Who are the best FPL Challenge GW21 picks? All players will be awarded an additional two points for each successful tackle they make this week. We use Opta data to find the top players to target in the Premier League.
We bid farewell to the Festive Fixtures theme this week and welcome four rounds of Archetypes, a new theme underpinned by data that focuses on players who excel in specific areas.
We open with The Ball-Winner, which sees players rewarded with two points for each successful tackle they make.
So, what are tackles? You can find out more in our Opta Football Stats Definitions page, but read on for a quick overview.
A tackle is defined when a player connects with the ball in a legal, ground-level challenge and successfully takes the ball away from the opposition player. The tackled player must be in controlled possession of the ball to be tackled by an opposition player.
A tackle won event is deemed to be when the tackler or one of their teammates regains possession because of the challenge, or that the ball goes out of play and is safe.
With those definitions in mind, here are the players, with a minimum of five starts, who have the most tackles won per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season.
Goalkeeper
Caoimhin Kelleher: Brentford vs Sunderland (H)
No goalkeeper has made more than one successful tackle in the Premier League this season, so we can essentially ignore the theme for this position and focus entirely on clean sheet potential instead.
Given they are at home to Wolves, Everton may well be expected to have the best chance at a clean sheet this week.
Nonetheless, they conceded four goals at home to Brentford last time out, while Wolves put three past West Ham to pick up their first win of the season.
We’re steering clear and instead siding with Caoimhin Kelleher, whose Brentford team will host Sunderland on Wednesday night.
Sunderland are great at home, but patchy away; they have scored the second fewest away goals this season (five), while sitting third-bottom for expected goals (7.9) on their travels.
Defenders
Jurriën Timber: Arsenal vs Liverpool (H)
Despite conceding two goals away to Bournemouth last time out, Arsenal remain the best defensive side in the Premier League this season.
They have the best record at home, too, with just five goals conceded.
Jurriën Timber averages the most successful tackles of any Arsenal player with at least five starts in the Premier League this season, with 1.6.
If you drop the threshold to four starts, then his challenger for the right-back spot, Ben White, jumps to the top with 2.2 successful tackles per 90 minutes.
Remember, in FPL Challenge, you can still make changes to your team after the lineups are announced, so you have the option of switching to White should he be preferred to Timber on the night.
Abdukodir Khusanov: Manchester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion (H)
Manchester City lost both of their first-choice central defenders, Rúben Dias and Josko Gvardiol, to injury in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea last time out.
This practically guarantees a start for Abdukodir Khusanov, who we can expect to be incredibly busy when City host Brighton at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night.
Khusanov is averaging 1.9 successful tackles per 90 minutes for Man City in the Premier League this season, the second-most of any player for the club, after Rayan Aït-Nouri (2.6), who remains at AFCON with Algeria.
Brighton’s opponents are averaging 20 tackles per game in the Premier League this season, the second-most of any team’s opponents, after Aston Villa’s (20.3).
Midfielders
João Palhinha: Tottenham Hotspur vs Bournemouth (A)
We’re siding entirely with the data and electing to use João Palhinha as our midfield general.
Palhinha averages more successful tackles per 90 minutes than any other player in the Premier League this season, with 3.3.
This means an average defensive performance from him could result in at least six additional points, while also contributing to his total defensive contributions for the game.
With 13 starts to his name in the Premier League this season, Palhinha isn’t a complete certainty for Thomas Frank’s starting XI, but you can switch him out for one of our honourable mentions if he’s riding the bench.
Jhon Arias: Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Everton (A)
Wolves put an end to a run of 23 Premier League games without victory by defeating West Ham 3-0 at Molineux last time out, and they now four points from their last two games.
Like most Wolves players, Jhon Arias has struggled for form this season, and the Colombian has been in and out of the starting XI after joining from Fluminense in the summer.
Rob Edwards has altered Wolves’ system somewhat in recent weeks, switching to a 5-3-2, with Arias being used in a slightly deeper role than usual as one of the three midfielders.
He made six tackles in this role against Manchester United, and three against West Ham, against whom he also opened the scoring in the fourth minute.
Wolves’ opponents, Everton, are tackled 18 times per game on average, the sixth-most of any side, while they are likely to be low on confidence after conceding four at home to Brentford.
Forward
Ollie Watkins: Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace (A)
Six consecutive goalscoring appearances from Dominic Calvert-Lewin, coupled with Ollie Watkins’ poor start to the season, had put the Aston Villa striker’s role as England’s back-up to Harry Kane in doubt.
He has answered the call with four goals in three appearances, and we’re going to ride the wave and see where it takes us.
No one knew just how Aston Villa would react to their 4-1 defeat against Arsenal, but they bounced back with a 3-1 win at home to Nottingham Forest, with Watkins opening the scoring with a powerful shot from the edge of the box to kick things off.
Watkins is a confidence-based player, and scoring with a strike of that kind suggests his confidence is renewed.
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Neco Williams averages just over two tackles won per 90 minutes this season in the Premier League, and he will have an important role in trying to halt Jarrod Bowen when facing West Ham in a relegation six-pointer on Tuesday.
Tim Iroegbunam ranks second for tackles won per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season (3.0), and he has looked excellent while filling in for Idrissa Gueye.
Erling Haaland is a notable absentee from our team. He has failed to score in three consecutive Premier League games, and in truth, looks in dire need of a rest.
Manchester City need to beat Brighton if they have any hope of remaining in the title race, though, and Haaland’s teammates will be looking to him to keep their chances alive.
Opta Analyst’s Team Reveal: Gameweek 21 FPL Challenge Picks
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FPL Challenge GW21 Picks: Two Points for Tackles Won Opta Analyst.
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