The Race for FPL #1: GW35 – Ibsen’s Lead Cut in Half!

With the season reaching crunch time and all 5’s Free Hits deployed, the top has undergone a real shake up and the title race has just turned up a notch. With the main headline being, Ibsen’s lead was cut from 28 points to just 12. With Ortulan’s Free hit taking a significant chunk out of the lead and making for a really tasty end of the season. With just 12 points now separating the top 2 and both Triple Captains still in play, it really is anyone’s game.

The top 5 has stayed exactly the same, with only 3 and 4 swapping, but the field has tightened, with the top 5 now separated by 26 instead of 38. GAME ON.

 

This Week:

 

Last Week:

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1st — Erik Ibsen | Ibsen | 52 pts | 2,300 total | GW Rank: 2,070,491

Chips remaining: Triple Captain

Ibsen’s squad was headlined by a few things. Firstly, 52 points and a GW rank of 2m isn’t the worst week in the world. He was able to find some success at the back, with the inclusions of Gabriel, Porro and Raya accounting for nearly half his total points. While Virgil and Mavropanos were both able to dig out some DefCons to log in a solid week. However, one area which has to sting is Bowen’s 10 points being left on the bench. Spurs attacking blanks, Salah and Szobo’s 1 pointers and Rice’s blank, made this contrast even more damning. I think it’s also fair to say it was not a good week for the FPL review Free Hit team as a result, as those assets were all strong features.

Moving forward, and with his Triple Captain still in his back pocket, I think it’s safe to say Ibsen will probably be locked into the top 2 spots however. Although whether its 1 or 2 remains to be seen. Squeaky bum time indeed.

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2nd — Luka Ortulan | mirinda | 68 pts | 2,288 total | GW Rank: 331,563

Chips Remaining: Triple Captain

What a time to nail your Free hit for Luka Ortulan. Much like Ibsen, Ortulan nailed the Gabriel, Raya and Porro trinity. As well as the Mavropanos inclusion. However, where Ortulan’s team really seperated itslef, was in some of the midfield selections. The inspired inclusions of Gibbs-White and Casemiro really elevating the total score. However, what’s even more surprisingly about Ortulan’s free hit, was the amount of points he left on the table. His captaincy decision of Salah over Bruno resulted in 4 less points, and like Ibsen, his benching of Bowen over Thiago and Watkins left a further 8 points on the table. 2 decisions which, had they been different, would have seen him tied in 1st place with Ibsen. How slim these margins can be.

Like Ibsen, he now has his Triple Captain remaining going into the final 3 games. It would be absolute cinema if they picked different players.

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3rd — Vladimir Rutman | SheBK | 64 pts | 2,276 total | GW Rank: 580,259

Chips Remaining: None

Rutman had a very solid outing, and was the only player within the top 5 to gain any places. Like the top 2, he was also able to nail the Raya, Gabriel and Porro triple up, as well as the Virgil and Mavropanos DefCon points. Unlike the top 2 however, Rutman actually started Bowen, and was able to cash in on his 10 pointer. Combining this with a tasty differential haul from Wirtz. Landing him on a very healthy 64 point Free hit.

Unlike the top 2 however, Rutman does not have any chips remaining. However, if he is able to keep nailing differential options such as Wirtz, then there’s no reason he can’t make a late push. He will have to play a very differential game in order to do this however.

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4th — Martin vist Kristoffersen | Palmerout | 58 pts | 2,275 total | GW Rank: 1,185,939

Chips Remaining: None

Despite a respectable 1.1m GW34 rank, Kristoffersen was unable to prevent himself being leapfrogged by Rutman. Nonetheless, he was able to close the gap on the #1, so I guess it’s not all bad.

Kristoffersen’s gameweek was also headlined by the defensive trinity triple up. However, much like some of the others, he also appears to have fallen victim to some of the template blankers, such as Salah, Szobo, Rice, Xavi and Solanke. He was however able to rescue his gameweek by cashing in on Bowen’s 10 point haul. However, with no chips left in his pocket, he is arguably in the worst spot of all the top 5. It will now take a mammoth differential effort to challenge for the top spot.

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5th — Phisan Kaewlee | Noche | 64 pts | 2,274 total | GW Rank: 580,259

Chips Remaining: Triple Captain

Despite remaining in 5th place, Kaewlee was able to make a serious dent in the total points tally. Following a great 64 point Free Hit, he now moves to within just 1 point of Kristoffersen in 4th and keeps the distance between him and Rutman at 2 points. He lined up a very similar team to Rutman in fact, opting for the differential of Wirtz in midfield. As well as the back 3 trifecta and Bowen start up top.

Unlike Rutman and Kristoffersen, Kaewlee still has his Triple Captain chip up his sleeve, so if he were to pick a differential captaincy option for GW36, and see some success, there is every chance he could make a run at the #1 spot.

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The Big Picture: What Does GW34 Tell Us?

Several themes jump out when you look at the GW34 landscape across all five squads. Raya (10) was universal — every manager in the top five played him. B.Fernandes (10) was the captain of choice for most, and those who armband’d him were rewarded. Bowen (10) also delivered for those who had him, making him arguably the most effective forward of the round in our league.

Where managers diverged sharply was in the midfield. Ortulan’s willingness to go off-piste with Casemiro and Gibbs-White proved decisive. Everyone else stayed on relatively safe ground, apart from Rutman and Kaewlee who opted for the Wirtz differential.

The gap tells the real story: four managers are separated by just 14 points (2,288 down to 2,274). Ibsen leads by 12. In FPL terms, that’s less than a single strong individual performance. This league is far from over. In fact, it’s just heating up.

All eyes now turn to the GW36 Triple captain Chips.

 

Winning Percentages (Purely Opinion):

Erik Ibsen: 60%

Luka Ortulan: 30%

Phisan Kaewlee: 5%

Vladimir Rutman: 2%

Martin vist Kristoffersen: 2%

 

Check out our Game Week Tips section for more Game Week 35 Tips.