Erling Haaland’s (£14.1m) role as the go-to captain for millions of managers each Gameweek in Fantasy Premier League is about to come under threat.
Starting with a Gameweek 8 trip to title-rivals Arsenal, Manchester City are set to embark on a tough run of opponents at a point when Haaland’s fellow big-hitters Son Heung-min (£9.3m) and Mohamed Salah (£12.6m) have very favourable schedules.
Haaland approaches this period in somewhat indifferent form, producing more than six points in only one of the last six Gameweeks.
Haaland v Son v Salah FPL points
| GW | Haaland | Salah | Son |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | 5 | 2 |
| 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| 4 | 20 | 8 | 20 |
| 5 | 6 | 10 | 2 |
| 6 | 6 | 10 | 14 |
| 7 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
The output of all three premium picks in the early Gameweeks of this season shows why there is merit in considering Son and Salah as armband alternatives.
Since being moved up front for Tottenham Hotspur in Gameweek 4, Son is the top-scoring player in Fantasy on 43 points.
Indeed, he has been outscored by Haaland in just one of those last four Gameweeks.
Salah, meanwhile, has outscored Haaland in four of the last six Gameweeks.
Looking at each player’s schedules, there are clear opportunities to utilise this tactic of captaining Salah or Son instead of Haaland over the coming period.
GW8-12 fixtures
| Haaland | Salah | Son | |
| GW8 | ARS (A) | BHA (A) | LUT (A) |
| FDR | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| GW9 | BHA (H) | EVE (H) | FUL (H) |
| FDR | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| GW10 | MUN (A) | NFO (H) | CRY (A) |
| FDR | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| GW11 | BOU (H) | LUT (A) | CHE (H) |
| FDR | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| GW12 | CHE (A) | BRE (H) | WOL (A) |
| FDR | 3 | 3 | 2 |
Man City’s trips to Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea in the next five Gameweeks are particularly worth avoiding from a captaincy perspective.
Haaland managed just a single goal across those three corresponding fixtures in 2022/23, scoring and earning six points against the Gunners.
Son looks the standout pick in Gameweek 8, visiting promoted Luton Town as Haaland faces Arsenal, while Salah hosts Nottingham Forest in Gameweek 10 when Haaland travels to Man Utd.
Both premium midfielders also have kind fixtures in Gameweek 12 when Haaland faces Chelsea. Son has a trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers, while Salah welcomes Brentford to Anfield.
Clearly, owning both Son and Salah would be the ideal tactic in order to fully capitalise on Haaland’s downturn in schedule.
Managers who are planning to spend extra in defence to bring in Newcastle United’s Kieran Trippier (£6.8m), however, are perhaps best-served to have just one of those big-hitters to balance the budget.
See: Is Trippier essential to own in Fantasy?
At such a significant saving over Salah, Son’s far kinder price tag makes him the obvious solution.
Consider Alvarez to Watkins switch?
Man City's change in schedule is not just about Haaland, though, as it also impacts his fellow forward Julian Alvarez (£7.0m) and their defenders.
Alvarez has been the go-to partner for Haaland in the popular 3-5-2 formation this season.
The Argentinian has outscored Haaland in three of the last six Gameweeks and has the all-round style of play to continue rewarding his 31 per cent owners.
See: Should managers sell Alvarez for Watkins in Fantasy?
Indeed, Alvarez ranks among the top five players for both shots and chances created this season.
Nonetheless, a move away from the Man City attacking double-up is understandable at a point when Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins (£8.0m) has the form and fixtures to deliver huge hauls.
Watkins is the top-scoring player in Fantasy on 54 points, while each of Villa’s next five matches score two in the FDR.
Villa and Spurs also provide strong options for managers still holding the Man City defenders, with Matty Cash (£4.9m) and Pedro Porro (£5.0m) the standout picks.
View all the latest FPL tips ahead of Gameweek 8 in Fantasy Premier League