Fantasy Football Managers Must Focus on Building a Strong Defensive Core

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It is often said in fantasy football that spending money on a goalkeeper isn’t a wise thing to do because it’s a wasted position. That’s not entirely true, as building a solid defence around your keeper is a sure-fire way of racking up the points from the off. The key is being able to identify what team is likely to keep the most amount of clean sheets during the season, that of course, is part luck but there are ways of seeking a bit more clarity based on seasons gone by.

Investing in a good keeper as well as two defenders from the same side is a shrewd move when wanting to cash in on a team’s clean sheet. Even if it ends up costing a bit more it does have the ability to save you from a disastrous week if your strikers and attacking midfielders misfire. Managers like Jose Mourinho and Mark Hughes are just two of many other managers that put a greater onus on defending than attacking which means scouting the likes of Manchester United and Southampton for goalkeepers and defenders is a great place to start.


With Alisson moving to Liverpool and Courtois looking to move from Chelsea there could be some significant changes in the fantasy football goalkeeping department this year.

It makes sense when picking defenders on the same team to find the ones that have a goal or two in them over the season. Wings-backs are a great choice as they are normally instructed to join an attack by bombing forward and getting balls into the box which should mean an assist on top of a clean sheet.

Pep Guardiola’s wing-backs were integral to City winning the Premier League last season and more managers could favour that type of formation this season.


The argument against picking a couple of defenders in the same team is that you are putting all your eggs in one basket but that can certainly be avoided by selecting carefully. Stringing a defence together by choosing players from different sides can see a fantasy football backline spread too thin and always breached.

Goals and clean sheets win fantasy football so it makes sense to find the extra funding by spending economically on your midfield. Put either a Salah or De Bruyne in but then scour the newly promoted sides for their playmakers as they will be cheap, likely to start and will almost always have an impact on the game.

There are many ways to go about building a successful fantasy football team. One of the most enjoyable ways is to join Name Your Squad, which is the new fantasy football phenomenon catching the interest of only the very best managers around. Instead of having an open pick of all the players on offer in the league, managers will have to instead match up the letters of their names with players surnames from the Premier League.

It sounds easier enough on paper but requires an extensive knowledge of the all Premier League players. The even bigger test would be to find players from the same team to put into your defence using Name Your Squad.

Whatever way you decide on picking your fantasy football team it is good practice to have a defensive core that you can rely on to save the day when the attackers don’t come to the party.