How Fantasy Premier League has changed football fans forever

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11 August 2023

How Fantasy Premier League has changed football fans forever

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality.

With Premier League football back, let’s be honest, the real excitement surrounds Fantasy Premier League (FPL) with players wondering if Rashford and Saka will remain the main men for their clubs?

Is Trent actually worth £8m? Will Harry Kane even be playing in England come the weekend? No doubt Haaland will score goals, but will he score as many? £14m is a bit steep.

And do we still need three Brighton assets again this season? Mitoma, Estupinan, Gross, March, Ferguson – there’s just so many to choose from!

Football banter has changed forever, long gone are the days of getting grilled for your team’s 4-0 hammering, now you get grilled for your FPL captain failing to score or assist.

With FPL changing the face of football, Paddy Power News has looked at the many ways it has altered the mind of Premier League fans.

Nobody trusts Pep Guardiola

One of the greatest managers of all time, but he is a bit of an FPL pr*ck. Pep-roulette is a real thing. Why does he bench in-form players and how are we supposed to know which City players to pick each week?

It’s as if he doesn’t care about FPL.

Pep Guardiola

60th minute significance

With appearance and clean sheet points affected from the 60th minute, there’s no pain like seeing your defender substituted in the 59th minute with the game at 0-0.

Just wait one more minute and let me get those clean sheet points. How many of us have spent those final 30 minutes absolutely fuming?

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Watered down rivalries

Spurs fans really hate Arsenal, yet I bet they don’t mind when Saka or Martinelli score, earning them those lovely FPL points.

Owning a player from a club you claim to hate is a confusing time to be alive. Can’t really hate your hattrick hero triple captain, can you?

Penalty taker knowledge

Is it weird to know the top three penalty takers at all twenty Premier League clubs ahead of a new season? No, because that knowledge could be what helps you win your mini league.

Penalty takers = goals.

Never thought I’d care who takes Luton’s penalties, but now I do.

Double game week

Ten years ago, you’d lose sleep over your club playing twice in a week due to risk of injury or fatigue in the title race run-in, yet nowadays it is a perfect opportunity to bulk your squad with double-game week players to double up on those lovely points.

Don’t worry about ACL injuries, just get me double digits.

Praying your best player doesn’t come on for a cameo

Imagine going to see your team play and the star player not starting. You’d hope to see him in the final five minutes, right? WRONG! Keep him on the bench. Don’t let him come on as he’d only be worth a pitiful amount in FPL.

Especially when your first sub has had a high scoring game.

Devastating blow of realising there’s Friday night football

An ordinary person would put on Sky Sports and be delighted to see Premier League football on a Friday night, but not an FPL player. Imagine the horror of thinking you have until 11am Saturday morning to pick your side, only to realise the deadline was 6pm Friday night.