The Quest for Success: Becoming an Efficient, Disciplined, and Successful FPL Manager

At its core, FPL is an incredibly simple game: score the most points possible with the provided budget. This is the baseline for everything in the game, but as we know, it is never this simple. On top of the main goal of FPL, we have innumerable variables to consider, each of which weighs into that initial goal itself. For instance, we have a squad of 15 assets, but we only start 11 each week; picking who to start and who to bench is one added layer of complexity. Next, you must pick a captain out of your starting XI to get double points – another layer of complexity. Include transfers and chips, and these variables are the foundational aspects of the game.

Before that do check the four-part FPL Team Structure Guide series where i make a case for each of the structures. A Guide to FPL Team Structure | 21/22 FPL Season (Pre Wildcard). I feel this is essential reading for all fpl managers to have a good FPL season.

We at allaboutfpl have also made an elaborate guide covering every rule and chip available in FPL for the 2021/22 FPL Season ~ 2021/22 Fantasy Premier League Season Rules, Tips | The Ultimate Guide

On top of the foundation, we must consider the variables which develop in response to the foundation. Variables such as ownership, analytics, psychology, enjoyment, etc. are innate factors to  FPL, yet they are ever-changing. Our approach to these variables is both personal and flexible. For example, one manager may ignore ownership while another heavily weighs it into their decisions. Even within a single manager’s experience, they may base their decisions on ownership one week and not even consider it the next week. 

Lastly and in addition to these variables, there is the ever-changing nature of the game itself.  FPL is, after all, a game about real-life scenarios. If something changes in real life, it has an impact on the way we manage our team inside the game. The circumstances which we face at the start of  Gameweek 1 are wildly different from those that we face at a week later, a month later, and several months later. Yet, in the end, success in FPL is determined by an ability to respond to these circumstances for the entirety of a nine-month season. 

All in all, while FPL may have a very simple goal, the means to achieving that goal requires us to reckon with innumerable variables over a long period of time. This is by no means an easy task and every manager, no matter how much experience they have, always has something new to learn. While  FPL is a learning process, there are a few startling differences in the ways novice and experienced managers operate. As we gain experience, we pick up on these lessons – ultimately attempting to better ourselves along the way. 

Personal Background 

To give some context, I am going into my third season as a semi-serious FPL manager. I started playing FPL through the draft mode in the 17/18 season. In 18/19 and 19/20 I once again played draft but began to dip my toes into the actual game. 19/20 was the first season that I managed my team from start to finish and I finished with an OR of 230k, not too bad for a first season. Last season I got a bit more serious; I peaked at 150k OR in GW29 but fell to an OR of 360k by the end. Going into my third true FPL season, and the first where I feel confident in myself as a manager, I am aiming to get better and push into the top 100k, 50k, or even 10k. 

This article is as much for me as it is for any FPL manager out there. It is a compilation of ways I have gotten better and ways I hope to get better – lessons learned, advice gained, and tentative rules set for myself entering this season. I’ll start with general advice and finish with terms set by my own personal style of play. I hope this piece can help others get better themselves, if not from the advice directly, from the message that we can always look to improve as FPL managers. 

Further Read: FPL Season Review – How I became a Top 500 FPL Manager! | FPL Tips

General Lessons Learned from previous FPL Seasons 

– No matter how much time or experience you have with FPL, you will always be learning because the game requires adaptability to ever-changing real-life scenarios. Understand that how things appear this week will not be how they appear next week; set yourself up to respond accordingly. 

– Be responsive, but not reactive. Intake the ways the game is changing, formulate a response,  and respond accordingly, but do not react without appropriate consideration. – Manage your own game; variables like ownership and the community template will always be a  factor, but the only variable with the agency over your team is your own decision making. Trust in your own decision-making, however, you may arrive at that conclusion. 

– Understand who you are as a manager and stay true to yourself, set goals and rules as you see fit. This may take time, but actively work to develop that understanding. 

– Put your own enjoyment ahead of anything else. At the end of the day OR is only as meaningful as you make it. If playing the game a certain way makes you happy, do not be pressured to compromise that. 

Further Read: Five Tips to Have a Good 2021/22 FPL Season by Ryan(OR-274, 20/21)

WHAT I LEARNED FROM THE 20/21 SEASON 

Last season was an anomaly in many ways. The COVID situation produced unexpected scenarios which we had to adapt to. As I look back at my 20/21 FPL season, I want to be able to take as much away from it as possible. Yes, no two seasons will ever be alike, and some things learned last season may not apply to this season. But I look back at last season, having finished at 360k, wondering where I could have done better. What big mistakes did I make? Why did those decisions happen? And is there something I can learn from moving forward?

I won’t bore you with the details of my season, but all in all, I made several big mistakes. These mistakes can mostly be attributed to lacking skills that efficient and disciplined managers have. Here is  the list of general takeaways from my season’s mistakes: 

– Early wildcards can be of benefit or detriment, depending on how you use them. Only play the initial wildcard once you feel like you have enough information, and your squad requires the change. Do not feel pressured by the international break or community trends. 

– Avoid short-term (1-2 GWs) and sideways moves. If you have a playing player and you are looking to sell them, you must have overwhelming reasons to take them out. 

– Once you identify a good value asset (a few weeks into the season), hold that asset for the long term. Understand which assets are “glue” guys in your squad and which you want to focus transfers on. 

– Wherever you can, simplify the game for yourself. Narrow down your decision-making when possible. 

– Don’t be afraid to have money in the bank, it is not being wasted there. 

– Patience is a virtue, especially when it comes to price changes and player trends. – Above all, follow your instinct and play your game. Be confident in your own decisions. 

Further Read: 2021/22 FPL Season: FPL Price Changes Explained | FPL Guide

Personal Guidelines for becoming a successful fpl manager

Some of the lessons you may disagree with, and that is perfectly okay. As you develop your perspective on these meta-issues, you can use that perspective to craft a ruleset for yourself approaching the 21/22 season. I don’t see these as a list of commandments that should never be broken, rather general guidelines to check your decision-making. With my personal shortcomings  from the 20/21 season and general lessons learned, these are my guidelines entering the 21/22 season: 

– Try to keep 0.5 m in the bank to start and go into GW3 with two free transfers. Both will allow for early flexibility and responsiveness to new information. 

– Hold a transfer when possible, using two transfers prior to a GW is generally more powerful/useful than having one. Plus, it is a great safety net with COVID looming. – Avoid sideways moves, anything can happen in any given GW. Focus transfers on injuries,  structure-altering moves, and medium-term goals. 

– Keep it simple, stupid. Don’t overcomplicate things when they don’t need to be overcomplicated. Narrow down your field of view and make informed decisions within that. – Above all, play your game and trust in your own decision-making. 

Further Read: FPL Now vs Then | How Has FPL Evolved since the Early Years

CONCLUSION

There is no perfect way to play FPL, but there are ways to be more consistent. I have looked at  social media contributors (as I am sure you have) and thought: “how are they able to rank so highly every year?” Part of that is sheer experience, but part of that is understanding how to control your own decisions. At the end of the day, our teams are only as successful as our own decisions. FPL is a  marathon, not a sprint. To succeed, we must be disciplined, efficient, and above all, consistent. To those out there who are also trying to improve, I tip my hat to you, and I hope that we can continue to improve together. 

Good luck to you all, 

Do follow me on my Twitter for further conversations Alex Michel (@4lexgm_mcfc)

Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of the 2021/22 Season:

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