Alexander "4lex" Michel: Let people make their own FPL adventure and encourage unique play

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Without further ado, let’s dive into it:

Part 2

Do you have some system which drives your transfer plans?

Not really, to be honest, at least not anything too exciting. I look at the weakest points in my team, I look at the fixtures for the coming week, and I generally have a pretty firm standpoint after I do both of those. I always keep an eye on the next 3-5 Gameweeks, but most often, the process becomes rather straightforward, and I know who I want to sell/bring in.

What are the pillars of a great FPL pick?

The players who are scoring the most on the best teams - if you fit in as many of those players as possible, you’ll never do too bad. From there, minutes, fixtures, penalties, and positionality - in that order, I would say.

Has your managerial style changed over the last few seasons?

For sure. Mostly down to the time I spend engaging with content. When I was at my peak of consuming content, I would have a plethora of options and most often be forced into making a template move out of fear or a maverick move out of haste. Almost always relating back to the template picks. Now, I am a much more balanced decision-maker and am able to stick to my own logic, though I’m not quite sure how to characterize that at large.

You already mentioned making rogue captaincy shouts sometimes. And we don't have to go far - you successfully used your triple-captain chip early this season in the SGW. Do you approach playing chips differently than others in general?

I just try to challenge the standards, similar to my approach to data. If there’s a strong central narrative, I try to poke holes in that. Sometimes, I conclude there is actually another way to do things, like the triple-captain this season, and other times, I agree with the narrative. I always try to keep an open mind, though.

Is FPL a marathon, or must you also sprint sometimes?

If you want to get as high of an OR as possible, it’s a marathon. However, as I’ve said, I don’t find much enjoyment in that, so I prefer to sprint whenever possible. A good mix of both is probably the healthiest.

Do you ever consider team value in your decision-making process?

At the beginning of the season, yes. I think it’s relatively important to build up some team value early as long as it doesn’t come at the cost of your primary decision-making. Once it gets a bit further in the season, no - as long as you build up some value early on, funds shouldn’t be an issue from that point forward.

How do you approach taking hits?

In isolation and moderation. I generally believe they are rarely worth it from a points perspective, you either have to have a very poor team, get very lucky, or be extremely talented with predicting individual outcomes. Then again, I respect people who use hits to play the game more freely. To each their own, I simply tend to be a bit more conservative.

What's your opinion on the current season pricing?

It’s sort of an “it is what it is” thing. I don’t have a strong opinion towards it, as there’s always a template that emerges and there’s always other ways to play the game in contrast to that. I’m someone who is more in favor of changing rules within the game rather than airing grievances about specific pricing.

If you could change one thing about the game, what would it be?

Greater agency for engaged managers. I would enjoy it if there were an added layer to captaincy and the week-by-week decisions we make. Whether that’s limiting how often you can captain a specific player or including a sort of “flex” spot in the team where everyone gets to select a new player each Gameweek free of charge. I don’t think these changes will ever happen, but I think they would be a fun and engaging change of pace.

As far as the current state of rules and chips goes, do you think there is anything that is downright detrimental to the game?

Price changes. I think that’s the only aspect of the game I’d label as detrimental. The timing and lack of transparency around them are negative for casual and hardcore players alike, as far as I see it. I really can’t think of a positive aspect they bring to the game aside from their general concept.

During the current season, there has been a lot of talk about the element of luck in FPL and its effect on mental health. Does the variance affect you?

It used to and it doesn’t anymore. I think FPL has an adverse effect on mental health when you either use it to mask real issues in your life or use it in a way that fuels feelings like FOMO. I think relieving those pressures most often alleviates any mental health issues connected to the game, but people experiencing that need the awareness to acknowledge that and know when to talk to someone or take a step away.

You already touched this briefly, but do you enjoy playing FPL this season so far?

I’ll be honest, no, not really. That’s a bit pessimistic, but I find much greater enjoyment in doing analysis and for a long time, I was using FPL as a vehicle to do just that. Once I separated the two, I found that the past enjoyment I got from FPL was most often related to the analysis it drove, and FPL reverted to being a really casual game for me.

Do you have a group of like-minded friends with whom you can discuss FPL and football?

Yes, I have a good number of friends from home whom I talk about both of those with on a daily basis. I also have an incredible group of City friends who I’ve met through X, who I constantly am talking to, as well.

Do you consume mainly FPL content on X, or is it largely tactical/more general stuff?

Nowadays, I don’t consume that much, to be honest, at least compared to the amount I consumed over the past few years. When I do, it’s primarily tactical and commentary-based content that gets shared within my smaller circles of friends. Of course, I also have several main City voices I am always tapped into.

I also have my go-to’s for FPL content (you, FMLFPL, FPLLens, Jian Batra, FPL Under The Radar), but I rarely stray outside of that. With the amount I create, most of what I consume is in the spirit of learning, developing my understanding of the game and taking time to assess what others do better than me.

What would you advise to someone who wants to dive deep into tactics? What sources do you use?

If you’re on X, it’s all about following the right people. Discovering intelligible voices who see the game in a way you’d like to see the game without following so many people to the point your timeline is swamped. I think following one person closely and consistently is more valuable than following lots of people with lesser engagement.

In that sense, I would prioritize depth over breadth. Alongside X, YouTube has plenty of resources - from channels like Tifo to The Coaches’ Voice to FourFourTwo - that will help to build a solid foundation of understanding.

How many games are you able to watch weekly?

Typically 3-5, though it depends on the TV schedule. I watch every City game, always catch the UCL games, and this season generally watch most Spurs games. After that, it’s a revolving door based on my availability and interest. Some weeks I’ll tune in to the Man City Women, some week I’ll tune into La Liga or the Bundesliga, it all depends.

Can you still enjoy the games as a fan or constantly look beyond the surface?

I think so. There’s a pretty clear separation for me between watching a game for fun, watching it to take part in the culture of it, whether that be with friends or on social media, and watching to analyze. For most City games, I put my phone down and sit back to enjoy, with the analysis coming in passing or upon a second watch.

Other times, I’ll be in the mood to analyze and I’ll take notes or live-tweet what I’m seeing. It all depends, but I think it’s healthy to be able to separate that.

How satisfied are you with where the City are heading?

Really satisfied. I mean, I feel very privileged as a fan of this club, to be honest. People throw hate on what City “stands for” and what not, but as someone whose fandom extends beyond that, the experience is really what matters for me. The financial side of things is not something I have any control over, so it’s sort of like enjoying the ride wherever it takes us.

I’m about to take a slight detour here - what's your opinion on the current state of MLS?

I don’t have many strong feelings towards the MLS. I wish there was a promotion-relegation system to US soccer, otherwise it becomes almost “too American” and I think that hurts where the league can go on a global scale. They can throw as much money at it as they want but unless the culture is built from the ground up, it won’t rise to prominence in the way many people seem to think it will.

When did you decide you would create the content regularly?

It sort of just happened. I started writing sporadically for AllAboutFPL in the summer of 2021. Then, I graduated from university, moved home, and with the free time I had being unemployed and not knowing what I wanted to do with my life, my content became the medium through which I channeled my creative energy.

I think when I started to do City lineup predictions at the start of last season is when it really became a regular thing, and from that point, I haven’t really looked back.

Were the early days of content creation difficult for you? Sure, I don't get the feeling you're the kind of person who gives up quickly, but getting only a few interactions, knowing your content has the potential to draw much bigger attention, can discourage many…

That’s a good question and I’d honestly say I didn’t pay attention to that in the beginning of things. I went from the occasional article on AllAboutFPL to the occasional thread on Twitter/X (the first I ever wrote back in 2021 got somewhere around 25k views and 90 likes) to doing City predictions and analysis mostly every week.

I’m sure I was excited as the interactions grew, but I never put any pressure on myself in the early days to reach a certain number. I tried to focus on putting out content that was of interest to me and aligned with relevant topics. From there, I think the quality of the work spoke for itself.

To anyone who is at those early stages, I’d preach the same sentiment: create content for yourself above all, do it consistently, and do it at a high quality, always trying to improve.

You've already built a large following on X. What are your plans on the platform?

Building connections and offering a platform to others I value while furthering my career endeavors is the primary focus. I want to continue to do what I am doing right now, steadily improving the level of my work. I’ve carved out a niche for myself as one of the main City voices and I want to continue to do that to the best of my ability.

My content has definitely gotten better month on month over the past year, so the aim is to maintain that consistency knowing that the personal growth and following will come in turn.

You recently revealed that you're considering expanding your content to another platform, preferably YouTube. What are the chances of that happening?

It’s difficult to say. Mostly because there’s a lot of pressure on me to get a full-time job this year. My lifestyle over the past year or so isn’t necessarily sustainable, even though it has allowed me to produce work consistently. So, I have to make some big decisions about exactly which path I want to take.

If I were to expand to YouTube, it would mean me doubling down on my analysis content (given the time and effort required), which is a scary leap to take because you don’t know if it will be successful or if it’s the “right” decision to make.

How do you balance writing what is close to your heart versus what your audience wants to read?

I think a major part of the content is relevancy. The narratives revolving around football are always changing, and accordingly, so do my interests and those of my audience. I am as much of a football fan as anyone, so most often if I find something interesting, so does my audience. I always try to maintain a perspective on the audience, but nearly every piece of content I make comes from my own interests.

Japanese writer Haruki Murakami has a phrase “shovelling cultural snow” which more or less means society needs people who will create fleeting content on this revolving door of narratives. That idea has always resonated with me and as much as it may sound reductive, it reinforces my sense of purpose relating to the work I do.

What type of content fulfils you the most?

It’s hard to describe, it’s sort of just a feeling. If I had to pick just one sort of content, I would point to my long-form pieces. They combine football with a sort of whimsical, slightly mythological outlook on the world and I would say those are the truest to who I am as a football fan, writer, and a person.