Which player tops each key Dream Team statistic? From goals and assists to tackles and bonus points

THE first day of May heralds the final month of the regular Dream Team season.

There’s still plenty of time for some decisive twists and turns but now is the time for reflection upon what has been a captivating campaign.

Dream Team introduced a new and improved scoring system in 2023/24 that recognises individual performance in greater detail than ever before.

With the season almost at an end, let’s analyse which players have led the way in the key statistics.

PLAY SCORE PREDICTOR AHEAD OF THIS WEEKEND’S ACTION – SOMEBODY MUST WIN £500 IN CASH!

DREAM TEAM POINTS

1. Phil Foden (£5.8m) – 350 pts
2. Bukayo Saka (£5.8m) – 347 pts
3. Erling Haaland (£7m) – 336 pts
4. Cole Palmer (£5.4m) – 326 pts
5. Bruno Fernandes (£5.6m) – 310 pts

We start with the metric that matters most.

Barring a late charge from Haaland, it’s seemingly a two-way contest between the two English midfielders for the crown – the pair have been neck-and-neck all season long.

Palmer deserves huge credit for his breakout campaign as he’s the only player among the top 18 performers who hasn’t had European fixtures to bolster his fixtures at any point this term.

Fernandes has tapped into some formidable form since the turn of year, in spite of Manchester United’s underwhelming efforts as a collective.

GOALS

1. Erling Haaland (£7m) – 32
2. Mohamed Salah (£6.5m) – 24
3. Alexander Isak (£4.5m) – 23
4. Ollie Watkins (£5m) – 23
5. Cole Pamer (£5.4m) – 23
6. Phil Foden (£5.8m) – 23

The Norwegian poacher is once again clear in the goalscoring department and currently leads the Premier League Golden Boot race too with 21 goals to Palmer’s 20.

It will be interesting to see what heights the ever-improving Isak can reach if he’s blessed with an injury-free campaign.

ASSISTS

1. Darwin Nunez (£4.9m) – 18
2. Ollie Watkins (£5m) – 17
3. Kevin De Bruyne (£6.2m) – 17
4. Anthony Gordon (£3.9m) – 16
5. Bukayo Saka (£5.8m) – 16

Liverpool’s No9 has copped plenty of criticism again this season but his return of 36 goal involvements (18 goals, 18 assists) has to be respected.

Watkins is the only player who features in the top five for both goals and assists – evidence of yet another magnificent campaign.

The Aston Villa striker has reached another level under Unai Emery’s tutelage.

It’s not unusual to see De Bruyne among the most prolific assist-providers but his presence in this list is worth highlighting because injuries have restricted him to just 20 appearances to date.

SHOTS ON TARGET

1. Erling Haaland (£7m) – 79
2. Darwin Nunez (£4.9m) – 67
3. Mohamed Salah (£6.5m) – 63
4. Cole Palmer (£5.4m) – 60
5. Phil Foden (£5.8m) – 57

Plenty of overlap with the top scorers list here, with Nunez being the exception.

The Uruguay international offers a persistent threat but he remains inefficient in the final third.

Even a slight increase in composure would send his stats into orbit.

BIG CHANCES CREATED

1. Bruno Fernandes (£5.6m) – 29
2. Mohamed Salah (£6.5m) – 26
3. Kevin De Bruyne (£6.2m) – 20
4. Cole Palmer (£5.4m) – 19
5. Dwight McNeil (£3.5m) – 17
6. James Ward-Prowse (£3.9m) – 17
7. Kieran Trippier (£4.3m) – 17

The Red Devils’ captain is unlikely to win many popularity contests but it would be foolish to underestimate his effectiveness as a creator.

Rasmus Hojlund (£3.6m), Marcus Rashford (£3.4m) and company should have made more of Fernandes’ playmaking this season.

Some critics have labelled Palmer a “penalty specialist” with selfish tendencies but his presence in this list suggests he’s offered plenty of assistance for his team-mates too – what can’t he do?

Credit to McNeil for plugging away despite Everton’s conversion issues in the final third.

Trippier a notable inclusion as the only defender.

TACKLES

1. Joao Palhinha (£3.4m) – 164
2. Vinicius Souza (£2.3m) – 122
3. Alexis Mac Allister (£4.5m) – 121
4. Joao Gomes (£2.7m) – 117
5. Emerson (£2.9m) – 117

Fulham’s midfielder general is in a league of his own in this regard, just as he was last season.

Palhinha gets through a tremendous amount of work in the middle of park and takes no prisoners when the ball is there to be won – he’s picked up 13 yellow cards for his troubles.

Mac Allister has been one of Liverpool’s better players this season and it’s impressive that he boasts such a high tackle count playing for a team that tends to dominate possession and territory – which isn’t the case for Souza at Sheffield United.

CLEAN SHEETS

1. William Saliba (£3.8m) – 20
2. Ben White (£4.6m) – 20
3. Gabriel (£4.4m) – 19
4. David Raya (£3.6m) – 18
5. James Tarkowski (£3m) – 15

It’s been total domination from Arsenal in this department this season.

If they end up edging out Man City to win the title then their superior defence will be the decisive factor.

For all the Toffees’ problems in attack, their defence has held firm for the most part, as one would expect of a Sean Dyche side.

SAVES

1. Andre Onana (£3m) – 172
2. Jose Sa (£2.6m) – 138
3. Thomas Kaminski (£1.7m) – 135
4. Bernd Leno (£2.5m) – 133
5. Alphonse Areola (£2.1m) 129

Manchester United’s goalkeeper has been asked to work overtime in his first season at Old Trafford.

The Cameroon international was guilty of some glaring errors before Christmas but it’s also true that he’s been offered little in the way of protection.

Such is the extent of Onana’s save count, he’s currently the leading asset in his position with 184 points to his name.

BONUS POINTS

1. Bruno Guimaraes (£4.4m) – 75
2. Mohammed Kudus (£5.4m) – 64
3. Pascal Gross (£4.3m) – 55
4. Ezri Konsa (£3.5m) – 52
5. Jeremy Doku (£3.9m) – 51
6. Bukayo Saka (£5.8m) – 51
7. Phil Foden (£5.8m) – 51

Bonus points are designed to recognise influential contributions not covered by the aforementioned metrics and it’s no surprise to see Newcastle’s all-action midfielder leading the way.

Guimaraes ranks highly for successful dribbles, fouls won and interceptions – he fulfils at least two roles in the Magpies’ engine room.

Kudus has earned his mountain of bonus points almost exclusively through dribbling – he’s completed the most take-ons among Premier League players in 2023/24, even with a brief departure for Africa Cup of Nations duties.

The Villa Park faithful will enjoy seeing fan favourite Konsa mixing with the highly-rated midfielders.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk