Captaincy options for Gameweek 19: Liverpool & Chelsea assets top the bill

TRUTH be told, the captaincy conversation has often been a simple and short one for plenty of Dream Team managers.

Erling Haaland (£7.9m) and Mohamed Salah (£6.5m) have been worthy default options but the landscape has changed with Manchester City’s No9 sidelined and Liverpool’s top scorer off to the Africa Cup of Nations.

Gameweek 19 is also a unique one as it features the FA Cup third round, a set of fixtures that usually prompts extensive rotation.

Granted, Haaland may return against Huddersfield but, at this stage, his minutes are not certain by any stretch of the imagination.

Deciding who to captain could be a real head-scratcher but gaffers have potentially been gifted a helping hand by the Carabao Cup semi-finals in midweek.

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AP

Gameweek 19’s superhero-in-waiting?[/caption]

With that in mind, let’s run through the most prominent candidates.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (£6m)

Instinctively, Arsenal v Liverpool looks like a fixture to swerve as it’s among the most-competitive FA Cup match-ups and one that may well be contested between two second-string outfits.

That being said, it would be a surprise if the Reds’ No66 didn’t feature in some capacity, especially as Jurgen Klopp has a few absentees in defence right now.

Not that Alexander-Arnold spends much time at right-back these days, he’s essentially a midfielder in his current role.

Liverpool are then set to host Fulham in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday.

Alexander-Arnold will surely start at least one of his Gameweek 19 fixtures while playing some role in the other – it wouldn’t be a surprise if he started both.

With Salah on international duty, the England international is arguably Liverpool’s most-important player and the simple fact is he averages 6.7 points-per-game this season.

The 25-year-old has registered ten assists in all competitions and no defender has created more big chances.

Many Dream Team bosses will be reluctant to captain a defender but Alexander-Arnold is a different breed.

Alternatively, look up top at Darwin Nunez (£4.1m), who is second behind Salah among Liverpool’s squad in terms of goal involvements.

Cole Palmer (£3.4m)

Dream Team

A popular man this week[/caption]

Chelsea’s in-form youngster is the most-popular recruit ahead of Gameweek 19 and there’s argument to be made that his new backers should immediately strap the armband on him.

The Blues’ fixtures look favourable on paper in the form of Preston at home (FA Cup) followed by Middlesbrough away (Carabao Cup) – two mid-table Championship teams.

Palmer may spend some time on the bench but he should get his fair share of minutes across the two games.

The 21-year-old took Luton for 17 points last time out and now has eight goals and seven assists to his name.

Only four midfielders have registered more shots on target in all competitions this campaign.

Granted, Mauricio Pochettino’s side have blown hot and cold but Palmer averages 6.2 points-per-game in 2023/24 so the prospect of a double header against second-tier opposition has substantial potential.

Pedro Porro (£3.5m)

Getty

Rising up the rankings[/caption]

The midweek fixtures really do suggest Gameweek 19’s best captain plays for either Liverpool or Chelsea but some gaffers may prefer to target a single FA Cup match-up.

Tottenham were eliminated from the Carabao Cup at the first hurdle and they don’t have European commitments – surely they should give it a good go in the FA Cup?

Their campaign starts with a home game against Burnley on Friday night with the Clarets very much prioritising top-flight safety above everything else at present.

Son Heung-min (£4.7m) would normally be the primary candidate among Spurs assets but he’s already joined up with South Korea ahead of the Asian Cup.

Porro is statistically the next-best option among Ange Postecoglou’s troops having amassed 116 points – a total that puts him fourth among defenders.

The Spanish right-back is only behind Kieran Trippier (£4.9m) and the aforementioned Alexander-Arnold in terms of assists and big chances created among players in his position and he ranks highly for bonus points as well.

If selected to start, it’s certainly not unthinkable he could combine a clean sheet with an attacking return for a double-digit haul.

Julian Alvarez (£4.1m)

PA

Worth a punt?[/caption]

One last suggestion as Manchester City v Huddersfield is a huge mismatch on paper.

The Terriers are threatened by relegation in the Championship this term and so a visit to the treble-winners’ lair could be a humbling experience.

Predicting Pep Guardiola’s starting line-up is not an easy task but only Kyle Walker (£3.1m) has played more minutes than the Argentine forward among City’s outfield assets – although that could suggest he’s due a rest.

Alvarez has enjoyed himself at centre-forward lately, collecting 26 points from his last three outings.

If he does start at home to Huddersfield then he should feast but this captaincy options comes with the risk that the World Cup winner will be on the bench watching Oscar Bobb (£1.7m) and/or Haaland have all the fun.

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