WSL Gameweek 1 Team: Yes, Lauren James is Captain

Right. We're doing this.

After spending far too long looking at players, fixtures, prices and approximately seventeen different versions of this squad, I've finally reached the point where I have to stop tinkering.

Which is probably for the best because once I start moving one player, I somehow end up changing four others. What starts as "I'll just have a quick look at one position" somehow turns into a completely different team twenty minutes later.

The annoying thing about Gameweek 1 is that we don't actually know anything yet. We can have our plans, our spreadsheets, our favourite picks and our carefully constructed little theories, but none of that guarantees anything once the first whistle goes.

Then somebody you've never considered scores twice and suddenly you're wondering why you didn't have them in your squad all along.

So I'm going into GW1 with a mixture of players I really like, fixtures I want to target and a couple of picks that could look absolutely brilliant or absolutely ridiculous by Sunday night.

Honestly, that's half the fun.

Yamashita gets the gloves.

I'm starting with Yamashita in goal.

Manchester City have Birmingham City at home, which is exactly the sort of opening fixture I'm happy to target.

There isn't a massive story behind this one. I like the fixture, I like the player and I want a Manchester City goalkeeper in my team.

Sometimes the goalkeeper decision can become a whole thing, with me convincing myself that I've missed some incredibly important detail. This one didn't.

Yamashita starts. Moving on.

Three defenders. Hopefully three reasons to celebrate.

I'm going with Casparij, León Cebrián and Batlle at the back.

Casparij is the second of two Manchester City players I'm starting, with Birmingham the visitors. I'm quite happy doubling up here because if City have the kind of game I'm hoping for, having two players from their defence gives me two chances to benefit.

Then there's León Cebrián for London City's home fixture against Manchester United. This is one of the picks where I'm trusting the player rather than simply looking at the opposition and deciding it's too scary.

And finally, Batlle.

Arsenal away at Brighton is a fixture I'm happy to target, and Batlle gives me a route into the Arsenal defence. With Arsenal also represented further forward, I'm putting quite a bit of faith in them getting Gameweek 1 off to a good start.

So that's the back three.

Now we get to the important part.

My midfield is where things get very, very me.

Because yes, Lauren James is here.

And yes, she's captain.

And no, I will not be taking questions at this time.

Look, I'm going to try to pretend this was a completely objective Fantasy decision.

Chelsea are at home to Aston Villa. James is one of the players I'm most excited to watch this season. She's in my team. She's wearing the armband.

I considered other captaincy options, obviously. I did the sensible thing and thought about the alternatives before making the decision.

I just happened to keep coming back to Lauren James.

Funny how that works.

LJ captain. We move.

Alongside James, I've gone for Smith, Gaupset and Weerden.

Smith gives me another Arsenal player for the trip to Brighton, while Weerden gets the nod for Crystal Palace's home fixture against Everton.

The final midfield decision was a little more complicated, though, because I was genuinely torn between Gaupset and Syme.

Both were players I could make a case for, which is exactly the sort of decision I don't enjoy making before a single ball has been kicked. At some point, though, I actually have to pick someone rather than spending another hour moving the same two players around and convincing myself I've discovered something nobody else has.

In the end, Gaupset gets the start for Spurs against West Ham at home, while Syme drops to the bench for Bristol City's trip to Sunderland.

It wasn't an easy call, and I already know I'll be watching Syme's points very closely from the bench.

So Gaupset starts. Syme waits.

Three forwards and a few expectations.

Up front, I'm going with Malard, Russo and Endemann.

Malard gives me another Chelsea attacker alongside James, with Aston Villa coming to Chelsea. Yes, I'm doubling up on Chelsea. Yes, they have a home fixture. And yes, I am going to spend the entire match hoping Chelsea score while simultaneously becoming increasingly nervous every time Aston Villa get anywhere near their goal.

Completely normal Fantasy behaviour.

Russo is my Arsenal forward, with Brighton away the fixture I'm targeting. Arsenal are one of the sides I expect to be competing near the top of the league, so I wanted some attacking coverage from them as well as Batlle at the back.

Then we have Endemann.

Liverpool travel to Charlton, so Endemann is away from home. This is easily the fixture in my front three that makes me stop and think for a second.

But I've picked Endemann for a reason. I'm happy taking a little bit of risk in GW1, especially when the alternative is building a team where every player has been selected because their fixture looks nice on paper.

Sometimes the slightly awkward pick is the one you end up being very glad you made.

So, here we go.

This is LJ & the Gang for Gameweek 1. I've gone with a 3 – 4 – 3 formation and, after all the tinkering, I'm finally committing to it.

And then there's the bench.

My bench is Nnadozie, Pattinson, Aspin and Syme.

And, as I've already admitted, Syme is probably the one I'm going to be watching most closely.

I was genuinely torn between starting her and Gaupset, so this isn't one of those situations where the bench player was miles away from making the XI. It was a proper decision, and I've eventually decided that Gaupset gets the start.

Which means Syme gets to sit there quietly waiting for me to regret my decision.

Honestly, if she comes off the bench with a massive score, I will absolutely be staring at that team sheet thinking, "I knew I should have started her."

Come join me.

I'm also taking LJ & the Gang into my WSL Fantasy league, theFFM WSL Freshers.

If you're playing WSL Fantasy too, come and join the league. I'd love to see how your team stacks up against mine once Gameweek 1 gets underway.

Now I just need to leave it alone.

That's probably the hardest part.

The team is picked. The formation is set. The captain has been chosen. There is absolutely no reason for me to open the squad screen again.

Which obviously means I'll probably open the squad screen again.

There are players I've left out who could score big. There are players in my team who could immediately make me regret everything. That's just how GW1 works, and I think that's why the opening week is so much fun.

For now, though, I'm happy with the squad.

I like the Manchester City double-up. I like having Arsenal coverage. I like the Chelsea attack. I like the slightly riskier Endemann pick. And, after far too much deliberation, I'm happy with Gaupset starting ahead of Syme.

And yes, I especially like having Lauren James as my captain.

Am I biased?

Absolutely.

Am I pretending I'm not?

Absolutely not.

LJ & the Gang is locked. TheFFM WSL Freshers is underway. LJ has the armband. Now let's see what Gameweek 1 does to me. 💜