Our team of Hall of Famers and guest writers will provide Fantasy Premier League (FPL) tips and advice throughout 2023/24. Here, two-time Indian FPL champion Lateriser reflects on 2023 in FPL – and looks forward to the year ahead.
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It’s the end of another calendar year of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) – and it really has been a year of two halves for me.
New Year is typically a reflective time, so I thought it might be good to think about the ups and downs of 2023 and maybe set some norms for the coming 12 months.
MORE VARIETY IN 2023/24
I feel like this season (at least, the first half of it) has been a lot more fun than the second half of 2022/23. I’ve mentioned this many times before but the schedule, doubles and blanks made the optionality in FPL very limited last season, and it was a case of the game playing you instead of you playing the game.
In contrast, 2023/24 has been the complete opposite. I’ve felt due to the generous nature of the pricing, as well as a lot of value options emerging, there has been a substantial number of options in the game and it just has felt like a lot more fun. There has been a lot more subjectivity to FPL this season and I’ve found that delightful.
If you think about the campaign so far, those who jumped off Erling Haaland (£13.9m) for a short period in the middle have done well, especially if they went for premium defensive picks like Kieran Trippier (£6.8m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.5m). There has just been a good amount of variation in terms of how the FPL landscape has been this season and it leaves room for those chasing, as well as some aggressive players, to get creative and play the game whenever the opportunity presents itself.
AFCON/ASIAN CUP EXITS = OPTIONS APLENTY
We’re approaching a similar phase for the game even now as FPL managers are trying to crack the right timing to bring Haaland back in.
In addition, with Son Heung-min (£9.9m), Mohamed Salah (£13.3m) et al departing for their respective national commitments, I expect there to be good variation in midfield picks with the likes of Phil Foden (£7.8m), Diogo Jota (£7.7m), Martin Odegaard (£8.4m), Jarrod Bowen (£8.0m), Richarlison (£6.8m) and Cole Palmer (£5.6m) all vying for places in our FPL teams. Even Gameweek 20 Wildcarders didn’t have it easy and are certainly not in an enviable position.
So, let’s set some norms for 2024 when it comes to Fantasy Premier League.
REGRETS V I DID IT MY WAY
The biggest thing I’ve learned this season is how to cope with regret. I’ve found that at least for myself, dealing with a poor outcome is a lot easier if I’ve just backed my own instinct compared to maybe conforming to someone else’s opinion if I’ve asked for one in a genuine 60/40.
It just is so much easier (at least, for me) to deal with a poor Gameweek or disappointment if I’ve made my own decision. It is something I’ll always tell FPL managers: follow your own mind. And it doesn’t matter if you’re an analytics manager or an eye-test manager or a hybrid manager. Whatever your process is, in close decisions, always go with your instinct and I feel like that just makes FPL a way more enjoyable game.
There were a few occasions where I didn’t follow my gut this year and there was a poor outcome (there have been good outcomes, too) but on all occasions, I was definitely irritated and felt regret throughout the week compared to when I followed my mind. This applies only if you’re an engaged manager and are not a casual. Even then, you’d think the best way to learn is by making your own mistakes, a little bit of reflection and applying the same.
THE PRESSURE OF ‘HAVING A GOOD SEASON’
One of the things a couple of poor ranks have done for me is to take the pressure away from having a good season. It just doesn’t bother me as much anymore, even if I am still trying to do well. It means that I mostly don’t stop myself from following my instinct, instead of thinking about getting punished if I don’t conform to the norm.
To be perfectly honest, I have become a lot more template than I was previously as a manager but you have to realise that the template is simply a lot more informed than it used to be, and hence stronger. The biggest challenge is always trying to realise if you’re doing something just to be different versus going against the template with some strong reasoning behind the same. Ask yourself the same question when you’re making such a move and be honest with the answer.
ENJOY YOURSELVES, IT’S EASIER THAN YOU THINK
A season runs for a long time. We all have things going on in our lives and to last nine months as an engaged FPL manager largely depends on whether you’re extracting some sort of joy or fun from it, whatever it may be. I’ve said it previously and I’ll say it now: just engaging with like-minded individuals, conversing with other FPL managers, bantering with your competition and listening to podcasts is all part and parcel of our entertainment and distraction and is what the ‘FPL experience’ offers.
My 11-year-old nephew has recently got into FPL, this being his first season of playing the game. He regularly reads all of the articles on here and watches my content, too. I recently met him a week ago and I was able to have such a sophisticated FPL conversation with him; that just gave me so much joy.
My brother (who gets married this week, big congratulations to him) has a great FPL tradition with his mates. Half an hour before every Gameweek deadline, they all get on a call with each other and discuss moves and captaincies. But it isn’t limited to that. They’re all competing with each other so there’s a lot of bluffing and mind games happening at the same time, which just makes for great banter. You end up staying in touch with your friends, too.
If you’re someone who tends to play FPL solo without really chatting to anyone, I do recommend indulging in conversation with a few people, whether it is on here or on Twitter. It’s one of the easiest and best ice-breakers and it takes mere minutes to launch into a fully-fledged FPL conversation. Over the years, I’ve made some great friendships with a lot of people on the boards here as well as on Twitter, and I’ve always maintained that it is one of the most enriching things about the whole FPL experience.
That is all from me this week. I wish all of you a happy, healthy 2024 full of green arrows – and just a fun FPL experience. Until next time!
