Sky Sports Game – Man of the Match Analysis

Our next article focussing on this season’s Sky Sports game analyses the Man of the Match (MoM) awards from the previous campaign. Bearing in mind that 5 points is on offer (the equivalent of a goal or clean sheet) for the recipient, it’s a significant factor in our selection process as we look to balance our Fantasy budgets:

First of all, we take a look at the MoM awards per position over 2011/12. From the 380 matches that took place last time out, 335 of the MoM recipients are still plying their trade in the Premier League and the breakdown per position makes for interesting reading.

Of those 335, Goalkeepers received just 19, a mere 6% of the haul, while Defenders picked up 61, or 18%. Perhaps surprisingly, Forwards received 103 of those 335 MoM awards, which equates to 31% but, in comparison, Midfielders were far and away the most popular, with a total of 152, or 45%.

The Goalkeepers

Bearing in mind he failed to record a single clean sheet on the road and managed just three at home all season, John Ruddy caught the judges’ eye more than any other keeper. The Norwich man picked up 4 MoM awards but, despite the fact he also saved a spot-kick, returned a mere 45 points; priced at 4.6 he is far from enticing, though new boss Chris Hughton will be hoping to instill a little more resilience in the Canaries’ backline this term.

Michel Vorm, Ben Foster and Shay Given were next best with three apiece. The Swansea stopper has been slapped with a 5.2 price tag this time round after finishing as second top scoring keeper last season but a change of manager is likely to lessen his overall appeal. Given, at 4.3, is the cheapest of the trio, with Foster priced at 4.7 after returning 10 clean sheets in 2011/12. For keepers, Man of the Match awards are basically non-existent the higher up the table we go; only Tim Krul and Brad Friedel – with one each – managed any from the top eight teams.

The Defenders

Only three defenders received more than two MoM awards over the entirety of last term. Swansea’s Ashley Williams led the way with four; as a result he has been valued at 6.9, though with Swans new boy and central defensive partner Chico costing just 5.0, Williams is likely to find it hard to pick up much Fantasy interest. Vincent Kompany and Leighton Baines were the two other stand-out defenders in the eyes of the Sky Sports judges – both managed three apiece and, while Baines’ 7.1 valuation may appeal to some, Kompany, at 8.0, is the costliest defender on offer this time round.

Further down the list, it’s intriguing to see that 11 of the 14 defenders to earn two MoM awards were centre-halves. The three full-backs were City pair Micah Richards and Aleksandar Kolarov but, while Spurs’ Kyle Walker offers the most guaranteed game time – at 7.7 he’s far from cheap.

Thomas Vermaelen is the priciest of the men in the middle at 7.6, with Chelsea’s Gary Cahill next up at 7.0 and Fabricio Coloccini at 6.9. Further down the price list, Villa pair James Collins and Richard Dunne are 5.4 and 5.3 respectively, with Stoke duo Ryan Shawcross (6.4) and Robert Huth (5.5) also picking up two MoM awards for Tony Pulis’ side. Others to catch the eye included West Brom’s Gareth McAuley at 6.0, Brede Hangeland (5.8) and Everton’s Sylvain Distin, who will set you back 5.3.

The Midfielders

Finally, Victor Moses has found his niche. The Wigan man picked up a staggering nine MoM awards in the Sky Sports game last season, the most of any midfielder and second overall to Robin Van Persie; clearly, a stand-out player in a team devoid of any real stars is likely to benefit in the eyes of the judges.

Moses was head and shoulders above any midfielder for MoM awards – the next best was five, a tally only four players managed. Of this quartet, Steven Pienaar is of significant interest; the South African picked up his awards over just 14 games on loan at Everton and, at 6.0, looks a real mid-price option if he makes his move to Goodison a permanent one this summer.

Gareth Bale (8.8) and Clint Dempsey (8.6) also picked up five apiece, though they played 36 and 37 games respectively – further indication of Pienaar’s potential. Sunderland’s Stephane Sessegnon was the only other midfielder to receive more than four MoM awards; the Black Cats’ man comes in at 7.7 this time round after accruing 153 points in 2011/12.

Looking at the overall spread, as many as 21 midfielders were awarded the MoM on three or four occasions – compare this to a mere seven forwards and it’s clear what area the judges tend to favour; unsurprisingly, those in this category include the likes of David Silva, Juan Mata, Antonio Valencia and Gylfi Sigurdsson. While the first two are the costliest midfielders in this season’s game at 9.0 and 8.9 respectively, Valencia (7.9) and Sigurdsson, in particular, at 7.3, are far kinder on the budget. Sigurdsson picked up his four MoM awards in just 17 appearance for Swansea but a move to Spurs may curtail his appeal, with Bale a clear contender for the judges affections.

More MoM standouts who offer value for money include Matthew Etherington and Wes Hoolahan; both come in at 6.8 and scored 113 and 107 points last time out. Moving into the mid-price bracket, though and there are a few enticing options to consider. Hatem Ben Arfa (6.2) picked up three awards from just 16 starts – if he can hold down the role on the right of Newcastle’s front three, the Frenchman could well appeal, while Chris Brunt and James McClean also earned three MoM each. McClean’s haul came from just 20 appearances, suggesting he could well be set to improve next term now that he is a first-team regular.

Although Paul Scholes (5.0) may not feature quite so prominently for United, he earned three MoM awards in just 14 appearances and should also benefit from the new Bonus Point Rule, which awards players with an extra two points if they make 60+ passes per game – the veteran is a real punt here but will clearly stand a chance of picking up the points when on the pitch.

The Forwards

As mentioned above, Robin Van Persie was the most popular player when it came to collecting MoM awards – the Gunners skipper picked up 12 altogether and returned a total of 310 points, way ahead of Wayne Rooney and Sergio Aguero on 241 and 240 respectively.

Indeed, the trio were amongst a group of just six forwards to receive more than four MoM awards in 2011/12. Rooney and Aguero picked up seven MoM apiece and, as a result come in at 9.8 and 9.9 respectively in the Sky Sports game, just behind Van Persie’s valuation of 10.0. Perhaps surprisingly, Luis Suarez was next best with six and is priced at 9.6 despite returning 155 points, exactly half Van Persie’s total.

Peter Crouch and Grant Holt were the only other forwards to earn more than four MoM awards – both received five from 32 and 24 starts respectively. The duo are valued rather steeply as a result, with Crouch at 8.8 and Holt at 8.7. Fernando Torres and Gabby Agbonlahor head the pack of players with three or four MoM awards – the Chelsea man comes in at 9.5, with the latter priced at 8.0 after a dire second half to the season, while the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor, Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse all feature here. Cisse was particularly impressive, bearing in mind he made just 13 starts after moving to the Magpies in January – at 9.3 he’s hefty on the budget but still better value than Ba (9.0), with the latter failing to fire in the last few months of the campaign after a move wide left. Adebayor’s cost of 8.6 is intriguing if he can cement a permanent move to Spurs, though the deal continues to stall due to his allegedly excessive wage demands.

The Sky Sports Scout League

Sky Sports Fantasy Football is free to play and offers a raft of prizes, including £25,000 to the winner.

Fantasy Football Scout also has an official Sky Sports Fantasy Football League with a prize of a Samsung Blu Ray home cinema system worth up to £600 on offer.

Register your Sky Sports team and then join our “FFScout” league – the Pin is 8004519.