FPL GW22 Review · 2025/26
GW22 Reviewhow did you do?
Scoreboard
How the field scored
Key takeaways
Gameweek 22 of the 2025/26 season proved to be a brutal affair for many FPL managers, with an average score of just 40 points. Popular captaincy picks largely faltered, leaving a significant portion of the player base grappling with red arrows. However, amidst the chaos, a few differentials shone brightly, offering crucial insights. This review delves into the observable results, dissecting the key moments and extracting reusable principles to navigate GW23 and beyond.
- **Best decision of the GW:** Identifying and backing defensive differentials or less-owned attacking assets who capitalised on clean sheets or unexpected goal contributions, such as Dorgu (MUN) or Sánchez (CHE). - **Biggest popular mistake:** Over-reliance on high-ownership Manchester City assets (Haaland, Semenyo, Guéhi) in a fixture that proved unexpectedly challenging against Manchester United. - **One actionable takeaway for GW23:** Review underlying team defensive form and consider less obvious defensive picks for potential clean sheets, especially from teams facing struggling attacks or showing improved organisation.
Captaincy verdict
Heroes & villains
Heroes
Spearheaded Manchester United's resilient defence, contributing to an unexpected 2-0 clean sheet victory over Manchester City.
Vital in Chelsea's solid defensive display, securing a clean sheet in their 2-0 win against Brentford.
Instrumental in Manchester United's dominant performance, contributing to their surprising 2-0 shutout of rivals Manchester City.
His strong goalkeeping performance anchored Everton's defence, earning a clean sheet in a crucial 1-0 away win against Aston Villa.
Villains
The lesson
The Perils of Popularity and Fixture FOMO
Gameweek 22 starkly illustrated that even the most dominant teams and highly-owned players can disappoint, especially when facing motivated rivals. Manchester City's widespread ownership and captaincy proved costly as they failed to score against Manchester United.
Actionable for GW23Unlocking Value in Defensive Differentials
While popular attackers struggled, several defenders and goalkeepers from less-owned teams like Dorgu (MUN), Sánchez (CHE), Pickford (EVE), and Sels (NFO) delivered double-digit hauls through clean sheets. Identifying these opportunities can yield significant rank boosts.
Actionable for GW23Beyond the Obvious Captaincy
With the majority suffering low captaincy returns from the likes of Haaland and Semenyo, Gabriel's 16 points for those who took a calculated risk showcased the benefit of exploring alternative captain choices when the popular options carry significant downside risk.
Actionable for GW23Get GW23 captain picks
Leverage robust analysis tools to process the latest data and inform your strategic decisions for the upcoming Gameweeks.
GW23 captain picks