Last updated on July 19th, 2021
So, I finally begin my FPL dream in the 2020-21 season after a few years of tinkering with teams and never really following up on the game. Last year was different, not really a perfect year to start playing the game as it was a rollercoaster, but I finally made a point to play the game and fell in love with it straight away. For a beginner in FPL like me, it was not easy. I did not read the rules of the games; even if I read them, I had no experience or undertanding of the game’s intricacies.
From my experience as a beginner, I would like to share the five things that are a must for anyone beginning to play the game:
1. Read | Watch – Website, Videos & APPs
When I say read and watch, I mean about the game, players, coaches and how well a team is playing, which players to target, how they performed last year. What it does is that it gives you an overview of the game and how it is to be played. I figured this over the season, not in one day, so take your time. Here what helped me –
Reading and Statistics
§ https://www.premierleague.com/
§ https://fantasy.premierleague.com/
§ https://www.fantasyfootballscout.co.uk/
Watch on Youtube
§ The FPL Show – Official Show
§ The FPL Wire – Fantasy Premier League – Three South Asian and pure class !!
§ Let’s Talk FPL – His deadline streams and honest opinion you can’t miss !!
§ FPL Mate – The guy left his job to do this, so there is no way you can miss him !!
Mobile and Website Applications
§ Premier League – Official App
§ FPL Tools – Fantasy Premier League Assistant – Must have tools !!
§ On Twitter follow the – #FPL and #FPLCOMMUNITY
These are some of the basics, including websites and applications, I figured out are immensely helpful. It took me a whole season to realise that these are a must for anyone, even if you are playing for fun.
Another must I say is the FPL Twitter community. It would help if you did not miss to follow the following for the best guidance and updates – @TheFPLWire, @FPLMate, @PremierFPLTools, @GianniButtice, @OfficialFPL, @zophar666, @FFScout, @BigManBakar, @LetsTalk_FPL, @BenCrellin, @lateriser12, @FPLReaction. I must confess that these are very few names, and there are many more exceptional content creators who I have missed, but this is where you start !!
2. Not Everything expensive is good !!
It means that while creating your team, you must know that not every expensive player should be in your team. Your team should have a balance of players who get you the points each week.
3. Use of Chips
You have got four chips to use throughout the season. You can use Bench Boost, Triple Captain, and Free Hit only once in the whole season. Wildcard can be used twice a season, once in the first half and once in the second half. What you must note is that you should use them smartly. If you are playing the game for the first time, you should follow the expert advice and follow what they do as, to be honest, they have a better reading of the game from their experience than you in the beginning year of your FPL career.
4. Team News and Deadline
It hurt my rank at the end of the last season as I kept missing Pep’s Roulette (meaning constant rotation in the playing eleven of Man City team by Pep). You should make your team selections and draft teams for the gameweeks in advance, but just an hour before the deadline; check out Twitter feeds for team news and possible starting lineups. It is a must if you do not want to regret that your player(s) is not starting, and you lose on points.
Also, the most common mistake is pretty basic, but people miss updating their teams before deadlines, and my closest rival in the mini-league lost by a point because he forgot to change the team in a blank gameweek.
5. Go with the Gut | Trust your instincts | Watch the game for Eye Test | Do not be Stubborn
You must go with your gut feelings and your instincts and trust them. If you feel a particular player will do well, just go with it even if others are not going for it because it is possible that you see what the best do not see, or you might get lucky. Also, do not become stubborn as we all love our Ronlados, but in FPL, we need to adapt constantly and change our teams as required.
In the end, the thrill, the excitement, and the constantly changing dynamics of FPL is something to enjoy and have fun because the best in the game have not always won the game; what they have achieved is consistency with rankings. FPL, to be honest, in my three cents, is all about our love for the beautiful game !!
Written for beginners by a beginner – FPL Dreamers
