FPL Pingreen is back with another round of picks – this week he explains why you should jump on the Heung-min Son train ahead of Week 23.
Hello FPL fans! My name is Pingreen, and I’m back to share my top picks for Gameweek 23 and beyond, right here on SportsCasting. I finished 700th in the world in 2022/23 and ranked 1,330th last season, so make sure you take my advice seriously.
The theme with my picks this week is that they all play bad teams. Picking on someone your own size is for children; it’s time to pick on the small guys.
Pingreen’s FPL Week 23 Picks
Captain Pick
Mohamed Salah (£13.7m) – IPS (H)
Last week, I looked away from Mohamed Salah when it came to captaincy and instead opted to give Cole Palmer the armband. After the Egyptian finished Liverpool’s clash with Brentford on Saturday with just 3 points, I thought I could taste victory. Then on Monday night, Cole Palmer finished the Gameweek with 2 points. It wasn’t victory I could taste; it was just more disappointment.
Salah captainers to people who went with Isak or Palmer pic.twitter.com/jErsEOiqMm
— FPL Marcin (@FPLMarcin) January 20, 2025
This week, Salah will once again be getting the armband for my team. Not because the popular alternatives like Palmer and Isak blanked last Gameweek, but because, for me, Salah is the best player in the league, if not the world right now – and this week he has the fixture to back it up too.
Liverpool face a struggling Ipswich Town side at Anfield. The Tractor Boys are averaging 2.05 xGC so far this campaign, the second highest in the league, only behind Southampton. I’d be shocked if the Egyptian King made it three games on the bounce without a goal contribution.
Defender
Pervis Estupiñán (£5.0m) EVE (H)
It feels like a long time since I’ve even considered Brighton’s Estupiñán as an FPL pick. Once upon a time, he was an incredibly popular asset, mainly due to his attacking threat. In the 22/23 season, he managed 6 goal contributions, and in 23/24, he managed 5 in only 15 starts. But the 15 starts were a large part of the issue last season, with the Ecuadorian battling multiple injuries during the campaign.
This season, the fullback has hopefully put those injury concerns behind him. He has already matched the number of games he started last season and has been in the starting lineup for the Seagulls’ last 13 Premier League games.
This week, he faces an Everton side that has lacked goal threat all season. They’ve only scored 15 goals this campaign – the only side who have scored fewer? As usual, the answer to that question is Southampton. Because of this, Brighton have the 3rd highest clean sheet odds in the league this weekend, only trailing Liverpool and Arsenal.
Midfielder
Son Heung-min (£9.8m) LEI (H)
Tottenham have looked awful this season, especially in recent weeks – and manager Ange Postecoglou could be on the hot seat. So understandably, I’m going to make their talisman, Son Heung-min, my midfield pick this week.
Yes, Spurs have been very bad, and Son hasn’t looked great himself in recent weeks either. But he still has 12 goal contributions in 17 starts, and his 0.64 xGI is better than other popular picks such as Cody Gakpo and Anthony Gordon. With Solanke out, he should also be nailed on to take spot kicks now too, further adding to his appeal.
However bad Tottenham have looked recently, I assure you this week’s opponents have looked even worse. Things have gone from bad to worse under Ruud van Nistelrooy for Leicester, with the Foxes losing their last seven Premier League games, conceding 18 goals in the process. If there was a fixture for Spurs and Son to get right, it’s this one.
Pinpoint from Son 🎯
A stepover and a lovely left foot strike from Heung-Min Son gives Spurs a 2-goal advantage, a 3-1 lead in Germany.
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/GcBUX9282w
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 23, 2025
Forward
Alexander Isak (£9.5m) – SOU (A)
If you don’t have Isak in your team at this point, what are you doing? Before his unfortunate blank last weekend for those who put the armband on the Scandinavian, he had scored in 6 games in a row across all competitions. His 0.9 xGI is the highest amongst strikers in the league, and across all players is only second to Mohamed Salah.
On Saturday, Isak will be travelling to the South Coast to take on Southampton. I might have mentioned this a few times in my weekly articles, but Southampton are bad. Their 2.32 xGC is the highest in the league, as is their 50 goals conceded. With the Swede likely disappointed to end his goal streak last weekend, you’d have to imagine he starts a new one this Gameweek.
You really shouldn’t need me to tell you this, but I will reiterate it one more time for those at the back: Isak scores a lot of goals, Southampton concede a LOT of goals.
