Messi, Salah, Kane, Ronaldo & Oblak finish atop Fantasy Player rankings

The 2020/21 season finished with some familiar names on top of the Fantasy Player rankings with Lionel Messi in first place followed by Liverpool & Egypt star Mohamed Salah while Harry Kane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Jan Oblak rounded up the first five spots.

Messi: Barcelona superstar Messi does not need an introduction. Despite Barca not winning the league again (2020/21 to Atletico Madrid and that’s after giving way in the title race during the 2019/20 season to bitter rivals Real Madrid), Messi still managed to score 30 league goals and provide 9 assists in 33 matches as well as 2 additional league appearances as a substitute. Barca & Messi did lift the Copa del Rey.

Salah: Liverpool’s Salah had a very good 2020/21 season with 22 goals and 5 assists in the Premier League, however, his club did not have a good campaign so he perhaps did not receive the praise some of his performances deserved. Liverpool did end up making the Champions League so maybe next season will be a fresh & better one for Salah and his teammates. He ended up with 122 Fantasy Football Points helped by the fact his position (as not a striker) earned him extra points from clean sheets…

Kane: Harry had perhaps his best season overall despite a disappointing campaign by Tottenham. Kane ended up with a remarkable tally of 14 assists in the Premier League- the most not just in England’s PL but also ahead of anyone from the Spanish & Italian leagues. Kane also ended up with 23 league goals to finish with 119 Fantasy Football Points- just two behind Salah. As a strike, Kane did not earn any points for clean sheets. As a great consolation, Kane finished top Fantasy Football Player in our sister site’s rankings: https://fantasy-premier.com/statistics/players

Ronaldo: The Portuguese superstar finished the 2020/21 season with 29 goals and 3 assists (started in 31 Serie A matches and had another 2 appearances as a substitute). If we count only the English, Italian and Spanish leagues then only Messi scored more goals! The two seem to be in competition even when not in the same league. CR7 and Messi were also drawn in the same group in the Champions League. Neither superstar won the league title, but, like Messi, Ronaldo also won the domestic cup helping Juventus lift the Coppa Italia. CR7 finished with 117 EFL Fantasy Points. Ronaldo finished in 2nd place in www.fantasyseriea.com player rankings. Visit the best Fantasy Serie A game & check the Player stats here https://fantasyseriea.com/statistics/players

Oblak: Finally the only non-attacking player to finish in the top 5 was Atletico Madrid’s goalkeeper Oblak. He was a key player in the club’s successful season which ended up with winning the Spanish La Liga. Oblak kept an impressive tally of 18 clean sheets and only conceded 25 goals in the Spanish League. Without Oblak, it could be said that Atletico would have failed to win the all-important La Liga title ahead of giants Real Madrid (Barcelona finished in 3rd place).

Will Italy go all the way in Euro 2020?

Some are highly critical of Italy and keep mentioning the Italians have so far had an easy path- Turkey, Switzerland and Wales proving weak opponents. However, the Austrians thoroughly tested the Azzurri with a physical and straightforward approach in the Round of 16.

The Italians ended up reaching the quarter-final of Euro 2020 largely thanks to the super substitutions by coach Roberto Mancini. Juventus rising star Federico Chiesa and Atalanta’s Matteo Pessina proved the difference with each scoring a goal in the 2-1 win for the Italians.

While the Azzurri did not get tested in the group stage matches, Austria did put up a strong fight and in fact had the better of the 2nd half against the Italians. VAR saved Italy when canceling that Austrian goal for offside, but credit Mancini and his men for showing up during extra-time.

Chiesa’s goal was exquisite and a clear proof not just of his skills but also the fact he has been stepping up in big matches for both Juventus and Italy. Chiesa scored for Juve against Milan in Serie A and delivered the goals versus Porto (in both legs of the Round of 16 in the Champions League) not to mention his winner against Atalanta in the Coppa Italia final.

For nostalgia lovers Chiesa scored Italy’s first against Austria at Wembley some 25 years after his father Enrico scored a goal for the Italians- also on English soil at Liverpool’s Anfield- against the Czechs. It is worth noting this the first father and son to end up scoring a goal for their country in a Euro tournament.

Chiesa, the son, had a great season with the Bianconeri helping Juve finish in the top four to make the Champions League and his winner secured the Coppa Italia as mentioned above. Chiesa’s work ethic is also reminiscent of that of his father. The father Enrico worked hard while making his name particularly at Sampdoria, Parma and then Fiorentina.

For all the Italian fantasy football managers out there, do not forget to check out the most popular and the most challenging Fantasy Serie A game here: www.fantasyseriea.com and remember you can invite your family and friends to compete against you…

As for the Azzurri, next up is a tough contest against one from Kevin de Bruyne’s Belgium and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal. CR7 will surely want to end his Euro career on a high. Who is brave enough to bet against Ronaldo scoring more goals? The Portuguese superstar had 29 league goals for Juve during the 2021/21 season. It is also worth noting that CR7 ended up being the best Fantasy Serie A player in EFL’s 2020/21 season.

So all Italian eyes are likely focused on Belgium-Portugal to see who the next opponent will be… CR7 or Kevin de Bruyne?

All change at the top in Europe: Juve, Real Madrid & Inter lose their coaches

Now that all the European leagues have finished and the trophies have been handed out and all the confetti from the winners’ celebrations has been cleared away, you’d think there’d be a short break where we could all get our breathe back. Yet a few managers at some of Europe’s top clubs have had other ideas and decided now was the perfect time to create even more drama. How did they create this drama? Well, they all decided that now was the ideal time to fall out with their owners and walk away from their jobs.

Heavy-hitters Real Madrid, Juventus and Inter Milan have all waved goodbye to their managers in the last few days. Plus, as reported on Sky Sports, there are many in the know saying that Mauricio Pochettino at P.S.G. is deeply unhappy and could be on his way out.

It’s now created a merry-go-round of in-goings and outgoings at some of Europe’s elite clubs. So now with many top jobs vacant, and many top managers available to fill those vacancies, the football rumour mill has gone into overdrive with tales of who’s going there or who’s going where.

Juventus

It was a real surprise last year when Juventus decided to make Andrea Pirlo their manager. Pirlo had been one of the coolest looking midfielders to ever play the game and could ping the ball around the pitch with a seemingly effortless accuracy. He was a true legend of ‘Zebre’. Yet, he’d never even managed a team before he was given one of the biggest jobs in the whole of football. 

Predictably it didn’t go as well as the Juventus back-staff had hoped and Pirlo was recently let go. ‘The Old Lady’ didn’t wait long though, and have secured their old manager, Massimiliano Allegri on a four-year contract. Only time will tell if it will it be a happy reunion for the two.

Real Madrid

It has been a weird season for Real Madrid, with them always seemingly just on the edge of disaster, and yet they still managed to get to the semi-finals of the Champions League and take the La Liga race to the last day, where they were narrowly pipped at the post by great rivals Atletico Madrid.

However, a good example of how far the club have fallen this year is that when Spain compete at the postponed Euro 2020 this summer, it will be the first time in history that no player from ‘Los Blancos’ will be in the squad. It was no surprise then, that Madrid and their manager, Zinedine Zidane, split up a few days ago.

So, will the now unemployed Zidane take one of the other top vacancies? There’s talk that he wants the French national job, but with current boss Didier Deschamps being in the good books since that 2018 World Cup win, it would take France having a turgid tournament for him to get it. That’s not something that looks that likely to happen though, with the best betting sites having them priced as the favourites at 9/2.

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Inter Milan

Inter Milan have had a fantastic season in 2020/21. As was reported here in Euro Fantasy League, they managed to win their first Serie A title since 2010. You’d think that it would be happy times then for the winning manger, Antonio Conte, but nope. In true Conte style he has instead fallen out with the board at Inter over the lack of funds available and has washed his hands of the club, walking away.

Pundits now reckon he could be a shoe-in for the vacant Tottenham Hotspur job, but many are disputing this, saying that Spurs don’t have the transfer funds available for Conte, who’s a known heavy-spender. Maybe if Pochettino does leave P.S.G. and goes back to Spurs, then Conte could slot in at the Paris club, as there’s no doubt that he’d have bags of cash to chuck around at players there. However it does play out, it’s all change at the top in Europe.

The best Fantasy Serie A Game!

Fans of Italian football and supporters of clubs such as Milan, Juventus, Atalanta and other clubs including league champions Inter can create, compete and challenge their friends at the most popular Fantasy Serie A game www.fantasyseriea.com for free.

For several years now, www.fantasyseriea.com has led the way as the most competitive and popular Italian fantasy football game. The 2020/21 season saw Inter’s Romelu Lukaku finish as the top ranked fantasy football player and he was followed by Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

Lukaku was a key player as Inter finally won the Scudetto. As for Juve, CR7 was influential in driving the club to finish in the top four and to secure a Champions League berth. It was not an empty season for Cristiano because he was able to win the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana. It remains to be seen whether Ronaldo will remain with the Bianconeri for the 2021/22 season.

For now, fans will be enjoying both Euro 2020 (though it is being played in 2021) as well as the Copa America. Keep an eye on the exciting and challenging season ahead if you are an Italian fantasy football fan. Check out the stats for the best Fantasy Serie A football players here www.fantasyseriea.com/statistics/players and remember to invite your friends for a fun challenge!

Top 5 Fantasy Serie A players for 2020/21 season

It doesn’t take a lot of guessing to figure that superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and Inter’s hero Romelu Lukaku are among the best ranked Fantasy Football players for the 2020/21 season.

Below is a list of www.eurofantasyleague.com EFL’s and www.seriea-fantasy.com top ranked players for the past season:

1) Ronaldo: Who else? The Juventus star finished as the highest ranked fantasy football player in Serie A. Ronaldo’s stats were simply extraordinary! He started 31 league games and made 2 appearances as a substitute. Cristiano scored 29 goals and provided 3 assists while receiving only 3 yellow cards for a total of 117 EFL Fantasy Points. It is hard to bet against CR7 scoring goals and plenty of them indeed! The Portuguese superstar helped Juve finish in the top four to secure a Champions League berth.

2) Lukaku: Inter’s attacker had a phenomenal season providing 24 goals and 11 assists in 32 starts in Serie A. He made a further 4 appearances as a substitute. Lukaku achieved a total of 114 EFL Points. Lukaku was one of the main reasons Inter ran away with the league title. The Belgian is considered one of the top goal scorers in the world and he proved why during the 2020/21 season.

3) Luis Muriel: Atalanta’s Colombian attacker had a remarkable season as a super-sub. Muriel ended up with 102 Fantasy Points mostly accumulated from restricted minutes because of competition with Duvan Zapata (his fellow Colombian striker). Muriel scored 22 goals and gave 8 assists in just 16 starts, however, he made a further 20 appearances as a substitute. One remarkable stat to look for from Muriel’s season: Muriel did not finish a single league game he started so the Colombian did not have a single 90 minute appearance in Serie A during the 2020/21.

4) Henrikh Mkhitaryan: Roma’s midfielder Mkhitaryan is perhaps a surprise name on the best 5 fantasy football players’ list for Serie A but he fully deserved making that list. He tallied a very respectable 10 assists (third most in the league) to go along with an impressive 13 goals in Serie A. He was certainly Roma’s most impressive player for the 2020/21 season. He finished with 96 EFL Points.

5) Achraf Hakimi: Hakimi was certainly one of Inter’s most influential and impressive players for the 2020/21 season. The former Real Madrid and BVB (on loan) player scored 7 goals and provided 8 assists. Hakimi also helped Inter keep 13 clean sheets. He ended up with 92 EFL Points.

Don’t forget to check the most popular Fantasy Serie A game: www.fantasyseriea.com where you can create your team and compete against everyone from friends, family, classmates and co-workers!

From Messi to Salah- The Best 11 Players of the 2020/21 season

The football season in Europe is almost over with just 1 more week left for the major leagues. There are sure to be some exciting finishes especially in Spain where either Atletico Madrid or Real Madrid will be crowned champions.

As for England, congratulations to Manchester City who are the new champions, and in Italy Inter finally ended Juventus’ domination of the league in style.

But which players have shone and proved themselves this season above all others? And did you have any of these stars in your fantasy teams? The formation used is a 4-4-2 one and the leagues used are the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga and Italian Serie A.

Goalkeeper: Jan Oblak- Atletico Madrid 116pts

Sometimes the points are very close between players but not a chance for Jan Oblak who has again underlined himself as one of the best goalkeepers in world football. Oblak has amassed 116 points and kept 18 clean sheets with only 24 goals conceded. He may just win the Spanish title this weekend too.

Defender: Achraf Hakimi- Inter- 92pts

Usually we see the same players in best teams of the season lists so it is refreshing to see the talent of Inter defender Achraf Hakimi make this list. Hakimi has certainly been one of the driving forces behind Inter’s title charge and was able to help to keep 13 clean sheets. However Hakimi has never been afraid to come forward and his stats are quite stunning- He has scored 7 league goals and also assisted in another 8. He made 23 points more than the next Inter defender.

Defender: Kieran Trippier- Atletico Madrid 90pts

Kieran Trippier has proven himself this season even if Atletico don’t win the league this weekend. He has been solid and superb and really grown as a player in defence. He hasn’t scored any goals but that isn’t his job, although he has set up six of them. But he has been part of a defence that has conceded 13 goals and has 16 clean sheets to his name. In short he has been Atletico’s best defender and few would have seen that coming.

Defender: Ruben Dias- Manchester City 75pts

Ruben Dias has just been named as the footballer’s writer’s defender of the season and really that came as no shock. Dias has been absolutely brilliant and his defending has been key as to why Manchester City were able to win back the title from Liverpool. An absolutely stunning season from Dias.

Defender: John Stones- Manchester City 75pts

John Stones, the revelation who upped his game several levels to keep his place in the Manchester City line up and won a title along the way. Possibly Stones’ best season as a professional player. Helped to keep 13 clean sheets and also scored 4 goals.

Midfielder: Mohamed Salah- Liverpool 118pts

Mohamed Salah is getting better by every year even when Liverpool dipped and saw their title easily taken away from them, Salah still scored the goals. 22 goals and 4 assists, Salah may just end up as top goalscorer for this season in the Premier League.

Midfielder: Bruno Fernandes- Manchester United 114pts

Bruno Fernandes hasn’t just had a terrific season he has changed Manchester United. If you want to know how and why United finished as runners-up in the league and are in the final of the Europa League look no further than the excellent Fernandes. He has scored 18 goals and assisted in another 12. Worth his weight in gold.

Midfielder: Marcos Llorente- Atletico Madrid 100pts

Atletico have been brilliant and consistent for the first time in La Liga since 2014 and Marcos Llorente has been outstanding in midfield with his anticipation and his superbly taken and timely tackles. Llorente has scored 12 goals and assisted in another 11.

Midfielder: Henrikh Mkhitaryan- Roma 92pts

For Roma this has been a season of what could have been but Mkhitaryan has had one of his best seasons of his career and has stayed reliable and consistent. He has contributed in an impressive 22 goals scoring 12 along the way.

Striker: Lionel Messi- Barcelona 130pts

Lionel Messi is one of the greats but did anyone really expect him to have the most points in European Fantasy League this season? At the beginning of the season he wanted to leave Barcelona but he stayed and they won the Copa Del Rey, not the best standard for the club. But Messi is Messi and he kept scoring and creating chances and has netted an amazing 30 goals and assisted in a further 9.

Striker: Cristiano Ronaldo- Juventus 117pts

The Messi and Ronaldo rivalry lives on despite their ages, they are ranked as the two best strikers in European Fantasy League. Ronaldo will end the Serie A season as top goalscorer and create a record- no other player has finished top of the goalscoring charts in England, Spain and Italy before. No league title for Ronaldo this time but he did win the Coppa Italia and will be raring to go next season. He has scored 29 goals and assisted in another 3.

Milan’s path to Champions League gets tricky as win vs. Atalanta is most likely needed

Milan failed to take advantage of what was a big opportunity at San Siro last night, held to a 0-0 draw by Cagliari. With a win, they would have secured their spot in next season’s Champions League, but now it’s all up in the air. Most likely, a win is needed against Atalanta in the final round. 

The Rossoneri struggled to break down what was a defensive Cagliari side, while some of the tactical choices by Stefano Pioli were questionable. In short, it wasn’t a good night for Milan who once again failed to deliver on their home turf, which has been really disappointing to see throughout the season.  Continue reading

Juventus Top Performers – Round 37 vs Inter

Juventus came out on top in a crazy game versus Inter to remain in contention for a Champions League berth regardless of the results on the other pitches Sunday, although they will still need some help.

Juan Cuadrado (6 points): the clear man of the match, as he picked the most opportune time to find his first goals of the campaign, coming through in clutch situations. The first goal on a sharp strike, evidently deflected by an opponent, was a dagger considering what happened shortly after halftime. He shrewdly won a PK in the final minutes on a light contact with an opponent, but the most stunning part is that he stepped up to the plate and converted it. He drew the red card for Marcelo Brozovic that sealed the game to round out a dominating display.  Continue reading

AC Milan’s path to Champions League following huge win against Juventus

After a decade of failing to register a single point away at Juventus, Milan sent a strong signal to their rivals last night as they beat the Bianconeri 3-0. It was truly well-deserved and the Rossoneri are now one step closer to the Champions League, which would be huge for the club in many aspects. 

Stefano Pioli really outdid himself last night as the decision to start Brahim Diaz behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic was one of the winning factors. The Spaniard, who’s on loan from Real Madrid, scored the first goal with a beautifully curled effort and also won the penalty that Franck Kessie, unfortunately, failed to convert.  Continue reading

Juventus vs. AC Milan: Serie A Round 35 – Team news, stats and prediction

Later this evening, Juventus and Milan will take on each other in the 35th round of Serie A. Both are fighting for a top-four finish and tonight’s clash will be very important for the following three games, seeing as the team winning would get a nice boost confidence-wise and with regards to the standings. 

The Rossoneri managed to beat Benevento last time out by a scoreline of two goals to nil, despite missing several clear-cut chances. The important thing was getting back to winning ways, though, after the disappointing performances against Sassuolo and Lazio which saw them drop out of the top four.  Continue reading