We’ve hit the midpoint of the Premier League season, and now everyone has played everyone at least once. Liverpool have obviously been the big winners thus far having made it through half of the season unbeaten, and that kind of dominance has bled into the Fantasy world as well.
In fact, four of the 11 best players at this stage come from Jurgen Klopp’s side, who boast the points leaders at three different positions in our game. You can find those three individuals and the rest of our Goal Team of the (Half) Season below.
GK: Alisson - Liverpool - 19 Games, 45 Saves, 7 Goals Conceded, 12 Clean Sheets = 109 Points
DEF: Virgil van Dijk - Liverpool - 19 Games, 1 Goal, 2 Assists, 7 Goals Conceded, 12 Clean Sheets = 104 Points
The Liverpool defender may well be the best defender in the league and his Fantasy performances are continuing to reflect that. Since the Dutchman joined the club, Liverpool’s defence has improved drastically having kept more clean sheets than any other club (21) over that period.
Now, in 2018/19, van Dijk has already been involved in as many goals (three) as he ever has in a full Premier League season, propelling him to the top of the heap among defenders in the Goal game.
DEF: Andrew Robertson - Liverpool - 17 Games, 4 Assists, 5 Goals Conceded, 12 Clean Sheets = 101 Points
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DEF: Marcos Alonso - Chelsea - 19 Games, 1 Goal, 7 Assists, 16 Goals Conceded, 8 Clean Sheets = 90 Points
MID: Mohamed Salah - Liverpool - 18 Games, 12 Goals, 7 Assists = 130 Points
At the mid-point of the season, Mohamed Salah leads all players in points in our game. This has largely come off the back of his 12 goals which are the second-most in the league and, as a midfielder, the Egyptian gets an extra point for every one of them compared to forwards.
While it’s unlikely the Liverpool talisman will score 20 more times to meet last season’s total, he has already recorded more chances created (41) and assists (3) than he did at this stage in 2017/18. This versatility should ensure that Salah will remain an elite Fantasy option, even when the goals aren’t going in.
MID: Eden Hazard - Chelsea - 15 Games, 10 Goals, 9 Assists = 120 Points
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MID: Raheem Sterling - Manchester City - 15 Games, 9 Goals, 7 Assists = 106 Points
Sterling’s form has dipped significantly of late, but he still makes this list easily as a top-three Fantasy midfielder. Owning the English international is not always a joyous experience though as he’s blanked in nearly as many weeks (9) as not (10).
Fortunately, in the Goal game, when Sterling does put up those poor performances you can always replace him with another player that is yet to play that week, so you can gamble on the upside of Sterling while providing yourself with an out if he disappoints. Or, for those of you that prefer to use him as a set-and-forget option, you can rest assured that, come the end of the season Sterling will likely be in our Team of the Year - again.
MID: Felipe Anderson - West Ham - 19 Games, 8 Goals, 3 Assists = 95 Points
FOR: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - Arsenal - 17 Games, 13 Goals, 4 Assists = 113 Points
Aubameyang only scored one goal in the first five matches of this season, yet here he sits with more goals (13) than any other Premier League player at the midway point. He heads the Arsenal attack which has created more assists than any club save for Manchester City, which should provide him with plenty more opportunities to score in the second half of the season.
Whether he will continue to finish those chances at the same rate remains to be seen as he’s currently significantly outperforming his expected goals, but that doesn’t make his accomplishments thus far any less significant.
FOR: Harry Kane - Tottenham - 18 Games, 12 Goals, 5 Assists = 112 Points
FOR: Callum Wilson - Bournemouth - 17 Games, 8 Goals, 8 Assists = 96 Points
