NMA-11 Cup - We have a winner!

After seven hard-fought rounds plus a qualifying round, we finally found out the finalists for the NMA-11 Cup in game week 36. In Week 38 they squared off in the final - how did they do?

There were plenty of points to be had in Round 38. Simultaneous kickoffs for all 10 matches meant we had confirmed lineups for all 20 teams, and the resulting frenzy of transfers in the countdown hour led to a lot of divergence among squads. If you included the likes of Pinnock, Kane, Jota, Olise and Mina, you were on the way to a huge week. Yes, we’re looking at you Ken, leading the week’s scores with 189 points.

Our two finalists didn’t come close to Ken’s dizzy heights, with neither breaking the 100 point mark (only a surprisingly low 45 teams managed this overall). Let’s have a look at their teams:

The teams shared six players; all very popular picks overall: Mina, Matip, Trippier, Maddison, McNeil and Salah. Of these Mina was a great choice, Trippier a disaster and the others mediocre. Still, they were shared, so they made no difference to the outcome.

In goal GREEK SUNSEEKER went for the bargain-priced Dubravka, while Team MIFFY_FC splashed out for the usually reliable Martinez. There was only one point between the two keepers, in favor of the budget Newcastle man, so that’s advantage GREEK SUNSEEKER.

The teams’ formations differed, with GREEK SUNSEEKER going for a five-man defense, with three players shared with their opponents. They went big on Liverpool - after all a game against Southampton couldn’t possibly test their defense too much, right? Well, wrong. The Reds shockingly conceded four, but fortunately for GREEK SUNSEEKER Fantrax doesn’t penalize defenders for goals against. TAA contributed a handy 17 points but Tsimikas only one, the Greek defender not doing his bit for the Fantrax team named after his country. Still, that puts GREEK SUNSEEKER 19 points up, although with six players tallied vs four.

In midfield, Team MIFFY_FC played an extra man, with Harvey Barnes and Garnacho up against GREEK SUNSEEKER’s Alvarez (with all others being mutually-held). This went much better for Team MIFFY_FC, with 20.5 points versus a mere half a point from the Manchester City attacker. So now Team MIFFY_FC is one point up, with eight players tallied vs. nine. Definitely advantage Team MIFFY_FC.

Up front both players held Mohamed Salah, so the battle was between Roberto Firmino and Marcus Rashford for Team MIFFY_FC and Gabriel Jesus for GREEK SUNSEEKER. The Cup seemed destined to go to Team MIFFY_FC when Firmino scored after only 14 minutes. But Firmino was only able to muster a further half a point after that, and Rashford finished on just four.

Consequently GREEK SUNSEEKER found salvation through Jesus, who posted a goal plus an assist for a juicy 26 points — more than enough to see the Cup head to Greece.

Congratulations to GREEK SUNSEEKER on a 99 : 88.5 win!

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Editor’s note: After three years, this will be CreweGuy’s last as NMA’s Cup coordinator. We extend our deepest gratitude for the time and effort he’s invested to make our fantasy football experience even more fun. If you are interested in picking up the reins for next season, please place a comment below, or contact us at nmafantasyepl@gmail.com.

How long did your Cup run last? How did GW-38 go for you? Would you have beaten GREEK SUNSEEKER or Team MIFFY_FC? Let us know in the Comments below.

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