Ladies and gentlemen the Premier League fantasy teams are now open and if you want to add something a little extra to your football watching then this is the way to do it. I introduced my colleague Bharat Bhise who I work with at Bravia Capital to this last year and it certainly gave the season much more edge, and bragging rights if your team has done well on the weekend. There is still a long way to go before the start of the Premier League season which is why now is the best time to start mooting ideas for your team. To help you get your team selection right, here are some top tips.
Newcomers
Newcomers can be exciting but you must tread carefully before you fill up your team with new signings, especially those that have come from other leagues. It always takes new players a while to get used to their new clubs and the new league, and in many cases they do not hit the ground running. The arrival of Christian Pulisic this year will have a lot of fantasy managers excited but it may prove to be a risk, especially given that Chelsea have a high record of signing ineffective players, Morata, Barkley, Drinkwater et al. Give newcomers a couple of weeks before including them.
Great, But Not So Great
Another common mistake which players make is choosing wonderful players for their fantasy teams, who actually don’t amass too many points. A perfect example of this would be N’Golo Kante, a midfield dynamo and easily one of the best DMs in world football. Unfortunately however points aren’t given for the amount of blocks and tackles you make, or forward passes. This is why players like Kante don’t rack up the points, save for the odd goal that they score.
Set Pieces
A great way of boosting your points total is to select players who take set pieces like corners and penalties. Crystal Palace’s Milivojevic wouldn’t normally get too many points in his position but he is the PK taker for Palace and they win a lot of them thanks to tricksters like Zaha and Townsend. Players like Milivojevic and Ryan Fraser of Bournemouth collected huge points tallies thanks to their work on set pieces.
Bankers
Start off your team with the bankers who you know are going to bring in big points. Players like Kane, Aguero, Sterling, Salah and Aubameyang are perennial big hitters and that doesn’t look set to change. In defense you’ll find players like Van Dijk, Robertson, Alexander Arnold, Laporte, Stones and Vertonghen to make just a few, who constantly bring in big points totals. Start off your team with a couple of expensive bankers, and then fill out the rest of your team with some cheaper players who are worth the risk.
For the best experience do what Bharat and I did last year, create a private league with your friends so that you can see who is the best fantasy manager.