Euro 2012 Fantasy Player Pool - Semi #1 Roundup

Euro 2012 has seen 311 minutes of pitch time since Xabi Alonso did Spain right with an unmarked header that gave new definition to the idea of "open play." Since then the only kicks that have found the back of the net have come from the penalty spot. 


Amazingly though, two straight goalless draws have produced the two highest fantasy scoring outputs of the tournament. 


In fact, Spain/Portugal didn't just settle for outscoring Italy/England...Semifinal #1 actually generated more fantasy points than 9 of the 12 days in the Group Stage - which all featured two games per day!  For fantasy purposes, these games are downright Seinfeldian in their ability to get a whole lot out of nothing.


The key to all those points, of course, are the Clean Sheet and 110+ minute bonuses. Wednesday, everyone who started the match ended up with those extra 4 points for going the distance, except for little Xavi. 


Meanwhile 'Cesc, who has basically spent the last four years screaming this at his various national team coaches, once again fell victim to the strangest ongoing anti-strategy I've ever seen as a sports fan. 

How many times, Espana?

Fabregas did pick up a couple of pts for logging 60+ as a sub, which made him eligible for a cheapie clean sheet point as well, but really it's incredible to think that Spain would very likely be out of this tournament were it not for Cesc's contributions, yet he's done nothing but leak points for the two fantasy owners who put him on their squads. 


Overall, even though the second of our two recent Nil-Nils was higher scoring than the first, the point distribution was much more even.  Almost everyone in the pool scored either 15, 16, or 17 points. That meant a nice jump up the board for Nathan L., the day's top scorer with 28.  Nathan has been with me in the also-rans group for quite a while, but might salvage a sliver of pride now that he's moved into the Top 20 here near the end...is Top 15 unthinkable??


A mere tenth of a point separated mid-table regulars Dan H. and Kevin L. entering the semis, and that tiny margin remains after they matched each other's score on Wednesday. Jared D. has the sad distinction of tying for low score on 3 of the 5 Knockout Round matches, and looks the favorite to sink down into the cellar spot by tournament's end. And even though Andres Iniesta came closer than any other Spaniard or Portugese to scoring an actual goal on Wednesday, that goal wasn't actually scored, and Iniesta's failure to have a huge day looks to have finally eliminated 7th Place Dan P. from contention.


Look two spots above Dan though (Sorry 6th Place Scott W., you're out of it, as well), and it's just about anyone's game. There will still be time for some shifting around via the Final, for sure, but most of the scoring in that game will be about Casillas. Because of the diversity among the squads, today's game is absolutely crucial. Let's break down where they stand and who they've got going today (decimals rounded to keep it clean):

• 1st - Andrew L. - 288 - Gomez / Chiellini
• 2nd -Steve J. - 276 - Ozil / Buffon
• 3rd - Ryan W. - 269 - LAHM / Chiellini
• 4th - Michael L. - 264 - Schweinsteiger / Pirlo
• 5th - Andrew K. - 265 - OZIL / Buffon

The great news for Andrew L. and Ryan W. is that Chiellini has made a "miraculous recovery" and will be playing today after he looked to be done for the rest of the way. The bad news for Andrew though is that Gomez, amazingly, is no guarantee to take the field.  


Jogi Loew apparently wasn't happy that his "surprise" XI vs. Greece wasn't much of a surprise, and had been perfectly predicted in advance by German media.  So he's going the extra mile this time around to keep today's lineup choices a secret.  We'll know in a few hours, obviously, but for now, as usual, Twitter is full of worthless information.

The last time Jogi "went the extra mile" with a pick

Lahm and Ozil owners can of course count on their men taking the field vs. Italy. Another goal from the German skipper might finally push Ryan W. to the top of the standings, while Andrew K., in 5th, knows today he's guaranteed to make up ground on Steve J. in 2nd thanks to double points from the tournament's MTP (Most Turkish Player).

Michael hopes Pirlo make him the "Bane" of the leaders 

Michael L. was 8th at the end of the Group Stage and still sits out of the current money positions, but he has to like his chances if things go well today. He's the only one in our lead group of five who doesn't share either of his players with anyone else in the group.  He'll either be in the money or out of contention for good once today's final ball is kicked.


Besides just the fantasy fun, Euro 2012 has been an awesome tournament so far and really the only negative is that I haven't gotten to enjoy watching more of the games since I've been working a lot of day shifts this month.  


It's funny, in my TV production career, trying to get to a M-F 9-5 schedule has been like hunting down a talking unicorn ... yet now that I finally bagged those comfortable hours, it actually cost me the chance to fully enjoy something that I'd been looking forward to for years. When it comes to dishing out ironic wish fulfillment, it's tough to beat Life. 


But just like games with no goals can still end up full of fantasy points, I've gotten a lot out of the matches I haven't even been able to watch. That's in part thanks to indispensable coverage from websites like 101greatgoals.com and goal.com, but also in part because these fantasy writeups have given me reason to dive in and analyze every match no matter what. Thanks to all of y'all who've taken the time to read them, looking forward to writing two more!