for full back Hernandez. Was not as attacking this time – but you expect that away vs Dortmund really. Still managed an assist – looking very good and better than Alphonso Davies for FI purposes. Whether he ousts him from the LB spot remains to be seen.
Sarr was poor so his chances of taking over full time from the injured Pavard take a dent.
I mused above that Goretkza may improve with Kimmich gone and we can see that in the numbers now we get to it.
Touches and possession is basically the same but he’s busier than usual here – interceptions, recoveries etc. He’s going to have more to do and he’s capable of doing it.
Also had 2 decent chances to score in this game. I really like him for this season. He’s simmering – no explosion yet – but it should come. Great value anyway and he should get better from here.
Bayern have been leaning on Tolisso more and more anyway – they will have to do so more now most likely. Solid numbers from him – and he played well in this tough game so there is no reason he shouldn’t be trusted more.
A capable winner who could in theory reach Thiago sort of levels. But for 79p to £1.01 even anywhere close would be great value.
Muller was fantastic here too. No threat but that isn’t usually a problem. I expect consistent big scores from him. A bargain.
Gnabry solid too. Consistent – and whilst he can go quiet the chances of him exploding and dragging attention back to him are high. Can’t really think of a better time to pick him up than now when the market is nervy.
Coman and Sané are probably my least favoured Bayern options though both are capable. They are seeing rotation. And I don’t quite trust Coman to stay fit yet his record is awful. Sané… really not bad but I just think the price is a touch high for what you get. If I was paying this money I’d go for the proven Gnabry.
Lewandowski managed a goal and assist, incredible form. Goal is worth watching – haven’t seen many better headers. Poor score with just 126 which is a little unusual. He got -30 in faults for yellow cards, offsides, goals conceded etc. And lacked the matchwinner.
For his big days he wants 2+ goals including the matchwinner which is for mere mortals is a high bar. But he reaches that often.
Wonderful player and if you can get this cheap bid over the international break I would be surprised if he did not see buying when people try to line up this 9 game Bayern IPD window starting on the 21st.
That is a great idea however my strong advice here is not to actually wait to try and line up a perfect 30 day window.
We want to buying more like now as people are selling for the international break, not being too obvious by waiting until the 21st to maximise your 30 day window. This is for the mugs.
Instead, buy on the dip, possibly benefiting from a red button price rise in the next two weeks due to those late IPD buyers.
Then, somewhere in the middle of your 30 day window you are likely to be able to find a time to sell and refresh that window – probably in the build up to a big European game when Lewandowski should be in demand.
With these IPD rotation buys – follow the price movements more than the fixtures is my advice.
Guerreiro was one of Dortmund’s best performers in reality.
When you are a defender conceding 3 and losing yet still coming out of the game with a score of 194 you know you are doing something right.
2 assists for him here. I won’t bang on because I’ve covered him a lot recently but he’s on my explosion imminent list for a reason. Probably the best defender on FI right now and if that’s wrong it’s not very wrong. A bargain at £1.52.
Sancho appeared to have a poor game and indeed he had no chances and his involvement was poor – though you would expect that vs Bayern to an extent.
Not as bad for FI purposes as standard match reports may suggest. And the recent form has been strong across the last 5-6 as reported here.
Not hitting the highs of last season – holders need to be careful because there are many examples of youngsters flying high then fading. Best example I can think of would be Deli Alli – in his day he would probably have been the King of the Index. Not so much now.
That said his overall numbers are much better than they were at the season start. And he could easily fly again if he gets the right transfer rumour.
I guess my message is just to be wary if holding and don’t assume it will definitely pan out exactly like last year from here – it’s not a sure thing.
Full game for Reus – I’ve been highlighting his return as a player to watch. He scored, decent performance. Did find it tough vs Bayern as most did. Big threat though – 5 efforts on goal. I’m confident on him especially at under £1. He’s on my explosion imminent list.
Haaland as dangerous as ever. Another goal making 6 in 5 games. He could, on a better day, be looking at a hatrick here or at least a brace. Had the chances, aim was a bit off.
And then the usual abysmal background numbers that will likely never get better.
Really all about the transfer – expectation is for him to stay at Dortmund until 2022. After that he has a good chance of joining Man Utd or Liverpool maybe.
Would I trust traders to stay patient until then? Absolutely not. I’d go for that but only when the move was at the end of the current season, so maybe next year.
Cunha challenged strongly yesterday.
He’s a player I’ve always liked but I haven’t covered him for a while in fact not since May if I use the search bar.
Part of the reason I haven’t covered him a great deal recently is whilst he is a strong goalscorer he has to do a lot to make it count at Hertha who are rarely winning games.
He’s good in himself – but this club will always draw him back.
It’s a timely reminder though because he is the sort of player I would tend to target ahead of the transfer windows.
He does tend to get links. He’s just 21 and starting to make Brazil squads.
Not much to dislike and he likely has a bright future. I think the issue is timing – do we go now and punt on a link in January? It’s more likely for Summer. But then £1.52 on a bid is value and he can deliver decent IPD in the mean time.
Maybe early December may be a better bet – dodging tough fixtures vs Dortmund and Leverkusen first and getting a bit closer to that transfer window.
Routine win for Leipzig.
Angelino was close again – I noted midweek and last weekend that he was still looking a threat and kept him on my explosion imminent list. He’s Leipzig’s top scorer with 5 this term.
Scored a thunderbolt of a freekick to seal the win. Had it been the matchwinner he sweeps top defender yesterday. So it goes – you can only keep getting our players up there and the rest is luck of the draw.
Remains one of my preferred defenders because he has a real edge over the competition.
Good day for Sabitzer too – tucked a penalty away. A competitive player that has been off the radar due to injury. A great time to pick him up in my view. He has chances at big scores – looking at recent games maybe that is not generous enough and I may shift that in the next update to 
.
26, plays for Austria and has good transfer links in the recent past including to Spurs/Arsenal. I like the pick these days now the price has settled from his £3+ days.
André Silva at Frankfurt keeps plugging away, another goal here which makes 3 in 4 games. The Bundesliga’s 4th highest scorer so far this campaign.
Another IPD rotation option that are one of the few consistent sources of joy in this nervy market. 65p to 90p is a steal just for IPD and you can also consider the Portugal minutes and a possible big transfer a bonus.
Scoring a goal a game regularly but really he has the threat to be putting away braces and hatricks and that could mean an occasional performance win too.
1 November
Dominant display for Dortmund – the only real issue is the goals fell to a player few will have backed – Hummels.
Brandt, Sancho, Reus, Thorgan, and even Bellingham had a raft of chances on a day where a goal could have generated big scores but nothing found the net for them.
Good day out for Brandt and another start, playing the full game. Had really good chances, decent involvement, created plenty that wasn’t finished.
Remains a contender on the pitch and I think this £1.14 bid is going to look absurdly low at some stage.
Whether that’s because he establishes at Dortmund again fully or transfers somewhere else – his career would have to take a disastrous turn for him to be priced this low for long.
Similar story too for Thorgan who made his first start back. He’s a touch lightweight in midfield but he can hit some really nice patches of form for goals and assists, and can win occasionally.
Of course he’s having a tough time and has to get back into the side regularly but he’s just 97p now. A cut price for a capable Dortmund player.
Another good game for Sancho too. Definitely improving as per recent scouting and that continues here.
Getting himself into contention – so if anyone wanted to back him for a comeback now would be the time. Especially with soft CL fixtures coming up against Brugge.
And the price has dropped back to £8.78 on a bid potentially. It’s getting more tempting and nowhere near the car crash it was at £15. But you are very beholden to how any transfer rumour pans out.
Plus as discussed midweek the market seems reluctant to chase hype at the moment. But if he pulls of a second win after winning recently? Maybe. It’s a good moment to go for him if you are going to in my view.
I personally see better value with less risk elsewhere but this is no longer madness given the improving form and declining price. Plus the transfer window is some way off and it’s unlikely any concrete decision gets made until closer to Summer.
Bit of rotation for Guerreeiro. Guerriro. Guerreiro. Got it. (it’s been nearly 3 years and I still can’t spell it without looking it up) only coming on for the final 20 – but he could have scored twice. Looking very dangerous.
Huge threat for Silva at Eintracht. A whopping 8 attempts. Just the 1 goal but this is brace or hatrick form.
He pretty much looks like scoring every game in the last 10 and most of the time he has.
Still just 76p and I might go so far as to say if we aren’t just abusing this and recycling him for IPD dividends we are doing FI wrong.
I’m half joking because there are no essential picks – and many different IPD options available who are just as good. But I’m only half joking.
It’s just too easy and I wonder how long IPD striker prices can really stay this low.
If a more confident market returns value like this should just be hoovered up.
Kimmich narrowly misses out for what would have been yet another win. It’s probably about time the luck went the other way.
And it will. But in many ways I don’t really believe in luck so much as a player being good enough to get himself in the mix consistently.
Kimmich is doing that and his numbers are extremely consistent. He makes his own luck.
I still think it’s getting a little overheated and that hot streak has generated a little bit too much optiimism. But there are kind fixtures to come so hanging in longer is not a bad call.
As per recent reviews it’s likely other Bayern assets get their days in the sun. Muller and Gnabry both on the scoresheet here.
This is becoming an odd day of Scouting though where lots of big names are performing but not really generating big scores we might expect. Gnabry. Werner. Ziyech. Often it’s niggling fouls, goals conceded dragging scores back.
To be fair Gnabry does tend to need more than 1 goal to put up a serious challenge. Fortunately he can deliver that reliably and frequently.
Muller was close too but gave the ball away a lot which really punished his score. Cheap – and his big days are very likely.
30 November
A bit better for Lyon lately.
The results have been good across the last 6 games but they haven’t really dominated a game until yesterday.
I’m a touch sceptical because they played vs 10 men for most of it so really we shouldn’t have expected anything less.
Ekambi was particularly good scoring the opener and assisting twice. And really it was a good overall performance he wasn’t far away from the win. This was from 9th November Scouting:
“Ekambi is leaned on more and more and he’s in great form. No goals in two but the threat is huge. 4 goals in 4 games overall. 43p! Another great IPD rotation option.”
He’s done well for that and had a decent price rise too with 52p to 71p the going rate. He’s still well worth that and with Moussa Dembelé seemingly on his way out he is a regular. Big threat and it’s consistent.
Speaking of Dembelé – he finally broke his duck last night ending a goal drought running back to the middle of August. He always looked unlucky and had plenty of chances even from the bench so this is no surprise.
He is possibly one of the most undervalued players on FI and at 79p to 89p I suspect traders have seriously overreacted to some poor form during the down turn. Just a few months ago he was one of the most in demand strikers in Europe and he probably will be again.
Guimaraes wasn’t far away either with a goal, let down by 4 fouls but he’s in the mix to put up a few big scores over a season. Just 22. Remains a good longer term prospect.
Depay was not much better than his recent weak showings – and this is the sort of game where we’d expect him to bounce back. Troubling for holders.
I don’t think he’s lost it – his Netherlands numbers just this month are strong. But he’s just not looking like his usual self. Treading water until January where he can move to Barcelona maybe? Perhaps he doesn’t want to run too much and risk injury but I’m just guessing.
£2.14 to £2.44 though for Depay at Barcelona? I’d take that.
I’ve been noting Monaco’s improvement under Kovac recently. For FI purposes as well as in reality.
Dominant win here and versus weaker sides in particular they look really strong.
Diop got the win here with a surprisingly limp 211 which is very low for a midfield Gold Day. On another day he might have been an also ran. He’s not one I usually pick out for this reason – he’s by no means bad but he will usually be overshadowed by bigger hitters.
I like to give plenty of options and could highlight every possible winner but if you pick everyone you sort of pick no-one if you know what I mean.
No goal for Yedder but he did provide an assist. And had good chances himself. No goals in two games but this is unusual and he had chances. He’s a goalscoring machine and I am amazed I have been able to get away with abusing him for IPD refreshes for… well over a year now?
People did catch on eventually and he went closer to £1.50 twice last season which is a much fairer valuation. But this downturn sees him as low as 64p to 75p and it’s just criminal. I’ll keep abusing it whilst I can.
Two tough fixtures up next but Yedder doesn’t care he can score anyway. After that the schedule really softens up.
Volland scores again – he’s transformed from his early poor showings for Monaco. 4 goals in 4 games. Could do some IPD damage in the upcoming kind fixture run and he’s even cheaper than Yedder.
For a patient youth pick Youssouf Fofana looks good. Just 21, midfielder. Regular starter now. High baseline player with occasional threat – the sort who can appear with a 250+ a couple of times a season and for just 75p to £1.06 at that age it could be a big deal if it happens.
In a similar mould Badiashile is one of those high baseline CB’s who can punch through in FI scoring in soft games. Just 19 and frequently linked to big clubs. Reasonable threat too for a CB. 79p to 93p… patient traders are likely to end up happy here.
Another really poor result. Is Vieira close to the sack? Might be a touch early but he’s under pressure.
They actually produced some nice FI numbers if you ignore the result.
Gouiri in particular was a bit of a beast. He scored the penalty but had plenty of chances besides. Lots of involvement by forward standards. On another day this could have been a brace or hatrick and probably a Star Man win.
Incredibly encouraging for holders – yet it’s never coming through with Nice in this god awful form.
Tough fixture next vs Leverkusen (but it won’t count for anything they are out) but then it’s a relatively kind fixture calendar into the new year. So they will get chances to improve.
As a bargain punt option 27 year old Lees-Melou is the best of it. Tons of involvement and high threat too – should have scored again here. Does have 2 goals in the last 4 and he has the threat to make that consistent. Looking close.
Youcef Atal always worth watching – injured for this game though and had discipline problems which kept him out of the limelight recently. Talented player often linked with big clubs though and it could be a good chance to take advantage of the negativity. 58p to 75p is so low and he can bounce back so easily.
29 November
Marseille get a little joy with a 3-1 win over Nantes after their awful CL run.
And doesn’t Thauvin just show how much he cares:
Almost certainly on his way out on a free at the end of this season. And he should have no shortage of suitors – AC Milan are strongly linked.
He had a decent game and was only really the matchwinner short of being competitive.
Despite Marseille’s struggles in Europe this is the 4th win on the bounce in Ligue 1 – these fixtures have just been heavily spread out so it doesn’t feel like there is momentum.
Thauvin at £1.23 to £1.41 is looking good again given he could win in Ligue 1 whilst holders wait for that transfer.
Payet is never far away either and he scored here. One for the braver and more active trader as he is very off beat with what people are going for in this market right now. But he is a capable winner and could be good for a punt on a soft fixture.
49p to 64p. Maybe 33 but he has a contract until 2024 recently signed and he’s unlikely to be going anywhere.
This was nice from Bayern loanee youngster Cuisance. Laid on an assist and had cahnces of his own which is an improvement. Previously he’d been tidy enough but never close to goals. I’m not expecting an explosion but he’s a value long range youth prospect who looked so strong at Bayern.
Neymar returns to his usual levels after a poor midweek CL showing. As covered in the CL review – this was always likely to be the case.
Unfortunately for holders PSG stumbled to Bordeaux and did not win but if they had Neymar is potentially running Mahrez close with just a single matchwinner.
Given Mahrez hit 345 that demonstrates Neymar’s power. I’ll say it again – under £7 on a bid for Neymar is crazy value. I suspect I won’t be saying that for long because it won’t be an option too much longer unless he gets injured or similar.
Hopes of a big score from Rafinha Alcantara are not totally dead. He’s getting some reasonable chances and starting games. But early sub offs are killing him and whilst I am fairly forgiving of a little rotation this season given the circumstances this feels like too much.
Still. As low as 37p potentially if people like a punt on a player who can put up a monster score maybe once or twice a season there are worse picks.
24 November
Win for Delort at Montpellier.
I wouldn’t call him a brilliant performance player – but he’s really not bad for a smaller club forward. The main reason you would hold him is as a great IPD rotation pick – and he can justify his rock bottom 56p to 69p price tag on that basis alone.
One of the benefits of holding such players is that they can occasionally pop off like this – netting 2 plus the assist and winning overall.
For these prices, dropping on just one of those can return a massive chunk of their purchase price alone.
With these occasional winners I generally let the hype settle a bit before diving in – you really want them before the win not after. That said he has dipped again and if paying the 56p bid, likely from a desperate impulse buyer, I’d be comfortable with that.
You’ll get 6 fixtures out of him in the 30 day window today they are mostly favourable. 4 goals and an assist in his last 3.
Another bang average Lyon display. They’ve really struggled this season. With no European involvement they really needed a strong domestic campaign.
They got a result here but did not really dominate.
Depay was toothless here and just generally way off his best. He was much better for Holland over the break so the player we know is still in there. Maybe he’s fed up at Lyon he can be sulky.
However he remains a really strong FI player and with the price at £2.09 to £2.38 now it feels like a significant overreaction to a loss of form and a potential move to Barcelona which last I checked is generally considered a good thing. He should have better days.
Cherki… absolutely nowhere for FI scoring in this game. He’s never really been that brilliant and he was catapulted to an insane price by pure social media / chat group hype.
This fall from £6+ to £2.17 to £2.59 is entirely deserved and I have little sympathy for anyone who ate that up. We can point to lots of drops that couldn’t be avoided in this market – but this is self inflicted.
I think as the market recovers we are going to find a bit more of a mature market where people are a little bit wiser and a little bit less inclined to bet the shop on untested players.
I had my eye on Paqueta as he moved to Lyon – he has potential. We aren’t really seeing it though. After flopping at Milan he has a lot to do to convince and so far he hasn’t. No real threat, average involvement at best. It’s a pass unless he seriously improves.
One of the most astonishing prices on FI right now is Moussa Dembelé. 70p to 92p. Out of favour at Lyon. But a fantastic striker, still just 24 years old, who often gets very big club rumours. And that move can credibly come as soon as January.
At this price, pretty much whatever happens, even if it is not quite the dream club move… it is so hard to see him not justifying his money. And if you do drop on that big move… he can be a £3+ player again and possibly more with ease.
Pure madness in this panicky market.
Dominant display from Lille, thrashing Lorient and it’s no surprise it yielded the Gold Day Star Man.
Enter again Yusuf Yazici. He first came onto the Scouting radar in mid October when he scored his first goal in 2020 as a substitute vs Lens. Encouraging, though he was never going to make a performance scoring impact with just 16 minutes in that game.
But just a few days later he exploded in the Europa, netting a hatrick. He flew in price, only to crash as IPD buyers immediately came out.
I said then I did not think he was a flash in the pan. He appeared again vs Milan with another hatrick, and then again this weekend with a brace and an assist.
Explosive.
Is he really this good? Probably not! 3 huge scores in this short space of time feels too much for him. He’s definitely ridden his luck and just had games where everything went his way.
Yet, I would expect him to have his big days, he’s solid. I peg him at 
… if he was playing ever game and he is becoming more of a regular.
Tricky actually. Usually when a player performs well above expectation it is a fairly easy decision to sell – take advantage of the over optimism. Then channel that into a player who is performing well but not getting the luck who is likely much cheaper.
He did start cheap though, and even his rapidly inflating £1.83 to £1.89 is not outrageous. Obviously you are going to be really happy if you picked him up at £1 or under when he was in Scouting a month ago.
Probably cashing in there is the correct course but he does have some spicy fixtures in early December – Sparta Prague and Celtic. Holding until then, maybe even selling just before could be more optimal.
No reason he can’t win of course but you have to sell at some point – holding forever for “just one more win” can be a real problem for many of us.
We have to bear in mind that between these big performances he’s done very little – so that’s the most likely outcome. You can always pick him up later if he drops after a couple of quiet games.
The other headline. A good performance from Jonathan David! Dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnn.
I liked him going into the season and he’s probably the most high profile example I’ve used of how it’s possible to spot it early when a player is going awry. It was clear quite early that he was going to struggle to justify the price.
Cutting off those losses reasonably quickly is really important. We’ll all have trades that don’t go our way, but if we deal with them right, we can be happy with our performance.
In recent Scouting though I felt the negativity had gone too far – he was down to just £1.18 on a bid in late October. And indeed has fallen further since with all the recent crashes.
As an out of favour player in rough times he was slayed, and you may even have been able to get him well under £1 just last week.
He has recovered a bit to £1.08 to £1.20 now. And things are looking up. His best display to watch here. A first goal. An assist.
If confidence was his problem (if you believe in such soft things!) then this might do the trick. I’d put more faith in the generally decent numbers in recent games – this may be his first goal but he has been unlucky not to score before. That should even out.
At a high price it’s right to be critical of players. That brings pressure. But traders can often over react – he is just 20 years old, is adjusting to a new team. There were reasons why people were optimistic in the first place.
Once the price drops this low – the chances of him recovering are pretty high. I like the pick.
And finally – no real reward for Bamba but he was really strong again here. An assist, had chances himself. Insane involvement for a forward. Really is a player transformed from a dismal previous campaign.
Despite the above two stealing the limelight Bamba looks like Lille’s most consistent performance challenger. £1.02 to £1.22 great value.
23 November
Bitter blow to throw a 2-0 lead to Monaco. Bad moment for a confidence hit because they have RB Leipzig up next in the CL this week – and losing there all but sends them to the Europa League.
In many ways that could mean they get to tonk some weak opponents so traders might like it. But sentiment wise that could dent the big hitters Neymar and Mbappé. Suspect that could be short lived when people see them lining up against weak opponents mind.
Neymar back, playing 30 minutes here so his chances of starting midweek are good. £5.48 on a bid now potentially – my word.
If you are going to get the big hitters get them when they are down. If the FI market recovers (and it seems to be at least yesterday – will discuss this more tomorrow) then it is near inevitable Neymar and other premiums get a natural rise. So could be a great time to target them. I am more comfortable with the premiums who bring actual returns like Neymar.
Mbappé did plenty with 2 goals but still not quite enough. Story hasn’t really changed – he’s good, but not as good as many hope for FI purposes. I have a worry that whilst he can improve in himself – if he tranfers he is only going to a harder league and a tougher performance platform than he has now. That could cancel each other out.
Very, very dependant on dropping the EPL move and that makes it a gamble. Gambles can go very well or very badly as we know.
None of that is new. What is new is the price. He was £10+ not long ago and that made me extremely wary. If now you can get him at a £5.53 bid… now we’re in much more sensible territory.
If he went to Real you could probably justify this money although it may need another dividend increase later. But it’s not a huge gap between price and potential in that scenario anymore.
And if you do drop that EPL move… it could be huge. These price crashes are turning potential disaster zones into viable trades. I think there are better picks out there but if you really like the idea of having Mbappé and think he will be the big name of football for the next decade – there haven’t been many moments like now where you can pay something like a sensible price.
So if anyone thinks they will FOMO into any rise… I’d say just get it over with now and buy. But if it ever returns to anything like £9-10 whilst a non-EPL move is still on the table I would strongly advise against holding that too long.
Monaco have been improving this season under new coach Kovac, both in reality and for FI purposes too.
They had a very rough looking fixture calendar which I think many found offputting particularly for IPD players like Yedder. But that schedule is starting to ease up.
Stunning victory over PSG here coming back from 2-0 down. Kovac getting credit for decisive tactical changes.
As reported last time Volland is improving and by this point you might now say transformed.
2 big goals here and his threat in the last 3 since Monaco switched to a 4-4-1-1 is vastly better. He arrived in Monaco with high expectations but was awful in his openers. Much better now.
He remains fairly awful as an FI performance prospect, mind. But when you can pay 41p for a player who currently looks like scoring almost every game on current form… that’s a rock solid IPD option right there. And he could sneak a win on a soft day with limited fixtures.
Those looking for long range youth picks may be interested in France U20 midfielder Tchouameni.
Very strong central midfield baseline play, and he’s having more and more long range cracks. If one of these fly in he could put up a very competitive score. Currently doing enough to score maybe 1 every 6-7 games. And he’s cheap at a blue button 75p with no bid price at all. A potential bargain.
Most will want to target value big hitters at the moment but I think Tchouameni looks promising for a patient trader willing to wait for that big goal or a possible transfer.
Ben Yedder remains the main man, out with covid in this weekends game. In good form though and he has no real respect for tough fixtures. 4 goals and an assist in his last 4 games for Monaco. Close to scoring for France in the international break too.
Fixtures improving for Monaco particularly from mid December into January – could be a very fruitful period there especially for Yedder/Volland IPD.
Golovin probably their best performance scoring hope but he continues to be sidelined and Monaco are cagey about his fitness. He is rock bottom price wise because of that and if he looks like coming back he could be a great pick up at under £1 now. Shocking price.
9 November
Yedder misses a beat – failing to score this game but it’s still 4 goals and an assist in the last 4 games.
A 10p dividend which is 2p better than winning Forward on a Silver Day. Yet very few are noticing this.
And he had no shortage of chances here. Consistently looks like scoring and assisting every game. Remains an IPD rotation bargain and this style of trading can be one of the few sources of current joy in this miserable market.
Volland improving – looked nowhere in his early games at Monaco but he scored last time and he had some good chances here as well. Better – he could be another good IPD rotation pick if he keeps this up. And the awful previous form has murdered his price to extreme value levels.
A win for Lyon but far from a convincing performance and some poor numbers for some big hitters.
We expected them to struggle without European football this season but not to this extent.
They haven’t really dominated a game since late Sept/very Early October. These were games they could have put up huge scores – but they didn’t win them.
Lately results are better but they are giving up possession even to mid ranking teams like St Etienne – making big FI scores hard to come by.
Aouar in particular looks a shadow of his former self. Doesn’t look close to wins at all.
Depay is a little better, you can see how he could return to his old form if Lyon have better games.
Dembelé still seeing heavy rotation. Hasn’t looked like scoring in the last two. However, this 11 game goalless streak now looks unfortunate – he’s had no shortage of chances at all. At this rock bottom price I really like this pick.
Fortunately for holders the primary reason for holding all 3 of the above remains the transfer.
Depay may be the exception as traders don’t seem to like that Barca move although he could actually do really well there.
Not sure how credible that is – Barcelona are broke and I expect more selling than buying. A different move, even to the EPL, would be much more beneficial but there is nothing live on that.
Elsewhere Ekambi is leaned on more and more and he’s in great form. No goals in two but the threat is huge. 4 goals in 4 games overall. 43p! Another great IPD rotation option.
Lyon have 3 soft fixtures up next – they may improve in these games so I think holders are best seeing how that goes. But if they struggle through those it really will be grim times at Lyon.
8 November
Di Maria is really knocking on the door of a win here – just as he did in midweek.
2 goals. An assist. And hit the post with another effort – could easily have been our Star Man winner yesterday. He has to go on explosion imminent (although it is now the International break which redefines imminent somewhat).
A great punt possibly but it’s a tightrope given he is an older player with an expiring contract at the season end. There is live gossip and he wants to renew it – but PSG have dragged their heels a long time now.
If he signs I’d snap him up in this form.
Kean always dangerous. Another goal here. Awful for FI again – that will likely never change. May find it harder to get starts with Icardi on his way back from injury.
But he’s probably done enough in this spell to get at least regular substitute minutes and for an IPD player that can be enough. Now that he’s dropping off after that spell of hype – £1.32 on the bid now – it’s reasonable to go back to him again.
Suspect you may be able to get a bit cheaper than that though over the break.
Marquinhos was close to scoring here with a decent header – was a difficult chance but it shows he is getting in there. If you look just at shots or expected goals recently you draw a blank but a heatmap shows he is often in the area and something may fall to him.
He can easily sweep the defender category. Just a really solid player that has gone a bit quiet – rarely seen a better time to pick him up especially if you can get anything under £1.50 which may be possible.
Big injury list at PSG at the moment so the break comes at a good time for them.
Yedder misses a beat – failing to score this game but it’s still 4 goals and an assist in the last 4 games.
A 10p dividend which is 2p better than winning Forward on a Silver Day. Yet very few are noticing this.
And he had no shortage of chances here. Consistently looks like scoring and assisting every game. Remains an IPD rotation bargain and this style of trading can be one of the few sources of current joy in this miserable market.
Volland improving – looked nowhere in his early games at Monaco but he scored last time and he had some good chances here as well. Better – he could be another good IPD rotation pick if he keeps this up. And the awful previous form has murdered his price to extreme value levels.
2 November
Another good display from Gouiri. No goal here but could have had 2 – great chances. Incredibly consistent for a young player – could hardly be going better for him at Nice.
Clearly the correct call for him to leave Lyon for experience. He can win now and it’s the form that can also get him big club rumours for later.
Win for Lees-Melou. He’s one of those occasional winner punt picks that can nick wins, I’ve featured him a couple of times this season. On penalties which is his key weapon.
Not many are going for picks like this as the focus, rightly, is on the big hitters but for those who do like good punts like this – it really only takes 1 win for them to earn a massive chunk of their purchase price.
Good from Rony Lopes too, he’s a new signing that has some potential. Used to be a Monaco “future wonderkid” type who fell on hard times. But he is at Nice to make his come back.
Very well taken goal. Couple of key passes. Took a corner. Contributed defensively. Could be a contender and 60p is a decent punt.
4-0 victory for Monaco. As reported last time under new coach Kovac this team are showing some very performance friendly stuff this season.
This wasn’t even a particularly dominant game for them – they are capable of better.
Ben Yedder was close to taking the dividend here with the matchwinner and an assist. As covered many a time he’s a player I love to recycle for consistent IPD’s – and he can nick you an occasional win too.
A criminally undervalued player. Monaco have tough fixtures and IPD hunters tend to target easier runs. But Yedder has little respect for big teams and his scoring run continued including here and away against Lyon.
In the last 3 games he’s returned 4 goals and 1 assist. And still available for 70p. This is free money. Or as close to it as you’ll ever see.
Something of a fight back from Volland with two goals – breaking his 7 game goal drought since he moved to Monaco. Must be a relief because expectations for Volland were high – he was considered a big signing.
Overall these performance numbers are atrocious and it’s hard to see how he wins with numbers like 17 touches in 68 minutes.
However – he’s rock bottom at a 45p bid and if he reaches anything like his Leverkusen form he can return strong IPD.
I’d probably wait another game or so to check consistency though – until yesterday he has never even looked like scoring at Monaco.
Gelson Martins always worth keeping an eye on too. Goal and assist here and he’s just 46p now.
As a midfielder numbers are a little soft but on Monaco’s big possession days which happen frequently he could compete. This is his first goal of the season but he’s had good chances and could easily add more.
A good game vs Lyon somewhat ruined by a sending off.
1-1 in the end which masks some good FI performances. Which is perhaps a shame on a day when most traders were probably crying out for a big winner.
Renato Sanches was a monster in the middle of the park, racking up 115 passes which is elite level.
Limited to a long range crack by way of threat which is common. But he’ll get occasional goals and on those days he is capable of some huge scores, possibly grazing 300.
I’ve liked the pick all season and the more I see the more consistent he looks.
Bamba scored again. Really in form player transformed from last season as discussed here a few times.
Wonderful strike that is worth finding on the highlights. And a great all round display with tons of involvement. He’s getting better if anything. Already on my explosion imminent list – and he’ll stay there another week at least.
Until the sending off Lyon were playing well despite going behind early. They did well to hang on for 45 minutes with 10 men.
They’ve had good results lately but there has been a notable shift in style.
Earlier in the season Lyon were dominating – producing nice performance numbers – but losing games.
In the last 3 they have won 2 and got a good draw yesterday – but they have done it by giving up a ton of possession.
This is producing some dismal performance numbers from players we usually expect more from – Depay, Aouar.
That’s tough as traders have minimal patience right now – and Lyon not being in Europe already put them under pressure.
The best hope for Lyon assets may be decent transfers. Both Depay, Aouar and Moussa Dembelé could be good candidates there. Without major investment though that would leave Lyon looking very thin for next season.
They do have 4 decent league fixtures up next – they’ll need to return to high possession play whilst maintaining positive results to figure on FI though.
Difficult side to have confidence in due to this inconsistency. But that can be ok with players like Dembelé and Aouar as if they win it’s a bonus and you have the transfer as the primary reason to hold.
Dembelé looks particular value for that reason. This price dropping to under £1 on a bid is absolutely crackers. If the right link drops he could be a £2-3 player with ease. And even if he went to a middle ranking club he’d still likely pull in more than his price in IPD.
Depay trickier because the narrative that “He’ll be bad at Barcelona” seems to have taken hold. I don’t think that is necessarily true but it will be a while before he can prove it.
30 November
Entertaining fightback for United with plenty of FI interest.
Cavani the Star Man – not something I’d necessarily expect especially from the bench!
In the midweek CL review I liked the pick but I saw it as mainly an IPD and possible media option. Well, he did deliver on both counts – we can’t say he didn’t warn us the goals were coming. And he’s a big name player so media pull was always there.
The Star Man is perhaps more unexpected – he isn’t exactly a textbook FI fit. But you can do a lot with 2 goals including the matchwinner plus an assist.
Just checked my midweek CL review and he was a 69p punt! Just shows the massive rewards available for picking the winners right now – what a welcome change to recent months where you could win but not see much for it beyond the dividend.
He’s £1.15 to £1.56 now, with IPD, a Gold Day Star Man and Media in the bag. Insane returns.
I guess the beauty of prices being this low is that even after such a bump – a £1.15 bid or close to that is still not unreasonable. In fact by all measures you’d have to call it value. I tend to be wary of following into big rises.
And United do have tougher fixtures. So maybe you could say give it a game or four. On the other hand… for media appeal a goal vs PSG or Manchester City in the coming games could see him win at least that. And he’s capable.
Obviously better to go at this midweek at 69p but you can still make a case for £1.15 I like him. Not sure I expect further Gold Day wins but IPD and media will cover that price tag.
Bruno Bruno Bruno. Did so much right. But he’s also really sloppy with his passing here and made a couple of fouls and it’s cost him.
Still, it was a tougher match. He’ll do better in United’s more dominant games. To be fair, even when United do not dominate he is not far away.
Looking competitive near enough every game and recent good scores are a fair reflection of his level.
Well under a True Value even at £8-9, £12 would not be at all outrageous. But it will take a while for the rest of the market to catch up a bit before we see him at that price.
De Beek looking a more regular fixture – and he played well. Good involvement for baselines, very good in fact.
No shots which is disappointing but on pitch position is more encouraging. He got forward plenty with 5 touches in the box so if he continues that the chances of something falling to him are high. And just one goal can be enough for him. Quietly encouraging.
Telles wasn’t amazing to watch but the FI numbers are encouraging again. Was pegged back a bit more this time in a tougher game but still managed plenty of possession and swung in crosses. I like him – definitely the sort of full back that can prosper on FI. A £1.24 bid is value.
Rashford was pretty good and he’s doing better than 1 goal in 6 might indicate. An “obvious” player that is yet to get a big market bounce back… I can’t see £4.32 or near enough as anything but a sound investment.
Goalless but not dull – Chelsea dominated possession and a goal or two could have brought some good FI scores.
I’m watching Mount with a lot of interest at the moment, as per recent scouting. The improvement is strong.
Regulars readers over the last year will recall that I’ve never felt he was ever close at Chelsea even when he was over £3 and people were crazy for him.
But since late October it’s looking up. Very high involvement now which means a goal can start to count for something. Getting some chances, that needs to improve a bit still. But he is getting in the right areas for things to fall for him.
Much better and £1.78 looks solid to me – it would be a big deal on the market if he bagged a win. And he looks close. If he doesn’t, he’s very young and has a lot going for him he has time.
This is the beauty and the art of FI – stacking up bets that have high upside but minimal downsides rather than gambling on 50/50’s.
Ziyech was impressive in the FI relevant numbers if not in the overall performance.
Traditional match reports will slam his wastefulness from crossing etc but for FI purposes he’s doing a lot of the right things. Had a good chance to score on the volley. Created chances too that weren’t taken.
He’s a contender. .
Werner had a disappointing game. Goal ruled out for offside (would have been a lovely finish). Didn’t get any other notable chances. Subbed on 74. Overall he’s not doing as badly as a 3 game goal drought might suggest and he remains a capable winner.
But frustration will set in for traders – when fast results are on offer for winners people will tend to chase and to do that they’ll sell players who appear to be out of form. I’m not exactly putting Werner on explosion imminent but he’s not too far away either.
Chilwell continues his excellent numbers as per recent scouting. Consistently excellent and I don’t regret bumping him to a very high 
in my ratings.
Dire – and the talk of Arteta getting sacked is gathering pace. May or may not be true.
There will be an aversion to Arsenal players as a result but it’s important at such times not to overreact. Remember when Manchester United were a dead team a month ago? Yeah.
It’s hard to recommend anyone based on this performance vs Wolves. But overall, there are some reasonable players.
And this poor form is unlikely to matter much when they line up against minnows Rapid Wien and Dundalk in the Europa over the next 10 days.
I’d look to the midweek Europa review for some good targets for that. Pepe. Willock. Nelson if he starts. All capable.
It’s even likely that the negativity pushes prices for such players down further. We shouldn’t always go along with the popular sentiment when there are reasons to disagree with it.
29 November
A return to domestic form for City – and they have the schedule to keep a good run going into December.
Mahrez our Saturday Star Man. In Scouting last week I said on him:
“Mahrez is in a similar boat (to De Bruyne) in that he’s doing a lot right but just not finding the net and City need to be winning. Remains a very high potential player.
A return to usual levels for him and City could easily leave us marvelling at how he managed to get under £1 on a bid.”
He continues our clear theme of the week – the importance of knowing the difference between a bad player and a player out of favour.
We may have players nobody seemingly wants languishing in portfolios – but we have to remember that most people don’t know what they are doing. Popularity is not a guide to profitability – often the opposite.
As per recent reviews, Mahrez was always so likely to bounce back that dumping him under £1 felt like bankroll suicide.
He’s now bagged a Star Man and there is no reason why he can’t repeat that feat – he’s a high quality player and he doesn’t even need the hatrick to do it.
His price has risen to from £1.21 to £1.98 in a day – players can bounce back.
On the bid – he was sellable for similar last night. This morning as I check close to market opening that red button is astonishingly back to potentially as low as £1.10!
These are old bids because you can’t bid lower than £1.49 now. £1.10 is very unlikely to get matched unless someone is really dumb/desperate and Instant Sells for that.
Likely those bids are either removed as pointless or overidden by some more sensible £1.49 bids and that remains strong value if you can get it.
I’m stressing this a lot this week but dumping good players just for being currently unpopular when they are showing signs of being close to a win is a common sight at the moment yet good traders must avoid this. And getting that right starts with good Scouting knowledge.
Speaking of good players close to wins – enter De Bruyne. As I mentioned last week if he maintains his recent level then the wins are coming. It’s more a matter of time than a question of his ability.
Last week I said a £4 bid was cheap but that was in a market only just bouncing back. As an obvious/popular pick he has naturally bumped up to £4.86 to £5.22 now as the market feels very different place to just a week ago.
That takes the edge off the value for sure and as I’ve mentioned previously he’s pushing it in terms of True Value given his age. But I also think a win or two can push that significantly higher into £6 or so. This trade can be juiced a bit more in my view it’s a long season to come.
Stones the surprising (sort of) defender winner. Only really because it is a rare start – City CB’s are one of the few who can challenge for dividends particularly when some of the more attacking defenders lose or take the day off.
Second start in a row and he was really good to be fair, now keeping Laporte out of the side apparently. How long that lasts well anyone’s guess is as good as mine. Guardiola’s comments suggest he will get more chances.
If you think Pep will be true to his word then 41p to 61p could be a bit of a steal – all starting City CB’s are worth considering at the right price because just like Stones they can win with baseline alone. I suspect Laporte isn’t getting dropped forever, though.
In fact the winner could just as easily have been Dias had he not been subbed early – which is unusual for him. He is a bit more expensive but probably the better choice given his consistent starts.
Equally you could target the excellent Laporte and take advantage of the negativity of missing the game to get a value price – is he really going anywhere? Probably not.
He’s a quality player that has been unlucky – fully fit we’d see enough challenges out of him in a season to warrant his sub £1 price – and with ease I would think.
Yet another game for Ferran Torres – pretty much a dream start at City for him. Another goal – could have been two.
Unusually low involvement though when playing wide I’d normally back him to do better than this poor score of just 100. Given City dominated this game this feels a little odd even accounting for his early substitution.
Inconsistent but then he is young. I can see him putting a big score together when at his best. And the performances are unquestionably good in reality.
£1.90 to £2.09 is decent value. We just want to watch it carefully because in the next 4-6 games at minimum holders are going to want to see some results or frustration will set in.
24 November
The early season contenders for “most improved team” have stumbled lately but are back on track with a win.
In soft fixtures they have a few options that can compete.
Calvert-Lewin’s remarkable goalscoring form continues with a brace here. It still makes him unlikely to win performance scoring but the price has dipped significantly to a month ago which makes all the difference.
It’s always a real struggle from him to carry anything like £2.50. But a £1.64 bid? Much more viable because IPD can justify that price or even up to £1.75.
And he has some sweeteners – England involvement and maybe even a big transfer if he keeps this up. Currently the EPL’s top scorer. And it’s no fluke – he’s getting the chances to continue this kind of level.
I wouldn’t take him too far beyond £2 unless a really big transfer rumour looked likely. But right now it’s looking good.
James Rodriguez has been a bit quiet – his last big score coming in early October. Good performance vs Fulham this weekend though even if he tired towards the end. That is understandable when you consider how many air miles he racked up playing for Colombia just a few days before.
He’s blanked in 3 now but overall his numbers have not dropped off too much at all. Likelihood is he will return to form and he remains a contender.
We are still in a phase where targetting super obvious value is going to pay off for us – and James lacks some of those “full season fit” characteristics for this category, being out of Europa/CL and not involved in Euro 2020.
If the recovery continues much longer the “obvious” picks will burn themselves out a bit though.
There will come a time when targetting players like this who have a price fall but no real change in output will be very profitable.
Richarlison remains my Everton favourite. No goal here but not for want of trying. A real Brazil regular now too which brings prestige if nothing else.
He improved when Everton did in early season. His numbers dipped here but it was his first game back. Generally good performance. Laid on an assist and had good chances himself.
I peg him at for FI which is my “good but not great” level. He could nick it when Everton have a soft fixture or if they play on a Bronze/Silver day.
And he has higher potential than that at a bigger club, I’d say but he’d also get some media appeal.
I like this pick especially at a cut price £1.69 or thereabouts. It’s a steal. He can earn that in IPD alone and can easily attract big transfer rumours and push north of £3 with ease. And if he doesn’t? He’s fine where he is for this money.
We’re not really expecting Fulham dividend wins but as noted previously – it’s not impossible to see some decent scores from them if they win a game – they play some performance friendly stuff (perhaps surprisingly).
Most of the interest is future transfer/development related though.
Loftus-Cheek bagged his first Fulham goal. On from the bench but adjusting for 90 minutes these are very nice numbers. I’ve always flagged him as a high potential FI player but his struggles with injury etc are well known.
If he continues to get minutes and perform well… this absolute rock bottom 45p to 69p bid is just raw insanity in a panicky market. He’s just 24 and could easily find himself at a big EPL club next season. Or even back in the England mix.
A patient trader may be very happy with this. I suspect you can get away with waiting a little longer here especially because Fulham play Leicester, Man. City and Liverpool next. Gulp. Eases up a bit after that though.
Lookman is in a similar vein – chances of winning now limited by Fulham’s form – but he is high potential and may get that transfer. FI numbers are lovely even at Fulham. 1 goal so far but it could have been 2-3 he gets chances. And he’s creative with a good level of involvement for a forward.
He is capable of nicking a win on a good day even this season. And good performances could see transfer links. For a rock bottom 87p with no bid at all… traders seeking a good longer term option could look-man no further. Hahahah. Hah. Sorry. It’s 7am and I haven’t had coffee yet. I can do better.
Some of the smaller EPL clubs are giving us more options than usual this season.
Arsenal help out here by playing with 10 men, but still. Leeds are fearless and won’t give up possession for anyone. Even in that thrashing they took off Leicester they still dominated the game.
Only City this season managed to wrestle the ball off them, and oddly Fulham too – another possession based team.
The result is some shockingly good performance numbers. In fact no word of a lie when I looked at Leeds stats I had to double take as to whether I’d clicked on Bayern by mistake.
This would probably have shown had Leeds won – and they were desperately unlucky not to. Hit the woodwork three times and Arsenal were left just hanging on.
Raphinha is an exciting player to watch – one of the few to combine performance suitability with some trend fit appeal. First full game here and it was an encouraging performance. Came close to scoring.
He’s a possible winner 
to maybe if Leeds hit form. I don’t see a particular reason to rush – we’re still able to pick up core player bargains. But one to watch.
I still see Klich as the most likely to put up that huge score one day. He was really close to a goal and if he had he could have been competitive although to be fair yesterday he’s getting beat easily by Yazici and de Paul but they produced exceptional stuff.
A good bargain option at 36p – 43p for those who like to get that winner nobody else has.
And Bamford – huge threat but little else. Could have scored 2-3 in this game really. Fantasy managers should stick with. Traders should not expect big scores.
But they can expect really strong IPD and for 54p to 78p he’s a bargain. Rotating him for that is probably the best way of profiting out of Leeds, unless Raphinha comes really good.
Comfortable win for Liverpool – impressive demonstration of squad depth with so many injuries.
Another win for Robertson with an assist. Really a very strong player who was unlucky not to win more last season. That luck is evening out now. Should be consistent and I continue to rate him.
The fact you could pick him up for under £1.30 days ago apparently is a sick joke. It shows how fast a good player can rebound in this market. £2.05 to £2.26 now after just one win and this was hardly unpredictable.
This was a great display from Curtis Jones, rightly getting the plaudits. May be his best overall display for Liverpool. Really tidy stuff. Threat was lacking this time but goals have never been an issue for him.
£1.55 to £1.92 is a slam dunk bargain in my view. If you want trend fit – you’ve got it. And he is up there with Foden and Sancho in terms of FI ability. Yet he does not have the big price tag yet.
Disappointment for Keita again. Played well in his first start for a while but then limped off on 54 minutes injured.
Not good as he has had enough problems and confidence on him is very low. Still, it’s probably not as bad as his 56p to 74p price tag lets on. He’s a good player, one of the few at Liverpool who can challenge given the chance.
Performances have been better in 2020 staying fit has been the issue.
Thiago back soon – high expectations. And rightly so he can be performance scoring royalty. Value at £1.71 to £2.12. I’m risking him on my explosion imminent list despite only just coming back from injury because he’s just too damn good to ignore.
23 November
Continued their fine form with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Newcastle.
Some lovely FI numbers here – but the goals fell to the wrong players for FI purposes.
One own goal and another to Abraham who is never really in contention without at least a brace and the matchwinner.
More frustration for Werner holders yet continued encouraging signs. Two great chances, one denied by a great save, the other he wasted. Did manage an assist.
What’s important here is that he’s generating the kind of numbers that make wins possible with a matchwinner and that’s really key.
He’s really hard to pin down this season with numbers flitting between excellent and awful – but the last 4 for Chelsea have been consistently good.
Especially at this new £2.54-£2.78 price I’d be confident on this. He’s in range of big scores and has media potential too.
Ziyech has started really well. Highly creative force. And puts in a shift as well with interceptions/recoveries etc that do add up. Threat just good enough and he’s in a place where goals can count.
He’s hitting that sort of range at Chelsea – (I have him on a high potential rating of 
which is a rare thing for me.
So performing a bit less well than I’d hoped – but still strong for an EPL player. And as discussed I think there is a good reason to favour EPL players heading into December as the EPL is going to be the only show in town at the back end of that month.
If still holding at his £3.50+ I might be sweating on that but if you can pick him up anywhere near this £2 bid? A steal.
Mount. I noted a vast improvement recently and that continues here vs Newcastle. And he did well for England too actually. (Full scouting of the second set of internationals will come this week.)
I used to like him in Scouting as a cheaper prospect back at Derby. Then the hypers got involved and the price rose to insane levels setting up an inevitable crash because his performance numbers at Chelsea were not cutting it.
Now we’ve flipped. The hype buyers got bored of the miserable scores and he’s now dirt cheap at a time when his performance numbers have vastly improved. Things like this are what show us so many people just have no idea what they are doing at all.
Well in range of big scores and I’m actually going to bump him up in my ratings to for showing further consistency.
£1.16 bid or anything under £1.30 or so can be considered a slam dunk bargain at this point. He hasn’t scored enough for most people to notice the improvement yet but he’s getting chances.
In defence James and Chilwell continue as the best options and both are looking good – especially with Chelsea’s clean sheet record of late.
I’ve slightly favoured Chilwell for ability and definitely price but it has to be said in the last 3 -4 James has been improving and has nosed ahead.
Chilwell still significantly the cheaper so I think the better trade if you have to pick, especially with more England game time security.
However James has dropped sharply and is no longer £3.50. A £2.47 bid is very fair for him especially given this improvement in recent games.
Havertz out with covid although got a sharp weekend price rise anyway. Possibly a confident trader entering the market or more likely a big holder offering very high to pump that price. Hard to say! Which is why I think FI allowing these unrealistically high offers is a longer term error.
Still. He looks good for that kind of money at £2.18 to £2.52.
The stereotypical Mourinho victory – 2 goals with their only 2 shots on target then defending in numbers to frustrate City. City had 66% possession.
For holders of Spurs players this is bittersweet. A win is a win but you aren’t racking up big FI scores playing this way.
It’s not all gloom though – they do open up vs softer opponents and if we look at the last 6 they’ve had 4 games with 55-60% possession and then two 30% and 40% possession bus parks vs Brighton and City.
So it would be wrong to write them off as an overly defensive side – it’s more that Mourinho picks and chooses depending on the opponent.
They have tough league fixtures vs Chelsea and Arsenal but 3 very tasty Europa league ties before mid December.
The likely lads are obvious by now: Kane and Son. Kane at £4.69 has to be considered great value as an (almost) premium and should get a fairly natural bounce back if the market recovers.
Son at under £2 is great too and probably the more likely performance winner. But with less media appeal than Kane. Finely balanced and both good choices.
Reguilon has improved at a time when his price has tanked, and a sub £1 Reguilon is a steal. £1.25 would be great value too.
Doherty definitely an undervalued contender at an astonishing 36p to 57p for those who like the smug feeling of nicking wins with players very few other people have.
Lo Celso probably the best of Spurs as an all round FI performer but we aren’t seeing it if he isn’t going to start. Scored again here, lovely finish.
We could see him in a Europa game and he could win if he starts. Some might like that punt – could probably wait to see if he was in the line up.
This campaign has seen lots of bad results that disguise good performance numbers. Definitely true here for City.
Incredibly they are 13th in the table. There is no totally dominant EPL side this season possibly as rotation and injuries take their toll.
But it does show how crucial it is for teams to be winning 60%+ of their games to regularly compete on FI.
For all the brilliance it will not register without wins that’s just how the scoring system is built.
De Bruyne in particular looks on the edge of consistent big scores if City can pull it together. They definitely have the schedule to do it – Olympiacos, Burnley, Porto, Fulham, and the out of form Marseille up next.
£4 is cheap for him and he can so easily rebound – all it takes is City to win and for one of his many excellent recent chances to find the net and he’s up there.
Not playing much differently to those runs where we see him over 250+ regularly it’s just fine margins. He’s going on my explosion imminent list with decent numbers combining with soft fixtures.
Mahrez is in a similar boat in that he’s doing a lot right but just not finding the net and City need to be winning. Remains a very high potential player.
A return to usual levels for him and City could easily leave us marvelling at how he managed to get under £1 on a bid.
Rodri is a surprise package. Exceptional baselines and more threat than expected, enough for one every 8-10 games perhaps. And they should result in scores that are very tough to beat even in midfield. At 74p to 91p it’s attractive as just one Gold win returns a massive chunk of that value.
Ruben Dias is similar with some very strong CB baselines. But he’s also getting chances. One of the few CB’s worth considering (and he’s doing very well for Portugal too). 68p if you can really get that bid or anything close to it is such a steal it is almost sad to see.
Cancelo is the best City have at the back. Lovely numbers here vs Spurs. Speaks volumes as a defender when you score 136 without a win, clean sheet, goal or assist. Gives him a very high score ceiling and he’s capable of blowing other defenders away.
A good day for Bruno holders with another midfield win, and possibly a good sign for all traders.
We got something we haven’t seen for a while: An FI player getting a rational price rise based on a good performance! What is this sorcery?
This was a common event for the majority of our FI careers but has been sorely lacking of late.
It’s far too early to claim victory but after a bleak Thursday and Friday it was nice to see some prices going upwards.
I tend not to overreact to the drops and I won’t overreact to some rises either. But you wouldn’t be human if you didn’t like to see it. I’ll talk about this more tomorrow.
And it was a great display. No better than his average to watch generally. But in FI terms it’s as strong as we expect from him. It’s consistent – and even when match reports are saying he looks a bit off the boil – it doesn’t tend to change much for an FI holder.
The worry you can have is that a lot of his best days are as a result of penalties. If he were to one day lose them – it takes a significant edge off. But he is not totally penalty reliant – he does have some open play threat too.
And there is really no reason to take him off penalties with his record. Just something to keep in mind.
But in terms of price what’s notable is that he has held up relatively well in the crash – £10 to £7 is relatively mild in the premium category (which goes to show how rough it has been!). Sancho for example went from £15 to as low as £5.09 before bouncing to £6.87 again.
Traders do tend to be stickier on the players who are returning in the here and now, where as when a player is largely based on hype and potential is going south – the type of trader who goes for this is can also be more prone to panic – largely because they don’t have anything concrete to hold onto.
It’s one benefit of holding proven players over the more speculative stuff.
Not much new elsewhere and I’ve discussed the others a lot recently.
We did see Telles for his first full game and holders can be encouraged – it’s really solid stuff. Big involvement, very attacking position. Good threat, looks like the goals and assists should come.
Streets ahead of the dry stuff United fulllbacks usually show us.
Just one game so you can’t fall in love yet but I’d be quietly confident. Historically he has good career numbers for an FI suitable full back. The opener suggests he will continue in that vein.
And at £1.24 or close enough this feels like a good pick to me.
9 November
Good day for Kane holders who snatched the forward dividend and the media dividend.
I’ve been favouring the 3 key England players – Rashford, Kane, Sterling in my reviews in the last couple of months. They are solid and reliable – and have been unburdened by overhyped price tags recently.
Rashford looked a particular steal after his dive in September. Rashford and Kane are proving the point – they were always likely to do something that dragged people back to them eventually for either performance or media reasons and both have.
Sterling could do too but his time hasn’t come. Yet.
It’s often impossible to pick up really well known players at value – but in this market you can and I am actively recommending targetting more core/popular players like this when they can be had at value.
Not only can they do something to get attention – they may not need to. They are the sort who could naturally benefit from any general recovery in the market.
Kane himself – he’s improved this season not just for goals but obviously assists and his all round contribution is better too. I think we’ll see more wins from him.
If you can call this a benefit – the thing about this nervous market is that players who win are not running away in value they might just get a tighter spread. For that reason – even now – Kane is great value if you can get that £4.52 bid.
Bale watch. I want to like him because he could be really exciting but with cold hard analysis – he’s been very poor. If he wasn’t who he is I wouldn’t be looking twice at these numbers.
There were some nice moments. Good free kick. It may be that he is just lacking fitness and we may see him explode when he gets up to speed. But as per recent reviews – this is not a patient market and I would not be holding waiting for that to happen.
Son generally considered to have a poor game. For FI that’s not quite so – got his chances and had a good level of involvement. If it was off in reality – it’s consistent for our purposes and I like the pick.
Little dry spell of goals causing frustration but he does tend to do this if you look at his history – quiet spell then an explosion.
I don’t actually believe in hot and cold streaks, it’s more just probability shaking out or else some more concrete tactical reason.
But lots of people do and it is worth factoring in when it comes to trading as it has a big impact on sentiment.
If lots sell Son for their fantasy football team for example – that’s going to filter through to the FI pricing. But I don’t think much has really changed longer term for Son in terms of his ability.
Reguilon had a good day. Decent numbers in the last two which happily coincides with me getting warmer on him after the price drop.
I felt £1.80 to £2 gave him too much to do but at anything close to a £1.20 bid I think he’s a great pick once more.
And Doherty – I said goals/assists were incoming recently. Here is his first one for Spurs. Decent budget pick who can win on his day.
Another high profile injury – Alexander-Arnold. And we had Kimmich at the weekend. Rough for holders.
As per the Kimmich review yesterday there is often little you can do after the event – we have to prepare our portfolios so that these bad luck events aren’t wiping us out.
This is important particularly this season – this heavy schedule is going to lead to far more injuries than we are used to.
Rotation in general is something we are just going to have to deal with. It’s not stopping quality coming through – clearly we have zero problems picking winners. It’s just who exactly is winning on each given day is often getting flipped around by people coming off early etc.
Currently no recovery time for TAA given but he’s got a scan today. Shame because he had been improving lately.
No goal for Jota but remained a consistent threat even vs City. Could be a contender in soft games and a £1.60 bid is decent. Really just depends on minutes – in this form – and with Klopp well aware of the need to rotate he’s probably going to get plenty of pitch time.
He was even accommodated here with all the big 3 attacking trio on the pitch which is another positive sign.
Tough game so never really expected City to deliver the big scores.
Notably Torres returned to the wing with Jesus back, as he did towards the end of the last game too.
That’s good for holders – although – there was no notable improvement in the numbers really.
But generally he does better on the wing and I’d be confident in him if he keeps playing games at £1.28. I suspect this was just a tough game and versus easy opponents he can let loose.
Penalty misery for De Bruyne who could have won the game. Overall though taking his last 4 games into account he is looking solid and really not far away from a win. I don’t think he is dropping off – but this quiet spell – 10 games without a goal now is dragging on.
He is however getting the chances and surely it is a matter of time before something finds the net.
A good time to pick him up in my view as he can be every bit as consistent as Kimmich or similar when hitting form.
Villa are competitive on FI this season.
Away at Arsenal will never be their best day – but on flatter tracks they could do some damage – they have a decent set of fixtures running to Christmas too.
And the festive season is a good time to have a few EPL players in your portfolio. As I think I mentioned yesterday the EPL will have a 10 day run as the only show in town over Christmas.
Barkley and Grealish are the likely lads. Grealish may be good to have over this international break. Barkley isn’t in this squad but may play his way in later.
Both capable winners – really not much between them in performance terms at the moment – I’d peg them around to on recent performances. Which in my system means perhaps 5-6 competitive scores per season.
Barkley obviously cheaper. But Grealish has side benefits in England and a greater chance of a better transfer.
Both good choices but if I had to pick one right now I’d go Grealish because that £2.34 bid is low, England games are incoming, and you have the extra comfort blanket of that potential big transfer rumour.
I’d also be quite happy to have both for this run into Christmas though.
Watkins a regular threat – even when he hasn’t scored he’s been close this season. Could be another good IPD rotation punt if you can get him around £1 now. Performance numbers really aren’t bad either to tops which is good for the money.
Bad result. Worse performances.
But the FI numbers weren’t all tragic.
Interestingly we saw Partey getting forward with 2 shots. One of those a really good chance in the area.
We have seen him getting into the box in the last 3 games. If he could add 4-6 goals a season he’d be able to generate some monstrous scores. Worth keeping an eye on that.
Willian was garbage to watch. Again – really difficult to fathom how he can drop off so fast. However, at least he got chances to miss horribly this time which is actually an improvement on no threat at all.
Always worth monitoring because in theory he should be Arsenal’s best performance player. But not in this form.
8 November
Is OGS safe now? Well he hasn’t been sacked but I don’t think that saga is done. One bad result and people will be on his back.
Bruno was just a few points away from Star Man with a better performance than we have seen of late. As I’ve said in recent reviews his numbers have never really dipped despite him visibly having poorer games.
A consistent challenger. Did at least bag media dividends for holders. And whilst it’s unfortunate he was pipped to the win big scores do provide reassurance and count for Team of the Month so they are never wasted.
Could have had a hatrick if he hadn’t unselfishly set up Cavani. Not sure holders will thank him for that but there we are.
Rashford was decent too, no goal but he did bag an assist and had chances. Better than his last few where he looked off the boil. But overall form in the last 10 is strong. Should improve if Manchester United do.
First goal for Cavani – actually surprised we haven’t seen more of him yet I had expected him to become a regular. Perhaps he is just being eased in.
Based on minutes so far – it’s as expected. Expect weak baselines but if he hits his usual level of threat he could be great for IPD, some media, and possibly a big score if he explodes with 2-3 goals as is possible.
At just a 65p bid he is a potential bargain, or in fact anything under £1. If you back him for more regular starts I think he could be a shrewd pickup.
Hard to call overall what will happen with OGS – he’s been back from the brink of the sack many times before. In this nervy market I expect traders not to like this added uncertainty. Hopefully it is resolved one way or the other.
James was back and it’s worth noting that he is still in contention.
We’ll want runs of soft domestic fixtures for him – as lacking European competition is a negative. He does have good fixtures in the next 3.
We do have the festive season coming up though and this can be a good time to be a little bias towards EPL assets.
Christmas football is a religion here so we are continuing uninterrupted in late December where as other leagues take 7-10 days off.
So, EPL teams and players will have less competition and a lot of people will be off work and watching football. It can really drag the focus onto EPL players so probably towards the end of November/early December it would be good to think about this.
Unexpected win for Eze.
Hasn’t scored since July and has been rotated heavily. No notable chances to score in the last 8 games until yesterday. So, a hard one to call.
He is however quite a busy player and he’s built this win not just on the goal and assist but a strong overall contribution including interceptions, recoveries and some crosses.
Those are very handy traits to have.
It would be a surprise if he managed to be consistent though – his goal threat would need to soar from where it has been. And then he needs Palace to win and probably to drop the matchwinner – it’s going to be a rare event most likely. I’d go tops.
Worth watching him though – if he hit the kind of form where he could pick up big club links he’s actually looking quite solid as an FI player. And he’d be easy to sell as an England U21 international.
2 November
United’s results always have a big impact on the market – their assets often attract big price tags and can get rewarded when it goes well – and punished when things start going badly.
The home league form is so poor. Yet they have recently beaten PSG away and demolished RB Leipzig 5-0 midweek.
It’s by now a fairly popular opinion that OGS is too inexperienced to turn this side into title winners. It’s possible he could be sacked next EPL game. But we’ve heard that before. Pochettino waiting in the wings makes it credible.
Hard to call. And that uncertainty causes doubt. Will Fernandes retain penalties? Will a new tactical system be good for some and bad for others? All valid questions that we will not know the answer to until we see whether he is really sacked, who takes over, and at least a game or two under any new coach.
If it was Pochettino then I think most would be optimistic. He’s well regarded. Plays a 4-2-3-1 which usually gives us good performance options. Has natural roles for players like Fernandes. But whilst we’re on the “Will OGS get sacked?” narrative I’d expect things to stay on a downer.
We should get a routine victory vs Istanbul midweek but we can also expect rotation here. Could be big scores but it really depends who starts.
The tests may be Everton away and then West Brom at home. Poor results there could be the end for OGS.
On the pitch little has changed. Fernandes had a poor game yesterday and was wasteful. But overall his numbers in the last 5-6 remain very strong.
With this uncertainty and a bad performance, with the market this gloomy, I’d expect his price slide to continue but he’d have to really fall off a cliff to be not worth £7.45 which is what people seem to be selling for. Rational value would be closer to £12+ if playing something close to his usual.
Rashford is in good form and whilst he’ll usually needs more than 1 goal we can see him make some challenges, and hoover up media too. Holding his price pretty well and anywhere £5-6 is value.
Greenwood I have thought would suffer for a long time – absolutely no way I could see him holding £10+ that was crackers.
£5.19 to £6.07 now… it’s a lot better and no longer outrageous. But unlike Bruno the chances of him putting up a big score to yank people back to him are not high. It’s just a case of people getting too excited too soon. He does have future potential including for FI.
Pogba is diving under £3 now… he’s been a disaster waiting to happen for a long time so this is not unexpected. I can’t really see a reason why it would recover soon. He’d have to get a decent out of EPL move and the price would have to drop a bit more. Then maybe if he looked good at a different club.
Or if he really hit such a low that he became value for the Euros that might be another scenario where he could do well.
Outside of this there really isn’t a great deal of FI relevant talent at United for all the obsessing over them.
Martial, De Beek and Telles the only other contenders.
Martial isn’t far away and looking in better form. £1.53 on a bid now is a decent pick up – particularly if people get more glum on United and he dips even lower.
De Beek we haven’t seen enough of yet but he’s got potential. And likewise Telles who in theory could be a contender based on his historic record.
A win but not a convincing one. Spurs gave up far too much possession here for a home tie – a poor sign for performance prospects.
Reguilon did quite well. I’ve been worried for his price in recent scouting – the hype gave him too much to do at £2. But if you can get this £1.26 bid now he remains a decent player and that’s a much more sensible price tag he should be able to justify.
Good all round display. Laid on an assist. Had an effort of his own. Advanced position – not much to dislike.
I’ve liked Doherty and overall his numbers are good – arguably better than Reguilon’s. Except for yesterday when he saw little of the ball – almost as if there was a tactical instruction to target Reguilon’s flank. But he’s cheap at a 52p bid and if his overall numbers continue I’d stay optimistic.
Bale’s introduction and matchwinner the talking point though. Lovely but worrying – he did so little on the ball apart from that. Just 10 touches. It’s very difficult to produce winning scores with those kind of numbers.
He did make those touches count with a key pass added as well. Playing like we have seen so far he’d need to be prolific to figure in the scoring.
He’d need to start smashing it to the point where he is hoovering up regular media to succeed I think. But that initial hype has faded too so… £2.15 on a bid now isn’t a bad punt.
I’d like to see at least a full game before judging though.
Son and Kane remain by and far and away the best Spurs assets and should be reliable.
A big showing from Ward-Prowse – building on his goal last time.
Last week I called him only a very occasional winner and he almost proved me wrong with 2 goals and an assist here. Holders are unlucky he had an otherwise off colour game where Villa dominated possession.
On a more normal day for Saints I’d expect Ward-Prowse to be comfortably clearing 250+ with this particularly in a soft fixture at home.
On his overall record I’d probably put this down to being a bit of a hot streak. However we also saw Ings go down with a nasty looking injury and in that case Ward-Prowse probably takes over on penalties.
And they have favourable fixtures coming up.
If you can get this 94p bid which you probably can as on the goal buyers will be desperate to sell – that’s not a bad punt.
And it is a shame to lose Ings – as covered last time he’s a great IPD rotation option – one of the many cheap strikers right now whose IPD returns are extremely reliable. But there are no shortage of those targets as covered here.
Loss for Villa but they had decent possession – generally showing some good performance numbers at times this season and may provide some occasional winners.
These smaller performance suitable clubs in the EPL may do better than usual since it is the only league with 3 subs and they have less cause for rotation because they are not in Europe.
I still favour big hitting teams this year heavily but where you can find a bargain punt it can be worth it.
Grealish had a very good day. Just the 1 goal but he could have had more with 6 efforts. Added an assist. With the hype firmly off him I’m now considering it a good time to go back to him.
Last review on 5th October I said the same on a bid of £2.23 potentially, that’s crept up to £2.60 now but I still think that’s decent value when you consider how easy it would be for the transfer rumours to kick up again. And we have the internationals coming up again where he could shine.
Barkley is a capable winner too. In a big 6 team playing regularly in his natural position he’d be one of the EPL’s best performance players without doubt.
We’ve mostly seen him in a tough period for Villa but he’s still played pretty well. Can play himself back into contention for a bigger move or return to Chelsea, and may figure for England.
At an incredible 66p there is plenty of upside there and little downside – it’s unlikely he goes anywhere worse than Villa.
And when you only have to generate 66p in 3 years in dividends – that’s when the normally absurd “career dividends” argument for long term holds is acceptable.
1 November
Good display and comfortable victory – the sort of game where City assets could have cleaned up with a little more luck.
Walker was close – pipped by Rennes defender Aguerd. I tend not to talk about Walker too much as he’s not a regular competitor. Particularly recently the goal threat isn’t great. And neither is the assist potential.
I would not expect this again soon. The most interesting thing is that when he was leading the price jumped, but it has fallen back again very swiftly on the bid.
You have to be really careful if jumping on these rare goalscorers for IPD or similar – anyone good at this will be immediately selling whilst they can and ignoring the dividend.
Cancelo is better and has high assist potential. Was a good display in general that helps him establish, particularly as he gets criticised defensively sometimes. Solid here though.
Not far away with 193 without goal or assist and he is capable of adding either. Goal threat in recent games has dropped but assist potential remains high – something to watch but I think he’s a solid pick.
I would not count out Laporte either. Had a great chance to score and if that goes in he’d be tough to beat. Huge baseline player and scores more than most CB’s have a right to. And just 89p to £1.09 – injury has kept him off the FI radar but I see him as quite similar to Van Dijk in terms of output. Can be particularly good during runs of CL games.
De Bruyne was close, as he almost always is. Had good chances and had one of those gone in he could have been challenging especially on a soft-ish day in midfield.
Looks incredibly consistent and big scores should surely come. He’s not getting the lucky bounces right now – and that makes it a good opportunity to pick him up as impatient people dip out.
Mahrez – likewise. 5 games without a goal now but that’s a wonder. He’s had great chances throughout that period and especially as a forward his numbers are very competitive. £1.45 or anything close to that is a steal.
Ferran Torres had another good performance, a real threat again and amazing he did not score (which is a story for many City players). Looks superb in reality – however as I noted in the CL – this central striker role is abysmal for his FI prospects.
A shadow of what he can produce on the wing. He’d need at least 2 goals to be competitive from here. Troubling as he was really promising in his more natural wing role.
Good all round performance from Sterling. Little toothless but goal threat has not been an issue overall recently. I see him as a little like Kane or Rashford – they can seem unexciting and go on dry spells but then these big ticket England players generally find a way to get back into fashion.
If interested – better to get them when they are quiet like Sterling is now.
Dominant display from Chelsea – the sort of game we’d be looking for their better players to show what they can do.
Ziyech could barely have done much better, a goal and assist. Really showing why he was so great at Ajax. Nice to see.
The score was more disappointing for all that – 189. Subbed off early on 74. Only the 1 shot and he’s capable of more. 3 fouls which cost him -15.
All up he looks well within range of wins if more things go for him but I’d say it’s sort of level rather than the I’d hoped for. That puts him under a bit of pressure as a £2.77-£3.33 player – you want a lot for that. Especially given how low people’s patience is right now.
And yet. It’s only his second full game and he could improve easily. Plus Chelsea have really soft fixtures up next.
More than enough to stay interested in him but we’ll need to see an improvement in the numbers and a big score in the next few games for him to hold this price.
Werner is becoming a headache as per the midweek review of the Europa game. He’s not doing badly at all and the goals are flowing. But the switching between winger and central striker roles are making him unpredictable.
Definitely better for us on the wing although he was central vs Southampton where he netted 2 goals and assisted once. So he could win by being explosive the same way a Lukaku might.
It’s all pretty good but what makes me nervous is that he has a big price tag, no immediate big score, and patient is thin. Which in this market is a recipe for a continued price drop.
Under pressure for a win. Which he might get particularly with these kind fixtures ahead.
The current rating in my table feels about right – but it’s not quite the I was hoping for.
A much better game to watch for Havertz – he seems to be settling particularly when played more centrally. Solid numbers overall but lacking threat – consistent with the midweek game.
Another difficult Chelsea player whose high price is bringing pressure. Well capable of appearing with a big score soon – but he’s going to need one.
The standout performance was actually Mount. This was streets ahead of anything we usually see from him. Huge involvement which is unusual, provided an assist and had chances of his own.
If we saw more of this it could be a gamechanger. It’s been a long time since I was keen on Mount – not since he was really cheap and playing for Derby. He never looked close to wins and his £4+ price tag looked utter madness as I reported here at the time.
But he’s £1.55 now and if we saw numbers anything like this in the next game it might be worth changing our mind. Unlike some of the players above he’s not under a great deal of pressure because his price collapse already happened.
Still – 1 good game doesn’t change a long history of being bang average so I wouldn’t jump to it just yet.
Reece James is nosing ahead in the last two in the battle of the full backs, more efforts on goal than Chilwell. On paper, at least. If you watch he is actually getting into the box a lot so the chances of something falling to him are high.
Given the massive price difference I still think Chilwell is much better value and a strong pick up at a £2.24 bid if you can get it.
Alexander-Arnold’s improved numbers continue for a third game.
An impressive points total of 178 with no goal or assist – possibly his best overall FI display of the season so far.
Lovely and if he keeps this up big scores should be inbound. Though there are tough fixtures to come, mind.
Not helping him much on the market perhaps because people haven’t noticed the improvement, or perhaps because they have realised that he’s still a big price.
He really is – despite the savage drop he had a long way to fall before it became sensible. At £6 now you are out of “This is absolutely bonkers why would you pay that” territory and into “This is not brilliant value” territory.
Which is definitely an improvement. He looks on the edge of a win that might rekindle some interest but I’d still go for many other defenders first who look just as strong if not better and can be in that £2 range.
Speaking of which, Robertson strong too and is also well in range of wins.
A start for Curtis Jones – nice to see. He’s showing why I gave him rave reviews ever since his academy days. These numbers are monstrous especially since he was subbed.
Elite level FI potential in a “young and English” hype package. Looks one of the most genuine wonderkids around still and £1.67 is just a bargain for a long term holder.
Always the danger that he doesn’t make the grade or is loaned out etc but given he’s a home grown Scouser – you’d think they will give him every chance as this sort of player can be the clubs icon.
30 November
As is typical of both La Liga giants this season Barca have been bouncing between brilliant and bang average.
This is a little show of consistency as they have comprehensively won in the 3 of the last 4 games.
And there are soft games to come so there is no reason that can’t continue. Though Ferencvaros will see rotation as per the CL article midweek.
Griezmann hits a worldy. Good for the confidence if you believe in such things. Actually, if he wasn’t so unselfish/stupid and tapped it in rather than setting up Coutinho he beats Cavani yesterday to Star Man.
This is probably one of Griezmann’s best performances in a Barca shirt. For FI purposes certainly and perhaps just in general. Maybe his Barca career isn’t dead yet. And if he could replicate this holders wouldn’t mind.
For the price as a holder you really don’t care – settling at Barca is fine. A big transfer is possibly even better.
The bad outcome is a sort of halfway house where he does well enough to stick around but remains an underperformer. At the moment – he’s looking very much on the up.
His fluctuations aren’t random. He’s obviously better in his preferred Number 10 role rather than marooned out wide or as a central striker. That’s both for reality and in FI terms.
Imagine getting better performances out of players with the old square hole square peg strategy. Tactical genius. A whisker away from a Gold Day Star Man.
Coutinho had a great game. Did so much in 64 minutes he could have won in that time. 6 efforts and he could have had 2 goals or more here.
Nearly opened the scoring but it was cleared off the line. Denied at close range by a decent save. Finally scored with a big help from Griezmann.
An FI powerhouse – his only drawback is frequent 65-70 minute sub offs. I’m not worried about that – he’s cheap, he can do enough in that time to win, and it can change very quickly. Tremendous value.
Messi was just Messi – did enough to win Star Man he just needed the matchwinner to fall to him. Looks like challenging just about every game he plays.
He was set up by Trincao who couldn’t make a huge impact in 30 minutes. But per minute he did well and I’m expecting a run out against Ferencvaros next where he could do really well. High potential young player and he’s cheap.
Alba was excellent too. For all the valid buzz about Dest – Alba is still The Man at the back. Over 100 passes here and consistently close to big scores. Not exciting but he’s astonishing value at 46p to 64p and that’s all traders need. Contracted to 2024.
Youngster Barrenetxea has been off the radar for a while but he’s a potentially exciting player if he can get scoring. First start for a while and his best chance to score all season. Didn’t take it – but it’s an encouraging sign that he’s getting in contention again.
We’re approaching Copa Del Rey time as we get into January – a chance for youngsters to traditionally get pitch time in Spain.
Off the back of good performances in January 2020 Barrenetxea reached over £2 – and he’s just 57p to 92p right now.
29 November
This is decent stuff from Atletico.
I often joke that this team is where hope for good performance scores goes to die. But consistently over the last 5-6 they are starting to dominate games.
At first I thought this was due to some very soft fixtures but this is away at Valencia and they are pushing over 60% possession.
It’s new and significant and potentially brings their assets into contention. We’ve got to change opinion if the facts change.
Thomas Lemar is one I’ve flagged as high potential if Atletico improve or he gets a move. We can see that coming through here.
Great display to watch which is good in itself given he struggles for minutes. 4 efforts on goal and good chances combined with a strong overall contribution. Could have had a brace if his finishing was slightly better.
His best display in… years? Do not give up hope, ye Lemar holders.
With no bid price right now he could be a decent punt because A) he might improve at an improving Atletico and B) he might drop on a decent transfer if not.
Felix’s improvement is well documented and if this form from the last 6 continues for Atletico I’d be much more confident on him. Only on from the bench here, just rested. But had 2 decent efforts. More encouragement.
I’m still not entirely sure I’d click buy. People can be sticky on wonderkids and he’s stayed stubbornly highly priced.
Clearly better value available elsewhere. But he’s starting to look much much better than he did and it’s turned a potential disaster into a decent pick.
Trippier is looking competitive and is getting plaudits for great displays. Not undeserved and we may see it appear on FI before long. Looking a bargain right now at 26p to 46p.
We’d have to start backing forgotten man Koke too if this Atletico improvement keeps up.
Enormous baseline play. Gets occasional chances. He may only produce 2-3 big scores in a season but when you are getting him for 38p to 55p… that’s a massive return in just one dividend and a potential price bump when/if it comes. And at 28 years old that is not a high risk bet for a patient trader to make.
Dominant from Sevilla and they’ve looked good in the last 6 really, all be it vs softer opponents. They have tougher fixtures ahead so may drop off a bit.
May not matter for Haddadi though who was monstrous here. You’d mainly pick him for IPD due to sharing pitch time but he’s played two full matches in the last two here and the numbers are excellent.
Not just an IPD player at all – he can win outright in a softer fixture. Could have been around 250 yesterday had he finished one of these chances if it was the matchwinner.
Ocampos looks a bit out of form so it’s hard to back him with a more difficult schedule coming.
Rakitic and Joan Jodran very capable too but holders will most likely need to target the softer games where they can dominate possession.
So typical of Real Madrid this season to smash Inter and then fall over versus Alaves just a few days later.
This is killing them as an FI prospect because the second they get momentum they are dragged back.
Really poor start to the match, giving away an early penalty. Then Hazard has to come off after just 28 minutes, hopefully just a knock but still to be assessed. Really disappointing for holders after a midweek comeback.
One positive is that the numbers are really good for Real in the background. They dominated and you can’t fault the effort. But it doesn’t count on FI without the win.
Kroos gets some credit. Big baseline as you expect plus 4 shots – he hasn’t looked this dangerous in well… 2020. So close to a follow up monster score after his win in midweek. But I think I said last week Real’s mixed form is hurting him and here we are. Also should have finished his dinner which is on him but at least he’s getting chances.
Actually quite decent numbers for Asensio overall and the playing position is good. But no chances again and this is really week across the last 6-7 games now. Also to watch it was an anonymous performance.
Back to his best he can be a really strong FI player but it doesn’t look close to coming together right now. Should get more chances but time is running out for him at Real you would think.
From a trading perspective you’ve then got to consider the options. Obviously traders are super down on him right now so if holding do you sell for a rock bottom 75p? That’s very, very low for a 24 year old high FI potential player.
You could say “Ok I think I will take that – here is a different 75p player I think will do better.” Valid. Equally, you can say – “hey, he’s not too far away from a win he just needs 1 goal. And he might get a transfer later if it doesn’t work out”.
No real right answer there either cannot be called a terrible decision.
Isco in a similar boat – but he could be very interesting. Wants out in January and an EPL move has long been rumoured. A decent FI player given good form and from a rock bottom 56p to 79p… it is so easy for him to be a £1.25 to £1.50 player if he moves to Arsenal or similar.
That’s a huge potential profit. We mustn’t forget that it is often in the unpopular players we will find the biggest gains if we get those calls right.
It’s natural instinct to stick to popular stuff and that has been right in recent weeks but that will slowly change if the market keeps recovering.
23 November
Another disappointing result for Madrid, drawing 1-1 away at Villarreal. A very mixed season so far where certainly for FI purposes lots of their assets are struggling.
Not helped here by being ravaged by injuries. Benzema, Casemiro, Valverde, Ramos, Militao, Jovic all out.
Kroos was probably Real’s best player here in reality dominating midfield and bringing his big baseline numbers as we expect. It’s been a good 6 games since we saw him get a good chance to score though.
Remains one of the players most capable of huge scores on the platform but with Real in this form and him seemingly off the boil he does not look close to showing it.
It isn’t all gloom – just a month ago vs Barcelona he was denied a likely big score by a good save. And he’s had a decent game vs Inter since too. Can return to his best at anytime but I think we’ll need to see a much more consistent Real first.
Odegaard wasn’t given brilliant reviews for this display, but he was ok. In FI terms though he was strong and if you adjust for him playing only 66 minutes these are decent numbers.
Tidy in the middle, couple of (weak) efforts on goal. Needed to create more.
High potential player but far from the finished product. As a trade though when you are looking at this £1.32 to £1.82 price… it’s hard to see that as anything but great value.
This is a player who less than 6 months ago was over £4.50! That was always madness as often discussed here at the time. But there was some substance behind that hype even if it went too far. Often the best time to pick up a player like that is when they are down.
Hazard started again which is good as he continues a slow come back – often being subbed on 60 minutes.
However, he made no real impact in a dour game. Actually, the general background numbers are strong but there is zero end product on offer in the last two in terms of goal or assist potential.
He was much better vs Huesca at the end of October where he did score.
So he’s still in limbo. Really not far away from big scores, but not doing well enough to say an explosion is just around the corner either.
When you factor in price… well like many out of favour players it is rock bottom. So from that perspective you cannot say it isn’t value for a high potential player. But right now I suspect traders are better off going for something a little easier to sell, at least until he’s showing stronger signs on the pitch.
Vinicius made it on from the bench but was generally slammed for a poor performance. Offered nothing for FI purposes either.
Remains a team full of high potential stars but they do not look a happy team right now and I’m struggling to recommend anyone on recent form.
Tricky tie this week away vs Inter too with both teams desperate to win.
The misery of the La Liga giants continue. Deservedly beaten 1-0 by Atletico.
At least here unlike with Real there are some decent FI performances underneath the poor result if you give it a poke.
Obviously Messi did fine but that’s a given. No goal but he had chances. Just looks very consistent and you almost expect him to score big on FI everytime he plays. Would expect him to be rested for the upcoming game vs Ferencvaros and youngsters may get a chance.
None of the above is new I think the interest here is in the price. He’s really evaded almost all the drops in the last month and his spread is nice and tight now too. In the premium end people are tending to hang onto players who are delivering.
As the market rebounds you will see that enthusiasm for “the next big thing” return to some extent – but I also think psychologically it will leave behind a market that is a bit more mature and grounded in reality.
Ousmané Dembelé was a standout, generally considered to have had a good game. Lots of energy and pace. He’s a player I like and he’s been impressive as he makes his way back from that long injury.
This is a milestone as it is the first time he completed 90 minutes since the comeback too.
No real threat here but he did score last game. Very strong baseline numbers for a forward so if he were to add a goal on a good day like this he’d be competitive.
Encouraging. £1.12 to £1.24? A steal.
Griezmann wasn’t great but to be fair he was dangerous with two good chances. He has to do a lot in a game to win over fans though or he gets panned. Was great for France over the break though, as usual.
Actually if you look at his numbers over the last 6 for Barccelona he’s getting plenty of chances, scoring 2. But it could be 4-6.
So there are signs he could come good but the general narrative is that he is struggling to live up to his potential and may be shipped out which is understandable.
From a trading perspective though we may want to think differently to the way a football fan may think. He’s as low as £1.02 possibly less right now which is absolute rock bottom.
He’s just 29. Still the main man for France, one of the favourites at Euro 2020. He almost certainly goes to a big club and there are few where he can’t pull in enough IPD to make that worthwhile. And at the right club he could be a really strong contender for dividends in general.
Alternatively, looking less and less likely, he could settle at Barcelona. That’s also fine.
So for holders I don’t think it is as bleak as it may appear. He could well be a bargain.
With Ferencvaros up next it may be a good time to look at some Barcelona youngsters as per the preview. Trincao has been looking good, given the chance.
Coutinho rested on the bench here so may start too and is looking strong. Dest too, as per the CL preview, is solid.
Fati won’t be playing after that horrible knee injury, could be 4 months before he is back.
That price took a real savaging as a result but it probably went too far if people were getting bids matched anything under £3!
Bounced to £4.22/£4.84 at time of writing Monday evening. £4.22 feels fair although there are undoubtedly better value targets available – but he is one of the wonderkids with real FI ability.
9 November
Yikes. 4-1 loss to Valencia. Another shocker and it’s not the first under Zidane recently.
They were on an upturn after beating Barcelona and Inter but this raises the doubts again.
Real dominated really – they just gave away THREE penalties which is crazy. Outside of that Valencia didn’t create much at all – Varane scored an own goal to compound the misery.
Wretched result. Villarreal and Inter away next are not the easiest ways to bounce back.
He isn’t helped by injuries but it really feels like he does not know his best team. It’s hard for traders to target Real assets with any kind of confidence right now.
Benzema scored but is now injured, could miss a few games.
Hazard has covid, stalling his comeback which was looking pretty good. How typical.
Kroos benched – their best FI player on the sidelines.
Rare start for Isco who can be a great player in reality and on FI. Fans will slate his performance quite rightly but from an FI perspective it really isn’t bad. He is a very capable player given a chance and it really wasn’t long ago he was a big name player. May end up at Everton with a similar story to James Rodriguez – no bad thing.
Asensio probably Real’s best player to watch. For FI… it’s pretty good but nothing like the highs he is capable of. Got punished for a big chance missed and I’m not sure that’s fair it wasn’t easy. Regular minutes are good but he, and Real in general, have to improve.
8 November
5-2 which is an important result given Barcelona’s awful La Liga form – ending a run of 4 La Liga games without a win.
They were poor in the first half but Messi came on at half time and carried it for them, helped by a 60th minute sending off for Betis.
The only misfortune for Messi holders is that he was rested from the start – otherwise he is likely smashing above 300 and winning Star Man yesterday. Again.
Ousmané Dembelé continued his fightback from his long lay off, netting Barca’s first goal. Lovely strike, too.
Good display, will have earned more minutes. Clearly not being used too heavily given the long lay off but per minute his numbers are looking excellent. A real FI contender maybe level right now, potentially if we see more full matches.
Also has a possible transfer and is being linked as a January Sancho alternative for Man United. Could happen Barcelona are seriously broke and have to sell some big names.
The price is so low after his lay off it almost doesn’t matter what happens – all options are decent whether he stays or goes. I like the pick.
Griezmann. Wince. Really having a torrid time and this was a really poor game that frustrated fans. The missed penalty a lowlight.
Did eventually score when Messi put it on a plate for him.
Actually, whilst traditional match reports will say this is an awful game – in FI terms it’s really solid stuff. He wasted so many good chances but at least he got them – 4 from open play. Didn’t actually strike the ball badly. On another day he could be on a hatrick.
Still, obviously not quite right and I wonder how long he has left at Camp Nou. Still, given the price which could possibly just be £1 by now on a bid… all outcomes seem good. Settle at Barca, good. Move to another club, also good.
Pedri is killing it this season. Just 17 years old but Koeman is giving him lots of pitch time and he is rewarding his faith. A goal here. Consistent threat here and in the last game vs Dynamo.
Baselines to make it count. Had he been on FI this would have been a competitive score. And he’s 17. Lovely – just good luck getting a sensible price at IPO it may be becoming a little too obvious.
Trincao holders have reason to be optimistic. He’s being introduced from the bench mainly but per minute these numbers are solid. Definitely capable of wins given a full game and with Barcelona well ahead in the CL – soft group games would be a good chance for him.
A Felix late show – storming to a big win and claiming Star Player, very interesting.
Season before last Felix was my star buy but I never loved his chances at Atletico. In recent scouting I’ve noted a definite improvement but I’ve never really trusted it to continue.
2 goals and an assist here – and some lovely background numbers too. Great performance to watch in general.
What we’ve seen in the last 2-3 games is unusually high possession from Atletico and this is really helping him.
Given Atletico are a famously poor club for FI scoring this would be a big shift. I am not entirely convinced – they have dominated in the last two but these are soft games versus Lokomotiv and Cadiz.
Sterner tests vs Barcelona, Valencia and Bayern are to come in the next 4, but they do have Lokomotiv again at the end of the month which could be another chance to shine.
If we see Atletico and Felix come out of those games with good numbers I might start to change my mind.
Fortunately this is not a market where we need to rush to buy we can afford a little patience. And in any case – even if the improvement is real – there are clearly better value targets available if money is burning a hole in our pocket.
Still, he’s a player I’ve followed for a long time since relative obscurity and I always like to keep an eye on him.
2 November
Relative unknown Tello won Star Player – something of a spoiler on a day when FI mainly needed a morale boosting popular winner.
I say spoiler win because… well there are few real reasons you could go for this player.
Heavily rotated at a mid-tier side. Decent threat but there are better IPD options.
Sometimes the underdog just has a good day and it’s good for FI who will have to pay out very little! Bad for most traders. It happens from time to time. Most of the time the stronger players tend to come through though.
With a more long term view you might look at Fekir. He’s been quiet and is a forgotten man at a rock bottom 75p now. What might have been, had Liverpool not pulled the plug on the deal, or if he had not chosen to go to a smaller club?
Numbers lately are actually good. Has not scored in 6 games but he could have had 3-4 with these chances. And he’s got the baselines to win when the goals go in.
You also have a reasonable chance a bigger club take a chance on him he is only 27. An interesting pick for the patient trader and this price makes it appealing.
Comfortable 4-1 win although not quite as one sided as that suggests, Sociedad are capable of dominating possession more.
David Silva looked good, netting his first goal. Possibly a bit unlucky that this goal wasn’t the matchwinner in the end and fell on one of his softer days for scoring overall.
He’s a capable winner, Sociedad have kind fixtures including in the Europa and he’s only 48p on a bid potentially.
Oyarzabal is in great form too. Another goal here in just one half. His numbers are a little soft but he’s scoring plenty and is likely to get a big transfer rumour again before long. Could also feature again for Spain in the upcoming internationals.
For £2.15 to £2.38 I think he’s a solid pick.
A notable start for youngster Barrenetxea too. Hasn’t had a chance to speak of in the last 5 appearances really. But he’s a well regarded talent and it will be interesting to see if he can start more games.
He’s sparked to life before after having a quiet spell and if he did he’d be the sort of player that traders were interested in.
1 November
Hazard gets the plaudits – a really good first start back for him – magical goal to get break down a stubborn Huesca defence. And then the game was easy from there.
Was subbed off on 60 as he makes his way back. But he looked sharp.
Decent numbers overall but punished for offsides, fouls and a big chance missed. Something of a theme of the week for some big hitters.
Probably about the best a holder could hope for on a first start back after so long out.
Make or break time for Hazard – but there is a decent chance he could prove himself very undervalued if he stays fit and keeps playing like this.
Not a great game for Asensio but it’s another start at least. Just lacked the big threat we saw from him in midweek vs Gladbach. Progressing well recently and seeing plenty of minutes.
Isco makes it on from the bench – something of a forgotten man. But he’s a good FI player given the right role and still just 28.
With the transfer window rolling around he is worth a look – EPL rumours already surfacing including to Everton which these days is no bad move. Just 79p and until recently was a real star. Wouldn’t take a great deal to get him going on the market again.
Felix has been improving of late as noted here and in the midweek CL review.
What was surprising was that he got quite an obvious bounce on the market yesterday after the goals.
So fast in fact it looks like a trading group or whale decided they were keen.
Possibly sparked by him taking a penalty? Or maybe the second brace in two games.
They may have ended up disappointed because despite adding a second goal he’s only ended up with 214 including the matchwinner.
This is pretty much the best day you get for him so… it makes it hard to see him regularly beating other competitive scores. He did midweek but he also needed a bit of luck to overcome Thuram.
My view remains the same really – this spell of form is good for stabilising the price – but expecting consistent wins from here would be too optimistic.
One thing I mentioned recently though is that with these wonderkids – people are desperate to love them if they have half an excuse. So that can be taken advantage of if you get one when they are down.
Overall though I wouldn’t get optimistic on this unless there was a credible transfer rumour for next Summer.
Another stumble for Barcelona as the hot and cold form of the La Liga giants continues.
Honestly though – it’s a miracle they didn’t win this game. They could have scored 5-6 on another day. And there could have been some monstrous performance scores from it.
Griezmann, perhaps incredibly, got his first goal of the La Liga campaign. And what a great finish it was.
Should have more to his name with the chances he gets. Builds on a good midweek display against Juventus.
Having a dire time on the market but he’s doing enough to stay in contention on the pitch. On a good day for Barcelona where he scores he can win. And soft fixtures are ahead.
I quite like it for the money as something of a shot to nothing. For an incredible £1.13 now – you’d think he either improves at Barcelona or moves on at the season end.
It would suit neither him or the club for him to become an expensive squad player next season. And you have Euro 2020 to fall back on too where he will be one of the best performance prospects around for France.
Messi was a monster with 10 efforts on goal. As I’ve said holders will want regular reassurance he is staying consistent. There is very little doubt that more big scores are coming from him when he plays the way he has in the last 3-4 games. Those early worries of Koeman hurting his chances can be put to bed.
New signing Trincao did very well in just one half coming on as a sub. As a forward he has baselines that could compete even in midfield. This builds on a good appearance in the CL vs Ferencvaros.
Watch him if given a full game – we have a genuine contender. No bid price right now either, could be a steal.
Fati generally considered to have an off game. You are going to get inconsistency with youngsters. But his FI relevant numbers held up just fine.
Basically astounding that he is able to do this so young and he is a regular competitor alraedy, probably needs bumping to in my ratings since Koeman is so comfortable playing youth.
The only real issue is that you just pay too much for it in my opinion. But I’d be far more comfortable holding this than other highly priced youngsters who don’t show anything like the quality.
30 November
Convincing 4-0 victory over Roma although possession was pretty equal, not quite so one sided as the scoreline might suggest.
Insigne had a good day, coming close but not close enough to Cavani.
But for holders it’s tinged with disappointment because on a day where he scores the matchwinner and assists you really expect him to be doing much better than the 200 mark.
This is down to the tougher match up – limited shots, lower possession and more wayward passes than usual. Just takes the edge off.
I chewed this for some time this morning trying to find reasons why he keeps falling short recently. It’s not like he hasn’t had his wins in 2020 but lately it seems a struggle.
He’s been out injured sure so hasn’t been available at times and then not always at full fitness. He’s had some bad luck and you can point to some poor finishing.
He should be scoring more with his chances and we know he is capable. That low scoring rate of 3 goals in the last 10 is putting too much pressure on that one goal to line up with his better games. Only 1 of those has been the matchwinner which is just luck.
When his goal/matchwinner drops in a tougher game like here where Napoli do not dominate it might not be enough.
But when it drops in one of his better games he has the capacity to score very big. He’s proven that historically and little has changed.
I still think he’s a good player that’s struggled with injury and some bad luck.
Hakan agonisingly close to a very big score here. 5 efforts on goal and good chances amongst them. With an overall strong baseline.
One of his efforts hit the post. Had one of those gone in, he’s taking the midfield dividend yesterday with ease. Had it been the matchwinner he’s taking Star Player.
And generally to watch – a much better performance generally than his poor showing last game.
Seems like he’s off the boil but he really is not far away at all. Can easily be that next player to make a comeback. Manchester United links don’t hurt either.
No major news elsewhere. Kessie scored a penalty. He’s capable of an occasional win particularly if he takes penalties off Zlatan permanently.
Brahim Diaz started again which is good. He did ok but no major impact. I like him and he’s shown the ability to win in previous outings.
Barrow at Bologna is quietly ticking over. Nice overall numbers yesterday, had a reasonable chance to score.
Scored in the Coppa Italia this week too. Assisted in the previous league game.
Just worth noting that he hasn’t dropped off and he’s still performing very well. Capable of winning again.
29 November
3-0 win over Sassuolo – a better result for Inter after a rocky spell which put Conte’s future in doubt. Still is, but this helps.
Not a great FI display though – they gave up possession to their opponents and didn’t mind doing so. Not a favourable feature of FI teams.
They don’t always do this though – mainly just against tough opponents. Inter have been poor recently but they’ve also had tough fixtures. They have a much easier run up to Christmas and even into January. I expect an improvement.
Alexis Sanchez could be primed to benefit. He scored here and made a decent contribution. Can do much better than his 163 with the matchwinner suggests. Something of a bargain at 67p to 87p and could easily be the next for a bounce back.
Martinez a huge danger and it is a wonder he did not finish. A good performance but wasteful. Did provide an assist. I have been no fan of this trade when it was up near £4 that was insane and it has deservedly crashed.
But at £1.58 to £1.82 now – that’s when you go for a trade like this. On the downswing. He can justify that value in IPD and can so easily drop on a huge transfer rumour. Good pick now.
Barella can do much better than he has recently too versus softer opponents where Inter dominate. Nobody paying attention should be surprised if he turns up with a big score over the next month and he’s jsut 92p to £1.11. And still just 23 with Italy minutes too.
Sensi is working his way back to fitness gradually. Once the biggest hype player on FI – he’s struggled with fitness. But he is a very capable winner when in form. 65p to £1 is sensational if you back him for a return to the starting line up. He was north of £3 this time last year and his ability hasn’t changed – only the hype and the current level of fitness.
Lukaku rested here but I really like him as per recent Scouting. Strong value that can explode but also does just fine for IPD alone at £1.72 to £1.90.
And Eriksen is well on his way out with those transfer rumours heating up. Great for holders and he could well land on his feet after a torrid spell at Inter. Does show that good players will often find a reason to dig themselves out of holes in a way that hype based players can’t.
Big games coming up for Inter – they need to do well vs Gladbach and Shakhtar to secure a Europa spot. They could dominate the Europa and traders will love that.
Lose European competition though and it’s a real lost opportunity. So when targetting the above having a backup reason to hold like a transfer is a great idea, or at least we are looking for rock bottom prices.
All the above mainly have them so… despite that risk… I’m not actually too stressed if they do go out of Europe when I think about it on an individual basis.
Defeat for Sassuolo but given they dominated the game – it actually showcases some good FI stuff.
More encouragement for Boga holders. I said last time that he was capable of better. He scored and assisted in that game but still ended up with a mediocre score.
This seemed to lead some into selling as they thought “well he can’t do much better than a goal and assist – he must be bad.” This analysis is too basic.
He did really well here and if he drops a goal on a day where Sassuolo dominate like this he can do very well.
I would abuse this recent negativity because the evidence says recent sellers have got this wrong.
Usual suspect Berardi was strong too. Really consistent, amazingly so for a smaller club player. Solid choice.
And Locatelli too is not far away with over 100 passes plus had a decent chance to score. He’s a whisker away from monstrous totals and probably available for under £1 all wrapped up in a kind trend fit with Italy minutes into the bargain. What’s not to like.
A bit like Sassuolo Atalanta dominate but get a poor result. It hides some promising performance numbers. Do have that soft fixture up next vs Midtjylland as per the CL review.
It’s the usual suspects. Gomez. Ilicic. Zapata. Haven’t heard much from them very recently but all are still well in contention in Serie A and in Europe.
Gomez and Ilicic require a bit of nimble trading around fixtures/form given the age and a quiet spell where they are down in price but no worse in the numbers is a good moment to get them. A moment like right now.
Zapata is similar – an incredible 8 game goal drought but this just has to end with the chances he is getting. Or he’s really messing with probability.
I’d expect Pasalic to be doing well in the coming games too but he is unfortunately sidelined with injury.
Oh Morata. Sent off after the final whistle believe it or not for saying something he shouldn’t have in earshot of the referee. Dummy.
That’s after another goal and decent FI display. An IPD monster and actually not too far away from challenging for performance wins outright. Remains a slam dunk bargain for under £1 despite the red card. In fact it probably makes it a great time to pick him up because people will overreact.
Better from Dybala to watch. And for FI too but then this is never really a problem even when he appears to play badly.
He is crushing the FI scoring here and is so far ahead of your average forward it’s not even close. Yet, he didn’t finish one of his 6 chances and Juventus didn’t win so he’s not putting up a big score here.
Still – there are the building blocks of +300 monster scores in his stats. Needs to sort himself out with regular minutes but he remains a potential FI powerhouse despite recent struggles. Can win literally any game he plays.
Cuadrado is getting heat this week as OPTA switch him to a defender. Rightly so because this is his position. But Sancho holders are aggrieved because he nicked a midfield win from Sancho just before he moved position.
Conspiracy? Probably just bad luck for Sancho holders – he is obviously a defender and the move is right. OPTA are just very slow on these positional shifts.
But now we’re talking. In defence I’d put him up there as one of the best defenders on FI. He can crush it from here and he’s well worth the £1.09 to £1.28. 32 years old maybe but contract until 2022 recently extended.
24 November
Roma aren’t a great provider of performance assets but they had a good game vs Parma here.
And it’s perhaps a timely reminder because they have two soft Europa ties coming very soon, CFR Cluj and Young Boys.
I’ve covered the main men in the Europa article but for speed we’ve got Pedro and Mkhitaryan as the veteran punts. Both can easily blow it away on a given day
Veretout as a reliable high baseline mid on penalties, who looks in good form. 62p to 85p is a steal really. He may not be sexy but not every player has to be sexy – just great value. And he is.
Pellegrini too is in with a chance and he was very good in the last round vs Cluj, unlucky not to score big due to being subbed off. He’s got a nicer trend profile at just 24 and can be had under £1 now which is clear value. Not like the old days where he was getting overhyped.
And Carles Perez is a player I like as a youth punt – 22 year old former Barcelona man and a capable winner on his day at a rock bottom £1.05 to £1.35.
The Lukaku show. 2-0 down with 30 minutes remaining and Inter come back to win 4-2.
Lukaku with 2 goals an an assist. He may be a little soft for performance scoring sometimes – but he’s just good enough where when he pops off like this he can win it, particularly on the softer Bronze and Silver days.
And as covered here regularly, for the IPD alone he is worth his money. Is there a more dangerous striker in Europe right now?
21 goals for club and country since August, that’s 20 games. When you have these unique circumstances with 6-9 games appearing in a 30 day IPD window (9 in his case today!) this is about as close to a licence to print money as you’ll ever get.
Anything like the current £1.67 to £1.81 is a steal.
Sanchez started and looked sharper than he did immediately after returning from injury. Decent display in general, got the goal and assist. In some games he shows really competitive performance numbers.
If this improvement continues he could be a real steal at 69p to 98p.
Hakimi continues to really struggle. I’ve been worried about him for some time as his price was running hot.
Yet he doesn’t look anything close to his old numbers for Dortmund. He is far from bad – a win is possible. But is he one of the best defenders on FI? Far from it on the evidence at Inter. At Dortmund he definitely was.
Has dropped but £2.15 to £2.45 is still a lot for a defender and you can buy better for this money.
Eriksen definitely still out of favour, Conte’s comments are about as close as you can get to saying “Yeah, I don’t like him”. This is actually not a bad outcome.
What you want as a holder right now is either a total freeze out and a January transfer or consistent starts – and the latter feels really unlikely.
The worst outcome is a sort of bit part role where he hangs around as a fringe player.
He can easily land on his feet if one of these EPL return rumours come true. He’s a rock bottom 72p to 97p and at some point traders are going to pay the price for “clustering” and being overly negative on some players. And other traders are going to profit very handsomely indeed from this.
This is far from unique to Eriksen of course, but he’s amongst that group of out of favour players who have a reason why they can rebound.
Good day for Boga. He’s been making his comeback in recent games and this is his first goal and first assist of the campaign.
Solid stuff, and he was well forward. 7 touches in the penalty area. Lovely finish for his goal and possibly the dullest assist I have ever seen but they all count.
It was good, but only got him as far as the 200 mark. I think based on previous numbers he’s got another level. This was a tough game vs Verona where they did not dominate possession. In other games Sassuolo do so I’m very interested to see one of those days where Boga does well.
Can only improve and even if he doesn’t – he’s a rock bottom 90p to £1.18 now and just IPD will be enough. I am more optimistic than that though. Good pick up.
Berardi scored too and assisted Boga (Both of them assisting the other). His prowess as a performance asset is well documented in scouting so I won’t go on about it.
But holders can be very happy with the consistency and great form. He also bagged 2 for Italy this week – playing his way in there. Just another reason to hold this brilliant player and £1.64 to £1.82 is a bargain.
Locatelli worth a look too – very very high baseline player so all he needs is a goal and he can post really competitive scores. MIght see one every 6-10 games maybe. That’s enough at this price. Still just 22 and possibly under £1 now. Lovely.
He’s at it again. Another huge score at 288 – beaten by Yazici’s 356 but that’s just unlucky.
This level shouldn’t be possible at a smaller club like Udinese. Yet it is, and it’s consistent and not a fluke.
I’ve liked him for a long time because he doesn’t have many bad outcomes on the table.
Stay at Udinese? He can justify his £2.05 to £2.27. Move to the EPL or to Inter or similar? He may be able to acheive even greater things at a bigger club, or the performance friendly Leeds actually.
He’s certainly done well enough where traders should stay optimistic about him when he makes a move.
Solid choice.
Suckerpunch defeat to AC Milan. Dominated the game but lost 3-1. Could have resulted in some decent scores had they won the match.
Mertens bagged the only goal. Could have had 2 really.
He looks very undervalued right now.
The IPD alone would cover his 56p to 89p with a bit of rotation trading. And he’s better than that – a capable performance winner on his day. Does well for Belgium too – as England fans will recall from the international break.
Used to be a risk but with a contract stitched up to 2022 possibly 2023 and a rock bottom price it’s a good shout.
Talisman Insigne was decent overall but lacked threat of his own. Did get in the right areas. Good for Italy in the break will cover that in more detail this week.
As he has done for a while – always feels inches away from a big score but it’s not happening at the moment. No goals in 4. At least he seems over that spell of coming on as a sub which is a better sign.
Ruiz did well though had to drop deep after the sending off of Bakayoko. Over 100 touches and got a couple of shots. Can blow up but he feels like another Napoli underperformer.
Still, at the £1.18 to £1.45 price it’s a bargain. Was excellent for Spain this week as covered in Euro 2020 section getting 3 assists. And he can drop the big transfer rumour, as well as turn up with a very big score seemingly out of nowhere.
No denying he has not delivered but this is one of those price drops that is a clear over reaction.
On the flipside to Napoli we have a win but weak scores due to Milan playing on the counter.
Only really Zlatan got up there because of 2 goals including the matchwinner, but he isn’t a brilliant performance player so it’s not a surprise he only ended up with 183. Still, at his price IPD is more than enough and he is capable of nicking soft Bronze days or similar.
Incredibly impressive form and he looks like scoring 1 or more each game. For 59p to 70p it’s clear value – the only real risk is that if he breaks a leg you are in a bit of trouble. Brave traders might like it.
Calhanoglu does well to get 142 in this game given Milan were starved of the ball and he didn’t score or assist. It was a good performance.
Seems a bit off the boil it’s been 6 games since his last goal. However he’s getting chances and doesn’t look too far away from big scores. I don’t think holders should worry at £1.89 to £2.11 he’s comfortably worth that in my view.
Good result for Milan but it’s not an FI friendly style. Fortunately, they don’t do this often and usually take more control of the ball.
Should have better days where Hakan and Theo in particular could shine. Lille next is tough but they have Celtic and Sparta Prague up soon which are juicy.
23 November
No surprise who carried Juventus to victory netting holders a big Gold Day Star Man dividend in the process.
What is surprising is how fantastic Ronaldo’s overall contribution was. The goals are standard. But it’s very unusual to see him involved this much. This explains how he was able to beat Haaland despite only scoring 2 to his 4.
We literally haven’t seen this in his entire Juventus career, and there is no obvious tactical reason why this was the case. It was a soft game but nothing we don’t see regularly in Serie A.
For now I will put this down to a one off but if we see this consistently it might make it harder to ignore him. At the moment I personally do – purely on the risk management basis that if a 35 year old player breaks a leg a holder is in serious trouble.
But there is no doubt he is a contender and could well have years ahead. Holders may end up having a great time but it’s too unstable for my tastes. Though if he keeps producing this level… he might make that decision harder.
Dybala benched again but true to his stop start nature it was a good performance that will make the manager think.
This is becoming a bit of a soap opera – the latest being his future is still uncertain and those Manchester United/Chelsea rumours are resurfacing.
As a holder I don’t think you mind whether he stays or goes – you just want him to play consistently so that his huge FI potential comes through.
An EPL move would be a very strong outcome though, particularly if he is starting at just £2 to £2.27.
Per minute his numbers are great here. If starting he’s so capable of huge scores. But this no mans land is just unsustainable – holders need the drama to be resolved one way or the other.
I’d say overall that still makes for a fairly sunny forecast. It feels like he won’t accept a bit part role much longer so you would think he is either made a big part of Juventus plans or sold. Either of which is fine.
A win for Demiral in defence. Probably a rare event. He is a tidy player though and you could peg him as a decent CB for a soft fixture or Bronze match day. He won with an assist here but those are rare… before then he hadn’t had a shot or created a chance in… well essentially forever for our purposes.
Decent pick though really – he often gets EPL transfer rumours and he’s got that passing style that clubs like City would find attractive.
A more familiar Lazio line up and a comfortable victory.
This is the first time in a while we’ve seen their big hitters Alberto and Immobile back together.
Immobile is back with a bang, providing the matchwinner plus an assist. He generally needs one of his 2+ goal days to really figure so it’s not a surprise he didn’t.
Really though at £1.23 to £1.33 he’s just a great IPD choice. A goal in each of his last 4 games plus 2 assists – holders can be encouraged that he has picked up right where he left off.
Alberto made a strong return too. No goal but he had 1 really good chance that was saved. Decent all round numbers. Can easily win and the only thing that suprises me is that he hasn’t scored big more often. £1.56 if that bid can be had is great value, or even up to £1.75.
Good to have the main men back because they have a tasty clash vs Zenit this week. Kind fixtures in general running up to mid December, Dortmund aside.
9 November
Juventus are still failing to convince under Pirlo. Conceded a last minute equaliser.
Particularly in these last 4 they’ve been disappointing – the worst sin for me isn’t losing to Barcelona or drawing here. It’s that vs Spezia or Ferencvaros they scored plenty but never really dominated the game.
They need to improve or they aren’t going to be a rich source of FI points.
Yet, there are attractive options who look close to wins.
Dybala the main one – benched again here. Seems like another false start for the Argentine – he had a fantastic game vs Hellas Verona in late October and has seen rotation since – a very Dybala story.
Blamed for losing possession which led to the goal here. And withdrawn from the Argentina squad with one of the most bizarre injury reports I’ve seen “genital problems”. Yes. That.
No doubt one of FI’s best players but it’s more frustration. I wonder at what point he just gets fed up in Italy really. Does get EPL links. I still like the pick because it has options – stay and settle? Good. Transfer rumours? Good. No doubt it’s frustrating though.
Rotated side so not a great deal elsewhere.
Kulusevski starts. Tepid numbers at best. I’ve thought he needed to do better to carry his price and that’s seeming true – although it’s hard to attribute any one price drop to poor performances at the moment.
Even good players doing little wrong can be finding it tough.
Ronaldo as ever the main threat. Scoring. Could have been more.
Morata breaks his streak and had no efforts on goal at all. This is unusual as at Juventus he’s looked fantastic. He’s even better than just an IPD punt these days – numbers have improved at Juventus overall and we can see competitive scores from him occasionally, maybe .
IPD the main draw though which is just fine at his price.
Alexis Sanchez starts – did not look fit but it’s not an awful display. Given how well he finished last season he is one to watch – should he regain match fitness and that form he could be a bargain.
I’d want to see a bit more first – this isn’t a market where we are having to move fast on potential emerging talent. And with Inter bottom of their CL group I’m a little sceptical on Inter assets right now.
Except for Barella – he earns a pass. Threat in the last 7 or 8 games has been good and he’s unlucky or terrible not to score. I think it’s unlucky – he’s not striking these badly.
Has managed 3 assists in 5 and has general solid baselines. A really good pick.
Martinez. I have really not been a fan of this trade as it was flying north of £3 and even to £3.75. Regular readers will back me up on that I am sure! I’ve said it often enough.
This was absolute madness and a disaster waiting to happen because there was no possible outcome on the table that would justify that price long term. It was a case of when, not if, that price collapsed.
That has been made worse not just by the collapsed transfer but the general fear on the market that is especially hitting the overhyped/highly priced type of player.
However. If there is one benefit to this market madness it could well be that this clears the decks – sweeping away many of these gaping holes in logic that have been present on FI for some time.
He scored again here, and actually had the threat for 1 or 2 more. He’s always been a strong goalscorer he was just too expensive for a mainly IPD focused player.
On that £1.67 bid now? Different story. He can probably justify that price tag on IPD and the chances are that big transfer rumour will swing around again.
It’s taken extreme circumstances to change my opinion on this but I actually think he is a good pick up now.
Mkhitaryan. The hero we didn’t need takes Star Man!
Not a player I tend to give strong reviews to. Obviously it’s great for holders and actually you could have picked him up for IPD alone.
It is hard to predict big performance wins from him though – he’s a bit lightweight in midfield and he does need these hatricks to do it – and that’s not something he’ll be doing often.
31 year old EPL flops are also hard players to sell so it’s not one I would have tended to go for.
Maybe I’m just bitter he isn’t in my last Roma preview! I am sure someone enjoyed this one.
But I think the market needs a few more popular winners to spread those dividends around and the last two weekends have been a bit of a letdown.
Decent result for Napoli although it was an even contest overall.
Insigne was back in the starting line up. Fortuately his injury was not as bad as feared. 5 efforts on goal although they are mainly long ranges smashes. Not particularly his best game either but it really only takes one goal to fly in for him to be competitive.
Been a while since his last win – should have had more with his numbers. In all probability they should come.
Osimhen wins it for them. As reported here he has had a little goal drought but the chances were coming. He’s doing pretty well at Napoli and as the price climbs down he looks attractive. IPD but you could maybe see him challenging for a dividend or tops .
He’d need a big day – 2 goals or more – but he does have the threat for that.
Veteran Mertens another likely winner at Napoli. Just 46p to 83p. No goals in 7 but that is something of a wonder – he’s getting regular chances and has no shortage of scoring pedigree.
Given that he very recently stitched up a 3 year deal I’d have no problem punting on him at that rock bottom bid – he could return over half his value in a day if he snags a Gold Win and that’s possible. I’d peg him possibly .
This is a wonderful FI display from Milan vs Verona.
Dominant with tons of chances. If only they had won it. It took Zlatan to rescue a draw in injury time making it 2-2.
Speaking of Zlatan – this is insane. 14 efforts on goal. I am not sure I ever remember seeing that many chances. Maybe Ronaldo. Missed a penalty but did make up for it late on. On another day this should be at least a brace, probably a hatrick.
Calhanoglu started. decent display, plenty of involvement. Threat was poor for the second time in two games. Not too worried – he’s a consistent player and the numbers are really not too far away from where he needs to be.
Still in the gossip as a free agent come the season end – could renew – or may get some EPL transfer rumours.
Leao seeing more pitch time. Not a great performance but any minutes are good minutes for him. Probably operating around , if he was playing regularly.
For the money I quite like him although maybe there are better targets in a market with so many rich pickings.
I’d tend to be using spare cash on players that are either really strong or will generally have widespread confidence from traders behind them right now – that’s the best chance of benefiting from any natural bounce back.
Kessie. Proving to be more than just a deep midfielder he gets his chances. Also, after Zlatan missed the penalty he said in post game comments he might give the next one to Kessie. That puts him in range of some very big scores potentially. And he’s rock bottom cheap at 60p to 87p.
2 November
#justice4barrow
Football Index just confirmed that Barrow should have been the winner on Saturday. Here is the link.
Nice – as per the review yesterday he’s a player I rate. I doubt it will be the last win we see from him.
Napoli have been in decent form but Sassuolo outplayed them here.
Some good performances though from an FI perspective.
Fabian Ruiz is a frustrating player – always just a matchwinner away from a huge score. And he gets chances. But they have not been going in.
Still a good pick given the potential transfer to a bigger club and the fact he is capable of a 250-300 score on his day. But no doubt he is a frustrating hold.
If they don’t look close to winning they are easy to drop but players like this who threaten a win without delivering are difficult. That’s why having that transfer reason as the backup is important here.
Politano impressive again as per recent reviews. In great form and seeing more minutes. A contender at a bargain price.
Osimhen looked deadly yesterday. 8 efforts on goal – a real wonder he did not score. Atrocious performance numbers as usual but with the price dipping to £1.37 now potentially on a bid that’s becoming value.
Could easily explode in one of these soft European games up next. And he looks consistent for IPD in general.
You could also punt on Mertens who looks good too.
Lozano‘s burst of goals in early season is increasingly looking like a flash in the pan, though. Getting some chances but not many and I doubt it would result in a big score even if he did get a goal.
Talisman Insigne was sidelined but fortunately it looks like that injury is not too bad – he’s being assessed day to day and could be back either midweek or next weekend for Bologna.
Locatelli came closest to a win, netting the penalty and finishing on 211 with a matchwinner.
I’ve liked him for a long time as a budget pick. Nice to see him close but I’m a little disappointed he didn’t get closer to 250.
He was only 6 points short of winning in midfield and 2 fouls and a yellow card cost him dear.
Still, it shows why I like him as a 22 year old player at the £1 to £1.27 mark. Can win on his day and could get a decent transfer.
Good to see Boga back starting. Bang average numbers actually – well below his best. But it was a tough game vs Napoli and he is working his way back to full fitness.
I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt for now – I rate him as per previous reviews and I’ll be watching him closely as he returns to action.
Eventful game and despite the 4-1 scoreline Juventus did not dominate minnows Spezia.
Dybala had a poor game after his brilliant showing last weekend. Per minute his numbers are fine but his problem, as always, is staying on the pitch.
Subbed off on 56 minutes here and to be fair – this time he can’t really complain – he was wasteful.
At what point does he just get fed up and leave? Possibly next summer. Whether he settles at Juventus or goes I’d stay optimistic for him. He can blow up and get a big score anytime and at any big club like Real Madrid which is the latest rumour there would be optimism. Also gets EPL links.
But really I’d just like to see him play more at Juventus because he can win in the here and now. I’m still optimistic on him but this is a bad game. Numbers last weekend were phenomenal though.
22 year old USA international Weston McKennie impressed – setting up Morata though he really could have just finished himself. Will have impressed fans and was arguably the best player for Juventus in the first half.
FI numbers actually not great here but over the season to date, per minute, his numbers are extremely promising. And he gets chances to add to those big baselines.
Impressive stuff and a potential bargain at 52p to 80p.
Chiesa continues to impress fans too. Really good start to his Juventus career. Added an assist. Had a couple of decent efforts of his own. Good stuff and he’s cheap for what you get. Capable of more too based on his Fiorentina numbers. As team mates trust him more we see him grow.
Never any doubt who would be the star of the show though as Ronaldo makes his return from covid. Instant impact with two goals to dig Juventus out of what could have been an embarassing draw.
A bit like Zlatan in the Milan review below – he could pay off handsomely but at his age if he hits that big injury or some kind of bad luck you might be in trouble. Could pay off though.
Another player winning over fans is Morata. Sensational performance, really. As with midweek where he had 3 goals ruled out, he had another ruled out here.
But then he quickly made up for it, tucking away McKennie’s pass across goal. He didn’t even celebrate because his last 4 had been disallowed, I’m not sure he believed he had finally scored! But it did count.
Also set up Ronaldo with an assist. Great all round contribution. Superb.
It’s one of those IPD striker picks where I can’t think of a real reason you wouldn’t just go for this. He looks like scoring so consistently and he costs just 71p to 80p.
The IPD alone is worth it and at Juventus he has improved as a performance prospect – he may sneak a win or two.
And in this form he solves Spain’s striking problem most likely. What’s not to like for this money?
Spinazzola nets the defender dividend. He is very attacking and whilst this is his first goal of the campaign he could have had a couple more.
Gets a lot of touches in the box so it is possible to see this goal coming. He’s dropped on the matchwinner which is fortunate because without that he’d struggle – his overall numbers are not that great.
That’s why I have tended not to go for him – he needs more than just a goal – it likely has to be the matchwinner. Plus at 27 it’s unlikely to excite many the market is currently favouring more well known options – provided they see them win.
Still… a decent punt pick and Roma do have that kind group in Europe as per the Europa articles. No real reason he couldn’t make the most of that.
For those kind fixtures Veretout looked dangerous here, as did Mkhitaryan, Pedro and Dzeko which could all be valid punts although won’t excite the market a great deal.
Dzeko looks in lethal form though if he plays – he’s only come on as a sub in the Europa so far. But if you saw him starting he’d be worth a punt.
Pedro too is capable of some really big scores and is in good form, scoring again here.
With these though we really are just talking short term punts.
Carles Perez is more interesting longer term as a younger player formerly of Barcelona and I consider him the best youth option at Roma.
Yet another win for Milan – a great season so far – they may even challenge for the title.
I started optimistic for Milan this season – especially given they would have European involvement this year. But they are exceeding even those expectations.
Their key man is still Calhanoglu. He’s been quiet lately but his numbers are holding up here. Not his best game to watch but probably his best FI numbers in a while.
For a holder it seems an easy decision to keep faith with him the big scores are likely even if he’s been frustrating a bit lately.
Theo Hernandez is consistent too. No real chances this game but he’s getting in the box consistently. No sign of any decline and I think he’s well worth anything close to that £2.38 bid.
Rafeal Leao has definitely improved of late and is seeing more pitch time. This was not his best game. He did really well midweek vs Sparta Prague though and had he played the full game he could have won.
I’d be happy just to see him playing more really – £1.21 on a bid now is a good pick up for a patient trader.
Zlatan remains a beast, on the scoresheet again here. What an incredible human.
Looks like scoring 1-2 every game and the appeal is clearly there for a 69p price tag.
The only real barrier is the fear of that lengthy injury which could leave you lumbered with a player you are never selling. One for the brave.
Worth flagging another exceptional score from De Paul – 186 when losing the game.
He’s a bit of a marvel. The usual rule is that if you ain’t winning games you ain’t scoring big. But De Paul defies that.
He’s still not likely to win if they lose of course. But when Udinese do win he is well capable of some monstrous 250-300 scores.
And… it makes you wonder what he could be capable of at a bigger side. He does get frequent links.
Remains a great pick up at £2.09 in my view. Just exceptionally well suited to the FI scoring matrix.
1 November
Similar theme to midweek in the CL – a poor result for Inter but they dominated and it showcases some lovely performance numbers.
Eriksen started again, not a bad display but not great I doubt he has done much to change Conte’s mind. Still, for FI purposes the numbers are decent per minute.
Story hasn’t really changed – he’s a contender when he plays but he’d need more consistent minutes.
Kolarov was a monster here. Over 100 passes, an assist, and 3 long range efforts. 34 years old so not going to be to everyone’s taste. But a very valid punt. His best performance yet for Inter. 241 score without a goal.
Hakimi is much more attractive in terms of profile but struggling for FI numbers. Had some good chances to score here.. but I wonder whether eevn a matchwinner would have really made him competitive.
As per reviews recently – whilst Hakimi is in range of a win he’s not looking anywhere like as dominant as he did at Dortmund. And when you have a £3+ price tag that is bad news. Has to improve because there are so many better defenders for far cheaper right now.
Musa Barrow nearly nicked the win with a couple of goals. He’s something of a scouting favourite, last covered on 19th October.
Where I highlighted his threat – despite the goal drought and apparent poor form.
He was £1.80 on a bid then and is now £1.58 – even cheaper. And he’s had a good performance and near miss for a win.
These bid prices can be wild and patience is really low in this glum market.
Incredible value now if you can really can get this £1.58 bid… I’d be happy to pay up to the blue button £1.78 for sure.
Orsolini also had a good game and is hitting decent form. He can win occasionally, in my ratings and could be higher at a better club. He gets links.
It’s actually incredible he is available for just 88p on a bid right now. He was £2+ at times when he was a midfielder. He’s now a forward in an easier category.
Another great pick up.
Explosion Imminent
Players by position showing exceptional performance strength in recent games
- None
- Angelino - RB Leipzig
- Raphael Guerreiro - Dortmund
- Ben Chilwell - Chelsea
- Reece James - Chelsea
- Philippe Coutinho - Barcelona
- Luis Alberto - Lazio
- Thiago Alcantara - Liverpool
- Kevin De Bruyne - Manchester City
- Mason Mount - Chelsea
- Serge Gnabry - Bayern Munich
- Robert Lewandowski - Bayern Munich
- Marcus Reus - Dortmund
- Jonathan Bamba - Lille
- Lionel Messi - Barcelona
- Andrej Kramaric - Hoffenheim