In 2023/24 Fantasy Premier League champion Jonas Sand Labakk continues to explain the secrets of his success and offer advice to FPL managers. Here, he reveals his Gameweek 1 team selection process.
Get the big hits right
When assembling his squad for the opening Gameweek of 2023/24, Labakk knew there was one player he had to have: Mohamed Salah.
Liverpool’s Egyptian came close at the start of last season after six consecutive 230+ point games, but his hefty £12.5m starting price saw many overlook him and pick him up Erling Haaland as their only big hitter.
Labakk, however, went against that approach, with the Liverpool man bringing both Haaland and Salah into his Gameweek 1 line-up.
“Manchester United’s double midfielders were very popular,” says Labakk. “And I didn’t want to go down that road.
“I didn’t want to go against the best player in FPL for the last six years or so. Maybe it would be some Liverpool bias, but I think with Salah it doesn’t really matter. He’s that good, at least historically.”
The inaugural FPL No 1 team for 2023/24
Labakk’s faith in Salah was fully justified. While the Egyptian managed just five points in Gameweek 1, he became FPL’s top scorer in the first 12 Gameweeks, taking a total of 101 points in that time at an average of 8.4 per game and moving Labakk up to 1,506 in the world ranking.
Selection of proven players with penalty duties
“I try to pick safe players who I know are good assets in FPL,” says Labakk.
“I think a lot of people really want to support the young players in the league. For example, Aston Villa [Moussa] Diaby it was very popular, probably about 15 to 20 percent ownership.
“I think you have to look for players who have been tested in the Premier League first. People who are also proven to be good Fantasy Premier League players, including a few penalty takers, of course.
“There are some exceptions. In Gameweek 1 of 2022/23, I went with Harry Kane at the start instead of Erling Haaland on his debut, and you can see how it went – Haaland scored twice!’
The champions’ 3-5-2 formation for Gameweek 1 underlined their penalty-option approach, with all of their front seven seen as their team’s first man for spot-kicks: Salah, Haaland, Bucayo Saka, Bruno Fernandes, Bryan Mbeumo, Eberechi Eze and João Pedro.
Avoidance of disputes
“I also think a lot of people try to believe they’re going to be smarter than everyone else,” Labakk says. “So they will make a very different choice because they think it will be good.
“But there’s probably a reason why this player isn’t widely owned.”
Priority of matches over training form
Selecting players from clubs with favorable early schedules also influenced the champion’s decision-making.
Six clubs had three home games in the first four Game Weeks of the season – Arsenal, Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford and Chelsea, along with Burnley and Sheffield United. Although he ignored the promoted pair, Labbakk doubled down on Arsenal, Brighton and Chelsea, while also opting for Brentford’s Mbeumo.
“I’m always looking at the games,” Labakk says. “When we have a new season, we don’t have a lot of form to rely on. So I think the best way to go is racing.
“For friendlies I try not to be blinded by them. You can, of course, see some players who are fit, but I try not to look too much at the pre-season apart from the last game, because the last game is often where they play their best team.”