The Community Round Up

England’s embarrassing early World Cup exit failed to dampen spirits in the community too much this week, as the goals continued to flow in what is proving to be one of the most exciting tournaments in decades. With strikers proving their worth, team selection and forward lines were among the big World Cup discussions taking place on the boards, as was the fall-out from the antics of a certain Uruguayan.

Meanwhile, Premier League planning is never too far away from the community’s thoughts and this week saw the release of a must-read submission examining home and away rotation. We revisit this and more, whilst catching up on the latest movement in the community’s leagues and tournaments.

The Community articles

Once again, a good few members of the community were on hand to help out with our World Cup predicted line-ups article, ensuring that it was as up to date as possible ahead of Matchday Three’s games. Demi, in particular, was a key source of information, while TorresMagic, Saniul, Pundit of Punts and Neronaldo also chipped in.

Going into this week’s clashes, Balotellis Bib returned to provide his regular dissection of the previous week’s events to unearth the lessons learned. His assertion that Colombia are truly living up to their dark horses tag continues to hold water as they won their group and progressed into the last eight this week.

Away from the World Cup, Portsmouth Bubblejet was investing time in some early Premier League planning; his look at the best home and away rotations next season. This started as a Hot Topic in comments but, after racking up an outstanding 51 votes by the middle of the week, he kindly submitted his work as a community article. This should make it easier to find as the start of the domestic season draws near and attentions turn to that vital initial squad selection.

The Hottest Topics

England’s demise as a credible international footballing force has been slow and painful and was once again the source for many a discussion over the past week. Our Hot Topic asked where next for the 1966 World Cup winners? Doosra came forward to express his faith in England’s players but claimed they have been let down by poor management in recent years. The Tinkerman, however, claimed that the current crop of English players are simply not good enough to compete at the very top level.

Later in the week, Funkyav continued the discussion around England, urging The Football Association to build for the future and focus on youth in forthcoming matches.

An abundance of talent did, of course, make it out of the groups and into the knock-out phase, giving us Fantasy managers plenty to ponder. There were tough decisions to be made, particularly regarding the precious forward spots in our squads. Those to take part in our discussion on the best frontline for the final 16 and beyond included Bambi, who has faith in the trio of Brazil’s Neymar, France’s Karim Benzema and Argentina’s Lionel Messi.

While rotation has become a factor to consider when selecting a team for the knockout stages, Cabaye4, believes that World Cup managers are being over cautious and should help build momentum by playing their best players rather than rest them.

Player discipline and the advent of one-match bans were another consideration discussed this week, with Siva Mohan providing this excellent guide to the players on one yellow card going into Matchday 3.

Zepinho was quick to claim that getting the right differential would be crucial for success in the knockout stages. His Hot Topic focusing on the Fox Fantasy game examined how to break the template and select the best cheap options to slot in alongside the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar. Colombia’s winger Juan Cuadrado remained an ever-popular target, a selection endorsed by Willis, who was among those who answered our hot topic on the best budget players in the knockout rounds.

Finally, it was inevitable that Luis Suarez would occupy plenty of our discussions in an extraordinary week. Banned from the rest of the World Cup, Suarez also looks set to sit out until the start of November in the Premier League. As our Hot Topic demonstrated,his absence will be keenly felt as we look to redraft our early squad selections for the forthcoming season.

The Community Tournaments

The Fantasy Football Scout community continues to dominate the Fox game with our league leader Alba Esque sitting fourth in the competition going into Sunday’s games. Meanwhile, FFS Deadzone league leader Usman Gulzar was in a respectable 33^th overall and Roscola topped the FFS Mods and Contributors Fox league following Saturday’s games.

The leader of our league in the Official FIFA Fantasy game is FC Cubilas on 475 points. He’s ranked fourth on the overall leaderboard, just 24 points behind the lead in the chase for the top prize of a brand new Kia Soul.

For the latest in the FFS UEFA World Cup team competition, which is using the Official FIFA Fantasy game, click here.