What I’ve learned from the 22/23 season so far?

It has been a interesting season for FPL managers to navigate, especially with the World Cup in the middle of it. Sam from FPLFamily shares some of what she has learned from the 22/23 season so far.

In many ways it feels like yesterday we were planning for the restart of the Premier League season. Those 12 gameweeks seem to have flown by in the blink of an eye. However there has been a lot of change in the way that FPL managers are playing the game from Gameweek 1-16 and Gameweek 17-28.

Captaincy decisions

In the early part of the season up until the World Cup, there was very little conversation to be had surrounding the captaincy. Haaland’s consistency of returns plus high ownership meant that many managers set and forgot the armband on the Man City forward.

However, since returning from the World Cup we had had multiple good captaincy options each week. The likes of Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford had offered good alternatives to the Norwegian. For FPL managers who have been brave enough to move the armband that has at times paid off.

In this second part of the season I have captained Saka and Harry Kane as well as giving my Triple Captain chip to Marcus Rashford.

Whilst it might not always be right to hand the captains armband to someone other than Haaland, the second part of the season has taught us we should consider it. No longer just forgetting about the captaincy armband has been a one of the key things I have learned from the 22/23 season so far.

Transfers

Between Gameweek 1-16 I was reluctant to make additional transfers and take a -4. I felt better to plan for transfers and think them through, knowing that it was only a few weeks between a Wildcard or the Unlimited Transfer Window.

However, that has been different in the second stage of the season. I have made more transfers, partly to help navigate the blanks and double gameweeeks. But mostly I have made these transfers to give myself an edge, or at least try too. By making transfers a week earlier for a hit I have been able to bring in players earlier and benefit further from additional weeks of player form.

Forward Planning

In the early part of the season my planning was limited. It was never long between a wildcard and the transfer window and so FPL was played on a more week by week basis. However, now I am working towards a plan. Of course the plans change around form, injuries and availability. But I am thinking more long term with my decisions and making sure any transfers in work for the medium and long term as well as the short term.

Normally I forward plan throughout the season. However, the World Cup changed the way that I played the game in the early weeks of this season. Now I have slotted back in to my standard FPL manager mode things have improved dramatically for me.