It&#8217;s about more than just goals, assists and clean sheets in Sky Sports Fantasy Football World Cup fantasy game &#8211; in this article, we delve into some recent data to see who the best players for passing and tackle bonus are among the tournament&#8217;s top teams.
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<h2>Spain</h2>
Spain immediately catch the eye with their possession-based style. Their whole back is four capable of picking up passing tiers.
Their centre-backs are capable of making more than 100 successful passes per game, which could be good news for whoever starts between Pau Torres, Aymeric Laporte and Eric Garcia.
Garcia seems to be a Luis Enrique favourite. The Barcelona defender made an incredible 128 successful passes against Switzerland in the UEFA Nations League.
That match saw right-back Cesar Azpilicueta of Chelsea make the tier-two equivalent of 83 passes, while Jordi Alba on the opposite side completed 64, enough for tier-one bonus.
Spain&#8217;s midfielders are also capable of hitting passing bonus, with their defensive midfield also potentially in line for tackle bonus, although whoever played in that position during the Nations League did not reach the numbers required to hit bonus. This is perhaps due to the amount of time Spain have the ball.
We understand Sergio Busquets has the edge over Rodri in Enrique&#8217;s thinking in the defensive midfield position.
<div id="attachment_50843" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-50843" class="size-full wp-image-50843" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Eric-Garcia-Spain-World-Cup.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Eric-Garcia-Spain-World-Cup.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Eric-Garcia-Spain-World-Cup-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Eric-Garcia-Spain-World-Cup-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Eric-Garcia-Spain-World-Cup-610x407.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Eric Garcia. Picture by Getty Images</div>
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<h2>Brazil</h2>
Centre-back pairing Marquinhos and Thiago Silva are the players to target for passing bonus in the Brazil side.
Their numbers are not quite as impressive as Spain&#8217;s, with numbers up and down in qualifying, but there is still plenty of potential for returns.
Tunisia were defeated 5-1 by the five-time World Cup winners back in September. Silva completed 82 passes, while Marquinhos managed 70. Right-back Danilo also scraped the equivalent of tier one passing.
Casemiro is the standout option in midfield, with the potential for both passing and tackle points.
It&#8217;s not out of the question that star man Neymar could hit the odd passing bonus, either, especially if he plays in midfield rather than as a central striker. He occasionally hit passing numbers in the 40s and 50s in qualifying.
<div id="attachment_48742" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-48742" class="size-full wp-image-48742" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/World-Cup-Brazil-Neymar.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/World-Cup-Brazil-Neymar.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/World-Cup-Brazil-Neymar-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/World-Cup-Brazil-Neymar-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/World-Cup-Brazil-Neymar-610x407.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Neymar Jr. Picture by Getty Images.</div>
<h2></h2>
<h2>Argentina</h2>
Cristian Romero &#8211; if fit &#8211; and Nicolas Otamendi are the likely starting centre-back pairing for Argentina, although Lisandro Martinez could have something to say about that after his good form in his his debut Premier League season for Manchester United.
Otamendi was a bit of a Sky legend during his time at Manchester City and it appears his eye for a pass persist at international level, too.
Both he and Romero hit tier-two passing levels in their most recent friendly against Jamaica in September.  It was also a good game for Giovani Lo Celso, who completed 74 passes and five tackles.
Despite usually playing up front, Lionel Messi is similar to Neymar in that he is a heavy influence on the game.
He hit a mammoth 80 passes against minnows Venezuela in qualifying, a game which saw central midfielders Leandro Paredes and Rodrigo de Paul complete 91 and 105 passes respectively.
Judging them by their qualifying games, Paredes and de Paul each hit tier-one tackle numbers once.
Tougher matchups like Brazil are perhaps better indicators, however Argentina still have the potential to return bonus.
Otamendi achieved the equivalent of tier-one passing against their bitter rivals in November 2021.
<div id="attachment_49207" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-49207" class="size-full wp-image-49207" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/World-Cup-Messi-Argentina.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="711" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/World-Cup-Messi-Argentina.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/World-Cup-Messi-Argentina-300x208.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/World-Cup-Messi-Argentina-768x533.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/World-Cup-Messi-Argentina-610x424.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Lionel Messi. Picture by Getty Images</div>
<h2></h2>
<h2>England</h2>
Despite having a tougher group than it appears, the Three Lions will likely be heavily backed in both UK-based Sky and Telegraph formats.
Their centre-backs will all have the ability to hit passing tiers &#8211; albeit not consistently at the levels of the likes of Spain and Germany &#8211;  while Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham could threaten both bonuses on occasion.
Tier-one tackle equivalent came for Rice in both Nations League games against Germany, while in the first game between the sides, Bellingham made seven tackles in 76 minutes. He made four in the 3-3 draw.
<h2>Germany</h2>
Centre-backs Niklas Sule and Nico Schlotterbeck both managed tier-two passing in the 3-3 draw against England, in which Germany had 59% possession.
Schlotterbeck could drop out of the starting 11 at the expense of Antonio Rudiger &#8211; another Sky legend for passing bonus during his time at Chelsea.
Defensive midfielders Joshua Kimmich and Ilkay Gundogan both comfortably beat the 70 pass mark in the England game, while Kimmich amassed six tackles.  The Bayern Munich midfielder is the more nailed-on option.
Spain levels of passing were achieved even in defeat to Hungary in September, with Sule making 124 passes and Rudiger 114.
Right-back that day Jonas Hofmann made tier one, while Kimmich hit 88 passes and eight tackles.
The statistics show Kimmich does not always come close to tackle bonus, however both bonuses are in his locker on a good day.
Gundogan would not have hit tackle bonus in Sky during the Nations League in 2022, however he should be on penalties if he does play.
<h2>France</h2>
France&#8217;s form was poor in the Nations League in 2022, which often saw their key men fall short of bonus. Their backline did however do enough to secure passing on occasion, including the likes of Presnel Kimpembe and Jules Kounde.
Kimpembe is out of the World Cup through injury though, and who plays at centre-back for the defending champions is not 100% certain. Raphael Varane would be the most-nailed option, presuming he is fit to start the tournament.
Aurelian Tchouameni is potentially a great option in midfield, with passing and tackling points on the table.
He is also a likely starter for Les Bleus.
<h2>Belgium</h2>
Belgium typically play a back three, with veterans Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen likely starters.
The Belgian backline regularly hit well in excess of tier-two passing equivalent in the Nations League, while in midfield Leicester&#8217;s Youri Tielemans seems the most likely Red Devil for both passing and tackle bonuses.
Kevin De Bruyne regularly managed passing numbers in the 40s from an attacking midfield position, with a tier-one level 62 in the 6-1 thrashing of Poland in June.
Shots, goals and assists are therefore the more likely route to points for the Manchester City man &#8211; but don&#8217;t rule out some extras in what is a good-looking group for the Belgians.
<div id="attachment_49275" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-49275" class="size-full wp-image-49275" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/kdb-de-bruyne-2022.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/kdb-de-bruyne-2022.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/kdb-de-bruyne-2022-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/kdb-de-bruyne-2022-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/kdb-de-bruyne-2022-610x407.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Kevin de Bruyne. Picture by Getty Images.</div>
<h2></h2>
<h2>Portugal</h2>
Portugal players rarely smashed through the passing barriers on the level of some of their European counterparts, although tiers were achieved on occasion in the Nations League.
Joao Cancelo had some success on both passing and tackle fronts. Passes was hard to come by across the board in the double-headers against Spain, however Cancelo completed six tackles in the first matchup.
<h2>Netherlands</h2>
The back three for the Netherlands are the most-likely source of bonus regular bonus points for the Oranje, alongside Frenkie de Jong in midfield.
Virgil van Dijk is the main man, with Nathan Ake and Jurrien Timber likely to be relied on by Louis Van Gaal alongside him.
Mathias de Ligt is another option, however he was not a starter in the Netherlands&#8217; September games &#8211; despite being in the squad.
Barcelona&#8217;s midfield maestro de Jong is more likely to hit passing than tackle bonus, which may not make him as appealing as some other options.
<div id="attachment_48924" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-48924" class="size-full wp-image-48924" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/World-Cup-Netherlands-Frenkie-de-Jong.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/World-Cup-Netherlands-Frenkie-de-Jong.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/World-Cup-Netherlands-Frenkie-de-Jong-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/World-Cup-Netherlands-Frenkie-de-Jong-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/World-Cup-Netherlands-Frenkie-de-Jong-610x407.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Frenkie de Jong is expected to be part of the Netherlands squad. Picture by Getty Images</div>
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Sky Fantasy Football World Cup 2022: Best players for passing and tackle bonus from the top teams

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