Elite managers demonstrated their quality with two surprising but successful picks ahead of double gameweek 33.
By analysing the movements of a group of 1,000 managers with multiple top-10,000 finishes to their names, we can see how the best bosses prepared.
The most selected player among our sample came from Arsenal, while a Newcastle defender was their most added player ahead of the weekend.
Backing Bukayo
Of our 1,000 top managers, 825 had Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka in their squad during GW33, making him the most selected player among them.
The Arsenal youngster saw an increase of 12 elite owners between GW32 and GW33, having been backed by more than 80 per cent of our sample since GW30.
This comes despite a poor run of form for the Gunners, as well as for Saka himself, who returned just five FPL points in the three defeats before Arsenal travelled to Chelsea.
The final defeat in that run came against Southampton in the first half of the double gameweek, but the £6.8m midfielder’s fine performance against the Blues yielded points in the second half of GW33.
The England international sealed a crucial victory for boss Mikel Arteta with a penalty in stoppage time against Chelsea, taking his tally for the week to 10 points.
Saka now has 10 goals and six FPL assists this term, while his goal against the European champions has taken him 21 FPL points clear of the next highest scoring player at Arsenal.
While it might seem surprising to see our elite bosses back him despite his unimpressive recent form, it may be that they saw encouraging data beneath the surface.
Saka registered a Threat score of 54 against Brighton in GW32 as well as a Creativity score of 62.1 – he ranks third for Threat and fourth for Creativity among midfielders.
His general ownership stood at around 30 per cent this week meanwhile, with our top bosses far more bold in backing him.
Fab Fabian
A Newcastle United player being the most popular elite addition ahead of a gameweek might have seemed like an impossible dream just a few months ago, but Fabian Schar earned that title this week.
The £4.4m defender saw his elite ownership increase by 482 ahead of the Magpies’ doubleheader against Leicester and Crystal Palace.
That took his top ownership above 50 per cent for GW33, enjoying the same popularity as Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold for one week at least.
Schar has two goals and two assists this season, while he had played 90 minutes in each of his side’s 13 latest league fixtures.
The Swiss defender managed just two points during Newcastle’s 2-1 win against Leicester, but added a further seven points thanks to a clean sheet against Crystal Palace, ensuring a 12-point cushion between the Magpies and the relegation zone.
Newcastle have now won nine league games in 2022, while their next fixture is against bottom side Norwich – it will be interesting to see if the best bosses retain Schar with that in mind.
