Awards

How Robertson broke an FPL record and whether he can do it again

Andrew Robertson (£6.7m) joins his Liverpool teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.8m) in our Team of the Season for 2018/19.

The Scotland international topped the scoring charts for defenders with a total of 213 points, a new record for a defender in Fantasy Premier League.

Robertson came second in our end-of-season poll for Defender of the Year, achieving 24.92% of the vote, just behind Alexander-Arnold.

The Anfield duo shared more than 50% of the overall vote which demonstrates just how popular they were among Fantasy managers this year.

PlayerNumber of votesShare of vote
Trent Alexander-Arnold 970 25.25%
Andrew Robertson 957 24.92%
Matt Doherty 492 12.81%
Aymeric Laporte 484 12.6%
Aaron Wan-Bissaka 420 10.93%
Virgil van Dijk 370 9.63%
Lucas Digne 127 3.31%
David Luiz 21 0.55%

THE STATISTICS

Robertson broke the FPL record for points scored by a defender in a single campaign in 2018/19

Looking at the numbers for Robertson’s season, it’s no surprise that he has got back-to-back inclusions in our Team of the Season. Will he make it a hat-trick in 2019/20?

His tally of 213 points overall was bettered only by the big-hitting midfielders Mohamed Salah (£13.2m), Eden Hazard (£11.0m), Raheem Sterling (£11.7m) and Sadio Mane (£10.3m).

Robertson was a very reliable pick throughout the season. We didn’t have to worry too much about rotation or injuries with him like we did with Alexander-Arnold.

Robertson missed just two matches all season in contrast to the right-back’s nine.

That helped Robertson (21) register more clean sheets than any other defender in 2018/19. Furthermore, he finished just one behind of Alexander-Arnold in the assist competition on 12, having led it for most of the campaign.

The Scottish international also loves a bonus point (or three) and finished the year with 29 in total, more than any other defender in the game.

Robertson had 1,005 touches in the final third which portrays just how attacking he was under Jurgen Klopp this season.

However, despite registering 91 touches in the opposition’s penalty area, the left-back failed to find the back of the net in 2018/19, often opting to play the pass when he could have had a pop at goal.

As Fantasy managers, we will be hoping to see him take shots on more often next season, but we won’t complain too much if he keeps up his rate of clean sheets, assists and bonus.

SEASON RECAP

Andrew Robertson enjoyed an impressive season at Liverpool in 2018/19

The Liverpool left-back started the season with a bang, scoring 32 points in the opening four Gameweeks.

In Gameweek 1, he provided an assist in the 4-0 win over West Ham and picked up his first two bonus points of the campaign.

In fact, he got some bonus in each of his first three games (six in total). Understandably, savvy Fantasy managers got on him early if they hadn’t already gone with him from the outset.

In the two matches he sat out (Gameweeks 10 and 15), the Reds failed to keep a clean sheet so his owners weren’t left too frustrated.

There’s nothing worse than when your defender misses out and his team secures a clean sheet. It’s happened to us all at some point. Either way, those absences highlight how important he was to Liverpool’s defensive prospects.

Robertson was more of a steady stream of points returns compared to the more explosive Alexander-Arnold. The former Hull City man finished the season with just five double-digit returns compared to Alexander-Arnold’s nine.

His best Gameweek score of the season came against Huddersfield in Gameweek 36 where he bagged two assists and two bonus points in the 5-0 win, a 14-point return for his loyal backers.

It was the second time he’d provided two assists in a game, as he did it in the 5-0 win over Watford, too.

Robertson finished the season as he started it, bringing home 33 points for his owners in the last five Gameweeks, thanks mainly to Liverpool’s four clean sheets.

OWNERSHIP

Robertson was a hugely popular Fantasy asset in 2018/19

Unsurprisingly, Robertson (33.0%) was the most-owned defender when the season ended on May 12th.

Looking back at Gameweek 1, he was in 720,845 teams when the 2018/19 campaign kicked off. The strong start saw Robertson’s ownership cross the one million mark by Gameweek 3 and it continued to rise steadily given his form and reliability as a Fantasy asset.

He was priced at £6.0m back in August, but by the time his ownership had hit the two million mark in Gameweek 14, his price had already increased to £6.5m making it tricky for those who didn’t own him to get him in with many opting for the cheaper alternative in Alexander-Arnold instead to ‘cover’ the Liverpool defence.

Following his brace of assists against Watford in Gameweek 28, Robertson’s price and ownership reached its peak in Gameweek 30. At that point, it cost Fantasy managers a whopping £6.9m to get him and he was owned by 2.4 million managers.

Going into the final Gameweek of the season, these numbers had decreased slightly to £6.7m and just over two million owners.

THE PROSPECTS

There are all sorts of factors to consider when assessing Liverpool defenders for 2019/20

Surely, we are going to see the record-breaker priced at £7.0m next season. Maybe even £7.5m? Will you pay it? Will he have as good a season next year as he did this year? These are all important questions for Fantasy managers to consider over the summer.

Arguably, there is no better left-back in world football than Robertson at present. Even if Liverpool do go out and sign another one this summer, Robertson will be one of the first names on Jurgen Klopp’s teamsheet for Gameweek 1 next season.

With so much rotation from managers in the Premier League nowadays, set and forget players like Robertson are getting rarer with each season that passes.

When you invest in him, you know it’s a spot in your team that you don’t have to worry about unless he picks up an injury.

Virgil van Dijk (£6.7m) and Alexander-Arnold are also set to get a price hike for the new season, which will beg the question whether they are worth it or not.

Alexander-Arnold could have some competition for his place at right-back from Joe Gomez (£4.8m), which could see managers lean towards Robertson and van Dijk because of the rotation fear.

However, it must be said that replacing Alberto Moreno (£4.1m) must be one of Jurgen Klopp’s aims in the transfer market this summer, in order to provide Robertson with some competition.

If that happens, then we could have a situation where the rotation risk both for him and Alexander-Arnold are very similar.

Regardless of what his new price is, or who Liverpool sign in the transfer window, Robertson will be in a lot of teams for Gameweek 1 of the 2019/20 season.

It will be no surprise if we are sitting here this time next May writing about why Robertson has made it into the Team of the Season for the third consecutive season. He is Fantasy gold.

68 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Cheeseoid
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 10 months ago

    He won't do it again. Problem solved

    1. Duffy Dunk
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 10 months ago

      Nice article General.
      Double LIV defence will probably be very popular gw1. VVD is nailed, TAA very creative.
      Robbo combines both, so he'll probably be the #1 pick.

    2. JohnnyMagrinho
        4 years, 10 months ago

        OK?

    3. Supersonic Marv'
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 10 months ago

      What a signing Robertson has been. Full backs are so important in the modern game and we got him for peanuts. Rock and roll.

      1. Amey
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 10 months ago

        Yep.
        Great scouting 🙂

      2. Bragazeti
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 10 months ago

        The type of player every team wish they had

    4. Amey
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 10 months ago

      Definitely in my team for next season (hopefully fpl won't slap 8m tag on him though)

      Beast of a player & awesome fpl asset !!

      1. Supersonic Marv'
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 10 months ago

        Has there ever been an 8m defender? My memory isn't the best.

        1. Piggs Boson
          • 12 Years
          4 years, 10 months ago

          Baines was definitely one. Think there were others though.

        2. Amey
          • 5 Years
          4 years, 10 months ago

          Yeah.
          Baines & Vidic as told here previously.

        3. Pasqualinho
          • 14 Years
          4 years, 10 months ago

          John Terry was one too. I don't think that either of him, Baines or Vidic did that well in the seasons they were highly priced. They did ok, but not 8.0M ok.

          1. 1912 F.A Cup Winners
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 6 Years
            4 years, 10 months ago

            He’s been in my team since gameweek 27 of the previous season and was the only player in my squad that stayed in my team all season, will definitely be in my gameweek 1 team for the coming season too!!

    5. Piggs Boson
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 10 months ago

      If Robertson and TAA hit similar ppgs again next season, they'd both be good value at 8.0m. That's how ridiculous they were last year.

      Planning to start with both. One minimum.

    6. pingissimus
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 10 months ago

      Strange how VVD slips under the radar - he scored just 5 fewer points than Robbo.

      1. GREEN IS GOOD
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 10 months ago

        Triple Liverpool defence lol.

        Clean sheets + baps could give you some crazy scores.

        1. pingissimus
          • 5 Years
          4 years, 10 months ago

          I’m actively contemplating it. Early season gamble if fixtures look good.

          Losing a Liverpool attacker as captain is a major downside. There’ll be weeks where Liverpool is the natural captain - triple defence and defender captain?! Bold.

      2. Je suis le chat
        • 10 Years
        4 years, 10 months ago

        True, second highest defender scorer ever, poty and he didn't make the fpl team of the year.

      3. NIKO.
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 10 months ago

        Good point and he scored his 4 goals in the second half of the season. So if he could chip in with some goals all the way through the season he will be awesome

    7. Arteta
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 10 months ago

      Borussia Dortmund sold Christian Pulisic for £57.60m and then signed:

      Nico Schulz - £22.95m
      Thorgan Hazard - £22.95m
      Julian Brandt - £22.50m

      Wow, just wow. Very shrewd business!

      1. Bragazeti
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 10 months ago

        Brandt as well!! That's amazing

    8. BrutalLogiC
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 10 months ago

      when do the registrations usually start for new season? I can never remember

      1. Pasqualinho
        • 14 Years
        4 years, 10 months ago

        2nd week in July normally. At least in recent years it's been around there.

      2. RedLightning
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • Has Moderation Rights
        • 13 Years
        4 years, 10 months ago

        Last season's FPL launch was on 5th July, which was a little earlier than usual.
        Advance registrations were a few days earlier.

    9. Limited & Mediocre Mana…
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 10 months ago

      Some rogue apostrophes floating around

      1. Old Man
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        4 years, 10 months ago

        'twas ever thus

    10. Oscar Slater
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 10 months ago

      So, if you multiply defenders PPG by 1.4, midfielders by 1.7 and forwards by 2.0 it seems to give a reasonably indicative suggestion of what their prices for 19/20 might be. Some flaws exist of course but I found it interesting anyway 😀

    11. asquishypotato
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 10 months ago

      Loved him his season, he was so bonus point heavy that it helped with the early start. Pending fixtures and signings I do think trent is likely the better option thanks to attacking potential, but would not be averse to the double up of those two at all.

    12. SAKA AND EMILE SMITH ROWE
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 10 months ago

      https://twitter.com/AFTVMedia/status/1131235734147538945

      Arsenal have won 'Best Kit' Award already

      1. Calderano FC
        • 13 Years
        4 years, 10 months ago

        Why?

    13. The_Fish
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 10 months ago

      He’s the only player I had all season. I plan to do the same next season, even if he costs 8m

    14. Wild Rover
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 10 months ago

      Mysterion

      If you you see Marvin about can you tell him that the email he received was genuine, he thought it was dodgy

      Cheers 🙂

      1. Wild Rover
        • 13 Years
        4 years, 10 months ago

        Well more an invite to send an 3mail but you get my drift 🙂

      2. Pumpkinhead - I'm ITK …
        • 14 Years
        4 years, 10 months ago

        Look up mate .

    15. 1912 F.A Cup Winners
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 10 months ago

      Anyone else think with players like Robbo, Trent, Digne, Laporte etc all going to get quite hefty price rises that 4-3-3 formation will be the way to go at the start of the season?? Compromise midfield player to get super strong defence with attacking potential?!

      1. The_Fish
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 10 months ago

        I went with 442 a lot last season, think it will become more common this year.

        A lot depends on what they do with players like Salah and Mane though, they should probably be strikers.

        1. The_Fish
          • 5 Years
          4 years, 10 months ago

          Also congrats on the promotion.

          1. 1912 F.A Cup Winners
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 6 Years
            4 years, 10 months ago

            Yeah I think your right mate they should be classed as strikers although I hope they aren’t for fpl points purposes!! Haha, cheers mate thankyou it’s nice to be back where we belong in the second tier!!!! Haha

      2. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
        • 14 Years
        4 years, 10 months ago

        Robbo, TAA & VVD in this Klopp setup seem to be once in a generation FPL defenders (a la prime Baines, Vidic, JT, Alonso etc) they’ll be minimum 7.0 each imo, TAA May squeak in at 6.5 but i’d Be surprised if he did. The other two could be 7.5’s or even possibly 8.0’s

        Digne & Laporte look extremely good prospects also (like solid, solid 6.5’ers that justify every penny of their value)

        Next season will be big at the Back for many i’d imagine

        1. 1912 F.A Cup Winners
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 6 Years
          4 years, 10 months ago

          Yeah totally agreed what you same mate, as we speak now I’m definitely thing il be 4 at the back to start and see what unfolds it’s would be gold if TAA was 6.5 but as you say it’s probably unlikely, I never owned Laporte all season he’s the one player o never owned that i wish i had!! So he’s a sire to be in my first gameweek team

          1. 1912 F.A Cup Winners
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 6 Years
            4 years, 10 months ago

            *sure

    16. rokonto
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 10 months ago

      FA Cup final sterling / Jesus goal someone please tell me why we didn't see the goal-line technology graphic to determine whether the ball Cross the Line before sterling kicked it in

      1. Wild Rover
        • 13 Years
        4 years, 10 months ago

        Because it’s only triggered when the whole of the ball crosses the line. It didn’t

        1. Brosstan
          • 9 Years
          4 years, 10 months ago

          They frequently show the goal line technology in action when it doesnt cross the line.

          1. Wild Rover
            • 13 Years
            4 years, 10 months ago

            Yes, but it never includes a players boot

        2. RedLightning
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • Has Moderation Rights
          • 13 Years
          4 years, 10 months ago

          The ball clearly did cross the line.
          The only question was whether this was before or after Sterling touched it.

      2. RedLightning
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • Has Moderation Rights
        • 13 Years
        4 years, 10 months ago

        The goal line technology is used to determine whether a goal has been scored, not to decide who scored it.

        1. Calderano FC
          • 13 Years
          4 years, 10 months ago

          We need a VAR emoji

        2. Wild Rover
          • 13 Years
          4 years, 10 months ago

          Exactly.

        3. Emiliano Sala
          • 7 Years
          4 years, 10 months ago

          They can show it slow motion and it shows ball direction change

          1. RedLightning
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • Has Moderation Rights
            • 13 Years
            4 years, 10 months ago

            Slow motion replays as used by VAR are different from the goal line technology that signals to the ref whether or not the ball has completely crossed the line before being cleared or bouncing out and by how much it has or hasn't done so.
            In this case, it was clear that Sterling did touch the ball and that it then finished up in the back of the net, but it was extremely unclear whether he touched it before or after it had completely crossed the line.

    17. GreennRed
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 10 months ago

      Greetings comrades 🙂

      1. Jafalad
        • 14 Years
        4 years, 10 months ago

        No need for politics please. There’s far too many right wing fascistas as it is.

        1. Now I'm Panicking
          • 9 Years
          4 years, 10 months ago

          What about the radicalised left with their vicious regime of throwing dairy products?

    18. Emiliano Sala
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 10 months ago

      Want to see some earlier price release as they did last year

      1. SAKA AND EMILE SMITH ROWE
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 10 months ago

        fantasyfootballfix have some theirs, if you want any specific ones just give me a shout (costs £8 to be a member)

        1. RedLightning
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • Has Moderation Rights
          • 13 Years
          4 years, 10 months ago

          Those aren't official price releases, they're just best guesses.

        2. jtreble
          • 7 Years
          4 years, 10 months ago

          Does FFF allow you to build prototype FPL teams based on its predicted 2019-20 player pricing? Curious.

    19. Captain Kakaroto (I blame R…
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 10 months ago

      Im so boreddd, someone knows when we gonna get fixtures lists?

      1. pingissimus
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 10 months ago

        June 13

    20. sergeblanco
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 10 months ago

      At the beginning of the season I’d a hot topic previewing the 4.0 defenders. Here’s a review on how they faired. I mentioned all those who played pre-season minutes in the preview so (perhaps unsurprisingly) Benalouane, Malone, Schelleto & McQueen got no action and/or are no longer on their respective squads! The others, however, featured well enough and a couple of additions also came into play.

      Wan-Bissaka, 3134 mins, 120 pts, 3 assists, 12 CS, 3.4 PPM. Possibly the greatest 4.0 defender of all time? Got points in 34 games, scored two 0s and had one minus score. He is a rarity and I imagine it’s very doubtful we’ll see the likes again.

      Bennett, 3060 mins, 89 pts, 1 gl, 9 CS, 2.6 PPM. Got points in 30 games and scored four 0s. Battled pre-season for game time with Saiss but emerged as first choice and a somewhat unlikely consistent source of points. Another rare 4.0 player who was a first choice starter for one of the season’s top teams. I’d take Bennett as a 4.0 defender every day of the week!

      Valery, 1709 mins, 54 pts, 2 goals, 1 assist, 3 CS, 2.3 PPM. Got points in 21 games, scored one 0 and had one minus score. Quite a few opted for Valery in late WCs and he played in all but 2 games since his introduction in GW 14. Outscored his buddy Bednarek with a lot less minutes even though ownership was 200,000 less.

      Bednarek, 2150 mins, 49 pts, 1 assist, 3 CS, 2 PPM. Got points in 21 games but what let him down was the four 0 scores. I’d hotly tipped him at the start of the season to maybe even give Wan-Bissaka a run for his money but Hughes didn’t fancy him and the SOU defence ended up being rubbish. Still, you’d probably take him and Valery as squad players at 4.0 - more than 50% chance either’d get you something if they came off your bench.

      Peltier, 1542 mins, 43 pts, 5 CS, 2.1 PPM. Scored in 15 games but, like Bednarek, was let down by his scores of 0 (he had 5!). Injuries halted Peltier early on but he (and CAR) scored better than I’d anticipated defensively since his reintroduction to the team from GW 23 (he only missed 2 matches after that).

      Kelly, 1110 mins, 26 pts, 3 CS, 2 PPM. Scored in 11 games, had one score of 0 and had minus points once too. A player with much experience but has found himself down the pecking order. Due to injuries, however, got more playing time than expected and again was a good WC option for end of season when he played last 7 games in a row.

      Stankovic, 715 mins, 24 pts, 1 gl, 2CS, 2.2 PPM. Scored in 7 but also had four 0 scores. Had seemingly more potential than he got to show as was also an OOP option as a DM. Came into favour from GW 28 onwards but the perils of being a HUD defender meant not much to write home about in the end.

      Simpson, 401 mins, 10 pts, 1 CS, 1.7 PPM. Scored in 4 and had one minus score. Included here for two reasons: (a) was touted in the preview because had played a lot of pre season and (b) at a stretch could be the only one mentioned here that comes back as a 4.0 with good potential for next year. BOU usually poor defensively but only conceded 2 goals in the 3 home games he played in (including games vs TOT & MCI).

      The reason I’ve included how many matches they scored 0 or minus points in is because, obviously enough, we tend to get 4.0 defenders to perhaps come off our bench when someone else misses out. This isn’t much use if they score a big fat 0 and block someone else’s points coming on. This happened 7% of the time with this crew which I imagine is a far higher % than your average price point.

      I love a good bargain and will always have a 4.0 as my 5th defender if they’re a first choice player. It’s important to note, however, that they come with a relatively high risk of blocking other players with a 0 or minus score because of their teams’ generally precarious defences.

      Conclusion: This season was IMO the year of the 4.0s as usually there is only 1/2 players who are first choice in that bracket. This season, on the other hand, we had a multitude who could match most 4.5s for starts. Wan Bissaka was immense but Bennett, Valery, Bednarek and Peltier were all first choice starters and Kelly became that due to injuries. If we get even 1 who comes close to the likes of Valery, Bednarek or Peltier next season then I’ll be very surprised. A Wan-Bissaka or Bennett, however - be happy they happened as their like is a valued rarity!

      1. Just Confused
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 10 months ago

        Didnt know there was so many who decent mins....obi wan is the king tho