Team of the Round FAQ

Team of the Round FAQ

How is a "round" of fixtures defined?
There are two rounds in a week with games - Friday to Monday and Tuesday to Thursday (inclusive). For the most part this covers one game per team per round, although there have been occasions where one team has played twice in the same round.

Does this mean a player could be selected twice?
That is possible, yes. Andy Keogh played on a Friday and the following Monday recently. He wasn't selected for the team of the round for either performance, but it could have happened.

How are players selected?
The same rules as the Premier League's fantasy football game are being loosely applied - a starting player gets two points, an introduced substitute gets one point, then bonuses are applied for goals, assists, and clean sheets, and deductions applied for conceding, bookings, and red cards.

Are there any other criteria?
Each players points is multiplied by a rating, based on the level of the competition, to give a final points total.
e.g. a starting goalkeeper in the Championship who concedes twice earns 6 points (2 points for starting, multiplied by 3 - the rating for the Championship - equals 6)
a starting goalkeeper in League One who keeps a clean sheet earns 12 points (2 points for starting plus four bonus points = 6 multiplied by 2 - the rating for League One - equals 12).

What are the possible formations for the team?Again, the rules for fantasy football are being followed, so a minimum of three defenders, three midfielders, and a maximum of three strikers
The available formations are

• 3-4-3
• 3-5-2
• 4-3-3
• 4-4-2
• 4-5-1
• 5-3-2
• 5-4-1

For each possible formation, the top point scoring players in each position are selected, then the team with the maximum total points is selected as the Team of the Round.

Player X appeared in midfield in this round, but had been selected in defence in the team

The positions of the players are predetermined by their position on their player page on the site, so Enda Stevens will always be selected in defence despite playing wing back for Sheffield United. This is similar to fantasy football, where John Lundstram is designated as a defender, even though he plays further forward for the Blades.

What leagues are used for selection

Players are selected from the competitions where we provide live updates

• Senior international games
• Underage qualifiers
• All four divisions in England
• PL2 Division 1 and 2
• U18 Premier League
• U18 Premier League Cup
• League Cup
• FA Cup
• FA Trophy
• The top two divisions in Scotland
• Scottish Cup
• Scottish League Cup
• Scottish Challenge Cup
• Polish Ekstraklasa
• Australian A-League
• Indian Super League
• Asian AFC Champions League
• MLS
• CONCACAF Champions League
• FA Women's Super League

Will other leagues be added?

Underage friendlies are a possiblity, but other than that, it's being limited to the list above until the selection criteria is finalised.

Why was player X selected but player Y was omitted?

If two players earn the same points, then the competition ranking of the respective games were played in is used to select a player, so a player in a higher ranked competition is selected
If two players finish on the same points in the same competition, then the result is used to select the player (Wins > Draws > Losses).

Will you release the points earned by each player in the team?

If people ask for it, they will be added to the "notes" images, next to the player name.

What about the total points for each player, regardless if they're selected or not? 
If there's enough interest, the points for each player will be included in a blog post around the same time as the "Round Up" post.

Will you release the competition ratings
They are being tweaked to improve the final selection of players, once they are finalised, they will be released.

When a player is selected from a clubs U18 or U23 side for the team of the week, why doesn't it say that beside their name

It's on the notes images, we'll consider adding it to the player's name on the main image.