Search for the Statistical MVP – Round 2 (Part 1)

Welcome back to round 2 of our weekly series, the Search for the Statistical MVP (Click here for round 1). In this series, we are looking solely at players’ statistics this season to see who has provided the most on paper value for their team. Keep in mind, this does not mean they are the best player, or the most talented; it is just a test to see who comes out on top. For the purposes of not wanting to make you read through 16 matchups in one read, we will be splitting this round up into 2 parts: 8 today, and 8 matchups next time.

In this round, it will be relatively easy to compare players, because almost all of the matchups are between players playing the same position. It may get a little murky in the future, but for now, here are your Round of 32 matchups:

The Dirtiness of Ireland-Wales

Today, Ireland squared off against Wales in the FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifier. And while the game itself was a 0-0 draw, the headlines were really written by the harsh challenges laid throughout the game. Both sides had more than a few dirty challenges that ended up in some disciplinary action, and unfortunately, injury as well.

Finding the EPL’s MVP Statistically

When awards are going out to players, such as the PFA Player of the Year and the Ballon d’Or, it is almost always won by an attacking player. One of the first times this trend was broken was at the London Awards just recently, when N’golo Kante took home the best player award. This got me thinking, what about defenders? Is there a way to figure out what player provides the most value to their team regardless of position? In my attempts to do so, I put together a bracket consisting of 37 field players in the Premier League, all with various positions. We are going to do a weekly series here at Loose Goose FC, where every week we go head to head to compare players purely based on statistics, and complete another round until only one player remains. Without further ado, here is the bracket:

RECAP: EA’s Ratings Refresh in FIFA 17

Last week EA announced they would be adding to the ratings refresh to this year’s FIFA 17. This means they will be upgrading the FIFA Ultimate Team cards of players, and also downgrading them for the first time. With all the players they have to upgrade and downgrade surely they have to miss some, right? Let’s take a look at the hits and misses of FIFA 17’s EPL Ratings Refresh.