Bonus Point Magnets In Defence Revisited

Earlier this season I took a look at how the changes to the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Bonus Point System (BPS) had affected the allocation of bonus points amongst defenders.

As well as BPS points for scoring, assisting and defensive duties, a greater prevalence was placed on crossing ability. This meant we found that full-backs were benefiting compared to 13/14, but they needed to work harder for bonus points, especially for their distribution and passing. Centre-backs also had to work harder, having to excel in both CBI and passing to make up for their lack of attacking play.

With the season now complete I thought I’d revisit this previous research to pinpoint who the bonus point magnets in defence were and why they did so well under BPS.

BPS Allocation

First a quick recap on some of the key attributes defenders need to gain BPS:

• 12 BPS for a goal
• 9 BPS for an assist
• 12 BPS for keeping a clean sheet
• 1 BPS for each open play cross, every three clearances, blocks or interceptions (CBI), every three recovers, each key pass, each successful tackle and each successful dribble.
• 3 BPS for creating a big chance where the receiving player should score.
• 9 BPS 90% pass completion
• 6 BPS 80 to 89% pass completion
• 3 BPS 70 to 79% pass completion
• -3 BPS for conceding a penalty
• -3 BPS for making an error that leads to a goal
• -1 for conceding a foul
• -1 for a shot off target.

From this it is clear that goals are important but not essential for defenders in terms of bonus points. Midfielders get 18 BPS for a goal and forwards get 24 BPS. Defenders do also get 12 BPS for keeping a clean sheet, which means they have to score and keep a clean sheet to get the same allocation as a forward who scores one goal.

Other attributes are clearly needed to get bonus so pass completion, crossing, creating chances and doing well in terms of CBI are important factors in our search for a backline bonus point magnet.

The Data

The table above shows that among defenders the split between full-backs and centre-backs is equal. This shows the change to give a greater prevalence to defenders’ attacking instincts this season has been successful. Full-backs have improved their bonus allocation and centre-backs have not lost too much ground. The split between full-backs and centre-backs in terms of BPS allocation is also evenly split.

However, when looking at overall bonus allocation, 2014/15 belonged to the midfield, with Eden Hazard, Alexis Sanchez and David Silva all in the top five for bonus allocation. The only defender to keep pace is Martin Skrtel, who is ranked eighth in overall bonus allocation. The only other two in the top 15 are 13^th-placed Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines, in 14^th spot.

Key Players

With the above table in mind I wanted to take a look in detail at the key players that are clearly benefiting from the BPS system and turning that success into actual bonus points.

To select this key group of bonus point magnets in defence I have taken the highest ranked defenders in terms of bonus allocation who also figure highly in the BPS rankings, which indicates they are not just performing well, but performing consistently well. For each I will also look at their key underlying statistics using this Defender Bonus table in the Members area.

Martin Skrtel

The Liverpool centre-back was the undisputed king of the bonus point allocation in 2014/15. Key to this was a lack of goals at Liverpool, which meant while he is ranked just seventh in terms of defender BPS rankings, his BPS helped place him top for bonus allocation amongst defenders. If you believe Liverpool will continue to suffer in attack next season and do well in terms of clean sheets, Skrtel looks a great pick.

But even if Liverpool do improve their goalscoring record he could still do well in bonus point allocation. Let’s take a look at his underlying statistics to see why the BPS system likes him. Clean sheets were key. He registered 13, with only Chelsea, Swansea and Southampton defenders being able to beat that. But his high CBI score certainly helps as well. He had the fifth highest CBI score for 2014/15. He was also top for pass completion among defenders. These two attributes significantly helped him. Where he falls down though is on big chances (0), no assists and just one goal all season. His dribble and recovery stats were also poor, proving that for a solid centre-back like Skrtel with good passing and defensive awareness there is a good chance of bonus point success even if they are poor in attack.

Phil Jagielka/Leighton Baines

Clean sheets also helped this Everton pair but they were not central to their success. While Jagielka notched 10, Baines gained 9. Looking closely at Baines’ statistics, his high assist count (nine) proved crucial. But with poor CBI, recovery and tackling statistics, the left-back will have to maintain this high assist rate to remain competitive in terms of bonus allocation. He did produce three big chances, joint fifth among defenders. This helped his BPS score but he will need to improve on that statistic next season to compete with Jagielka.

Of the pair Jagielka looks the better option. He was the third best defender in terms of CBI in 2014/15, second for big chances, scored four goals and is in the top ten for pass completion among defenders. He is also ranked second in terms of recoveries. Quite simply, he has more in his locker than Baines.

Cesar Azpilicueta/John Terry/Branislav Ivanovic

While Gary Cahill is in the top 12 in terms of BPS allocation he couldn’t compete with his team-mates Azpilicueta, Terry or Ivanovic when it came to converting that ranking into actual bonus points. I have therefore not included him amongst my list of bonus point magnets. It is also worth noting that all the Chelsea defenders are hindered in terms of bonus by having to compete with the likes of Hazard and Fabregas.

For Terry, goals played a big part in his good bonus allocation. He scored five and created seven big chances. His high pass completion, CBI and recoveries also helped, indicating he can do well in terms of bonus even without scoring.

Ivanovic, meanwhile also relied on goals (4) and assists (5). In terms of pass completion he is the worst in the Chelsea defence. To gain bonus Ivanovic usually has to either assist or score.

Azpilicueta is the most interesting. While he cannot match Ivanovic, Terry or even Cahill for BPS allocation he was the only Chelsea defender in the top five amongst defenders in terms of actual bonus points. Where he excels is being a jack of all trades and master of none. He notched up three assists and his pass completion was reasonable, at over 80%. His recoveries are also good, with only Ivanovic beating him amongst other Chelsea defenders. He is also the top tackler in the Chelsea defence. This shows that strong underlying statistics across the board have been just enough to give him the edge over his team-mates. Having 14 clean sheets compared to Ivanovic’s 18 and Terry’s 17 also indicates how he manages to pick up bonus using strong baseline bonus attributes.

Jose Fonte

Clean sheets (15) are the chief reason for the Southampton centre-back’s success in the bonus point system. But so too are his underlying statistics. He is the third best defender in terms of recoveries for 2014/15. In addition, he is among the ten best defenders in terms of CBI. However, with no big chances to his name last season, no goals and just one assist, if you believe that Southampton will keep fewer clean sheets next season, he is one to avoid.

Conclusion

As with my earlier analysis of the bonus point magnets in defence it is clear that full-backs and centre-backs now have equal weighting in terms of bonus allocation. They also still fall behind midfielders and forwards, who earn more BPS for scoring.

Clearly, clean sheets are key. That’s obvious. Goals also help the likes of John Terry. But Azpilicueta and Skrtel show that strong underlying baseline bonus attributes (such as pass completion and recoveries) can help lead the way. However, Skrtel’s season may be seen in the long term as an anomaly, with Liverpool’s lack of striking options significantly boosting his standing in the bonus rankings.

For selecting defenders next season, the bread and butter prediction must be clean sheets. From there, if you a FFScout Member, look closely at their tackling, CBI and other underlying statistics to pinpoint those likely to have the edge over their team mates.

Of those listed above, Azpilicueta remains the most interesting and could prove a cut-price alternative to Ivanovic and Terry. Jagielka has also shown that he is arguably the best option among Everton’s defenders in terms of bonus and attacking intent. His combination of strong CBI with big chance creation and goals is almost perfect for the BPS system.

I hope that this spurs others on to take a look into the Members area and provide some further analysis on bonus point allocation, such as baseline bonus and a look at bonus allocation for forwards. It would be interesting to find out which forwards score well under BPS and have more to their game than just goals.