Competitions

World Cup of FPL – Group E and F results

Our World Cup of FPL tournament asks you, the Fantasy Football Scout readers, to vote for the greatest Fantasy Premier League asset of all time.

We first invited you to submit your long-list nominations before sorting the 32 most popular players into eight groups of four.

Eight FPL legends past and present have already qualified for the last 16, namely Frank Lampard, Robin van Persie, Thierry Henry, Gareth Bale, Harry Kane, Didier Drogba, Cristiano Ronaldo and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Some big names have already fallen at the first hurdle, meanwhile, including Steven Gerrard and Eden Hazard.

Voting for Group E and Group F has been taking place over the last couple of days and we can now reveal the next quartet of players who have made it through to the knockout stages.

GROUP E – FINAL STANDINGS

  1. Wayne Rooney | 40.3%
  2. Marcos Alonso | 29.8%
  3. Raheem Sterling | 19.2%
  4. Nemanja Vidic | 10.8%

Raheem Sterling was the latest high-profile casualty in our World Cup of FPL, failing to make the knockout rounds as Wayne Rooney and Marcos Alonso progressed from Group E.

Unlike when Eden Hazard was eliminated by just half a percentage point, Sterling was never really in the running and finished a clear third behind runner-up Alonso.

We speculated in our preview that Sterling’s so-so 2019/20 campaign may have slightly tainted his reputation in the Fantasy community and that could well have been a factor, given that he had racked up 77 attacking returns and 463 FPL points in his previous two seasons combined.

That would be to overlook Alonso and Rooney’s contributions, however, especially the former Manchester United and Everton man.

Rooney is FPL’s all-time leading points-scorer and no Fantasy forward past or present can better Rooney’s four appearances in the end-of-season Dream Team.

The current Derby County player/coach soaked up 40.3% of your votes to finish top of this foursome, although no group leader has so far polled such a low percentage.

Alonso, meanwhile, averaged five goals, five assists and 14 clean sheets per season in the three campaigns before this one, racking up over 160 FPL points in each of them.

The Spaniard has yet to blank this season when he has started a Premier League game and, although that has only happened on nine occasions, he had been enjoying a brief renaissance before COVID-19 stopped play.

Nemanja Vidic picked up the wooden spoon but he was no mere whipping boy, having gained a respectable 10.8% share of the vote.

GROUP F – FINAL STANDINGS

  1. Luis Suarez | 48.9%
  2. John Terry | 25.8%
  3. Clint Dempsey | 18.5%
  4. Gareth McAuley | 6.8%

There were no major shocks in Group F, with Clint Dempsey and rank outsider Gareth McAuley bowing out.

There was a possibility that Dempsey’s cult status among FPL veterans and refreshed memories of his superb 2011/12 campaign may have been enough to cause an upset but John Terry‘s longevity and Luis Suarez‘s record-breaking 2013/14 season were stronger pulls among our voting base and both players eased through to the last 16.

The Uruguayan garnered almost half of the vote in the Group F poll.

Suarez’s stay in England was relatively short-lived and he indeed made a fairly slow start on Merseyside, only really entering ‘must-own’ territory in his final two campaigns at Anfield.

His total of 295 points in his last season at Liverpool was the best ever since FPL’s inception at the turn of the century, although Mohamed Salah subsequently passed that tally in 2017/18.

Terry meanwhile has racked up more appearances in FPL’s end-of-season Dream Team (six) than any other player bar Frank Lampard and once delivered 25 clean sheets in a single campaign, en route to lifting Chelsea’s first league title in half a century.

The long-serving Blues’ stopper attracted over one in four votes in our Group F poll.

McAuley was always likely to struggle against such competition and the fact that this author initially posted a picture of Craig Dawson in the header of the Group F preview, to little protest, perhaps sums up his modest status.

Still, a 6.8% share of the vote was more than the likes of Andrew Robertson and Carlos Tevez received in their respective groups, so his goalscoring contributions as a budget defender haven’t completely been forgotten about.

WHAT’S UP NEXT?

A rundown of Groups G and H will be launched soon so keep an eye out for the next articles in this series over the coming days.

The polls for these two groups are already available on the sidebar.

88 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Ginkapo FPL
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 11 months ago

    No keepers

    1. The Knights Template
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 11 months ago

      Good point

    2. Jafooli
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 11 months ago

      Suarez was a season keeper. When he wasn’t feasting on his opponents.

    3. tucaoneo
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 11 months ago

      Suarez at one point did play as a keeper for Uruguay.

  2. Twisted Saltergater
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 11 months ago

    Why the dramatic price changes the past few days? I noticed Jesus rose with negative net transfers in for the gameweek, so it must have been a recalibration of sorts that took him over the rise threshold as soon as the gameweek started.

    If FPL base the rise and drop thresholds on transfer activity of the preceding week, then it’s going to be a free for all; a player could rise with just 1000 NTI or even a 100. Have the price change websites adjusted or is it impossible for them?

    1. Twisted Saltergater
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 11 months ago

      Hope you’re all well and staying at home btw 🙂

    2. BNMC
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 11 months ago

      Yeah, it seems like it doesn't take much to get a player to change in price now. I've seen people on the FPL reddit proposing to "artificially" create a 3.8/3.7 GK using this!

      1. bitm2007
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 11 months ago

        I could do with one of them, who are they targeting ?

  3. Right In The Stanchion
    • 4 Years
    3 years, 11 months ago

    Ahh Wayne Rooney. What could have been. He could have been a great but had a bad attitude.

    He may be top goal scorer for England and United but his goals against plumbers and postmen for England don’t count for much. Michael Owen was much better for England and Kane will take his record soon.

    As for United, I’d score 200+ playing 15 years up front for them

    1. Twisted Saltergater
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 11 months ago

      Are you not getting any attention at home?

      1. Right In The Stanchion
        • 4 Years
        3 years, 11 months ago

        Plenty, me and your sister are having a Kyle Walker style party

        1. Twisted Saltergater
          • 14 Years
          3 years, 11 months ago

          Figures. My sister had a sex change 40 years ago.

          1. Right In The Stanchion
            • 4 Years
            3 years, 11 months ago

            I don’t think they even did sex changes 40 years ago. So you must be lying. You’re a phoney a big fat phoney

            1. Twisted Saltergater
              • 14 Years
              3 years, 11 months ago

              😀

            2. DOG GOD IT - KEANE 15
              • 10 Years
              3 years, 11 months ago

              They did 40 years ago ... it was just very basic and without the anesthetic 🙂

    2. Poseidon.
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 11 months ago

      Put some respect on Wazza’s name. Utd legend

      1. Right In The Stanchion
        • 4 Years
        3 years, 11 months ago

        Andy Cole was a better player for United.

        1. Poseidon.
          • 5 Years
          3 years, 11 months ago

          He also Utd legend

    3. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 11 months ago

      He & CR7's respective career paths are great examples of how work rate can exponentially improve existing talent

      They both played their first season as professionals in 02/03 - Rooney was comfortably the better attacker for their first 4 seasons, two of which overlapped at utd

      But eventually, CR7's obsessive compulsive drive to improve himself took him past Rooney

      Ronaldo returned from Euro 2006 an actual different player, the scapegoat/hatred directed towards him from the English Media & fans over his part in Rooney's red card, particularly in away games, seemed to just egg him on to be even more destructive

      Not that Rooney had a bad career of course, he was generally fantastic, but you can't help but look at him & see unfulfilled potential - he could have been so much more

      1. El Presidente
        • 4 Years
        3 years, 11 months ago

        You´re absolutely right and actually I remember he once said all of that 2006 situation and his context afterwards in the PL gave him a tremendous motivation going forward. He thrives on that, the more you show your hate the more he delivers. There are so many examples of that with Atletico Madrid one of the most emblematic ones.

        A correction though, it was the WorldCup in Germany in 2006 and not the Euros

        1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
          • 14 Years
          3 years, 11 months ago

          Sorry yeah World Cup 2006 - I just remember watching him play away to Charlton, i think it was his first away match that season, and the hate from the crowd was outrageous... then he scored an incerdible goal (think it was a bit of a screamer from outside the box, but the memory can play tricks on 15 years ago) and that was that, he never looked back from then on

  4. Frazek
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 11 months ago

    I suspect Fat Frank has this tournament sewn up.

    Lamps
    Thierry
    Ronnie

    My top 3 prediction.

    1. FPL Pillars
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 11 months ago

      Ronnie... O’Sullivan?

    2. bitm2007
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 11 months ago

      I like Thierry and Ronnie as well, but feel Henry may too distance in peoples memories. Salah and Suarez, along with CR7 are the main three contenders for me.

  5. Fpl Richie
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 11 months ago

    Wasn't expecting price falls or rises to screw up plans. There must have been about 60 this weekend...
    (I know it is silly...)

  6. Fpl Richie
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 11 months ago

    Best option for a 2nd keeper to go with Krul?
    Probably my boring transfer this week

    1. Holmes
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 11 months ago

      Ederson or DDG (if BB intact)

      1. Fpl Richie
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 11 months ago

        I was thinking de gea. Just had a price drop.
        Was originally on McCarthy or Pope before virus-world.

    2. Party time
        3 years, 11 months ago

        Fabianski

    3. Brosstan
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 11 months ago

      United showing that they are still the biggest club in terms of class. No lay offs or pay cuts for the staff. Liverpool hang your heads in shame.

      1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 11 months ago

        It's one thing to say "You'll never walk alone"

        It unfortunately seems another thing entirely to actually mean it

      2. goriuanx
        • 13 Years
        3 years, 11 months ago

        It's a disgraceful move from Liverpool owners and has been met with disapproval, but using it as an opportunity to point score in tough times like this is equally showing a lack of class.

        1. GreennRed
          • 12 Years
          3 years, 11 months ago

          I borrowed your Health Service grav, in a way, Berb. Cheers.

          Don't mind yer man, he has a mouth that's only good for cooling soup.

          1. goriuanx
            • 13 Years
            3 years, 11 months ago

            It'd be pretty cool if we all changed our gravs as a tribute to our respective health services 🙂

            1. circusmonkey
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 13 Years
              3 years, 11 months ago

              Gesture politics, it doesn't really help anyone.

        2. DOG GOD IT - KEANE 15
          • 10 Years
          3 years, 11 months ago

          Exactly this.

          Who knows, tomorrow or next week 'the biggest club in terms of class' might do the same ...

          1. goriuanx
            • 13 Years
            3 years, 11 months ago

            I hope they don't. I want them to continue paying all their staff in full via own money and protect all jobs across all levels of the club -
            I'm confident they will do so.

            It doesn't matter who you support and what you think of rivals, when livelihoods are involved we all care about each other.

          2. Brosstan
            • 9 Years
            3 years, 11 months ago

            I read that United officially had decided not to do any lay offs or pay cuts, so I think that wont change that unless the situation gets prolonged for a long time.

            1. Amey
              • 5 Years
              3 years, 11 months ago

              Ed can do good things too then.
              Nice to see that 😀

      3. Amey
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 11 months ago

        What happened ?
        Staff salary or players ?

        1. goriuanx
          • 13 Years
          3 years, 11 months ago

          FSG are using the furlough scheme to pay some non-playing staff. They said they'd top up the 20% to ensure all of those on the scheme receive 100% of their wage.

          Either way, it's quite shameful they've resorted to exploiting a scheme designed to help businesses who will actually struggle to pay staff. I feel embarrassed that the owners have taken this decision and hope they reverse it asap.

          1. Amey
            • 5 Years
            3 years, 11 months ago

            Got it.
            With so much criticism, they'll have to reverse it !

            Most of these club owners are greedy ! (Glazer's are on top of the list bdw)

            1. goriuanx
              • 13 Years
              3 years, 11 months ago

              I like FSG if I'm being honest, I think their self-sustaining model does football more good than harm. It ensures you spend what you earn and have a structure in place to protect the short and long term future of the club.

              But like any owners, they will take the opportunity to cut back on expenses - this is one step too far though.

              I sincerely hope no PL club, who are financially stable, resorts to penny pinching from the Government. I'd most some of the lower league clubs to use this scheme eventually and that's totally understandable.

              1. Amey
                • 5 Years
                3 years, 11 months ago

                Agree.
                Any club shutting down because of this would be so heartbreaking for many people in so many ways

          2. Amey
            • 5 Years
            3 years, 11 months ago

            All clubs (2/3 top divisions at least) should take 10% flat from player's wages & pay the salary of Staff. They need it most & are unsung heroes behind a well run club.
            10% would be salary of whole year for all those staff i guess with big fat pay checks they get (that, if club is not able to pay.)

            Actually the clubs should be held responsible for this. They earn so much money. This is a once in a century situation.

            1. goriuanx
              • 13 Years
              3 years, 11 months ago

              They'd do this imo. Players these days are pretty cool when it comes to donations etc. So many of them choose to do it anonymously though and you see why. The government has thrown football players under the bus to divert attention away from their own shortcomings.

              This is a time to come together and help each other out. It's why I'm so big on protecting the NHS and every other health service in the world. These people are risking their lives to keep you and me alive.

              1. Amey
                • 5 Years
                3 years, 11 months ago

                You're right !
                All health related People are real superheroes we need & have 🙂

                Take care mate. Stay safe.

                1. goriuanx
                  • 13 Years
                  3 years, 11 months ago

                  And yourself Amey. 🙂

      4. Now I'm Panicking
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 11 months ago

        Why single out Liverpool? Other PL clubs doing this too.

        1. Now I'm Panicking
          • 9 Years
          3 years, 11 months ago

          And conversely, am fairly sure Man U are not the only club who haven't done any staff jiggerypokery either.

        2. The Ejiptian King
          • 5 Years
          3 years, 11 months ago

          It would've been more surprising if Mike Ashley didn't do it.

        3. Epic Fail
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 13 Years
          3 years, 11 months ago

          They're the biggest club doing it though so it's bound to be them mentioned.

    4. GreennRed
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 11 months ago

      https://youtu.be/n6xkheBCi9M

      I am a football fan. Great time to put smiles on our faces 🙂

    5. 'Broadsword Calling Da…
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 11 months ago

      FIFA are reportedly set to extend the 2019/20 season indefinitely.

      £750million too much to lose in revenues/deals etc, so looks far less likely the season would be null and void.

      1. Gentle_Turks
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 11 months ago

        The indefinite extension is already in place. It was made weeks ago. Doesn't mean anything - the virus will decide the possibility of a resumption / timetable.

    6. Jafooli
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 11 months ago

      Partick Thistle have decide to furlough their players and keep the back room staff. When the season restarts they say’ll keep the structure like that with Mary who sells the pies in goals.

      Promotion here we come 😎

    7. GreennRed
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 11 months ago

      Which 3 former Scunthorpe United players have captained England?

      1. ritzyd
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 11 months ago

        Kevin Keegan & Ian Botham? No idea on another?

        1. GreennRed
          • 12 Years
          3 years, 11 months ago

          Fair play. You got the trickiest one 🙂

          1. RoysCallerAnne
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 14 Years
            3 years, 11 months ago

            Ray Clemence

            1. ritzyd
              • 6 Years
              3 years, 11 months ago

              That's the one!

            2. GreennRed
              • 12 Years
              3 years, 11 months ago

              Nice one. Heard it on 5 live World Football phone in. Tim Vickery is class. Must be at that game for years but always talks like he's still in awe of football.

          2. ritzyd
            • 6 Years
            3 years, 11 months ago

            My brother's a Scunthorpe fan - always asks that question at xmas after a few beers!

      2. Now I'm Panicking
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 11 months ago

        Former workplace (about 15 years ago) wouldn't let us send emails with the word "Scunthorpe" in it as the rude word filter picked it up.

        1. GreennRed
          • 12 Years
          3 years, 11 months ago

          Class 🙂

    8. goriuanx
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 11 months ago

      Juventus CB Virgil van Dijk:

      "I want to be a Liverpool legend. I want to achieve incredible things here. I would like to be one of those players that return to Anfield after retiring. I see club legends at games and I feel part of a really big family."

    9. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 11 months ago

      German clubs back in training - the way Germany have dealt with Covid19 in general has been so impressive relative to other geographies - they are an example to every other country

      https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52176562

      1. GreennRed
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 11 months ago

        Ruthless efficiency and an obedience for the authorities.

      2. Ógie
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 11 months ago

        Demographics have a lot to do with it too Max.

        Larger close knit family's in Italy and Spain along with older populations would go a long way to explaining the variants.
        They left Italy high and dry in the early stages of the crisis so if any "example" is to be taken from the German's it is to take care of your own first.

        1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
          • 14 Years
          3 years, 11 months ago

          Germany's focus on testing is far in excess of any other country in the world - Italy weren't even in a lockdown in the early stages so its very hard to point a finger at, let alone blame Germany - they're also helping with doing massive volumes of testing for other countries at the minute, including Ireland

          If other countries had the same proactive focus on their health services that the Germans' have had (for years) there wouldn't have been half the tragic loss of life we've seen elsewhere

          But unfortunately for the health services in many other countries - it only seemed to be fashionable for their Health Services to get the level of support & recognition they deserve AFTER the crisis started, rather than in the years leading up to it

          1. Ógie
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 11 Years
            3 years, 11 months ago

            Indeed Germany is a power house and have the tools in their bag to deal with this better than most.

            Maybe if other country's like Ireland were not paying €19m a day in interest alone to bail out German bond holders and prop up a currency that Germany controls to suit itself then we might be able to have a first class health service like other country's have instead of going cap in hand to Germany again.

            It seems to me at the onset that Italy were looking to the EU to make a decision for them on border closures instead of grasping the bull by the horns themselves.Lots of other reasons too why they are being hit harder than most too like i read somewhere that thousands of people came over from Wuhan to northern Italy where many Chinese work in the textile industry.Big backlash against the EU in Italy right now as the blame game starts.

            Mick Wallace telling em how it is.....
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-_Oob6OkH0

            1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
              • 14 Years
              3 years, 11 months ago

              The way Italy have been recording Covid19 deaths is also questionable to say the least, if not extremely questionable

              https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/have-many-coronavirus-patients-died-italy/

              Prof Ricciardi added that Italy’s death rate may also appear high because of how doctors record fatalities.

              “The way in which we code deaths in our country is very generous in the sense that all the people who die in hospitals with the coronavirus are deemed to be dying of the coronavirus."

              “On re-evaluation by the National Institute of Health, only 12 per cent of death certificates have shown a direct causality from coronavirus, while 88 per cent of patients who have died have at least one pre-morbidity - many had two or three,” he says

              Because of this, and also the aging population, high rates of smoking, large families co-inhabiting etc Italy's recorded death rate is approaching ~13%...

              With UK around ~10.3%.... WHO global rate ~5.5% & then come Germany the outliers at ~1.5%

              1. Ógie
                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                • 11 Years
                3 years, 11 months ago

                Nice article Max,thanks for sharing.

                I think when doing number crunching for this that China's stats should be left out of the equation as they are not worth the paper they are written on.

                1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                  • 14 Years
                  3 years, 11 months ago

                  Yeah I do find China's stats way too good to be true tbh - But if they somehow DID limit fatalities to 3,000, out of a 1.5 billion population who were exposed to an ultra contagious disease for 4-5 months - that's phenomenal

                  Peter Hotez was on the JRE the other day & he was saying that Coronavirus' in general can have very different effects depending on genetics - and that the same pathogen could have very different effects depending on Asian/Non-Asian hosts - South Korea & Japan also seem to have very low fatality number (less than 300 fatalities between them) but even still those low death (and low case) numbers from China look TGTBT

                  The last I heard from Wuhan was that the queues at Crematoriums were literally Days long - and that they had totally lost track of who's ashes were who - they were just dumping each victims' ashes into 55-gallon drums, then giving each mourner a shovel of the ashes, not even knowing it was their loved one... very sad state of affairs out there

                  1. Ógie
                    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                    • 11 Years
                    3 years, 11 months ago

                    I seen Peter on Joe's show also,very interesting chat that was.

                    I have my suspicions that it is a weapon to begin with or has been weaponized against the west,but maybe that is just my imagination running wild.

                    I have no doubt that the Chinese government are lying about what is really going on there,whats new?

                    The poor people of China would have not got a taste for bush meat in the first place if it was not for the mass famines that the communist government there brought about.Just the latest crime against humanity that communism has inflicted on the world unfortunately.

              2. ClassiX
                • Fantasy Football Scout Member
                • 5 Years
                3 years, 11 months ago

                South Africa - currently 0.2%. Apparently countries who make it compulsory to get the BCG (anti-TB) vaccine (like South Africa) are recording much lower mortality rates.

    10. mad_beer ✅
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 11 months ago

      BBC Sport
      @BBCSport
      ·
      24m
      Pep Guardiola's mother, Dolors Sala Carrio, has died after contracting coronavirus.

      🙁

      1. The Polymath
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 11 months ago

        So sad, poor Pep.

      2. FPL Pillars
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 11 months ago

        Surprising and saddening

      3. DOG GOD IT - KEANE 15
        • 10 Years
        3 years, 11 months ago

        RIP Senora Dolors.

        Condolences to Pep.

      4. GreennRed
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 11 months ago

        Rest in Peace.

    11. Agbonlahorse
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 11 months ago

      They hold a gun to your head (forn some reason) and say you have to decide what happens to the PL season. What do you choose?

      A) Finish the season at all costs

      B) Void immediately (start again with same teams next season)

      C) End season now but current positions stand

      (I'm not sure who 'they' are either).

      1. Epic Fail
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 13 Years
        3 years, 11 months ago

        B

      2. Corgz Dark side of the Loon
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 11 months ago

        B

      3. grandemessi
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 11 months ago

        Imagine Klopp and VVD are 'they'. Now vote!

      4. IN SANE IN DE BRUYNE
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 11 months ago

        A

      5. GreennRed
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 11 months ago

        B