UPDATED: When is the best time to play the Assistant Manager chip?

So, then, the Gareth Keenan of chips (Assistant *to* the FPL Manager) is now available to play.

This chip doesn’t directly concern players. It doesn’t have much to do with head coaches themselves, either, despite the name.

Instead, it’s all about the collaborative effort. The club’s results will dictate how successful your Assistant Manager chip goes in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), with points on offer for wins, draws, clean sheets, goals scored and the beating of teams higher up the division.

For a full lowdown on the Assistant Manager chip, read our introductory guide linked below.

FPL Mystery Chip revealed: What is Assistant Manager + when can it be played?

The earliest window for playing the Assistant Manager is Gameweek 24, at the beginning of February.

However, given that we can’t activate another chip in the same three-Gameweek window of usage, strategies will have to be considered in advance.

Here are our early thoughts on when FPL managers could possibly use it.

1. USE ON ARNE SLOT FOR LIVERPOOL’S EARLY DOUBLE

There is an early chance to use the chip on Arne Slot.

A potential double also takes place in Gameweek 25 (if Liverpool don’t play twice, Spurs and Fulham will), which has massively increased the popularity of using the chip at the first hurdle.

This may be the only time this season when FPL managers can get five fixtures out of a three-Gameweek stretch.

The Gameweek 26 fixture isn’t ideal, of course:

However, FPL does allow you to switch head coaches when using the Assistant Manager chip. So, there is the option of moving Arne Slot out for a manager in Gameweek 25 (should Liverpool not double) or one of the below in Gameweek 26:

The downsides of this strategy are that:

a) Slot takes up one of the three Liverpool, er, slots.
b) You might prefer to Triple Captain Mohamed Salah (£13.7m) in Gameweek 24 or 25. Two chips can’t be used simultaneously.
c) Moving Slot on requires the use of a precious free transfer.

Nevertheless, the following strategy will be increasingly popular now:

• Gameweeks 24-26: Assistant Manager (catching the doubles in Gameweek 24 + 25)
• Gameweek 30: Wildcard
• Gameweek 29 or 34: Free Hit (for the blanks)
• Gameweek 33 or 36: Triple Captain/Bench Boost (catching the doubles)

2. WAIT FOR THE LATER DOUBLES

Saving it for a later, as-yet-unannounced ‘double’ is another play.

As of now, we’ve no firm idea of who will blank or double later down the line.

Blank Gameweeks 29 and 34 will only be confirmed after Gameweeks 24 and 29 respectively. Some of the outstanding fixtures will then go into Double Gameweek 33 or Double Gameweek 36.

Newcastle United, for instance, could have their Gameweek 29 meeting with Crystal Palace postponed and put into Gameweek 33:

Manchester City could have Everton (a) – if it’s postponed in Gameweek 33 due to an FA Cup semi-final clash – added to the end of the following Gameweeks 34-36 run:

The downside to using the Assistant Manager is, as discussed, not being able to use another chip at the same time. This will be a particular headache if you’ve got all of them at your disposal going into the run-in.

However, there are some viable strategies out there:

• Gameweek 30: Wildcard
• Gameweeks 31-33: Assistant Manager (catching the doubles in Gameweek 33)
• Gameweek 34: Free Hit (for the blanks)
• Gameweek 36: Bench Boost (catching the doubles)

• Gameweek 30: Wildcard
• Gameweek 33: Bench Boost (catching the doubles)
• Gameweek 34: Free Hit (for the blanks)
• Gameweeks 35-37 or 36-38: Assistant Manager (catching the doubles in Gameweek 36)

Those with a Triple Captain still intact can use it on Salah in Gameweek 24/25.

3. TARGET THE MID/LOWER-TABLE CLUBS WHO ARE ON THE UP

Given the extra rewards on offer for beating a team 5+ places above in the table, there is the temptation to stray from the Slots, the Artetas and the Guardiolas and go elsewhere with the Assistant Manager chip. More specifically, further down the league.

What you’d ideally want is a lower-to-mid-table team hitting form after Gameweek 24, a bit like Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace did last season.

And what you’d also desire is their opponents higher up the league embarking on a slump.

It’s hard to know who will be in mid-table mediocrity later in the season, of course.

But take Tottenham Hotspur as an example. If they’re still bobbing about in the bottom half but showing signs of improvement, then the likes of Brentford, Bournemouth and Fulham may be ideal opponents if they are five places above the Lilywhites. That might even be the case should Fulham v Spurs move into Gameweek 25.

Manchester United, similarly, might be a mid-table team on the up under Ruben Amorim in spring 2025.

4. WAIT TILL THE RUN-IN

The end of the season is traditionally a time of goals galore, with the final day usually a bit potty.

It’s also a period where some clubs have been accused of being ‘on the beach’, having secured their season’s targets early – ie safety, a title or European qualification – and with not much else to play for.

Some teams may have their eyes elsewhere, too, say on the FA Cup or a European competition.

On the flip side, clubs fighting for their lives or for league glory will have their eyes firmly on the prize.

Could this be the time to go for the 16-point wins and look for upsets?

Take Wolverhampton Wanderers for instance. They might be battling for survival at that point. You would also not be surprised if a) they’re under new management by that stage and b) the likes of Brighton and Brentford have little tangible left at stake.

Fellow strugglers Ipswich Town and Leicester City also encounter current high fliers Brentford, Forest and Bournemouth in the final three Gameweeks:

One or more of these three clubs could even double in Gameweek 36, should they have a match postponed in Gameweek 34.

Let us know your thoughts on when you are thinking of using it, or whether you’re putting it on the backburner for later in the campaign.