ANYONE seeking success in a Euros fantasy auction this week will be beset by the same questions.
Who will start for their country? Who will carry their club form into the tournament? Who will be the star player sneaking under the radar of other managers?
Perhaps most importantly, how will the enlarged host of players in the tournament affect how the traditional targets of goalkeepers, wing backs, attacking midfielders and strikers score points?
For managers taking part in this Friday’s 2016 Jean-Alain Boumsong European Cup all these concerns are equally relevant, with the addition of two added challenges.
First, each manager is only allowed to buy one player per country. Second, a new rule means each manager for the first time has a choice of formations.
Also bear in mind, for the first time this summer players scoring in penalty shoot outs will pick up points.
As managers wade through the newspaper and football website previews which have sprung up in the last few days, in some cases the most comprehensive ever seen before a major tournament, how do they ascertain who will earn them coveted international glory?
In an attempt to learn from previous competitions, the winning teams from the 2010 Dr Khumalo World Cup, the 2012 Emmanuel Olisadebe European Cup and the 2014 Emerson World Cup can be found below.
What do the last three winners of major football tournaments have in common?
All their players scored
From Leo Messi’s 43 points in 2014 to Charisteas’ mere two points in 2010, all the players in winning teams at least started a game. The only winning team to contain a top points scorer was The Eurosceptics in 2012 with Jordi Alba.
The average score of a winning player across all three competitions is 15.36. This is equivalent to four starts, a goal and assist, or three starts and a goal and clean sheet.
All had two players in the final
In 2010 and 2012, the winning teams had one defensive player and one attacking player in the final. In 2014, Testiculadew Land had two of the attacking players of the tournament in the final. There are only three players to be knocked out in the semi finals in all three teams.
All had between three and five players to exit at the group stage
With just an auction and no opportunity for transfers, winning teams have seen up to half their players exiting after the first three matches. The average score for each player is around eights points. Three starts and a goal, clean sheet or assist would easily achieve this.
On average, each striker made up 4.5 per cent of the team’s total score, each midfielder eight per cent, each defender eight per cent and the goalkeeper 12 per cent
Comparatively, goalkeepers contribute more to the team than players in other positions.
Bruno Alves featured in two of the last three winning teams
Alves himself appears to have moved on to a career in kung fu. Nevertheless, this type of player, who regularly and unspectacularly goes into the knockout stages for less than £5m, represents good value.
2010 Dr Khumalo World Cup
Winning team: Nelson’s Column
Manager: Stix
Total points: 171
2012 Emmanuel Olisadebe European Cup
Winning team: The Eurosceptics
Manager: Alex
Total points: 157 (final table)
2014 Emerson World Cup
Winning team: Testiculadew Land
Manager: James N
Total points: 179 (final table)
