Fantasy football is a game I take extremely seriously, so I thought it would be fun to show people how I set up my team throughout the season. This team is something I will attempt to update every month, to show my progress and how my team is consistently changing, and it will. I use the Sky Sports Fantasy Football app, in case it is different on other services.
My Team:
Defence
Let’s start from back to front. Ederson has been my first choice since he arrived in the league and has failed to give me a reason to change. Pep is a known enemy of fantasy football players because of his habit to change his line up so often. Ederson is one of the few players Pep will never drop. While Ederson might not make the same amount of saves as Fabianski or one of the bottom club keepers, but makes a high number of passes and is apart of one of the best.
Van Dijk is a must inclusion. While he is the most expensive defender, I’ve come to realise how vital clean sheets and passes have become for gaining points, so having a player who is apart of the best defence in the league is the way to go. Van Dijk also has a habit of scoring for Liverpool, which combining that with the number of clean sheets he will keep, make him one of the players who are likely never to leave my team this season.
Coady and Diop are here for similar reasons. Both stood out for their sides last season, and I expect that to continue. Wolves are very organised and play a pragmatic system that enables their defenders to keep those precious clean sheets. Willy Boly’s price has increased substantially from last season, so bringing in his teammate for less was the sensible thing to do. I try to avoid having more than one defender from the same team. It could be useful in certain games, but wouldn’t work if the said team had an off-day.
Last but not least is Lucas Digne. He is the only full-back in the side, and his inclusion is primarily down to wanting at least one creative defender at the back. Digne was the creative hub for Everton last season, and while there are question marks over his defensive ability, he contributes so much for Everton in the final third that he is worth having in here. Wan-Bissaka was another full-back I was considering, but I feel his tackles numbers will drop and doesn’t contribute as much as Digne in the final third.
Midfield
The centre of the park has always been the area I’ve struggled with regarding who to choose. You can either go down two roads in midfield; either go for players who will contribute in the final third, risking the occasional game where they won’t get more than 2 points, or go for a midfielder who will consistently get over 5 points but won’t get those goals and assists. What has made it even worse is the change of positions that Sky will do every season. While it makes sense to keep the game balanced, it can be frustrating when players who were guaranteed to start in the middle are now strikers.
After going through my pet peeves, let’s look at why I selected my midfielders, starting with Maddison. Last season, Maddison was the bargain I put straight into my team, knowing how well he would perform for Leicester. His price has increased from £7.5m to £8.6m, but he is still fantastic value for one of the best creators in the league. I’ve already discussed this before, but Leicester could do very well, and Maddison’s form is down to that expected success.
The next on the list is a player who is a must for all teams. After a fantastic debut season, this could be the season where Felipe Anderson takes that to another level. His goals did dry up near the end of the season, but with the improvements West Ham have made in attack with Fornals and Haller, that shouldn’t happen again. Anderson is the level of player that people think Wilfred Zaha is. The Brazilian is a fantastic dribbler, a great creator and has the coolness in the box to score plenty of goals. Last season, he even earned points from putting in 2.5 tackles per game. I expect that to drop with Fornals’ arrival, but it is an added benefit for an already complete skillset.
Last but not least is John McGinn. While many might prefer Grealish, McGinn, in terms of points, should do better depending on how well they follow up from their promotion campaign, with McGinn contributing to 16 goals, compared to Grealish’s 13. It’s unlikely to see the pair contribute to that many goals in a better league, but McGinn also did more defensive work than any other Villa player last season. That will likely increase with Villa not being able to attack teams similarly as they did in the Championship. Out of all my midfielders, McGinn is the most likely to change, but we’ll see how he does for the first few games.
Attack
Now to the most exciting part of the team. Attack is by far the area where it is most simple to judge how effective players are. I’ve chosen two players who I expect to get close to that 20 goal mark and another who should do well for the money. Let’s start with Salah. While I have my issues with him regarding his awful diving, it’s hard to deny just how good he is for Liverpool. His blistering pace and clinical finishing have made him one of the leagues best forwards, while also being able to create for his side. He began to be isolated by opposition full-backs, lowering his goal total, but it did mean Mane was able to reach double figures in goals for the first time in his career. What makes him such a threat is his left foot. It might be strange, but you rarely see right-wingers become the primary goal threat in the side. It’s why Messi, Robben and now Salah have been able to score so many goals. While expensive, he will make up for it in the points he will bring to my team.
Moving on to Sterling, who is another expected to score plenty of goals from out wide. Much to my dismay, he is now a striker. It makes sense considering he is far from a midfielder anymore, but it’s still a shame. It hasn’t stopped me from keeping him in my team for the third year, and we all know why. Sterling is one of the best attackers in Europe. His directness and intelligence have made him one of the most dangerous players to face on the pitch. He is a hardworking forward who can do just what Salah can while offering more versatility in attack. Sterling has always been excellent at finding space in the box, but his finishing has improved dramatically. Last season, he overperformed expected goals for the first time, showing how he has been able to score those more difficult chances. Salah does have the advantage of taking penalties, but Sterling will still stay close to the Egyptian forward.
Last but certainly not least is Sebastien Haller. While I love what he is offered a forward, using his colossal size to win the ball high up the pitch and feed his teammates, this choice is primarily down to price. Haller costs £8.2m, less than Pukki and Tosun and Ashley Barnes. It makes sense to add one of the best signings of the window, and while I’m not expecting him to score as many as Salah or Sterling, he should start a majority of West Ham’s games and contribute goals and assists for his side.
The areas I will eventually address is the lack of Tottenham, Manchester United and Arsenal players. It’s always good to have a player from each of the top 6 sides. While I might drop points when they play each other, they are still expected to dominate against the weaker teams, giving a perfect chance for goals and most importantly, clean sheets.
This team is by no means final. My goal is to give a monthly update, to show you all how I’m progressing and hopefully show which players are worth adding to your teams. The next update should be during the international break, so stay tuned!
Football Lane 