For many FPL managers, Gameweek 1 was a harsh wake-up call.
Benched players outscored starting XI ones, popular picks failed to deliver, and future Bench Boost plans were thrown into chaos by suspensions and surprise omissions.
So how are the world’s best FPL managers reacting?
We asked our Elite XI: Team Reveal managers — and their message was clear: don’t panic.
“My main headache is Konsa…”
“…he ruins my Bench Boost plans for GW2.”
Cooper admits GW1 has already disrupted his strategy, but instead of scrambling for a quick fix, he’s rolling his transfer and holding Konsa:
“I’d rather save the move, bench him, and keep three free transfers ready for GW3.”
A lesson in forward planning rather than knee-jerking.
James’ original plan looked promising on paper:
Mansfield’s reflections were equally cautious:
“Not a single player stood out.”
“…with Konsa out for just one week, there’ll be no changes.”
Like Cooper, Mansfield plans to hold steady until GW3/4, resisting the urge to tinker after just one poor week.
To be fair, his defence looks well set for Gameweek 2 with Neco Williams away at Palace, Aït-Nouri at home to Spurs, and Estève against Sunderland.
Boije echoed the same calm:
“Bad start, but nothing to panic about.”
“Reijnders impressed — but he’s not worth a hit.”
Rolling his transfer is the sensible move, giving him another week of GW2 data before making any big decisions.
In yesterday’s article, we looked at which players managers were selling to bring in Reijnders — and whether those moves were shrewd or simply knee-jerk reactions.
Baker had a slightly different take, reflecting on a rare gamble:
“Haaland vs Salah? I won that round.”
“…but everyone else blanked.”
Baker’s keeping a close eye on Palmer, Wirtz, Reijnders and Anderson for the coming weeks, with no immediate changes planned.
Interestingly, he’s currently backing Watkins with the captain’s armband for Brentford away.
It suggests the Elite Manager expects the Bees to struggle following Thomas Frank’s summer departure. Our Predicted Points & Stats tool has the Villa striker projected at 4.7 points.
Not all Elite XI reports were so measured. Copenhagen Wednesday summed up his GW1 with trademark humour:
“47 points, under the average.”
“Watkins and Mateta could’ve been stopped by a traffic cone.”
“Guiu’s zero minutes killed my Bench Boost plan.”
And yet, even after one of the harshest starts, the conclusion was the same as his peers:
“Transfer gets rolled. Panic moves won’t fix this mess.”
What’s striking is the unified response from the Elite XI:
So while the wider FPL community might be scrambling after one bad week, the Elite XI are almost unanimous: don’t rip up your team, don’t knee-jerk, and remember it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
👉 Want to see exactly how their squads line up and follow their transfers in real-time? Check out the Elite XI: Team Reveal page.
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