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Fantasy managers can be a moody bunch. Or reckless, depending on your point of view.
Players who helped them reach the heights are all too often tossed overboard at the first hint of loss of shape to be replaced with the newest, shiniest toy that everyone decided is now the newest must-have.
This can be the case in both the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) and the Football Index (FI).
Football Index is a real money betting platform where you can buy and sell shares in footballers.
The value of these players can rise or fall depending on their performance on and off the field.
I’ve been actively using FI this season with more than one reference to FPL to see which aspects of each game connect and which don’t.
Some loyalty can go a long way in FI as stocks bought early and low on a player slowly increase in value over time, allowing for inevitable bumps along the way.
But there have been cases where traders seem a bit choppier.
Liverpool have lost four league games since February 1, culminating in their chaste defeat in the Merseyside derby last weekend.
Amid the murmuring of Anfield crises and the need for Jürgen Klopp to rest, star player Mohamed SalahThe share price had fallen from £ 2.51 to a not-so-romantic Valentine’s Day low of £ 1.72.
It is now available for £ 1.71 and that loss of confidence in the Egyptians is reflected in FPL, where it has lost around 200,000 owners in the past three weeks of play despite scoring two goals in two consecutive games and in his last four starts scored four goals before the Everton debacle.
The question now is whether Liverpool will find their mojo again and whether Salah’s share prices have fallen any further in the meantime.
The Reds look very well placed to advance to the quarter-finals in Europe and their immediate domestic schedule is equally encouraging with Sheffield United, Fulham and Wolves to come.
There’s the potential for Match Day Dividends (MDD) from these “simpler” games, while media dividends are never far away with Salah.
It has long been a media magnet and has accumulated 12,510 media points in FI in the last three months alone, thanks to 301 mentions. For the context of teammate Sadio mane (£ 1.03) had 94 mentions for 4,820 points.
And of the £ 0.39 per share dividends Salah brought in over the period, £ 0.25 came from media payouts.
Throw in the extra coverage that the Champions League always produces – the competition also features the highest MDDs as CL games are often part of Gold Match Days – and Liverpool stars could be on the rise again.
Aside from Anfield, the saga that packed many in FPL could also play in FI.
Ilkay Gundogan (£ 0.91) has delivered in buckets in the past few weeks, scoring 11 goals in their last 12 league games at a staggering FPL price.
So delicious was his form that he was the captain of choice among a large number of fantasy bosses for the Double Gameweek in Manchester City that involved Spurs and then Everton.
He delivered spades against Tottenham with two goals and one assist. But a groin injury sustained late in the game meant he missed the trip to Goodison Park and some particularly legitimate managers grumbled about their bad luck.
In the end, the German international was only out for one game and he remains very popular in the FPL.
Doubts about the fitness of the form strong midfielder could have been behind the quietly growing interest in Kevin De Bruyne (£ 3.06) is issued by FI dealers.
His stock price slowly rebounded as he prepared to return from the hamstring injury that paused him for four weeks, peaking at £ 3.24 earlier this week.
FPL managers may need to consider the Belgian’s market forces.
And if you didn’t bet on De Bruyne in FI, now may be the time to act.
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