The Template Team - Where has all the money gone?

So with the template team in full swing and managers looking for that differential to gain valuable places up your mini-leagues we take a brief look at managers strategies when structuring their teams and how the original 100m war chest was originally spent and what areas those managers felt were more important than others in the quest for glory.

We’ve compared the average price per position of the top 1000 managers versus the rest to try and find out just what the elite managers are doing different to the also rans of you and I.

Goalkeepers

Top 1000 managers – 9.3m

The rest – 9.8m 

Looking at the shot stoppers the top 1000 managers have spent an average of 9.3m, whereas the rest have pushed the purse strings out for a further 0.5m and spent on average 9.8m. With values so close it’s hard to judge but the managers nearer the top of the pile tend to pick cheap rotation goalkeepers such as Krul and Mannnone or Foster and Guzan. Potentially they could be using a one goalkeeper strategy and play David de Gea or Sczeszny and play a 4.0m keeper such as McCarthy or Jakupovic. This strategy seems to be working as even the so-called cheaper keepers can pick up lots of save points and even the odd clean sheet as Jakupovic did at Anfield this week. Most of the game tend to play stronger goalkeepers, whether this is down to the fact the office clown who was pressured into playing picked Hart and Cech or that the fact that the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United have all conceded goals and the points returns aren’t what we expected. Probability and talent suggests these teams are capable of putting together runs of defensive shut outs so whether this continues to be case remains to be seen.

Defenders

Top 1000 managers – 25.6m

The rest – 26.7m

The theory continues that the managers at the top of the pile seem to be spending less at the back and more at the sharp end of the pitch as managers at the top spend just over 1m less on their defence than their managerial counterparts. This could be down as we saw with the goalkeepers with the main protagonists fail to keep out their opponents and the smaller clubs such as Southampton steal the limelight with excellent returns from Bertrand and Clyne. Many seasoned regulars only play 3 at the back so one or two spots could be filled with 4.0m or less bench fodder to afford the luxuries such as a Leighton Baines or Branislav Ivanovic. The office counterpart is unlikely to of heard of Andre Wisdom so sticks with what they know and places Terry, Kompany and the rest lucky picks. That’s not to say anyone outside the top 1000 would not have heard of the on loan West Brom fullback!

Midfielders

Top 1000 managers – 40.3m

The rest 37.8m

Now the balance of power starts to shift and the money saved on the back seven players can now be lavished on the front eight. An extra 2.5m spent in this area for the top 1000 managers has obviously reaped rewards as the template team of Fabregas, Sterling, Siggurdsson, Di Maria and the likes don’t come cheap. 40.3m average spend suggests that some managers in the top bracket could be playing 3-5-2 and utilising the slightly cheaper but not any less effective Tadic, Chadli and Downing to fill that fifth spot in their midfield. Most managers seem to be going with the standard 4-4-2 or 3-4-3 and using a cheap option in the fifth spot such as Albrighton, Boyd or Obertan and the likes. There could be a shift to use the 3-5-2 as most managers will need to factor in a Walcott, Ramsay, Yaya or Hazard coming from the depths and hitting some consistent form which is surely inevitable and if the template is still producing the goods then there will be some big decisions ahead which all managers will face. You could try optimising your team on this very site and see what the stats say who to bring in!?

Forwards

Top 1000 managers – 27.0m

The rest – 25.1m

An extra near 2m can be all the difference from a 5m 5 goals a season striker to a 7m 15 goals a season man. Aguero and Costa are the names on everybody’s lips and with an average in the top 1000 managers being 27.0m spent on strikers I imagine Costa and Aguero will be in many and with a third striking spot balanced between some having Graziano Pelle, Danny Welbeck and a few still clutching onto Steven Naismith with an improved run of fixtures for the toffees. Whether the chasing pack are still holding onto Leonardo Ulloa or contain ghost teams holding the likes of Rooney, Sturridge or underperforming united forwards of RVP or Falcao who’s to know. As Aguero now looks to push beyond 12.5m and Pelle past 8.2m many managers may have the 3-5-2 formation in sight with a cheap third striker ready to carry the can should the worst happen. There are many capable strikers in this price bracket with Sakho and Berahino top of the form list in these positions. As the season goes on and team values rise expect the cheap third striker to slowly become less prominent, as we know goals means points and points mean a higher rank so we all want the best strikers on offer!

Conclusion

Overall team value top 1000 managers – 102.2m

Overall team value the rest – 99.4m

As this is based on current player values it’s inevitable that the managers at the top of the league will have more team value amassed than their lower league counterparts and on average 2.8m is quite a sizeable gap. Early mid-gameweek transfers can earn you the extra £££’s but ultimately it’s what they produce on the pitch that will decide the transfers in. So it appears a cheaper defensive line could be the way to go? I’m not suggesting you go out and sign five 4.0m defenders as whenever someone posts a colossal score its always when their defence has weighed in with some good points. The importance I believe what this shows that it’s better to have an expensive forward in Aguero and a cheaper defender in Wisdom than more evenly priced players such as Dzeko and McAuley.

I hope this gives you some food for thought over the coming weeks as a lot of managers will be considering the wildcard button as I have recently done. How will you structure your team?

@marcodelwattsio