Hall of Fame Analysis – Part Two

After looking at the strategies used by those in the top ten of our latest Hall of Fame refresh, this second part delves deeper into their player selection and will reveal their current template XI.

For those unfamiliar with the Hall of Fame, this is a ranking system applied to everyone who takes part in our Fantasy Premier League mini-leagues – both the free and members league. Managers’ performances are then traced to give a Hall of Fame rating.

The Live version is updated after each Gameweek and can be viewed by Members via this link.

The career version, which shows the standings at the end of each season, is free to view here or via the HoF tab in the main menu.

If you would like to know more about the Hall of Fame we have included a quick guide in this article. Alternatively, you can view this movie to listen to Mark and Rate My Team’s Chris Atkinson talk you through it.

Let’s now take a look at the current top ten HoF managers’ players and the template that has emerged from this elite group.

Goalkeepers

With only one top-ten manager group without Sunderland’s budget stopper Jordan Pickford (4.1), it is clear that the veterans are keen to gain as much value as possible in goal to protect funds to invest heavily elsewhere.

Even the 4.8-priced Burnley stopper Tom Heaton and West Brom’s Ben Foster are too expensive for the majority of managers: both feature in just three teams.

Hull City’s Eldin Jakupovic (4.0) is also owned by a trio of managers, while Stoke City’s Lee Grant (4.1) has been picked by just one of the HoF’s top managers.

But this may be a position many of the top ten may need to refresh.

Vito Mannone has returned to action for the Black Cats’ reserves to provide stiff competition to Pickford, Grant’s place looks far less assured now that Jack Butland is back in training, while Jakupovic has warmed the Hull bench since Gameweek 6.

Number one placed HoF manager Ville Ronka’s safety-first tactics extends to goalkeepers as he is the only one of this group to have selected both Heaton and Foster.

However, with some movement likely in this position, it would be no surprise to see Heaton’s ownership increase among the top ten over the coming Gameweeks.

Defenders

The search for value extends even further into defence: none of the top selected players cost more than 5.0.

Swansea City’s 4.1-priced defender Jordi Amat is the favoured pick, featuring in nine sides, though the arrival of Bob Bradley has seen him drop out of the starting XI, rendering the Spaniard an inactive benchwarmer.

The next most popular, with seven selections, is Watford wing-back Jose Holebas (4.8), who is suspended for Gameweek 12.

Liverpool’s Dejan Lovren (5.0) – whose price had dropped to 4.9 earlier this season – is the third most selected and found in six squads, while AFC Bournemouth’s Adam Smith – another player suspended for Gameweek 12 – (4.7) sits in four.

The joint fifth most popular, with three selections each are also at the lower end of the price scale, with Manchester City’s John Stones and Everton’s Ashley Williams priced at 5.0 and 5.1 respectively, and Stoke’s Erik Pieters costing just 4.5.

Premium defenders are rare selections among the HoF elite, with Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny (6.5) picked twice and his team-mate Hector Bellerin (6.6) claiming just one owner.

Marcos Alonso (6.0) could soon change that.

The Chelsea left wing-back, who scored and earned a clean sheet in Gameweek 11, is currently owned by two of the top ten.

With Gameweek 15 marking a significant shift in the Blues’ fixtures, there is a strong chance many of these Fantasy stalwarts may opt to invest in either the Spaniard or his team-mate Cesar Azpilicueta (6.1), who has earned FPL bonus points in four of his last five Gameweeks.

Midfielders

Alexis Sanchez (11.3) is one of only two players to feature in all the top ten squads. However, the Arsenal midfielder’s dominance may be short-lived.

A hamstring problem sustained during training for Chile this week has sparked significant sales, with Eden Hazard (10.1), who scored 19 FPL points in Gameweek 11, set to be the most popular replacement.

Five of our HoF top ten have already made at least one transfer during the international break, with the Chelsea winger expected to be their likely target.

The next most popular midfielder is Roberto Firmino (8.7), who sits in all but one of the HoF leaders’ sides. In six squads he is also paired with Philippe Coutinho (8.7), as this group seek to double up on Liverpool’s assets as a key strategy for success.

One squad has paired Firmino with Sadio Mane (9.0), while another has slotted in Adam Lallana (7.1) alongside the ‘false 9’.

Significantly, just one manager has a single Liverpool midfielder, tenth placed Chris Greene, who has opted for Mane as his only cover of Jurgen Klopp’s midfield.

Joe Allen is the budget midfielder of choice with five votes.

The Stoke midfielder’s price slumped to 4.8 in Gameweek 6 and with a hike to 5.4 has already ensured he is a profitable recruit to the HoF leaders’ teams.

Ilkay Gundogan (5.8) has emerged as a challenger to Allen.

The Manchester City midfielder, who scored four times in two appearances across all competitions prior to Gameweek 11, is owned by three managers. The same number have Arsenal’s Theo Walcott (7.8) in their squads.

When it comes to benched fifth midfielders, Watford’s Etienne Capoue (5.0) and Darren Fletcher (4.4) of West Brom, are the key choices, with two selections apiece.

Nathan Redmond (6.0) is the final midfielder to mention; along with Lallana, he features in one of the ten ten squads.

Forwards

A far narrow pool of talent has emerged in attack, with three names dominating matters.

Like Sanchez, Sergio Aguero (13.1) features in every team.

The City striker’s captaincy potential is clearly the main draw, with all ten of this group handing him the armband in Gameweek 11.

Romelu Lukaku (9.8)’s consistency has also been a key factor, with the Belgian featuring in eight out of ten teams. Since his first start in Gameweek 3, Lukaku has delivered attacking returns in six out of nine Gameweeks.

Notably, Charlie Austin is by far the most popular third striker.

He sits in five squads, having cost as little as 6.2 in Gameweek 6, before rising to his current price of 6.7.

In the two teams that employ a 3-5-2 strategy, Adama Diomande (4.6) is the non-playing forward.

Other third strikers featured are Crystal Palace forward Christian Benteke (7.6), Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson (6.6), Watford’s Troy Deeney (7.1) and Marcus Rashford (6.8) of Manchester United, who all claim a single selection.

Chelsea’s improved fixtures in Gameweek 15 may see some of the HoF leaders turn their attention to Diego Costa.

Surprisingly, the Spain international is owned by just one of the top ten, despite scoring nine goals this season, amassing 73 points.

Top Ten HoF Template

Goalkeepers – Pickford (Heaton/Foster/Jakupovic)

Defenders –Amat, Holebas, Lovren, Smith (Stones/Williams/Pieters)

Midfielders – Sanchez, Firmino, Coutinho, Allen (Walcott/Gundogan)

Forwards – Aguero, Lukaku, Austin