Being prepared for FPL’s December madness
Eight FPL gameweeks occur throughout the December-to-New Year period – not quite the catchy Christmas song that celebrates partridges and pear trees but a useful mental note for managers to remember. Whereas other countries insert a festive break into their league calendar, the Premier League takes the other extreme by escalating the number of fixtures.
| Tues 30th Nov – Thurs 2nd Dec | deadline: Tues 30th Nov, 18:00 (GMT) | Gameweek 14 |
| Sat 4th Dec – Mon 6th Dec | deadline: Sat 4th Dec, 11:00 | Gameweek 15 |
| Fri 10th Dec – Sun 12th Dec | deadline: Fri 10th Dec, 18:30 | Gameweek 16 |
| Tues 14th Dec – Thurs 16th Dec | deadline: Tues 14th Dec, 18:00 | Gameweek 17 |
| Sat 18th Dec – Sun 19th Dec | deadline: Sat 18th Dec, 11:00 | Gameweek 18 |
| Sun 26th Dec – Mon 27th Dec | deadline: Sun 26th Dec, 11:00 | Gameweek 19 |
| Tues 28th Dec – Thurs 30th Dec | deadline: Tues 28th Dec, 11:00 | Gameweek 20 |
| Sat 1st Jan – Mon 3rd Jan | deadline: Sat 1st Jan, 11:00 | Gameweek 21 |
Set phone notifications for deadlines
Especially the early New Years Day one! The frequency of deadlines increases – sometimes just two days apart – so it can be easy to lose track. It might be a good idea to set an alarm for 30 minutes beforehand.
Gain some squad depth
We’ve already seen this season how important it is to stray from the ‘cheapest possible bench’ tactic, with rotations, Covid cases and a reluctance from managers to reveal injury truths leading to many automatic substitutions. Whilst those who purchased Tino Livramento at £4.0m have satisfied both scenarios, it might be worth having a fifth midfielder and third striker who are both above £4.5m. The likes of Emmanuel Dennis (£5.2m), Armando Broja (£5.0m), Joshua King (£5.6m), Conor Gallagher (recently £5.6m) and Emile Smith Rowe (recently £5.3m) offer more than just playing time.
Be aware of the African Cup of Nations
As of now, the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Said Benrahma, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Edouard Mendy, Wilfired Zaha, Ismaila Sarr, Riyad Mahrez and Kelechi Iheanacho will depart for the African Cup of Nations after Gameweek 19. With the final taking place on February 6th, players could be unavailable until Gameweek 24 and therefore miss four league matches.
Firstly, the removal of these players needs considering. But secondly, their absence could suddenly make assets like Diogo Jota, Alexandre Lacazette, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Patson Daka more appealing.
