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            <p><em>Who is the <strong>best FPL Gameweek 1 captain</strong>? Our resident FPL captaincy expert <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisTanFPL">Chris Tan</a> takes a close look at the fixtures, poll and stats breakdown before concluding on his best pick for the best picks for the FPL captain's armband. </em></p>
<p>Welcome back, after the season and ploughing through the Euros, it doesn’t feel like there’s been a break but I love football and wouldn’t have it any other way! My articles are usually quite stats heavy, however I’m not a fan of using too much data from the previous season, as I like to start with a blank canvas, so the first few articles won’t contain much of a stats analysis until we have a bigger sample size.</p>
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<h2><strong>Pre-season Recap</strong></h2>
<h4><strong>The Challengers</strong></h4>
<p><strong>Manchester City</strong> broke their transfer record with a £100 million signing of <strong>Jack Grealish (£8.0m)</strong>. However, it’s been a patchy pre-season with several key players injured or back late following their Euro 2020 exploits. That’s removed some of the rotation doubts, which makes players like the aforementioned Grealish, <strong>Gündogan (£7.5m)</strong> and <strong>Mahrez (£9.0m)</strong> very enticing options.</p>
<p><strong>Manchester United</strong> have done some great business over the Summer and will be looking to make a serious bid for the title. <strong>Rashford (£9.5m)</strong> is finally getting his shoulder surgery, <strong>Cavani (£8.5m)</strong> has been given extended leave to see his family and <strong>Sancho (£9.5m)</strong> hasn’t had a full pre-season. That indicates that <strong>Greenwood (£7.5m)</strong> might get a little run of games at the start.</p>
<p><strong>Liverpool’s</strong> pre-season has gone well, their main stars didn’t play in the Euros, <strong>Van Dijk (£6.5m)</strong> is back and they have a kind fixture run that should give them a sprint start. The only set back has been an injury to <strong>Robertson (£7.0m)</strong>, which will give <strong>Tsimikas (£4.0m)</strong> his long awaited chance to shine. There’s a concern that their squad depth is weak and they haven’t made any signings, however they (and Arsenal) won their last five league games and will be hoping they can continue that momentum.</p>
<p><strong>Chelsea</strong>, like Manchester City were without quite a few of their Euro 2020 stars during pre-season. This could impact on their start and they have a torrid opening run of fixtures. However, they’ve re-signed Lukaku (<a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/what-does-lukakus-return-mean-for-fpl-managers/">see my article for the impact of this</a>) who should prove to be the missing link and I’m planning to jump on them from Gameweek 7.</p>
<p><strong>Leicester</strong> will be deemed to have had a successful transfer window if they manage to hold on to all of their players. They’ve strengthened with <strong>Vestergaard (£5.0m)</strong>, <strong>Bertrand (£5.0m) </strong>and<strong> Daka (£7.5m) </strong>but it still might not be enough to break into the top four. They’ve had a settled pre-season with all their main players available.</p>
<p><strong>West Ham</strong> have had a great pre-season with <strong>Areola (£5.0m)</strong> an excellent addition to the squad. Although they haven’t strengthened, the emergence of <strong>Benrahma (£6.0m)</strong> is like a new signing and they have a kind opening fixture run. <strong>  </strong></p>
<p>The pre-season has gone well for <strong>Spurs</strong>, but a cloud hangs over the club with a manger that was arguably not even third choice and<strong> Kane (£12.5m)</strong> angling for a move away. They couldn’t have asked for a worst first fixture.</p>
<p><strong>Arsenal </strong>have cash to burn securing everyone’s favourite budget player <strong>White (£4.5m) </strong>for £50M and there’s rumours they’re willing to splash £30M on Ramsdale. What they have in their favour this season is that Arteta has had an entire pre-season with the majority of the squad and they don’t have any European games this year, which means more time coaching. I expect them to push on and there could be some potential bargains.</p>
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<h4><strong>Middle of the pack</strong></h4>
<p><strong>Leeds</strong> have an awful opening run of fixtures, but they showed at the end of last season that they can play more conservatively if required. Bielsa has run them ragged pre-season and I expect them to be the fittest team in the league. Several have opted for the well-priced <strong>Raphinha (£6.5m)</strong> and if Leeds have a similar season this year, he will be amazing value. One thing to note is that Leeds were a lot better defensively at home than away.</p>
<p>Initial drafts were littered with <strong>Everton</strong> players after we saw their opening fixtures, however there are a number of concerns. The fans are divided about the appointment of Benitez and it will only take a few bad results before they turn on him. <strong>Richarlison (£7.5m)</strong> has to be rested following his International exploits, <strong>Calvert-Lewin (£8.0m)</strong> is carrying an injury and the club is in such a poor financial position that they’re having to shop in the bargain bin. Their home record was atrocious last season and the addition of fans may hinder that if the atmosphere becomes toxic. For that reason, I’m avoiding until I see clear signs that Rafa has worked his magic.</p>
<p>Losing your talisman will impact any club, but <strong>Aston Villa </strong>have arguably made themselves stronger as a team. Last season they lacked creativity, a lethal goal scorer and pace. Now they have acquired all three. They have a great opening three fixtures, the only issue is whether Smith can find a suitable system and how quickly the new signings gel.</p>
<p><strong>Newcastle </strong>ended the season fairly strong and in Graeme Jones they have an excellent attacking coach. New signing <strong>Willock (£6.0m)</strong> has scored seven consecutive goals and is an excellent addition. Their fixtures are mixed, and the results could go either way, but their attack looks promising.</p>
<p><strong>Wolves</strong> have a new attack-minded manager that likes his team to press. We don’t need to wait until the second half any longer for them to come to life and the return of <strong>Jimenez (£7.5m)</strong> is like a new signing. They have an excellent run from Gameweek 4 so there’s’ plenty of time to assess them. I personally think that their new style might leave them open to counter attacking sides with pace, which unfortunately for them is their first three opponents.</p>
<p><strong>Southampton </strong>have done a bit of wheeling and dealing. <strong>Livramento (£4.0m)</strong> has bags of potential, but losing <strong>Vestergaard (£5.0m)</strong> and <strong>Ings (£8.0m)</strong> is going to hurt. <strong>Armstrong (£6.0m)</strong> looks great , but he’s unproven in the Premier League. They have a mixed opening run and I always see them as a team that can potentially be demolished.</p>
<p><strong>Brighton </strong>have a new central midfielder, <strong>Mwepu (£6.0m)</strong> who looks a real player and they’ve been linked to Celtic’s Edouard but they haven’t signed him yet, which means they’re likely to face the same problems as last season when it comes to goal conversion. Losing <strong>White (£4.5m)</strong> will also harm their defence, although they’re a system based team and they should be fine without him. xG / xGC are good indicators of performance and they were under both last season, which suggests that with a bit of luck (variance) they’ll improve this season.</p>
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<h4><strong>Bottom of the pile</strong></h4>
<p><strong>Crystal Palace </strong>have parted ways with Roy and his guaranteed safety. Viera has never achieved much as a manager and this deal has the potential to be another De Boer incident, especially when you consider four of their opening five fixtures. <strong>Olise (5.5m)</strong> was an exceptional signing, <strong>Eze (£6.0m)</strong> when he returns has bags of talent and <strong>Zaha (£7.0m)</strong> strangely appears settled. If the manager is given time, there could be some bargains once their fixtures turn.</p>
<p>The lack of investment into <strong>Burnley </strong>is shocking and with <strong>Tarkowski (£5.0m)</strong> not signing a new contract, there’s a chance he could go before the window closes. They’ll start the season without <strong>Pope (£5.5m)</strong> and I can see them struggling this season unless they bring in some new faces.</p>
<p><strong>Norwich</strong> are far better than they were the last time they joined the league, but losing their talisman <strong>Buendia (£6.5m)</strong> is a hammer blow. It’s unclear whether <strong>Rashica (£5.5m)</strong> can adequately replace him. <strong>Cantwell (£5.5m)</strong> may leave, <strong>Pukki (£6.0m)</strong> isn’t fit and the squad has been ravaged by COVID. I’d be targeting them in the early fixtures.</p>
<p><strong>Watford</strong> enter the league with one of the best Championship goals conceded (30) records in recent history. Leeds conceded 35, the season they smashed it and Sheffield United 41 the season before. They don’t score many goals, but they could offer value in defence and in <strong>Sarr (£6.0m) </strong>they have a top quality attacker. I was bullish about them in July, but for now they’re a wait and see for me.</p>
<p>I’m expecting <strong>Brentford</strong> to offer Leeds-like entertainment. I can’t see many clean sheets (CS) but there’s always the potential for goals. <strong>Toney (£6.5m)</strong> is currently owned by 30.7% of managers, which is insane given he’s playing for a promoted side and has never played in the league. However, in the Championship he scored 31 goals (nine penalties) and made 10 assists. Even if he just returns half of that in the premier league, he would be excellent value.    <strong> </strong></p>
<p><a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fpl-pre-season-guide/">Check out our FPL Pre-season Guide 2021/22 for a more detailed analysis. </a></p>
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<h3><strong>Premier League changes to be aware of </strong></h3>
<p>The way penalties are being awarded has been reviewed and I would expect an over correction at the start, which could significantly reduce the amount of penalties we’re used to seeing. We all know which premium midfielder this could impact on.</p>
<p>The league has also decided to use the ‘thicker’ offside lines for VAR decisions now, which is more in favour of the attacker and these could be the main beneficiaries:</p>
<div id="attachment_37563" style="width: 612px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-37563" class="wp-image-37563 size-full" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Who-is-the-best-FPL-Gameweek-1-Captain-Number-of-times-caught-offside-last-season.png" alt="best gameweek 1 fpl captain" width="602" height="284" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-37563" class="wp-caption-text">FPL Gameweek 1 Best Captain = Number of times caught offside last season</p>
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<h2 style="text-align: left;"><strong>FPL Gameweek 1 Best Captain - The Fixtures</strong></h2>
<p>Watch out, it’s a Friday 18:30 deadline this week!</p>
<div id="attachment_37558" style="width: 387px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-37558" class="wp-image-37558 size-full" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/FPL-Gameweek-1-Best-Captain-Fixtures.png" alt="best gameweek 1 fpl captain" width="377" height="574" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-37558" class="wp-caption-text">FPL Gameweek 1 Best Captain - Fixtures</p>
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<h2><strong>Twitter / <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisTanFPL" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@ChrisTanFPL</a> FPL Gameweek 1 Captain Poll</strong></h2>
<p>To be honest, I knew the poll will show <strong>Salah (£12.5m)</strong> as the overwhelming favourite therefore I excluded him to allow me to add another option.</p>
<div id="attachment_37562" style="width: 612px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-37562" class="size-full wp-image-37562" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Who-is-the-best-FPL-Gameweek-1-Captain-Captaincy-Poll.png" alt="" width="602" height="448" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-37562" class="wp-caption-text">FPL Gameweek 1 Best Captain - Twitter Poll</p>
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<h3><strong>Old Hunting Ground – do any of the likely lads have a good record vs their opposition?</strong></h3>
<div id="attachment_37560" style="width: 1213px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-37560" class="size-full wp-image-37560" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/FPL-Gameweek-1-Best-Captain-Past-Performance.png" alt="" width="1203" height="406" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-37560" class="wp-caption-text">FPL Gameweek 1 Best Captain - Past Performance</p>
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<p><strong>Fernandes (£12.0m) </strong>recorded all of his returns in the home game last season. Will history repeat itself?</p>
<p><strong>Salah (£12.5m) </strong>blanked the last time he played Norwich away from home.</p>
<p><strong>Mane (£12.0m) </strong>has never started for Liverpool against Norwich but did score in a cameo away from home.</p>
<p><strong>Wilson (££7.5m) </strong>blanked at home for Newcastle last season and scored away. The other goals were for Bournemouth but I wanted to illustrated how much he enjoys playing against West Ham.</p>
<p>The other records aren't worth talking about.</p>
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<h2><strong>Members Stats breakdown - FPL Gameweek 1 Best Captain</strong></h2>
<p><strong>As mentioned above, I won’t be looking at the OPTA stats for the first few Gameweeks.</strong></p>
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