Gameweek 4 has ended… and with it, a huge swing in points from the front to the back, as no fewer than 10 teams held a clean sheet against their opposition. Wouldn’t it be great to know how to see a week like that coming? If you’d like to know when and why this invaluable pattern strikes , give our Jon’s analysis a quick spin. With all those goals that never were, this week’s line-up is verging on a double pivot, featuring 2 centre halves, 2 full backs and a pair of down and dirty DMs. The average score across all players this week was a whopping 28 and a half but still slightly short of GW3. After the jump: the lads at the back
GOALKEEPER
Vicario (Spurs) : 20
The Tottenham keeper gets his gloves on top spot, both for GW4 and overall for the season so far. A clean sheet away at a London derby is no small feat, and Vicario’s been a constant star for the resurgent Spurs this season. Trade, beg, borrow or steal this one folks.
DEFENDERS
Trippier (Newcastle) : 33
We love the return of a legend around these parts, and Kieran Trippier’s performance in the lacklustre 1-0 over Wolves was a return to statistical form. Crosses and passes are the order of the day here, to a level we haven’t seen from him since 2022. Next week it’s away to the unpredictable Bournemouth. Not a must-have just yet, but watch this space.
Van Dijk (Liverpool) : 30
Stealing Chalobah’s spot in the line-up this week, big Virgil certainly needs no introduction. Liverpool’s woes at the back seem to have been eased after a dirty first fortnight, and VVD is about as high a nailedonity player as you could hope for. A chunk of aerials won and tackles, and while his pass completion rate was a lot lower than usual, he made up for it with sheer volume.
Van De Ven (Spurs) : 30
Big, fast, tough and increasingly central to the Spurs team, Micky Van De Ven is more likely to be seen bursting into attack than holding the fort. That being said, the points he picked up this week were against an incredibly poor West Ham so don’t expect a striker’s haul every week.
Sessegnon (Fulham) : 28
As a player, Ryan Sessegnon is one of the most explosive assets currently firing properly at Fulham….but as a fantasy asset, he’s the classic trap. Savage this week, dire the next, and never in any sort of predictable pattern. If you want to get the most out of him, play it safe and put him on your bench, that way he only breaks your heart half as hard.
MIDFIELDERS
Caicedo (Chelsea) : 31
The Ecuadorian powerhouse showed some of the old attacking form this week, picking up points for his goal but losing them for being intercepted far too often. Even though Chelsea fell victim to a very late Brentford equaliser, Caicedo continues to deliver consistently, something he’s never trul achieved before at Stamford Bridge. Maybe that whopper price tag was worth it after all?
Zubimendi (Arsenal) :
Speaking of price tags paying off…the Spaniard scored his first brace at the Emirates this week, and across the footyverse, a thousand barely-comprehensible Gunners stopped crying for a few minutes to enjoy a 3-0 win over Forest. New signing Zubimendi was heavily involved in defensive actions as well as spearheading the attack. There’s always a rotation in Arsenal’s midfield, but right now he’s looking good.
Xhaka (Sunderland) : 25
It’s odd there, but there’s been a fairly consistent Sunderland presence in our team of the week this season, and while he’ll never be the rockstar poster boy, Granit Xhaka’s bombardment of the Palace defence this week with crosses as well as his dominance in aerial challenges made him the Black Cats’ most indispensable asset this week.
FORWARDS
Haaland (Man City) : 33
Ladies and gentlemen, the Viking is back. While United may not have done much to stop him, the newer, less volatile and more focused Erling Haaland is already looking like he’s back to his form of two years ago. There’s little to no chance that he’s affordable in either Statr or FPL, but if there’s a way to get a hold of him, it’s time.
Semenyo (Bournemouth) : 28
Breaking seagulls hearts this week is the seemingly fixture-proof Ghanaian attacker. Semenyo has the advantage of being the sole focus of Bournemouth’s attacking moves this season. Sure, he’s a little too welcome in the ref’s book, but between crosses, shots on target, aerials won and the all too crucial goals, he’s a welcome addition to any squad.
Madueke (ARS) : 25
Every week some player puts manners on my naysaying, and this week it’s the new-look Noni. Like Haaland, there’s been a maturing here, and a greater focus on more than just his own goalscoring. The move to Arsenal may be suiting him short-term, but don’t forget: a healthy Bukayo Saka presents a massive rotation problem for the new signings in Arsenal’s midfield, and he doesn’t seem to be off the map for too much longer. Draft for the short term here.
Jimi Kavanagh, September 2025
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