Starting team for Deportivo La Khumalo: Begovic Debuchy Cahill Shaw Flanagan Sigurdsson Fabregas Yaya Mata Giroud Rooney Bench: Myhill, Weimann, Tiote, S.Taylor (Toon)
A couple of my squad are placeholders: Lovren and Remy on the basis they moves elsewhere so become bargains, and Weimann because...I only had £5.5m left so it was him or Chamakh.
So far we're all going with the usual names but every season there are players who surprise like Michu or Jay Rod. Siem De Jong could be a punt as Newcastle have a good run of fixtures after their opener. Man Utd have cheap defenders and midfielders, and a fairly easy start although I would struggle to keep a straight face while selecting Phil Jones. Valencia could be great as a wing back yet he is fragile, but cheap.
Always best to go with the tried and tested players for the first few weeks in my opinion. In previous seasons my instinctive gambles have rarely paid off and left me playing catch-up
Very true but if you manage to find the cheap players early then you're laughing, just a more risky approach as that's why I ignore pre season form, otherwise I'll be making Lamela captain!
OK have gone with Krul Debuchy Terry Cahill Shaw Hazard Silva Mata Snodgrass Dzeko Rooney Myhill, Shelvey Wisdom Zamora
John Terry captain, just for you mate. Eriksen will come into the team to replace Snodgrass once I can offload one of the pricey defenders for a cheap one, possibly Naughton if he moves to Swansea.
Noticed I wrote 3-5-2 despite picking a 3-4-3 selection , however, I am NOW a 3-5-2, at least for the time being : Krul; Kompany, Shaw, Cahill; Eriksen, Hazard, Fabregas, Sigurdsson, Lamela; Dzeko, Bony Subs: Myhill, Ings, Rio, Dummett
I currently have Eriksen in my team, but am now starting to worry that he might not be a guaranteed starter!? Is it between him and Lamela for that number 10 role? Or is Eriksen a safe pick?
Eriksen and Lamela are guaranteed 100% mate. Lamela plays more RWF who cuts inside, Eriksen takes the number 10 role with a choice of Lennon/ Townsend/ Chadli to battle for the LWF position.
Blimey Lamela has gone from the invisible man to guaranteed starter. That's progress. I hope you are right, but I still think he is vying with Townsend/Lennon on the right. Eriksen will def play if fit, possibly in the correct postion - No10 - or out on left. He's vying with Rose. So, yes.
Good point, well made! What are your thoughts on Kane? He ended last season in decent form, is only £5m in FPL! But not sure on his gametime!
Rose will be number one L/B, now he has some serious competition,and is injury free,i think Davies has been bought with C/B cover in mind
Bloody hope so, if Rose starts against West Ham, I think most Spurs fans would riot. I think with Poch in charge, Lamela is guaranteed a run of starts. If reports are to be believed, he's supposedly been given major backing by the new staff and his morale and confidence around the place has improved ten-fold, I think we've seen that in his pre-season performances too. By all means don't think for one minute I'm basing a player's status in the first team by watching pre-season but his demeanour on the pitch is so different now. In all of his games last season bar the Sheriff match, he looked like a frightened kid who was trying a few bits and bobs, yet his games out in America has shown a player who wants to be the main man in a Spurs side full of internationals and I think that's a result of Poch giving him the belief, freedom and assurances of first team football. I think we'll see a completely different Lamela this season, when this kid gets going, we'll have one hell of a player. Promising striker, probably the best striker to come through our academy in a good few years, most of us have believed in the lad since his early break through a few years back, a few wrote him off but I don't think many realised just how young he was when he initially started playing in our Europa matches (he only just turned 21 today). He's developed a lot as a player and in physical stature and I think with more backing and training with better players, Kane could well be a good striker for us and possibly even England one day. In terms of game time, might be best to leave him out at the moment, I still think he's behind Ade and Soldado for the time being, though if he continues his end of season form with the chances he does get then it won't be long til he gets a longer run of games.
Jack Lesterfan, you're taking advice from SOS which means you may as well scrap your team and start again!
