As much as I enjoy fantasy football, it feels incomplete somehow. The addictive rush that other fantasy sports (American football and baseball, notably) just isn't there. Don't get me wrong, it's good fun and all. But something is missing.

Part of this is, of course, the very nature of the game itself. Football (soccer, as my countrymen call it) does not lend itself to statistical analysis the way many other sports do. Moreover, the statistics we do have (goals, assists and clean sheets, essentially) provide a very incomplete picture, both of an individual player's skill and his contribution to the team.

For example, a goalkeeper could have a great match and his team could win 2-1, but he would not get credit for having a clean sheet. Or a striker could get a tap-in goal, or capitalise on a goalkeeper's error or blown defensive assignment and his team could lose, but fantasy owners would still benefit. Or a defender could score a goal, assist another, but blow off marking assignments and cost his team two goals and the victory.

'The solution is to incorporate the subjective elements of the sport (of which there are many) in a way that makes better statistical sense'


And what about the players who work tirelessly - be it on offence or defence - for their team's cause and are essential to its victory but do not show up on the scoresheet at all? The whole structure is made worse by leagues that incorporate statistics such as scoring attempts, passing accuracy and others that are, at best,  misleading and, at worst, reward selfish play.

The solution is to incorporate the subjective elements of the sport (of which there are many) in a way that makes better statistical sense.

First off, official and unofficial player ratings should absolutely factor in to the number of fantasy points a player produces. Some leagues already do this on a limited basis by awarding a "Man of the Match" bonus. This is a good start, but it should be taken further. Why not tally the various player ratings that pundits and fans award individual players and use the mean number as an additional scoring category for each player? Bonuses could be awarded when a player is included in a "team of the week." Each individual league could choose what pundits and media to include. Also, why not award a player's fantasy owner for a goal of the week or save of the week?

As for the statistics, the following changes are a good place to start:

1) Not all goals are created equal and not all should be scored equally. Create two (or more) categories of "goals scored," differentiating between the simple tap-in and the screaming strike into the upper 90. When a goalkeeper allows a soft goal, the "scorer" should receive a small fraction of points awarded to the player who scores on a bicycle kick or by bending a free kick around a wall.

2) Instead of "assists" create a new statistic called "goal contributions" and award points to as many players as deserve them. Maybe the star striker was able to pull the defender out of position, creating more space for a teammate? Maybe a midfielder played a brilliant ball that another player ran on to, passed to one or two others, before the ball ended up in the net? What about the player who hit a great shot from 30 yards that the keeper tipped over the bar and the team scored on the ensuing corner? Or the one who was fouled for a penalty?

Again, different amounts of points (or fractions of points) can be awarded for different "contributions." This would admittedly not be easy and is sure to create some controversy. But it is a necessary step to take if the fantasy game is going to be a more proper reflection of the actual sport.

3) Find a way to award the same amount of potential points to midfielders, defenders and goalkeepers. Different players contribute in different ways. It's not all about scoring and creating goals.

4) Create the goal-saving-save (GSS) statistic for goalkeepers. Again

5) Players from winning teams should get more points. Clean and simple. Find a way to reward players from a winning side.

6) Award players who receive caps for their national team. Why not? It means something if a player has the attention of his national team's manager. If one receives a call-up his fantasy owner should be rewarded.

7) Count European (Champions League and UEFA Cup) competitions as well as league and FA cups. It's only fair if the players are going to partake in those games.

8) Allow substitutions for injured players. Real-life managers get three per game. Why not fantasy owners? Allow teams to dress 14 players or 13 outfielders and two goalkeepers. The highest-scoring goalkeeper and 10 highest scoring outfielders count toward the fantasy teams tally. The others don't. Simple.