Dream Team

WITH transfers set to be replenished on Friday morning, Dream Team gaffers will be hoping to identify which players are most likely to bank plentiful points throughout February.As if any extra motivation was needed, the manager who racks up the most points between now and March 2nd will win a brand new PlayStation 5!
With that in mind, allow us to suggest three candidates we believe are capable of producing bumper months.
Bruno Fernandes (£5.8m)
It’s all smiles at Old Trafford right nowCredit: getty
Manchester United are the busiest team this month with seven fixtures to fulfil before the start of March.
A two-legged Europa League meeting with Barcelona, the Carabao Cup final, and a rearranged Premier League fixture against Leeds means loads of scoring opportunities for the Old Trafford residents in the coming weeks.
Marcus Rashford (£5.7m) is the name that should come to mind first and foremost but we’ve promoted his virtues enough in the last few weeks – if you ignored our advice then you’ve missed out some massive hauls.
The England international’s ownership has sky-rocketed to 33.7% since the restart but the Red Devils’ Portuguese midfielder features in 13.2% of teams, meaning a fair few gaffers are overlooking his form.
Fernandes has amassed 53 points across the last five Game Weeks and a busy schedule should ensure the returns keep flowing.
Generally speaking, backing several Man United assets looks to be a wise approach for the coming weeks.
Most read in Dream Team
Nathan Ake (£3.7m)
A well-timed goal!Credit: getty
Fresh off an 18-point haul in Game Week 20, the Dutchman looks set to be Manchester City’s first-choice left-back for the foreseeable future after Joao Cancelo’s surprise departure to Bayern Munich.
Ake underlined his impressive recent form when he scored the winner against Arsenal in last Friday night’s FA Cup showdown, earning him a Star Man award in the process.
Granted, Pep Guardiola’s side haven’t kept as many clean sheets as they would have liked this season but, when reasonably priced, their defensive assets remain solid options.
City have six fixtures to squeeze in this month with three of them coming against bottom-half opposition: Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth.
On paper, there should be a healthy allotment of points up for grabs for Ake and company.
Eddie Nketiah (£3.5m)
Underestimated by Dream Team bosses?
Arsenal have five games in February which makes them less busy than the Manchester clubs but more active than the likes of Newcastle and Brighton.
One of the Gunners’ fixtures sticks out like a sore thumb, a top-of-the-table clash with Man City which will be a serious test of their title-winning credentials.
However, the rest of the match-ups are relatively favourable.
Nketiah will continue to lead the line as Mikel Arteta’s side take on Everton, Brentford, Villa and Leicester around that meeting with Guardiola’s men.
It’s worth noting the game against the Bees takes place at the Emirates – Thomas Frank’s side are considerably weaker on the road.
Read More on The Sun
Arsenal’s homegrown poacher has deputised for Gabriel Jesus (£5.3m) superbly while the Brazilian has been sidelined.
Nketiah has scored seven goals in his last eight outings and still only appears in 3.6% of teams. More

PINCH, punch, first of the month and all that waffle.Any self-respecting Dream Team managers knows that flipping over the calendar means a fresh batch of transfers are imminent.
Gaffers will be able to make changes from Friday morning ahead of Game Week 21.
As always, it’s best to consider the schedule for the month ahead when deciding on a strategy so let’s whip through the fixtures that await each of the teams currently in the top half.
ARSENAL

Everton (a)
Brentford (h)
Man City (h)
Aston Villa (a)
Leicester (a)

A huge game awaits
It’s worth noting that the Gunners don’t have any European commitment to fulfil until March because they have already qualified for the Europa League round of 16.
In terms of Premier League fixtures, one match-up sticks out like a sore thumb.
It could be argued that the visit of Pep Guardiola’s men to the Emirates on the 15th is Arsenal’s biggest game in years – victory would make them huge favourites to claim the league title.
Elsewhere, the Bees are not as threatening away from their hive and there should be plenty on points on offer against Everton, Villa and Leicester, three sides currently in the bottom half.
Most read in Dream Team
MANCHESTER CITY

Spurs (a)
Aston Villa (h)
Nottingham Forest (a)
Arsenal (a)
RB Leipzig (a)
Bournemouth (a)

Four consecutive away days, starting with that trip to north London, will be a test for the defending English champions – Leipzig can be a tricky place to go in the Champions League knockouts.
Saying that, Erling Haaland (£9.1m) will be confident of adding to his goal tally and may even be earmarking Villa, Forest or Bournemouth for his next hat-trick.
NEWCASTLE
Dream Team’s king of defenders

West Ham (h)
Bournemouth (a)
Liverpool (h)
Man United or Southampton (n)

It’s highly likely the Magpies will meet Erik ten Hag’s side in the Carabao Cup final at the end of month – that matter will be confirmed this evening.
Those first two fixtures look ripe for yet more returns from the likes of Kieran Trippier (£6.6m) and Nick Pope (£5.3m) – Jurgen Klopp’s mob are miles off their best right now as well.
However, Newcastle will not be as busy as several other teams this month so it will be interesting to see if their assets can maintain their dominance at the top of the defensive rankings.
MANCHESTER UNITED

Crystal Palace (h)
Leeds (h)
Leeds (a)
Barcelona (a)
Leicester (h)
Barcelona (h)
Brentford (h)

Be aware that final fixture against Thomas Frank’s side is likely to be replaced by the Carabao Cup final, assuming the Red Devils finish the job in tonight’s semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest.
A two-legged meeting with La Liga’s leaders in the Europa League ensures Man United have a busy schedule in the coming weeks.
They have an excellent record against Leeds since the Yorkshire club returned to the top flight so backers of Marcus Rashford (£5.7m) and Bruno Fernandes (£5.8m) should expect more points from that double header.
A healthy allotment of Man United assets could be the way to go for Dream Team gaffers this month
TOTTENHAM

Man City (h)
Leicester (a)
AC Milan (a)
West Ham (h)
Chelsea (h)

A relatively tough month for Antonio Conte’s men to negotiate here with the visit of City, a European away day, and a brace of London derbies.
Harry Kane (£7.9m) missed the last game through illness and his owners should certainly keep an eye out for updates but the England skipper is expected to return to the starting line-up this weekend.
BRIGHTON

Bournemouth (h)
Crystal Palace (a)
Fulham (h)

The Seagulls’ game against Newcastle has been postponed because of the latter’s appointment at Wembley.
Kaoru Mitoma (£2.6m) and Solly March (£2.8m) provided superb value for money throughout January but the midfield pair will struggle to maintain their impressive pace this month with so few fixtures to fulfil.
FULHAM
A lean spell

Chelsea (a)
Sunderland (a)
Nottingham Forest (h)
Brighton (a)
Wolves (h)

An FA Cup replay against the Black Cats helps bolster the in-form Cottagers’ schedule.
Aleksandar Mitrovic’s (£4.8m) owners may be concerned that the Serbian target man has mustered just one point across his last five outings – keep an eye on his returns in the coming weeks.
BRENTFORD

Southampton (h)
Arsenal (a)
Crystal Palace (h)
Man United (a)

Generally speaking, the Bees are a force to be reckoned with at home but vulnerable on the road.
That pattern could well extend this month with difficult trips to the Emirates and Old Trafford offset by two favourable home fixtures.
LIVERPOOL

Wolves (a)
Everton (h)
Newcastle (a)
Real Madrid (h)
Crystal Palace (a)

What can Liverpool muster from this season?
Dream Team bosses simply don’t know what to make of the Reds right now.
It’s been a bitterly underwhelming campaign so far but the potential of their most-popular assets can never be ignored – Mohamed Salah (£8.3m) has 151 points to his name.
Liverpool enjoyed themselves in the Champions League during the group stage (for the most part) but a meeting with the competition’s specialists will paint a clearer picture of their fortunes.
CHELSEA

Fulham (h)
West Ham (a)
Borussia Dortmund (a)
Southampton (h)
Spurs (a)

No fewer than three London derbies guarantees a mightily competitive month for the Blues, whose squad has been recently bolstered by yet more expensive arrivals.
Read More on The Sun
Truth be told, Thiago Silva (£5.8m) and Kepa Arrizabalaga (£3.4m) are the only two players who have made a positive impact in the realm of Dream Team recently.
February will be a litmus test of Graham Potter’s side; fans will be desperate for significant improvements. More

FEBRUARY’S transfers will be available to gaffers this coming Friday and for some they can’t come soon enough.The Premier League’s winter transfer window always changes the landscape to some degree and there are several notable injuries to negotiate as well.
For this purposes of this exercise, we’re going to focus on some relatively popular players who are fit but haven’t been pulling their weight recently and consequently may need replacing.
First up, it’s William Saliba (£3.5m).
Firing blanksCredit: getty
Arsenal’s No12 made a strong start to the season, racing to 36 points by the end of Game Week 7.
However, the Frenchman has only added a further 33 points to his total in 16 appearances since.
Incredibly, Saliba remains the second-most selected defender in the game with massive ownership of 23.7% but the simple fact is he’s not providing returns worth of his popularity – he’s mustered eight points in his last six outings.
The Gunners’ title charge remains very much on track but the significant points are to be had from the likes of Bukayo Saka (£4.3m) and Martin Odegaard (£3.6m).
Additionally, any gaffers that want to back Arsenal defenders should be aware that Gabriel (£4.4m), Ben White (£4.8m) and even Kieran Tierney (£3.4m) have outscored Saliba this term.
No Silva lining here
Bernardo Silva (£3.1m) provided immense value for money last season but he’s averaging just 1.7 points-per-game in 2022/23.
Most read in Dream Team
The Portuguese midfielder has scored two goals and provided five assists in 29 appearances and five of those goal involvements came in the first month of the campaign.
Worryingly, the 28-year-old has contributed just three points across the last nine Game Weeks (49 overall).
Bernardo and his backers have paid the price for his drop-off – he started the season at £4.5m (and peaked at £4.7m) but he may well dip below £3m by the time February’s action gets underway.
Not in safe handsCredit: getty
Lastly, most Dream Team bosses should realise there are better options than Hugo Lloris (£3.1m) in goal.
Tottenham’s No1 is still the sixth-most popular player in his position at the time of writing but his tally of 47 points represents an underwhelming return.
The Frenchman was undoubtedly a top-tier shot stopper in his prime but these days he commits too many individual errors.
Vicente Guaita (£2.5m), Dean Henderson (£3m) and David Raya (£2.9m) are among the extensive list of keepers above Lloris in the rankings right now.
Those clinging onto the past need to realise that all good things come to an end. More

MANY Dream Team gaffers will still be reeling from the revelation that Joao Cancelo’s (£6m) time at Manchester City is at an end.The Portuguese full-back is joining Bayern Munich on loan with a view to a permanent switch in the summer following a disagreement with Pep Guardiola.
It wasn’t that long ago that the 28-year-old was viewed as one of the most important figures at the Etihad and among the best players in in world football in his position.
Cancelo has amassed mountains of Dream Team points in the last three years and many managers, particularly those who support the defending Premier League champions, will be gutted to see him leave.
A sour end to a happy marriageCredit: getty
As the old saying goes: when God closes a door, he opens a window.
Whether Man City bring in a new recruit before the transfer window closes remains to be seen but at this stage it seems likely that Nathan Ake (£3.7m) will be first-choice left-back for the remainder of the season.
The Dutchman has fulfilled the role a few times already this term and popped up in a Cancelo-esque area last Friday night to combine with Jack Grealish (£3.7m) for City’s winner against Arsenal in the FA Cup.
Factor in a clean sheet plus the Star Man award and Ake has pocketed a very handy 18 points in Game Week 20.
No defender has earned more points this Game Week which, given the developments in the transfer market, is immaculate timing.
A well-timed winner
Ake has 76 points overall but perhaps more pertinently, he averages 3.6 points-per-game.
Most read in Dream Team
To put that into context, that’s more than Lisandro Martinez (£4.4m), Luke Shaw (£3.8m), William Saliba (£3.5m), John Stones (£5.2m) and Oleksandr Zinchenko (£4.1m).
If the ex-Bournemouth defender is to be a first-team regular for the remainder of the campaign then he is reasonably priced at £3.7m right now – although expect that to rise this Friday after his 18-point haul.
He’s helpfully cheaper than the aforementioned Stones, Ruben Dias (£5.9m) and Aymeric Laporte (£4.6m).
Go Dutch!
Generally speaking, Man City’s defence has not provided as many points as usual this season but most gaffers would still back them to register their fair share of clean sheets, especially of presented with a favourable run of fixtures.
Dream Team may be losing one of its superstars in Cancelo but the best managers always look for an opportunity in the wake of a problem and Ake may well fit the bill for those in need of a mid-range defender. More

THERE were a few eyebrows raised when Manchester United forked out £60million for Casemiro (£3.5m) in the summer.It wasn’t a matter of ability, he has long been recognised as a world-class player, but there were some suggestions that, given his age, the Brazil international may see a switch to Old Trafford as a way of boosting his retirement fund rather than a project in which to invest ever fibre of his being.
Those with financial inclinations also proposed that the transfer may not prove to be the wisest bit of business as the 30-year-old would likely have little resale value.
A few months later, both those doubts seem to have been emphatically dismissed.
Casemiro has made a positive impact at Old TraffordCredit: getty
Casemiro quite clearly has a desire to keep playing to the best of his ability for a while longer and his experience has contributed to a significant uplift in the Red Devils’ performances and results.
And while it remains true that the club are unlikely to recoup their investment with a future sale, the balance books will be more than satisfied if the combative midfielder proves to be the difference maker in regards to Champions League qualification.
All things considered, the transfer must be considered a roaring success.
More cynical fans will say there’s no excuse for anything else when paying such a huge fee for a proven player in their 30s but even optimistic supporters have been surprised by the transformational impact of Casemiro’s presence at Man United.
It didn’t take a genius to see that the club needed quality in midfield but the five-time Champions League winner seems to have solved several problems simultaneously.
Naturally, his ability to recover the ball and protect the defence is his strongest asset – only three players have made more tackles in the Premier League this season – but he’s also helped Man United’s ball progression through the middle third.
Most read in Dream Team
Again, this will have come as no surprise to anyone who has taken even a passing interest in Real Madrid’s fortunes in recent times.
History makers
But that’s not all, Casemiro has also chipped in with some very useful goal contributions.
This weekend, he scored a brace in the FA Cup against Reading to take his tally to four goals and five assists this term – a more than respectable return in a half a campaign for a player in his position.
And it’s this factor that has made a Dream Team success too.
Generally speaking, defensive midfielders are unable to keep pace with wingers and advanced playmakers because goal involvements fuel Dream Team but with Casemiro ticking almost every box, he’s earned 91 points to date.
That impressive tally puts him seventh in the rankings among assets in his position at the time of writing and you only have to look at the names above him to get a sense of what an achievement that is: Phil Foden (£4.7m), Bukayo Saka (£4.3m), Martin Odegaard (£3.6m), Riyad Mahrez (£6.1m), Bruno Fernades (£5.8m), Kevin De Bruyne (£7.2m).
An unexpected Dream Team success storyCredit: getty
Whether Casemiro’s returns are sustainable remains to be seen – a drop-off in terms of goal involvements wouldn’t be wholly surprising – but those gaffers who have backed so far have been handsomely rewarded.
Defensive midfielders who rack plenty of Dream Team points are as rare unicorns and right now Man United have themselves one hell of a unicorn! More

DREAM TEAM gaffers should focus their attention on Old Trafford if they’re after an asset specifically for Game Week 20.Manchester United and Southampton are the only teams with two fixtures to fulfil this coming week but since Saints are currently languishing at the foot of the Premier League table it’s probably best to stay clear of their players at present.
Erik ten Hag’s side welcome Reading in the FA Cup on Saturday night before hosting Nottingham Forest in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
All things considered, those are two favourable match-ups for the Red Devils which look ripe for healthy returns.
Saying that, it wouldn’t be wholly surprising if some key players were rested, especially given Man United hold a 3-0 aggregate lead over Steve Copper’s men.
Mountains of Dream Team points between themCredit: getty
Marcus Rashford (£5.7m) is in a rich vein of form having scored ten goals since returning from the World Cup.
The England international scored a brilliant long-range strike against Arsenal before cashing in with another goal against Forest to take 16 points from Game Week 19.
It could be argued that the 25-year-old is playing the best football of his career right now and so if he’s unleashed upon the Royals, currently mid-table in the Championship, his backers will surely be confident of more returns.
He’s the player who has been transferred into the most teams this month with his ownership now at 31.7%.
Rashford’s form has been so extreme that more casual observers may not realise the extent of Bruno Fernandes’ (£5.8m) success in recent weeks.
Most read in Dream Team
The Portuguese midfielder has registered 67 points over the last seven Game Weeks.
This prosperous spell has propelled him up to second in the rankings among assets in his position, only Kevin De Bruyne (£7.2m) has more points than Fernandes’ 112 – 23 more to be precise.
Even more notably, he’s earned three Star Man awards since the restart, no mean feat given he’s been in direct competition with a rampant Rashford.
The nuclear option
A double header against Reading and Forest also raises the possibility of back-to-back clean sheets.
Lisandro Martinez (£4.4m) was the joint-best defender last Game Week thanks to his goal at the Emirates and a 13-point haul in midweek.
And the Butcher, as he’s known, looks a good bet for the forthcoming week again, assuming he’s selected to start.
Finally, if you really want to target Man United’s two upcoming fixtures with a view to snatching some short-term gains then Wout Weghorst (£3.2m) may be worth a whirl.
The Dutchman scored his first goal for his new club in midweek and he will probably be given his fair share of minutes in the cups with Ten Hag keen to fully integrate the target man into the squad as quick as possible.
Although if you do opt for this slightly rogue strategy then you’ll probably want to switch him out again in February, given the array of top-tier options up front in Dream Team this season. More