As we gear up for live Barclays Premier League action which dawns upon us in no more than a fortnight’s time, we take a look at the official fantasy manager game of the Premier League, the Fantasy Premier League. This piece is aimed at guiding the novices to bed into the game and allows a peek for the hardened pros to have a look at the initial market and how to wisely spend the 100million pounds in the kitty. As a relative newcomer to the caverns of the fantasy world, I too couldn’t fathom the intricacies of the game when I started so as an attempt to provide all like-minded fellows to ease into this highly addictive game, we analyze the present state of affairs and how quickly the prices fluctuate and how to build a winning team of 100million quid.
AN INTRODUCTION
Look away if you have been playing FPL for ages, this terse introduction is absolutely necessary for the newbies and rookies. Fantasy Premier League or FPL is the official fantasy game of the Barclays Premier League, where you can build a team on your own and earn points per match day based on the on-pitch performance of your selected squad. Every player has their own price and the key to winning the game contested by millions worldwide is spending the money given wisely. Of course you won’t be able to buy all the big names with that money, so the most important thing is to strike a balance between big-money stars and bargain buys who could perform exceptionally and unexpectedly well over the course of the season. And unlike the real world, you won’t be forced to stick around with the same squad as you can make transfers every week, normally one free transfer or a transfer without points deduction is allowed while you can make as many changes as you like but only at your own peril. Transfer weeks allow more than one transfer and the key here is the mastery of your skills of analysis, judgement and prediction. You can only select a squad of 15 with a maximum of three players from one club and points are scored whenever a player in your team scores a goal, keeps a clean sheet, provide an assist and in many other different ways.
THE MARKET
The market isn’t too definitive at the moment as we are still in the midst of the transfer window and with plenty of player movement going on, this is a tricky situation for all the managers. For example, Luis Suarez if it hadn’t been for his domestic ban would’ve been a dilemma buy as he costs an astronomical 11million and his future at Liverpool far from secure. The most expensive player in the newest incarnation of FPL was last season’s goal scorer par excellence, Robin van Persie who is valued at an alarmingly high 14million for a start, which could be a headache for most managers as buying the Dutchman would mean that he has to accommodate the rest of the squad for a meager 86million. Gareth Bale follows van Persie closely as the Welshman is initially valued at 12million, a fair price given his exploits last season. Luis Suarez is the third most expensive player but given his unavailability for the first six matches, I highly doubt if he would be selected by any manager. Sergio Aguero too, is valued at a cool 11million. A quick warning, FPL is not only about having a dream team, it’s about how your team of princes and paupers can earn you maximum points every game week. So it is not wrong to go for the aforementioned big names, but you can find the gems if you can tuck your head right, it’s all in your mind and balance is the key. For example, last season’s Southampton player of the season Morgan Schneiderlin were valued at a petty 5.5million and he could be a perfect bargain buy, and rather than going for the likes of Gerrard, Lampard or Toure, who all cost more than the Frenchman, you could go for Schneiderlin.
THE EXPENSIVE STARS
Expensive stars are the players who could earn you more points than the other cheaper alternatives but the snag here is that they aren’t cheap and could cause an abnormal imbalance to your team selection if there are too many of them. Starting with the goalkeepers, the most expensive of the lot was last season’s Golden Gloves Joe Hart and Petr Cech, valued at 6.5million followed closely by Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris and Manchester United’s David de Gea, valued at 6million each. In the defensive third, Leighton Baines, by virtue of his stupendous last season at Everton is the most expensive defender as the left back costs a princely 7.5million, followed in close quarters by Jan Vertonghen at 7million and the likes of Luiz, Evra, Ivanovic, Ashley Cole and Kompany, all of them valued at exactly 6.5million. Moving on to the midfields, Gareth Bale tops the pile followed closely by Spaniards Malta and Cazorla, valued respectively at 10.5million and 10million. The forward line cost the most which is led by the impressive RvP followed by Suarez and Aguero. So basically you would want to buy all the aforementioned stars but buying all of them goes well beyond your budget. There must be some of the stardust but bargains are available and you only need to keep a keen eye on them, as we head into the next section.
THE RELATIVE BARGAINS
It is upon you what you deem to be a bargain, but the dictionary defines it as something which costs lower than its true value. There are plenty of them available in FPL and if you could uncover the hidden gems, there’s no stopping you from coming out victorious. Rather than going for the expensively valued stars, you could go for cheaper alternatives. Simon Mignolet and Asmir Begovic have been priced at 5.5million and given their impressive performances in lowly clubs last term, they could save you some quid. Plus new Fulham keeper Maarten Stekelenburg costs a low 5million and he could prove to be one of the bargains of the season. Likewise for defenders, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa at 4.5million, Phil Jagielka at 5.5million and Chico at 5million already look bargains and managers will be well-advised to bring them on board as quickly as possible. The likes of Cabaye, Holtby, Ramires come at a price of 6.5million, far less than Hazard or Fernandinho or Michu and the like. Similarly for strikers, rather than going for the Jovetics and Negredos, you could go for the relatively cheaper Rickie Lambert or Dimitar Berbatov or the newboys Aspas and van Wolfswinkel.
FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE
The key to winning the FPL or even finishing in the upper echelons among the millions is finding the right balance in your squad of 15. Prices fluctuate over the course of the season based on the players’ performance and buying the right man at the right time is very important. It is of no use if you buy a player after seeing him score a hat-trick the previous game week, your judgement is the key and predictions need to be perfect. As a not-too-experienced fantasy player, I would only have a few words for the fanatics, build your team as if you are managing it for real and try to follow the matches as much as you can, because then only you will be able to gauge the level at which a player is playing.