Is Coutinho the best midfield option for Gameweek 30?
Philippe Coutinho was a hot topic ahead of Aston Villa’s two fixtures in Double Gameweek 28. He rewarded those FPL managers who invested in him with back-to-back double digit hauls and 23 points. Coutinho’s Villa are one of only eight teams to play in Gameweek 30 and so is Coutinho still the best midfield option for managers to invest in?
In Coutinho’s previous five seasons in the Premier League with Liverpool he returned 38 goals and 25 assists in 139 appearances. He also had 24 double digit hauls and 73 bonus points, as well as an average of 4..68 points per match.
Underlying Stats
Since arriving back in the Premier League in Gameweek 22 the Villa midfielder is top for goals scored with four. He level with eight other midfielders including teammate Jacob Ramsey.
Alongside his four goals, he also has four assists. This leaves him top, tied with Tottenham’s Dejan Kulusevski, for attacking returns across midfielders in the same period with eight.
Only three midfielders have created more big chances than the Brazilian since Gameweek 22. His 57 FPL points in the same period, level with Bruno Fernandes, also can not be beaten by any other midfielder.
With a fixture, as well as great underlying stats Coutinho appears to be one of the best midfield options for Gameweek 30.
Ownership
Coutinho is currently owned by 25.1% of FPL managers. However, in the top ten thousand managers he is owned by 40.42%.
He has had over 74,000 transfers in so far ahead of the deadline. He is also likely to appear in the majority of Free Hit teams this week.
Best midfield option: Long term pick?
Aston Villa’s fixtures leave them second from bottom on the Fantasy Football Scout Season Ticker.
This suggests that long term Coutinho may not be the best midfield option.
Villa play Liverpool, Man City, Spurs and in Gameweek 30 Arsenal before the end of the season. On paper this looks challenging for the Brazilian, however from his Liverpool career Coutinho has a decent record against the big six. He midfielder has returned 175 points against the big six and averages 4.61 points per match against them.
Some of Coutinho’s bigs points returns in FPL have also come against big six teams. These include:
- Arsenal (a) 2016 = 15 points
- Chelsea (a) 2015 = 14 points
- Man City (a) 2015 = 13 points
However, Aston Villa do have a. further match still to be rescheduled against Burnley which will improve their position on the ticker.
Overall
Coutinho’s underlying stats suggest that he is one of the best midfield options ahead of the Gameweek 30 deadline. They also suggest that he has potential to be held long term. However, the fixtures might make FPL managers wary of spending so much budget on Coutinho.
For managers that want to invest in Aston Villa longer term then potentially budget option Ramsey could be a better buy. Ramsey as mentioned has the same number of goals as Coutinho since Gameweek 22 and his one assist leaves him on five attacking returns. Whilst this is less attacking returns than Coutinho, at just £4.8m he will save FPL managers £2.7m over the Brazilian. This might make him an easier hold for the long term.
If budgets allow then Coutinho still seems one of the best midfield options for Gameweek 30 and beyond.
With all due respect to everyone else on the pitch, he [Coutinho] showed a level that was above the game. He really showed his form of old and it was a pleasure to be in the stadium
Steven Gerrard on Coutinho after their win against Southampton
Still pondering on your transfers ahead of the Gameweek 30 deadline? Here’s our thoughts on what to expect in Gameweek 30.
