Fantasy Football group stage lessons: Midfielders
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
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The group stage illustrated the value of picking players who operate in a more advanced role.
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When it comes to midfielders, the first and perhaps most important takeaway from the group stage is the excellent value to be had amongst #UCLfantasy assets who play out of position.
These are midfielders who generally operate as forwards by playing as either a No10 or on the right or left of a front three. This cannot be more obvious than when looking at the top five scoring midfielders.
Of these five, Raheem Sterling (€11.3m), Heung-Min Son (€9.7m), Mohamed Salah (€11.1m) and the now eliminated Mislav Oršić all play much further forward than a traditional midfielder and as such, offer greater attacking potential. No midfielder scored more goals than the five Sterling and Son registered in the group stage, while Salah and Oršić struck four apiece.
The second lesson learnt during the group stage is the value to be gained from budget-priced midfield options. The likes of Īlkay Gündoğan (€6.1m), Emil Forsberg (€6.5m), Jorginho (€5.7m), Casemiro (€6.0m) and Thomas (€5.5m) all averaged more than five points per appearance, proving a valuable reward for little outlay. Through selecting lower-priced midfielders, funds can be freed up for the more expensive assets from other positions.