2023/24 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) champion Jonas Sand Låbakk has been chatting to us about his incredible season.
Jonas’ team won the coveted title by a whopping 51 points in the end, racking up 2799 overall.
In this interview, which you can read below, he discusses his highlights and the tactics used to win FPL.
Thanks to Jonas for taking the time to answer our questions.
First things first – what did it feel like to be crowned champion?
The build-up, let’s say 3-4 weeks ahead of the final day, I was walking around nervous. It’s football and we all know anything can happen. It was some sort of mix between stress and fun, I had to enjoy the moments as well.
What was the final day like?
The final day was really stressful. Even though we had very similar teams, anything could happen. However, when I saw my opponents’ teams before the games had kicked off, I was a little less nervous. We only had two different players and they needed to score about 3-4 each in order to catch up with me. I watched the game at a pub with some of my mates.
You’d never finished inside the top 120k before this season. Have you adopted a new approach or made tweaks to your game over the last 12 months or so?
Yes, I have. I randomly stumbled upon analytics through other fantasy football games, such as Eliteserien. Then I thought why haven’t I used this in FPL as I clearly understood the concept and how to use the different tools? So, this is my first full season of using analytics, and it has gone quite well!
Talk us through a normal week of managing your FPL team – do you follow a usual routine in terms of research/transfers?
Yes, I do. I usually come up with an idea around Sunday/Monday. The days before Friday/Saturday, I try not to think too much about FPL. Before the deadline I usually dedicate 1-2 hours to FPL, doing research and catching whatever team leaks we can get. For sources of information, I use either X or analytical models. I try to use analytics as a source of information and not take things overly prescriptively.
Your hits have totalled only -12 this season. Is this your usual approach?
I have also become more risk-averse. Whereas in earlier seasons I have taken many hits and captained whoever I wanted, I’m now playing a bit more template. And when my team has been in very good shape for huge parts of the season, I haven’t seen a reason to take many hits. Two out of my three hits last season were taken in either a Blank or Double Gameweek.
What is your general approach to chips: have you ever played, or would you ever consider playing, a Bench Boost or Triple Captain in the first half of the season, for example?
If it makes sense, yes. But I think it’s better to maximise those three chips together with either a Double or Blank. In recent years I’ve always played those chips in Double or Blank Gameweeks.
How much attention do you give to team value?
Almost no attention. I usually do my transfers quite late, very rarely a day before the deadline, as I value the info we get throughout the week higher than a £0.1m or £0.2m swing. And at least in these last two seasons, team value hasn’t been that important.
How much time do you devote to captaincy decisions? How do you choose your captain each week?
For captaincy, I usually choose the player that has the highest expected value. Which usually is the template captain as well.
What one piece of advice would you give Fantasy managers based on the lessons you’ve learned this past year?
You don’t have to take too many risks, play it safe. Boring picks are good. They are popular for a reason. I would also advise making a proper plan yourself and don’t just follow the herd.
… and finally, which player do you think could have a breakout FPL season in 2024/25?
Hehe, I have no idea, I’m not a scout! Some people like to play FPL as if they were a scout seeing things that no one else can see. It’s their fantasy, but this game doesn’t reward this kind of play.
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2 months, 15 hours agoWhat a great article this is. Worth a revisit.
https://www.fantasyfootballscout.co.uk/2024/05/21/the-2023-24-alternative-fpl-awards/