Another Fantasy Premier League season has come to an end, and it’s time to crown a champion.
With 11m players, Ali Jahangirov (FPL Gunz) finished in first place, edging out second place by just five points in a hotly contested season.
And the overall winner speaks only to Sky Sports to reveal his secrets – and his tips for next season.
How does it feel to be crowned FPL champions for 2022/23?
It felt surreal to be honest. It’s an amazing feeling to be the best in the world – especially in a football-related sport that I love. It hasn’t sunk in yet but the messages of support have been overwhelming.
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
A look back at how the team fared on Soccer Saturday when they went head to head in the FPL – it’s fair to say Paul Merson knows a little about fantasy football…
What surprised you the most about this season?
I surprised myself by being patient and calm enough when things got really stressful. Some of the decisions I made but most of them were calculated and well thought out. I’m usually more assertive in stressful moments.
No one knows exactly which players will do well in the first place and even if your team looks weak on paper you can surprise and do wonders. It’s strange that I kept trusting players who were out of shape at that particular moment but managed to recover and did well again, when other managers chose to fire.
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Mohamed Salah broke Robbie Fowler’s Premier League goalscoring record to become Liverpool’s all-time Premier League goalscorer with 129 goals as he scored twice in the club’s 7-0 thrashing of arch-rivals Manchester United
It was really tempting to go with the flow but somehow my gut feeling told me to stick with it Gabriel Martinelli, Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Tyrone Mings which provides valuable points for me as a result.
What are your best and worst decisions this season?
I would say there is Callum Wilson and Mixed as differences in my team if necessary is the best decision. I owned Wilson for his monster hauls all season when he was so under-owned. I also went with him instead of the more popular Alexander Isak and captained him resulting in 48 points in Double Gameweek 36.
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Callum Wilson has opened up about a post-World Cup slump and how he rediscovered his spark to fire Newcastle towards Champions League qualification
Wilson played a big role in my victory, as he was repeated for a brief cameo in GW38 and blocked Ethan Pinnock’s 15 points for No 2 in the world.
I had Mings as my first bench player and increased points every time I had a missing starter on my team. He has done absolute wonders for me this season.
The worst decision is to take Kevin De Bruyne in my WC, that I almost won. I went wildcard in GW34 and squeezed De Bruyne by getting cheap players in other positions. As a result, he missed three of the four games I owned him and only managed three points in one game. The rest of my team looked very weak but somehow I managed to get it over the line.
What trends from this season will continue in 2023/2024?
I will definitely follow the same standards as the last two seasons. It served me well for sure as I finished 215th last season.
Looking at the chip strategy, I will try to use my wildcard as late as possible because it is the most powerful chip that allows you to change your entire team if there are mistakes.
Try to get as few hits as possible because it doesn’t have to pay. Play your own game no matter what because it’s the only way to enjoy FPL.
