FPL GW9 tips – Haaland dilemma, Solanke situation and more

Welcome to StatsmanFPL’s weekly tips and preview for FPL GW9 of the 2024/25 FPL season. In this blog you will find FPL GW9 tips and advice to tackle key issues and maximize your FPL points.

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Link to all our FPL GW9 blogs including scout picks, players to target, buy, hold, sell, analysis, differentials, captain metrics, transfer targets and more. Access is also completely free!

FPL GW9 Tips – Important tips and questions answered

1. Faulty Haaland

Haaland has missed three games in a row. I’m not stressed and you shouldn’t be either.

He scored two goals in the Champions League this morning, which is nice but not too important.

In FPL we constantly have to make assumptions and decisions for small sample sizes. A premium player being out for three weeks in a row isn’t ideal, but I expect it to be possible and won’t let it stress me out.

Haaland went four games without a goal in the middle of last season. A week later he scored a brace.

Being the number 9 in a Pep Guardiola system will always provide opportunities in the long run and Haaland is a generational striker. Rodri’s absence is nothing to worry about, but from a personnel perspective it will be beneficial for Haaland if De Bruyne and Foden return to full fitness. Don’t forget that the chance of a penalty for a team like Manchester City camped in the opponent’s penalty area is always one of the highest in the league.

Despite his recent struggles, Haaland has scored 10 goals from almost 7 xG in 8 games. If you offered it to me before the season started, I would accept it any time.

Southampton defense ranking this season:

• xGC – 19
• Big chances conceded – 18
• Goals conceded – 19

Read more: Best FPL GW9 differential picks to consider before the deadline

2. Trust the process

Solanke, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mbeumo, Gabriel. These are some assets with high ownership levels that have been disappointing in recent weeks.

Similar to Haaland’s argument above, you shouldn’t let a sample size of two to three games cause you to destroy your team. The last thing you want is to jump on the next bandwagon, give up those peak stats, and watch them rack up loads of points in the coming weeks.

If the player looks fit, the team is at least in decent shape and the fixture list is good, there is no reason to drop any of the above and other assets in the same category.

Much has been made of Dominic Solanke’s failure to score in Tottenham’s 4-1 win over West Ham. With West Ham sitting deep and crowding the penalty area, these were never the ideal conditions for a Solanke hit.

After posting good expected goal participation figures for three games in a row, he plays a slightly different role for the team against West Ham and suddenly people want to sell. Hold him tight.

• Solanke in the last 2 games: 1 shot, 0.08 xG, 0 big chances
• Solanke in 3 games before: 10 shots, 3.08 xG, 7 big chances

Read more: FPL GW9 transfer targets and watch list based on eye test and statistics

3. Team structure and composition

We are approaching the busy part of the season where most teams have a game every three days. Particularly for teams playing in Europe, it must be expected that the first team will play the majority of these games and therefore have sore or potentially injured bodies.

You must understand that your team will suffer injuries at some point. It’s more a question of “when” than “if.” You have to be prepared.

It’s sometimes underestimated that having your team built in such a way that every player has transfer opportunities at a similar price can be a saving grace when things are looking bleak in your lineup. You won’t have the luxury of saving on multiple free transfers throughout the season and it’s always a good strategy to avoid losing points.

Similar to this, you want to focus on players who will start each week and ideally play the full 90 minutes. Each team has had enough fixtures in multiple competitions to now understand which players will start 95% of the games. There will always be rare bank changes here and there, but we have to live with that.

Read more: FPL GW9 Wildcard Team and Drafts to Consider | Wildcard Guide

4. GW9 result predictions

There are two crucial games this weekend that could decide which managers get the elusive Green Arrow. Chelsea against Newcastle and Arsenal against Liverpool.

Chelsea should beat Newcastle at home. With most of the first team expected to be rested during the week, the Blues will look to push into the top four and capitalize on an impressive start to the season under new coach Enzo Maresca.

Newcastle appear unsure in defense and have conceded almost 1.5 xG per game in a reasonably easy run of games. Their defense is still missing some key players and Dan Burn could struggle against Chelsea’s pace.

Expect Arsenal vs Liverpool to be a low-scoring game. Both are playing controlled and patient football this season. Arsenal mainly use this tactic against teams from the traditional Big Six and their defensive record in these games speaks for itself.

In the 23/24 season they won six games and played four draws in ten games against the classic “Big Six” teams. They only conceded nine goals in these games, less than one goal conceded per game on average.

So far this season, Arteta’s men have beaten Spurs 1-0 away and earned a 2-2 draw away at City after a red card. Arsenal’s 2-0 away win against Aston Villa also deserves a special mention.

Arteta employs a certain game plan in big games and this weekend should be no different.

More readings from ALLABOUTFPL before FPL GW9

FPL GW9: Player performance analysis by position and price point
FPL GW9 Wildcard Team and Drafts to Consider | Wildcard Guide
Best FPL GW9 differential picks to consider before the deadline
FPL GW9 transfer targets and watch list based on eye test and statistics
FPL GW9 tips – Haaland dilemma, Solanke situation and more
FPL GW9 Ultimate Guide: Tips, Differences, Captaincy and more

Link to all our FPL GW9 blogs including buy, hold and sell analysis, differentials, captain metrics, transfer targets and more. Access is also completely free!

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