Perfect Starting XI 17/18 Edition

[BLOCKHEAD]

It would be great if someone finally won this so TFF had to pay out. Now I feel like there is enough data to work off from previous seasons so here are some hints and tips as previously promised :-

• Don't be afraid to go top heavy on players from one team - 4 of the front 5 in last seasons' perfect XI were Spurs players
• Back one team to keep lots of cleansheets - 3 Chelsea defenders make it into the perfect XI last season
• Try and identify a cheap enabler midfielder who could potentially score a lot of points (a Payet, Michu type) to save funds elsewhere
• Include Kane

That's all I've got

[murf]

Never going to happen. Stastical virtual impossibility. Do not waste any effort.

[Des]

A "stastical virtual impossibility" made even more difficult by this gem from the T&Cs.

Only the first 10 teams under a Season Ticket holder’s control will be eligible for the Perfect Starting XI prize.

Imagine entering 11 teams and your last entry being the perfect one!

[MADCHESTER UTD]

Love this thread! Only looking at telegraph this season coz am entering robots king of fiso comp where your scores over 4 comps DT, telegraph, fpl and sky all count.

Noticed this perfect XI in the rules and although ridiculously hard to win that £150k, stranger things have happened so definitely will be attempting the near impossible even if you fall short, youd still have a chance of the highest score for original XI and win £1k

[Ayns]

IIRC last season's "Perfect Starting XI" contained Marcos Alonso.................. who didn't join Chelsea until after the season started, and therefore wasn't on the list of available players at the start of the season.

Although as Striker pointed out at the time, the chances of winning this is so minuscule that the fact that the Perfect XI contained a player that no-one could have had in their starting XI didn't really affect the outcome.

I think I previously speculated that the odds of winning this is several millions to one, but I got slammed, as someone worked out that it is in fact billions to one.

[robot]

I had a vague work out of the odds last year and the figure is about 1 in 1 sextillian.(and i havent made that up!)

[jjmatadormc]

DraftKIngs are offering a far more appropriate prize for someone who can pick the perfect NFL line up in Week 1

$1 billion!

https://about.draftkings.com/2017/08/14 ... challenge/

[Striker]

Even though your chance of winning the Euro lottery jackpot is far better than of winning Draftkings $1 billion, having a go at the latter is less boring than buying a lottery ticket.

If the NFL miracle happened, I guess that the end result would be that members of some Lloyds syndicates would be asked to cough up additional capital, especially those involved in syndicates also taking a hit from Hurricane Harvey.

[BLOCKHEAD]

It won't be too far away from this based on current form:-

De Gea 3.8
Davies 3.4
Valencia 4.1
Jones 3.2
Kolasinac 3.8
Walker 4.2
KDB 5.7
Mkhi 4.7
Salah 4.5
Lukaku 6.6
Jesus 5.9

Total value = 49.9

Perhaps swap Jones for some enabler defender/midfielder as he'll no doubt get injured at some point. It also looks like Spurs and Kane are struggling at Wembley in the league so expect him to get less goals than he did at WHL.

Kicking myself for not entering this team prior to the season - it was so obvious.....

[murf]

7 of those were widely used across my few teams so I've had an ok start.

[BLOCKHEAD]

I'm a couple of transfers away from having that team, but would need to swap Bailly for Davies and I'm not sure I trust Poch after yesterday.

[MADCHESTER UTD]

It won't be too far away from this based on current form:-

De Gea 3.8
Davies 3.4
Valencia 4.1
Jones 3.2
Kolasinac 3.8
Walker 4.2
KDB 5.7
Mkhi 4.7
Salah 4.5
Lukaku 6.6
Jesus 5.9

Total value = 49.9

Perhaps swap Jones for some enabler defender/midfielder as he'll no doubt get injured at some point. It also looks like Spurs and Kane are struggling at Wembley in the league so expect him to get less goals than he did at WHL.

Kicking myself for not entering this team prior to the season - it was so obvious.....

Jones and davies look the 2 players i doubt many of us wouldve gone for in a attempt to win starting XI or perfect XI. Just before season started even though i knew jones would start the season with bailly because of lindelofs dodgy pre season, i dont think i wouldve put him in a long haul team. And with davies, i asume rose will take his place when he's finally fit so again left him alone in my starting XI teams. The other 9 though as you said were very viable picks. I made the mistake of putting in klaasen in most of my starting XI efforts those 20 goals he got for ajax from midfirld last season turned my head. Im hoping that he starts playing well soon and ends up being a decent pick by the end of the season

[MADCHESTER UTD]

My best Starting XI is miles back at mo;

Forster
Kolasinac
Valencia
Cahill
Azpil
Vertonghen

Mane
Salah
Ince

Kane
Lukaku

Cahills red card has cost me 20 odd points so far and need ince to start scoring. Keeps going really close; hit bar vs west ham, nearly scored vs leicester etc. Hoping he keeps his place and gets at least 8 goals

[murf]

My best starting xi has 273.

2 transfers later it is on 269 (transferred out KdB just before the international break) Had 6 of the 11, now got just 5!


PS Just realised that perfect XI is wrong. Loads outscore Kolasinac for example. Presume it was an attempt at long term not current scores

[Striker]

My best starting xi has 273.

2 transfers later it is on 269 (transferred out KdB just before the international break)

You're not (quite) the biggest idiot around here. My best starting XI has 318 but a couple of inspired transfers dumping Aguero (when he didn't start) and KdB for Kane and Eriksen means that my current XI is SEVENTEEN points worse off on 301.

[BLOCKHEAD]

My best starting xi has 273.

2 transfers later it is on 269 (transferred out KdB just before the international break) Had 6 of the 11, now got just 5!


PS Just realised that perfect XI is wrong. Loads outscore Kolasinac for example. Presume it was an attempt at long term not current scores

That is correct - it's a predicted perfect XI based on the season so far.

[MADCHESTER UTD]

My best starting xi has 273.

2 transfers later it is on 269 (transferred out KdB just before the international break)

You're not (quite) the biggest idiot around here. My best starting XI has 318 but a couple of inspired transfers dumping Aguero (when he didn't start) and KdB for Kane and Eriksen means that my current XI is SEVENTEEN points worse off on 301.

318 is brilliant Dave. Was it a team purposely set up for starting XI or was it a team meant for the seasonal, or both; aimed specifically for starting XI but with the intention of also going for the main prize?

All bar my king of fiso team were initially set up for starting XI as tbh my intention was to not spend much time on telegraph game and concentrate on DT, knowing starting XI efforts are minimum fuss pick n stick. I know starting XI is £1k top prize and the main seasonal is £50k so it may seem an odd move but i enjoyed picking the teams still. I did in the end decide to keep up with transfers for the first few months just incase one of the teams made a decent start in the seasonal, not that that has happenned. That meant trannying out some hazards straight away as i knew he was out of the first few games but wanted him for the starting XI still.

[littlefeller]

I'll join this group of dunderheads. My starting x1 on 300, 3 transfers later on 299. In reverse gear

[Striker]

Was it a team purposely set up for starting XI or was it a team meant for the seasonal, or both; aimed specifically for starting XI but with the intention of also going for the main prize?

Set up solely as a season long team which has stumbled into a decent start. It's not likely to hold position as a starting XI as Stephens will probably need other Saint centre back injuries to get back in the team. Although my two other (2pts a week plus a bit more) enablers Ritchie and Gross are looking solid enough support for my eight more expensive players.

@littlefeller. With a one point loss, you're only an amateur dunderhead. My 17 points down the drain makes me the genuine article.

[dead parrot]

My best starting xi has 273.

2 transfers later it is on 269 (transferred out KdB just before the international break) Had 6 of the 11, now got just 5!


PS Just realised that perfect XI is wrong. Loads outscore Kolasinac for example. Presume it was an attempt at long term not current scores

That is correct - it's a predicted perfect XI based on the season so far.

I don't understand the point at this stage of predicting a perfect starting X! but if you do then including Kolasinac is a very subjective choice and certainly not one I would agree with.

[dead parrot]

Was it a team purposely set up for starting XI or was it a team meant for the seasonal, or both; aimed specifically for starting XI but with the intention of also going for the main prize?

Set up solely as a season long team which has stumbled into a decent start. It's not likely to hold position as a starting XI as Stephens will probably need other Saint centre back injuries to get back in the team. Although my two other (2pts a week plus a bit more) enablers Ritchie and Gross are looking solid enough support for my eight more expensive players.

@littlefeller. With a one point loss, you're only an amateur dunderhead. My 17 points down the drain makes me the genuine article.

talking purely in terms of statistics I think you will find that many highly placed starters will have regressed towards the mean following the first few transfers simply because enough transfers have a negative effect, especially in the short term. Because by definition the top starting elevens have scored highly that balances the effect towards regression. The more transfers that are made the more likely is is to show an overall profit on the assumption that >50% of transfers produce positive results.

So replace the term 'idiocy' with 'normality'
(and the current top starting team does also have a lower actual score now)

[WNP]

My best team started as:

De Gea

Bailly
Valencia
Ward
Vertonghen
Kolasinac

Eriksen
Salah
Pogba

Kane
Lukaku

Currently on 366 points and in 23rd position in the starting 11 league. Not sure it'll stay up there though with Pogba injured and the strikers starting to grab braces and hatricks

[itslikebrandnew]

My best starting 11 :-

Lossl
Bertrand
Soares
Kolasinac
Milner
De Bruyne
Pogba
Salah
Lukaku
Lacazette
Hernandez

301 5490 place

Changed a bit since and sit around 1500th overall

[murf]

My best starting xi has 273.

2 transfers later it is on 269 (transferred out KdB just before the international break)

My managerial genius pulled back 3pts yesterday. Starting XI 327 v 326 actual team

[BLOCKHEAD]

Best starting xi is on 432 and only contains players from the Manchester clubs

[Maldini]

.

[BLOCKHEAD]

Fixed

[WNP]

Just seen that I've gone top of the starting 11 league

Still no chance at the perfect 11 though

[BLOCKHEAD]

Who did you have playing today?

[WNP]

Who did you have playing today?

Kolasinac, Ward and Salah