Expert Insight: What can we learn from Az?
We had a chat with FPL BlackBox and FFScout’s Az Phillips to get some expert insight and to find out what his strategy has been so far this season and what his plans are for the coming Gameweek’s.
Az Phillips is one of the FPL Communities most well known content creators. His best finish was 817. So far Az is on track to have another excellent season.
The 2021/22 Season so far
How often are you taking hits this season? Is that more than you would normally take?
I’ve taken far fewer hits this season than the last few.
It has been an effort on my part to reduce the number of hits and show more patience in players I bring in. Just 4 hits (-16) is my lowest of any season in the past.
I’m just looking to use hits to target players that may be escaping me in price, jump on a bandwagon before they emerge and when opportunity arises (such as DGW’s).
How are you deciding who wears the captain’s armband? Form/Fixtures/Historic record against opposition etc
I’m basically looking for any excuse not to captain Salah when his EO reaches 200%, where is the fun in that?! But there has to be a good enough reason to do so.
Fixtures are probably the most important, as well as good underlying stats. I also watch a lot of matches and can generally spot when a player is taking up good positions and looking to receive the ball in dangerous areas.
How many chips have you played and do you have a plan for when you think you will look to play your remaining ones?
I’ve still got all my chips left, and will be looking to cash these in when the time is right.
I imagine the Triple Captain chip will be used on Salah when Liverpool have the Leeds (H) fixture rearranged.
The others are a bit more up in the air, but I’m determined not to butcher my team with a wildcard just to get a decent bench boost squad out. I really struggle with this chip, and may even use it if I have players with a Single Gameweek with good fixtures just to be rid of it!
Who has been your best transfer in so far this season?
In terms of pure points, my transfer of Bruno Fernandes last week is probably my best one. But I’m really happy with my early moves for both Reece James and Gabriel Martinelli before they both hit double digit returns.
What is your preferred system at the moment? (3-4-3, 4-4-2, 3-5-2 etc)
I’ve always liked the classic 3-4-3 as having two benchable defenders and a benchable mid (theres normally a decent-ish 4.5/5.0 mid) means a stronger squad overall. The 4.5 strikers are normally absolute garbage, so you’re completely sacrificing this spot from your side.
I do think a move to 4 at the back, or 5 in midfield is completely viable however, especially given how poor the Strikers have been this season. Broja seems a gift, and a great enabler to let you try out other formations.
FPL Plans for the coming Gameweeks
Which player(s) are you looking to target ahead of the Gameweek 24 deadline?
I’m in the fortunate position of being quite happy with my squad, although there is a Salah sized hole there. I’ll likely be looking to move Fernandes out for Salah either before the GW24 deadline, or immediately after.
What are your thoughts on Salah and when we should bring him back into our FPL teams?
I don’t think I need to go into too much detail on how incredible Salah has been in the league this year. With 16 goals in 21 matches, he looks set to hit 30 goals this season and has only blanked in 2 games which is frankly ridiculous.
He’s an absolute must own.
Which PL teams should FPL managers be looking to target/double up on over the next 4-5 Gameweeks?
Villa have a bit of everything. Form, fixtures and a multitude of players that can impact positively on our season. 2-3 of the likes of Digne, Cash, Buendia, Coutinho, Ramsey and Watkins looks very sensible indeed.
Manchester City should also not be ignored, and have two games which could yield big returns in Brentford and Norwich next. KDB may fly under the radar with everyone clamouring to get Salah back, but could well match or even outscore him over the next few weeks.
What is your target for the end of the season?
Currently at 3k, I have to be looking to get into the top 1k (where I have only finished once previously).
Anything other than that would feel like a bit of an opportunity wasted given that I have my chips left. But it’s not easy, and there’s plenty of great FPL managers around where I am now (or catching up!) so a top 10k finish wouldn’t be a complete disaster.
The Final Word
One piece of advice for FPL managers….
Before deciding on a player, ask yourself if you will be happy staring at them in your team for the foreseeable future.
Short-term moves often end up with you being stuck with the player, and if you really don’t believe in their prospects over at least a couple of Gameweeks, consider if there are other moves you can make.
Getting rid of your weakest link, rather than moving for “flavour of the week” will often be the best course of action.
