Fantasy Football Euro 2012 is on its way and I’m here to try and give you the best possible start. I have based this article on the free version available through McDonalds and UEFA, but more articles may appear online as different versions appear.

The purpose of this article is to discuss how game points are awarded and to use this as the basis for our player selection. So where do we start?

It is participation that counts

In line with the Premier League version of fantasy football, but at odds with Yahoo’s version, the 2012 McDonalds game gives you credit for showing up. The rules clearly state that any player who graces the field of play receives one point and those who last more than 60 minutes will receive two. This is a fantastic start for any team as you can be sure, if you pick well, 22 points for your team simply by picking the players who are actually going to play. This is by far the most important aspect of the game, you should always aim to have achieved 66 points at the end of matchday 3 by having all possible positions playing.

Where do the goals come from?

The McDonalds game adjusts the points awarded for a goal by one point for each position from the forwards. In other words, a striker scores 4, a midfielder scores 5, a defender or a goalkeeper scores 6. While goals between posts are extremely rare, there are many defenders and midfielders who can score goals: players like Raphael Van de Vaart, Ashley Young, Raul Meireles, Cabaye, Olsson, Evra, Cahill, etc. These should be at the forefront of your thinking. It is also worth looking for players who are more likely to create assists, these are undoubtedly wingers and wingers, so players like Mata can appear here.

Park the bus.

One of the universally prized skills in fantasy football is the ability to keep a clean sheet. In the game McDonalds 2012 is highly appreciated! If you choose a team with a 1-5-4-1 formation, you could score 28 points if everyone who isn’t forwards keeps a clean sheet. From experience it is easy to suggest this, but it is much more difficult to be successful, in my opinion, selecting defenders who play in front of a world-class goalkeeper will lead you well.

Penalties

While there are a large number of scoring options for penalties, these scores are extremely difficult to predict beforehand. Penalties are few and far between and it is extremely difficult to determine who will commit the foul or the goalkeepers’ chances of success to save the attempt. While you might see the referee’s previous performance of dealing red cards, it would personally remove this entire section from your thinking. Sometimes it makes sense to focus on what you can control.

The rest

The remaining points revolve around disciplinary actions and field actions as saves. While it is possible to predict which players are likely to attract red and yellow cards based on their national appearance, this should be taken with a pinch of salt as there is always a difference when wearing the national jersey. The goalkeeper’s score of 1 point for every 3 saves is ridiculous. Had it been higher it might have been worth using a goalkeeper who would be forced to perform more regularly, but these scores only lead him to pick the most cast iron solution he can.