Fantasy Football: Marsh’s Alex Vasey Q&A

The final gameweek of the 2024/25 Premier League season is upon us, with all teams in action for one last time this Sunday.

While the title and relegation spots may all be wrapped up, the weekend presents one final chance for Fantasy Football managers to climb as high as they can in the Insurance Times League.

In terms of myself, I am hoping just to be in the top 10. I currently sit 11^th and hopefully I’ll be able to get a big score on Sunday.

However, what’s far more interesting is the fight at the top of the table. Bernardo Gomes sits in first place with 2,577 points, while Alex Vasey is in second with 2,563 points.

Gomes has led the league for most the season, but Vasey is close behind and perhaps could turn things around at the last minute.

Third-placed Ian Penfold also has a chance to move up places, given he is only 37 points behind Vasey.

So, it is all very close and ahead of the last gameweek, we spoke to Vasey about his thoughts for Sunday.

1. Congratulations on being in the top two ahead of GW38, how do you rate your chances of staying there? Do you think you could maybe win the league?

Thank you very much! I’m cautiously optimistic of staying in second place, as there is a small gap to Ian in third. However, the final day of the season can often be hectic, so anything can happen!

All it takes is a couple of big hauls from players I don’t have and a couple of blanks on my part for us to swap places. As I write this, I’m 14 points behind Bernardo in first, but our teams are pretty similar. I think it could go either way, although some luck from my end would definitely be required if I’m to overtake.

2. What are the key decisions to make ahead of the last gameweek of the season?

The last gameweek is always tricky, but tends to be a goalfest. Relegation and the title are both already wrapped up, with most teams ‘on the beach’, although a handful are competing for the final European spots.

My advice would be to pay attention to the press conferences before making any transfers. It’s also dependant on if you’re trying to climb a mini-league or protect your rank. I’m now around 4.3k overall (and most importantly, winning the mates’ league!), which I am very happy with, so I won’t be taking many risks. Finally – don’t overthink!

3. Who would you call out as an under-rated player for everyone’s Fantasy squad?

Morgan Rogers is the only player I’ve had throughout the entire season. He’s been such good value, although I did bench him for his 14-pointer against Man City, which stung.

I transferred in Martinez in GW35 and have been rewarded with three consecutive clean sheets – he’s only 13% owned, so has made a good impact.

Finally, Muñoz has been unbelievable for Crystal Palace, getting assists alongside clean sheets. In GW36, he got 11 points against Spurs for an assist, clean sheet and two bonus points. It’s a shame his performance in the FA Cup final didn’t mean anything for FPL!

4. How would you look back on the season – what would you have done differently?

It’s been really good – I never really set out goals for FPL. I initially wanted to get in the top 500k and have somehow ended with trying to stay inside the top 5k! It’s easy to say in retrospect, but I’ve had some huge hauls stuck on my bench, so I wish I made better decisions there. As mentioned above, I benched Rogers with 14 points, as well as Porro on 14 points and Hall’s 12-pointer – all within seven gameweeks!

I also wish I had gone against Salah captaincy since Liverpool won the league, as he’s been underwhelming recently. Fortunately, most people around me did the same, so it hasn’t really affected things too much.

5. Who or what would you like to call out in the insurance industry?

May is Marsh McLennan’s Global Volunteering Month, so our colleagues across the world have been volunteering to contribute to their local communities. There are so many initiatives, including litter picking, helping the elderly and fundraising for various charities. It’s great to see the company use its global presence to make an impact to communities around the world.