#FPL OCD – Gameweek 4: Real life football is out of my control

by @JohnOC1991

Give John a follow on twitter at @JohnOC1991

The international break. Is there a worse time as an FPL manager? The summer maybe, but we are all aware of that, we have time to prepare for the lengthy break, a couple of months to recover after a 38 GW slog. But the international break? That just sneaks up on you. 4 GWs, just getting into the swing of things, the team starting to take shape, the mini-league contests heating up, and suddenly the recollection. Of course, a week off to watch England play international heavyweights San Marino.

This makes the week prior to the international break a key one. A week dwelling on a bad GW is painful, but a fortnight? Trying to steady those jerky knees and twitchy fingers is nigh on impossible. For many of us, it was a case of same old, same old. An average of 37 points seems pretty much par for the course in this oddest of seasons; I personally managed to scrape together 46.

Assessing an FPL week is not always simply a case of the points garnered, it can be altered by individual actions and thoughts. For instance, there is no use me lamenting the points of Jonas Olsson or Dusan Tadic because they are not players that I have, this season, considered at all. We cannot beat ourselves up about things that were never on the table, just as we should not view these things in isolation. As an example, Gabriel scored well this week, but I know that that does not make him a good pick due to rotation. I am sat with Mertesacker in my team, which is frustrating as he has missed consecutive clean sheets, but I know that there was logic behind his selection. A high score this GW does not a good team make.

I am positive about my mediocre total, because I know that, realistically, it was as good as it could possibly get for me this week. There were only a couple of options that I was seriously considering this week: Ozil and Azpilicueta to Silva and Kolarov (-4), Mane and Azpilicueta to Yaya and Kolarov (-4), or keep both Mane and Ozil. After much deliberation I went with the first, meaning I sold 2 players who mustered 2 points between them, and replaced them with 2 who plundered 12. If I had gone through with the 2^nd option, with Westwood’s 2 points coming off the bench for Ozil, I would have been 13 points worse off. Therefore, this week has been as successful as it could possibly have been. Real life football is out of my control, I can only make the decision that maximises my points.

Now is a test for me. I am, by and large, happy with my team. I have Coates which is a problem, and he needs to go soon, despite being sat on my bench weekly. His value is dropping, and that is not what you want from a cheap defender. That is the only real issue. There are players I could bring in, particularly Gomis or Ayew, but do I want to lose anyone from my squad? Silva, Sanchez, Mahrez, Mane, Aguero, Benteke or Wilson? I can see no immediate reason to lose faith in any of them. It is simply a case of “we can’t have them all”.

Barring injuries, I am in the position of possibly saving a FT over the international break. It is ostensibly an enviable one, but there is a big challenge in steadying jerky knees over a fortnight. My team is looking the best it has all season, but the international break has a habit of sucking you in to a transfer or two. Maybe I’ll hibernate…

John went to University, finished his degree, and got a good job in the City of London. He is now in the process of throwing it all away in favour of FPL, a game with no notable rewards for success. He firmly believes this to be the correct decision.

Follow John on Twitter and read more on his blog here Go and Get the Guitar