No risk, no story – playing FPL your own way

In his final article of 2024, two-time Indian Fantasy Premier League (FPL) champion Lateriser gives us his ‘pre-amble’ ahead of Gameweek 19.

It has been a fun year of Fantasy Football.

I’ve really enjoyed playing FPL in 2024. The primary reason for this has been that I’ve played this game on my own terms. That, combined with the fact that FPL Towers have done a commendable job with the pricing, makes for a very fun game of Fantasy Premier League.

FEELING ‘CHAINED’

I mentioned a couple of seasons ago that I felt chained with the way I was playing FPL. A lot of that was down to the multiple blanks and doubles in the second half of the campaign, which left little room for differentiation or picking alternate paths. If you didn’t have a good first half of the season and were looking to make gains, it was almost impossible. Or so I thought.

I was having a poor first half of the season and I wasn’t happy with my team. I then ended up Wildcarding into a very ‘template’ squad. I was talking to a friend and he questioned me for being so template with my picks. It was also because he knew me as an ambitious FPL manager. He was right: I absolutely hated that second half of the season. The game that was supposed to be fun just wasn’t.

His questioning stayed with me and I told myself that given such a scenario again, I’d push the pedal more than I did on that occasion.

‘Those who do not move do not notice their chains’.

RELEASING THE SHACKLES

Post this realisation, the last year and a half of FPL, in general, has been fun. I’ve become a lot more self-aware, I largely make my own decisions without bouncing my thoughts off ‘everyone’ (trust me, there was a time I did this and I ended up second-guessing my every move) and feel very comfortable in my own shoes.

FPL is such a momentum game and when you’ve had a series of reds, all of us (or most of us) will tend to not see things clearly and question our own decisions. But I think I’m better off playing my own game.

Going back to having people to bounce thoughts off, I always tell fellow FPL managers that it’s good to have a circle of maybe 3-4 trusted people to do so. It’s also good to canvas opinions from fans of particular clubs when you’re looking for deeper knowledge with regard to a particular team.

Outside of your trusted circle, people will not really give your team more than two minutes of their thoughts. They’re not aware of what you’ve planned, what you’re seeing and where you plan to use the money in the near future. You’ve given so much layered thought to your team and you don’t really need multiple opinions or confirmation bias from others.

‘If you want to make the wrong decision, ask everyone.’

NOTES TO SELF

I am always noting down self-reflection notes when it comes to this game that I genuinely love deeply. I am always trying to improve. So don’t mistake me for someone who is always being different for the ‘sake of being different’.

A few team selection videos of mine largely feature ‘lessons learnt’ and I try to keep them in mind when charting paths. Just so you know, this is what I noted down at the start of the season:

• No predetermined moves.
• Adapt to new data.
• Zoom out and think macro once a month.
• Remember long-term trends when selling big players.
• If selling a big player backfires, buy back immediately. Especially if he has a high effective ownership (EO).
• You can change opinion multiple times as a content creator. Don’t dig a deeper grave.
• Ego is your enemy. Admit you’re wrong when you are.
• Tinker more.
• Pay more attention to penalties.
• Pay more attention to finishing ability.
• Don’t rush into players coming back after long-term injuries.

Reading this back has been a nice refreshing input of those thoughts into my brain again. I think I have mostly (not always) followed the above norms that I set for myself and constantly revisit.

KEEPING HAALAND

Anyway, coming back to being different for the sake of being different. I get questioned a lot on my FPL team whenever I post it on social media because I still own a certain Erling Haaland (£14.8m).

I read somewhere that before immediately jumping to forming an opinion or a quick conclusion about any matter, you need to be curious, ask more questions and understand deeper reasoning.

So many people are quick to tell me that I am ruining my team with Haaland but they don’t see that I’ve largely kept pace thanks to having a triple Arsenal defence, Alexander Isak (£9.1m), Cole Palmer (£11.3m) and Mohamed Salah (£13.5m) in addition to Haaland. If anything, I’ve largely lost ground to owners of a certain Matheus Cunha (£7.1m), who is defying xG like most superheroes defy gravity. He’s a sensational player, mind.

When I was tweeting about Cunha, someone rightly pointed out to me that he’s basically the ‘inverse Haaland.’ Bullseye!

NO RISK, NO STORY

Anyway, I’m sitting at 1.2 million (add the back of six green arrows before you point and laugh) with a strong urge to push the pedal and attempt to make steep gains. The onset of the second half of the season is here.

What I had lost essence of when I became a content creator, and what I’m realising again in the last six months or so, is this: I’m not afraid to fail.

If I forget, remind me! Ships are safe at the harbour but that is not what they’re meant for

You hear that Erling? Stay humble and slot that penalty in the top corner on Sunday, please? I’ve got a good FPL history with strikers wearing the sky blue.

Finally, a gentle reminder: this isn’t a sport. Play it like a game. For fun! No risk, no story.

Good luck, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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