Waiting for
the new Premier League season to start can seem to drag. But after the
excitement of the World Cup, and the end of Love Island (we know who you are)
we really don’t have long to wait before the new 2018/19 season starts on the
10th August.
Like many,
we all think that we could be the next Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Sir Alex
Ferguson or the mighty Gareth Southgate, and the closest we will ever get to
manage footballs superstars is by creating and joining in with fantasy teams.
There are
many formats out there that let you test your skills and knowledge to become a
winning fantasy league manager. I use the official Premier League’s fantasy
football which is free to use and allows you to create and join group leagues
with also prizes to be won should you be successful against the other 5 million
other players.
You have
£100m to use to select a squad of 15 players (2 Goalkeepers, 5 defenders, 5
midfielders and 3 forwards). Each player is given a value and depending on how
they performed the season before you can expect to find a whopping figure
taking a huge chuck out of your £100m. Take Salah for example. He had an
exceptional season in 2017/18 and is this season’s most expensive player at an
eye watering £13m.
You are allowed to
select up to 3 players from the same team. So if you think that one team will
dominate and you are feeling brave enough to select from the same team, then
this could really work in your favour. And, if you keep up to date with
transfers and are really confident that a player is moving from one club to
another, but you have already selected 3 – if you select them before they move
you won’t be penalised and could end up with 4 from the same team!
Once you
have selected you squad you then get to decide who starts and who is on the
bench, and what formation you are going to play. The formations that you can
choose are 3-5-2, 3-4-3, 4-4-2 or 4-3-3. Those who are selected in the first 11
will be your scoring team. Those who are on the bench will still score points,
but they won’t be taken into account for your team. You will also pick a
captain (double points) and vice-captain (who will score double if your captain
doesn’t play).
Before the season starts you can make as many transfers as you like.
But as soon as the window closes you will be restricted on how many free
transfers you make per game week. You can continue to make as many transfers as
you wish though you will be deducted points for those extra transfers you make.
You are also given ‘chips’ to use during the season. These ‘chips’ can only be
used once but if used at the correct time can give you the best opportunity to
collect as many points as possible. The 5 chips are Bench Boost, Triple
Captain, Free Hit, Wildcard 1 and Wildcard 2. Bench Boost can be used anytime
throughout the season and will all points from the bench will also be taken
into account. Triple captain can be used anytime and will give your captain
triple points for that game week, Free Hit can be used at any time and will
allow you to make as many transfers to your squad without being penalised, but
will revert back to your original squad the next game week. Wildcard 1 must be
used before 29th December. This allows you to make as many transfers
to your squad without being penalised. Wildcard 2 can be used from gameweek 21
and like wildcard 1, can allow you to make as many transfers as you wish
without being penalised. Due to the fact that these chips can only be used once
throughout the season, its knowing when to play them can bolster your teams’
points.
Hints and Tips
There is no set way that will
guarantee success; a lot is down to luck as you may pick a player who was
amazing last season, but ends up having a stinker. Or you pick a player of low
value who turns out to be one of the best picks. It really is luck. There can
be ways that you set your formation, the players you pick or when to play your
chips that can give you the edge over your opponents and below are a couple of
things I take into consideration when selecting my squad what formation to use
and when to use my chips.
Players
I tend to pick defenders who are wingbacks. They are likely to get
assist points as they no doubt will be used in attack to supply crosses from
the wings and could also pop up with a goal 2 in the season. Should you have
that along with a clean sheet could see them pick up decent points. Alonso for
Chelsea is an example to use for this, not only did he create a lot of goals,
he scored too. He picked up a LOT of points for a defender (165).
My midfield genially consists of the play makers who can provide
plenty of assists along with the added bonus of scoring goals. Take Salah, he
was the complete play maker and picked up an impressive 303 points last season.
Also consider those who take set pieces. Milivojevic (a lower priced player)
from Crystal Palace took their penalties and at the end of the season picked up
10 goals finishing with 144 points.
Forwards is a little more difficult to master as these are the ones
you expect to bag all the goals and get you the points. Loan strikers are
usually the best with Kane proving that with 29 goals last season, 29 the
season before and 25 before that.
Formation
This can be changed every week so don’t be afraid to tinker around
with this. Take into consideration if the bench players play each week and are
getting you points, if the players are at home or away. Or injuries to a team
that means your player(s) are potentially going to play the following week.
Also don’t be afraid to drop a player if they are having a bit of a bad time –
form is temporary. With how I select my players (above) I tend to start with
the 3-4-3 formation.
Chips
These require a little more thought as you only get one of each and
can only be used once. Used well they can be just what you need to pull away
from the pack, or close the gap on the leader.
Bench Boost – This chip allows all 15 players points to be
taken into account. I tend to use this when there are double games in a week.
Triple Captain – This chip gives your selected captain triple
points for the gameweek. I use this when I feel my captain is playing against a
team that is struggling.
Free Hit – This chip allows unlimited transfers to the squad
for the gameweek it is used. Once that gameweek has passed your team reverts
back to your original squad.
Wildcard 1 – This chip can be used anytime up to 29th
December. This allows unlimited, permanent transfers to your squad.
Wildcard 2 – This chip can be used from gameweek 21 and the
same principles apply like wildcard 1.
The main things to consider for when using your chips are during
double gameweeks, or when there are postponements with only a handful of games
being played. The temptation is to use them up early, but be patient – it could
be the difference to winning big.
Transfers
Each week you are allowed 1 free transfer. If you do not use this it will
rollover to the following gameweek giving you 2 free transfers. Again, try to
resist temptation and utilize these free transfers. Have the guts to also
sacrifice some points by making an extra transfer to an in-form player. They
should return those points you had deducted bringing them in.
Try, try, try to keep up to date with your squad and don’t rush. By
taking your time and planning ahead you have the potential to be a successful
fantasy league manager.
I hope you enjoy your season and good luck!
