FPL: looking forward to resumption (1/3)

We are now a month away from Premier League resumption - or so we hope. This week will be a decisive one on the whens and hows - nevermind the ifs - and it's a mouth-watering prospect the scenario of a couple of Summer months packed with english football. Plus, for the FPL managers, such as myself, that weren't having the best of seasons, the sense of unknown surrounding pretty much everything concerning fixtures & gameweeks, new rules to the game and players and managers response, adds a bit of extra hope that we might be the ones to get the best out of what's left to play. And on these two rather optmistic notes, we can have a quick look on what the future holds.

The four with ten to play
Let's keep it simple. All teams but four have nine games to play. The four sides that have a tenth game yet to be played are Arsenal, Aston Villa, Sheffield United and Manchester City. They'll naturally face each other; the pairing will be City vs Arsenal (at the Etihad) and Villa vs Sheffield (at Villa Park).
City has practically nothing to play for, championship-wise, but we just can never know how players and staff will interpretate and react to such circumstances. Will Pep rotate (even) more? They'll still be in the UCL - if nothing changes in that department - and he'll want to have his players match fit, which could indicate that he'll make the most of the league games to get them where he wants. On another level, how will that affect the players, their aggressiveness, their mentality? Less pressure equals more audacity and flair? Could be, but it could also mean less urgency and less determination.

There's another thing: who should we bring in? City players are among the most expensive assets of the game (and for good reason). The likes of Kun, KdB or Sterling are very hard to accommodate. But we all know their potential. And with the exception of KdB, all City players are sort of low owned. Agüero is in no more than 17,5% of the teams (and we've all seen his impact in early January), Sterling in 15,5%. The rest is even less owned; most of them are «differential» status (and - I must add once more - for good reason). By the way, what about Sané? He would be The Ultimate Differential, should he return to the squad (which he could). 

Plenty of food for thought, as always. Should we bring in a City asset (in addition to KdB, for most people)? Is Agüero the best option? Will David Silva have his say in his farewell? Or is Pep's roulette just too much to bear and we simply have better, safer options?

Arsenal are still fighting for a spot in Europa League. Same with Chris Wilder's outstanding Sheffield United - if not further up, actually: United is just five points behind Chelsea and with a game in hand. Both have tough fixtures, though. A trip to the Etihad is as hard as it gets, but what to say about a visit to a Villa side fighting for his life? Will we have a clean sheet for any of the sides? I wouldn't bet on it. Will these games bring us plenty of goals? Grealish and the City forwards seem to be the most likely to be on the score sheet, but we can never write off Aubameyang.

Resumption conditions & new rules' impact

I just mentioned that Aston Villa will be fighting for their lifes, but all the six teams directly involved in the relegation battle voted for it - relegation, this is - to be scrapped if and when a return to competition takes place (link). It's fair to stress that this was in a scenario of most matches being played in neutral grounds, a solution that all PL clubs would happily avoid (link). It's a bit of an understatement to say that, at this stage, uncertainty is still the predominant note.

And what about the five substitutions' new rule (link)? How will it affect FPL? Apparently, these will be permitted in a basic frame of three substitution's opportunities per team, per match. Will the 59th-minute Club have an increase? Will this reinforce the importance of having a strong bench?

(To be continued)