The 2024/25 Fantasy Premier League champion Lovro Budisin is explaining the decisions that led him to glory, so others can learn from the best. Here, he reveals how he picked his Gameweek 1 team.
Picking Salah and NOT Haaland
When it came to selecting premium players for his opening squad, Budisin adopted the same approach as the 2023/24 winner Jonas Sand Labakk by building his side around Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.
The Egyptian started this season with a price tag of £12.5m in Fantasy, a full £2.5m cheaper than Manchester City’s Erling Haaland. And that significant difference in price was the driving factor behind Budisin’s decision.
“I tried to bring in Haaland and Salah but then I had very bad team around them,” Budisin says.
“OK, you'll have double points by captaining Haaland, but not from everybody else in your team. If you have one of them, I would rather go Salah because I could have some other premiums like Son Heung-min and Bruno Fernandes."
By looking for big-hitters in midfield, Budisin immediately profited from their potential as captain picks.
Salah claimed captaincy hauls of 28 and 34 points against Ipswich Town and Manchester United over the first three Gameweeks, while the champion’s choice of Tottenham Hotspur's Son as captain at home to Everton in Gameweek 2 earned him 32 points.
Treating every season differently
Staying with Budisin's midfield, there was no place for Chelsea’s Cole Palmer - the top-scoring player in Fantasy in 2023/24 - after he had a record-breaking price rise from £5.0m to £10.5m.
"Every season is different, every team will make some summer signings. Will their role be the same in the team?" Budisin says.
Indeed, England's run to the EURO 2024 final last summer meant the champion avoided ALL of their assets due to their late returns to pre-season training.
"The first Gameweek was the toughest one of the whole season. You don't know who will start," he explains.
Getting great value up front
Up front, the champion's decision to overlook Haaland and seek out value instead was another smart move.
As well as Arsenal’s Kai Havertz, he opted for Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak and Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood.
The latter two cost a combined £14.5m at the start of the campaign - £0.5m LESS than Haaland – and went on to finish the season as the top-scoring forwards in the game.
