Fantasy football is a simple game – in many ways, that remains its strength. While games such as the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) have embroidered the basic foundations of the original Fantasy League game, changes to the trusted formula have been few and far between: when the games do iterate, they do it gradually.
In contrast, Premier League football has shifted dramatically in recent seasons. Tactically, the top-flight teams have adapted shape and formation to the extent that we’re seeing very few take to the field in a traditional 4-4-2, opting instead for an adaptation of 4-4-1-1 or 4-3-3. The lone forward, with flanking attackers or a support striker raiding from just in front of the midfield, is now becoming the norm when Sky reel out their pre-match graphics. This has had several knock-on effects on the roles that players adopt on a weekend and, subsequently their Fantasy output over the season. The question is, are the folk behind our Fantasy games aware of the impact this is having and are they brave enough to adapt accordingly?
For me, the popularity of the 4-5-1 or the 4-4-1-1 and the increased use of the lone striker is the main contributor to the growth of the Fantasy team template. The formation has changed the roles of individuals in the player list, making the key targets obvious and consigning yet another batch of players to limbo status along with defensive midfielders.
With so many teams playing a lone striker, we’re seeing our choice in this position narrowed immediately. A whole swathe of talented forwards such as Lukas Podolski, Kevin Mirallas, Peter Odemwingie and Danny Welbeck are rarely given the opportunity to flourish in a 4-4-2 – instead deployed wide and therefore banished to the cupboard by Fantasy managers, only to be called upon when the fixture list and, in particular, double Gameweeks, add to their limited attraction.
In addition, the midfield pool is also narrowed as a result of the growth of the support striker. Players such as Michu, Marouane Fellaini and Kevin Nolan emerge as obvious targets that are available for midfield prices but are thrust into the attack and capable of earning profits to surpass the majority of strikers on offer, let alone wingers.
So both the forward and midfield talent pools become smaller. In the FPL, we find ourselves picking from a cast of around 15 players to fill eight slots. Budget and mid-price options supplement this and rise and fall in popularity but, basically, as the 4-4-1-1 has flourished, we’ve seen obvious targets emerge to reduce the variety on show within our teams and leagues.
I’ve spoken before on how I see an additional attacking midfielder position or perhaps just a new “attacker” or “forward” position to complement the “strikers”. This fifth pool of players would incorporate the likes of Michu and Mirallas, forcing us to sign traditional midfielders in our midfield (Mousa Dembele, Mikel Arteta etc), whilst choosing from a pool of support strikers, wingers and flanking forwards to accompany our choice of lone strikers (Robin Van Persie, Sergio Aguero). This would not only open up the possibility of greater variety in our squads, it would make it a hell of lot easier to classify the likes of Michu every season: in many ways, he’s not a striker or a midfielder – he’s a “forward” or an “attacker”.
Without a change and with the 4-4-1-1 variants looking likely to remain in vogue, we’re facing another season where templates will form, while Fantasy game organisers spend the summer pondering what to do with Michu and Fellaini. Don’t force players into Fantasy football positions that fail to reflect their role. Create a new position to reflect their contributions and the changing face of tactics in the Premier League.
One of the objectives of Fantasy games next and every season, should to ensure that as much of the player list remains active. That not only the defensive midfielders have a role to play, but also those players marginalised by the 4-4-1-1 come back into the reckoning. When I make my pre-season Watchlist, I want to consider more players; I want to find value in wingers and support strikers – either through price but, ideally, through the adaptation of the classic positions or the evolution of scoring methods that recognise their contribution – even when deployed as flank attackers.
It’s a major puzzle for those behind the games but, again, those that take time to analyse the impact of the recent tactical trends and hone their game accordingly will surely have an opportunity to future proof their game, whilst increasing their appeal to an audience that is evolving its own tactical nous and appreciation of Premier League football.
