Injuries and ‘Pep Roulette’ scupper Dream Team gaffers’ plans despite Erling Haaland’s inevitable returns

MANCHESTER CITY beat Burnley 3-0 on Friday night to open the curtain on the new Premier League season.

On paper, it seemed a result ripe with Dream Team points but many gaffers were left frustrated by how events played out at Turf Moor.

Erling Haaland (£8.5m) provided the goods with a clinical brace but given his ownership stands at a ginormous 85% his returns are unlikely to have much of an impact on Mini Leagues or the overall leaderboard.

There was more variance in terms of captaincy selection but still the majority of Dream Team bosses doubled the Norwegian poacher’s 14 points to 28.

However, a combination of Pep Guardiola’s team selection and injury misfortunes meant several popular assets missed out in Gameweek 1.

Kevin De Bruyne (£7m) lasted just 23 minutes before he incurred another injury, an aggravation of the same hamstring issue that forced his premature exit in the Champions League final.

This is a significant development as the Belgian playmaker is currently the third-most selected midfielder in Dream Team and may now face another spell on the sidelines.

Similarly, John Stones (£5m) is the third-most popular defender and was entirely absent at Burnley.

The so-called ‘Barnsley Beckenbauer’ felt a twinge in his hip and was therefore not risked but Guardiola has since revealed the defender may be involved against Newcastle on Saturday.

Ruben Dias (£5.5m) was another unexpected absentee as he suffered a blow to the head in training which triggered the concussion protocol, meaning he’ll be out for at least seven days.

Despite injuries to the regular centre-backs, new signing Josko Gvardiol (£5m) had to make do with a 15-minute cameo at the end of the game – a frustration for the minority of Dream Team managers who took a punt on the Croatia international from the off.

Jack Grealish (£4.5m) watched his side’s victory over the Clarets from the bench.

The 27-year-old started Gameweek 1 as the sixth-most popular player in his position having finished last season as a nailed-on selection but Guardiola is ever unpredictable.

When all was said and done, De Bruyne, Stones, Dias, Gvardiol and Grealish combined for just three measly points!

Dream Team managers should be wary of overreacting to a single fixture, especially the first of the season, but with two transfers per Gameweek there’s enough flexibility to pivot if they so choose.

Man City provide mountains of points as a collective but identifying which specific players to back can be tricky.

Keep an eye out for updates after Wednesday night’s UEFA Super Cup.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk