Dream Team

FRIDAY brings a change of Game Week but before we sink our teeth into the imminent fixtures let’s reflect upon the success stories from the week past.Paul O’Connor finished as Game Week 18’s best gaffer having amassed 115 points when all was said and done.
Let’s take a closer look at how his XI ‘OC Milan’ topped the pile…
Newcastle at the back, Manchester in attackCredit: DREAM TEAM
Paul supports Manchester United but you can’t blame him for backing Newcastle’s defensive assets to the hilt.
The Magpies have conceded just 11 league goals this season, three fewer than the next best team in this regard.
Nick Pope (£5m) kept his 11th Premier League clean sheet of the season last Sunday, benefiting from Aleksandar Mitrovic’s (£5.1m) freak penalty miss to bank seven points.
Kieran Trippier (£6.3m) is the outright best defender in the game this term but he actually missed out of a 7+ rating against Marco Silva’s side, a rare thing indeed.
Dan Burn (£4.6m), Sven Botman (£4.6m) and Fabian Schar (£4.8m) all picked up bonus points though, with the latter going one better to claim the Star Man award for a 13-point haul.
Paul’s five Newcastle players combined for 41 points to underline their defensive might once again.
A man who features in 1% of teamsCredit: getty
Mathias Jensen’s (£1.8m) inclusion has to be considered a masterstroke as the Danish midfielder only had 33 points to his name prior to Game Week 18.
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Despite that relatively underwhelming tally, Paul correctly identified that Brentford v Bournemouth was a fixture to target given the two teams’ contrasting form in recent weeks.
Jensen (1% ownership) scored the second goal of the game in a 2-0 win for the Bees and edged out his team-mates to take home the Star Man gong and 13 points.
Riyad Mahrez (£5.8m) featured in Game Week 17’s Team of the Week and he retained his place with a 19-point haul.
Manchester City’s Algerian winger blanked in the Manchester derby but cashed in during his side’s spirited second half comeback against Spurs on Thursday night.
He scored two of the Citizens’ goals and assisted another as the defending champions rallied from 2-0 down at half time to win 4-2.
One man who certainly didn’t blank at Old Trafford at the weekend was Bruno Fernandes (£5.6m).
It was a bolster week for Fernandes
The Portuguese playmaker scored a controversial goal against City and followed that up with another at Crystal Palace where he also pouched the Star Man award.
No midfielder scored more points than Fernandes’ 21 in Game Week 18.
Up top, Erling Haaland (£8.8m) had to settle for just the one goal and eight points – that’s basically a drought by his standards.
Marcus Rashford (£5.4m) continued his fantastic form with a Star Man showing in the Manchester derby – he’s scored in every game since the restart.
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And Paul decided to show off by proving that he only needs ten players to be the Game Week’s top gaffer as Darwin Nunez (£5.5m) didn’t feature for Liverpool after picking up an injury in training.
Just imagine how many points he could rack up with a full allotment… More

JESSE MARSCH kept his cards close to his chest in the build-up to Wilfried Gnonto’s (£1.7m) summer transfer to Leeds.Speaking to the media when asked how the teenage forward would be used prior to the deal being unexpectedly finalised on deadline day, the American coach said that he didn’t think Italy’s youngest ever goalscorer would be ready for the Premier League this season.
Just four months on, it could be argued that Gnonto is the Whites’ most in-form player.
Riding a wave of praise from fans and pundits alike, the 19-year-old scored an impressive brace against Cardiff on Wednesday night to ensure his side’s progression to the FA fourth round.
And his first goal, a Paulo Di Canio-esque scissor volley after just 26 seconds, emphatically underlined his potential.
A blossoming talent
Already there is speculation of where he might end up next but for now he’s for the Elland Road faithful to enjoy, and that they have in recent weeks.
Perhaps it’s time Dream Team bosses started paying attention to his progress too as he’s pouched 29 points across the last three Game Weeks.
He scored his first goal for the Yorkshire club against West Ham at the start of the month and his double against Championship opposition in midweek was a fitting reward for his efforts since he became a first team regular.
In both fixtures he was thoroughly deserving of the Star Man award.
A shade under 5ft 6in, Gnonto is a natural dribbler with a low centre of gravity and is seemingly able to wriggle under defenders at times.
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And like Wilfired Zaha (£4.9m) and Jack Grealish (£3.8m), he draws a lot of fouls, winning frequent free-kicks for his team in advantageous positions.
Gnonto is an increasingly important player for LeedsCredit: getty
Capable of playing as a centre-forward or a second striker, he has predominantly played from the left at Leeds and looked every bit a bold winger.
The stats boffins are excited about his progression numbers and the fans in stands love his nutmegs and fearless attitude.
Gnonto is still raw and his inexperience has been evident in how he’s picked up some needless yellow cards, something Dream Team manager will be wary of, but the fact he’s already got eight caps for Italy under his belt is testament to his talent.
Nobody at Leeds, not least Marsch, expected Gnonto to make waves this early in his career – his dad still drives him to training – but his form can’t be denied.
A bright future aheadCredit: getty
His £4million transfer fee already looks like a smart bit of business.
Given the wealth of options up front, it would take a bold Dream Team gaffer to recruit Gnonto ahead of Game Week 19 but there may be some out there in need to a cut-price in-form forward.
Everyone else would be wise to monitor his progress as he certainly looks like one for the future. More

MOST of the time we prefer to highlight players who are thriving in the world of Dream Team.But the reality is that gaffers should also be aware of under-performing assets, particularly those who are relatively popular.
With that mind, allow us to reluctantly present the five most-selected players with 40 points to fewer to their name right now.
Pascal Struijk (£1.5m)

3.3% ownership
37 points

Backing a Leeds defender? That’s a head-scratcher…Credit: getty
In defence of the Dutchman’s owners, he did start the campaign on the front foot, racing to 20 points by the end of Game Week 3.
And recently he did well to take 13 points from match-ups against Man City and Newcastle.
But let’s be honest, any gaffer who has kept faith in a Leeds defender this long hasn’t been paying attention.
The Whites are enterprising enough going forward but their progress under Jesse Marsch has been severely hindered by vulnerabilities at the back.
Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth are the only two teams to have conceded more league goals this season and Struijk, who has mostly been playing out of position at left-back, has copped plenty of minus points as a result.
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Granted, there are no other defenders in the 23-year-old’s price range with more points but surely a change of strategy is required for those backing him?
Philippe Coutinho (£1.7m)

4.6% ownership
0 points

Still on a duck!
Yes, you read right, ZERO points.
Signed during last season’s January transfer window, the Brazilian midfielder hit the ground running on his return to the Premier League with Aston Villa.
Coutinho scored four goals and provided three assists in his first eight outings for the Villains – a fruitful spell that produced plenty of Dream Team points.
Despite a quiet end to the campaign, the ex-Barcelona playmaker was a popular man ahead of 2022/23’s Game Week 1.
Incredibly, after 18 appearances is an many Game Weeks, Coutinho has no points to show for his efforts, with a lone 7+ rating against Leeds counteracted by three yellow cards.
For those inexplicably still backing the 30-year-old, you should Google the term: sunk cost fallacy.
Jadon Sancho (£3.2m)

6.5% ownership
34 points

It hasn’t clicked for Sancho at Old Trafford yetCredit: getty
There’s two factors to consider here when weighing up the England winger’s underwhelming returns.
Firstly, he’s been injured since early November, something he can’t be blamed for, of course.
However, Sancho has started 12 games and come off the bench in a further two this season – his average of 2.4 points-per-game is disappointing however you spin it.
Erik ten Hag is improving Man United at a rapid rate – the Red Devils are just one point behind Man City after victory over their neighbours in the derby – and it will be interesting to see whether Sancho will exhibit greater confidence when placed back into a winning team.
Truth be told, the 22-year-old’s ownership is probably a vestige of his immense popularity at the start of the season – he was one of the most-selected players in the game throughout the first few Game Weeks.
Kyle Walker (£3.8m)

7.1% ownership
23 points

Walking pace
That long lay-off in the run-up to the World Cup obviously did plenty of damage but there’s a wider discussion to be had about the experienced right-back’s Dream Team viability.
Walker rarely deals in concrete goal contributions and, for whatever reason, he often misses out on 7+ ratings.
Last season, he failed to break three figures (something achieved by five other Man City defenders) even though made 31 appearances.
And the England international is averaging just 2.1 points-per-game when fit this term.
On the surface, Walker seems like a safe selection for Dream Team bosses but he’s become something of trapdoor in recent seasons, for the reasons that aren’t entirely obvious.
Dejan Kulusevski (£3.6m)

8.5% ownership
31 points

Class is permanent, right?Credit: getty
It’s a similar story to Sancho here as the Swede’s injury setbacks are only partly responsible for his lowly points tally.
The Spurs midfielder started the term in swaggering fashion with a Star Man showing against Southampton, scoring one goal and assisting another in a 4-1 victory.
However, Kulusevski mustered just two points in his next seven outings.
It’s a testament to his creative powers that he’s notched five assists at a rate of one every 158.6 minutes in the Premier League this season.
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13 games missed through injury is the headline here but Spurs’ general struggles have also restricted his returns when available.
Fingers crossed he gets a extended run of games soon because he’s got the attributes to be a Dream Team hero, as evidenced in 2021/22. More

A BIT of harmless of Dream Team fun here to get you over the midweek hump.We’ve constructed the best possible XI (in terms of current season points) but with one crucial restriction: we’re not allowed to include more than one player per team.
We’ll spare you the maths we were forced to endure and get right down to business with the outcome…
GOALKEEPER: Dean Henderson (£2.7m)
Punching above his weightCredit: getty
Nottingham Forest are prioritising survival above all in their first season back in the Premier League and if they achieve their aim they’ll owe plenty to their temporary custodian.
On loan from Manchester United, Henderson has earned three Star Man awards so far this term.
His total of 60 points puts hims seventh among assets in his position which a great effort considering only Bournemouth have conceded more league goals than Forest at this stage.
It will be interesting to see how Steve Cooper’s side get on now that Henderson is expected to be sidelined with injury for at least the next four weeks.
DEFENDERS: Kieran Trippier (£6.2m), Thiago Silva (£5.4m), Ben Mee (£2.8m)
Silva liningCredit: getty
No fewer than four Newcastle defenders feature in the current top eight but because of our limitation we can only have the top dog.
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With 160 points to his name, Trippier is 44 points clear at the peak of the defensive rankings – Nick Pope (£4.8m) is by far and away the best keeper too but his leading margin is not as wide and his total points are considerably lower than his vice-captain’s as well.
Chelsea assets have generally flattered to deceive in 2022/23 but their experienced Brazilian centre-back has bucked the trend and amassed 86 points, 22 more than his next-best team-mate.
Silva claimed four consecutive Star Man awards between Game Weeks 5 and 8.
Several defenders from Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United are hovering at the right end of the rankings but we need players from those clubs to fill other positions so Brentford’s reliable No16 gets the nod.
Mee’s tally of 67 isn’t worth getting too excited about but his points-game-game average of 3.5 is better than that of John Stones (£5.2m), William Saliba (£3.4m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.6m).
The ex-Burnley centre-back has proved to be a smart signing for the Bees and he’s fully deserving of his spot in this hypothetical XI.
MIDFIELDERS: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (£3.5m), James Ward-Prowse (£4m), Martin Odegaard (£3.4m), Pascal Gross (£3.1m)
Captain fantasticCredit: getty
As league leaders, Arsenal naturally boast multiple Dream Team success stories this season and their skipper has led by example.
After yet another classy showing in the north London derby, Odegaard became just the second asset in his position to pass the 100-point mark (101).
The Norway international has scored eight goals and provided five assists in 17 league fixtures – there’s a long way to go but he’s an early Player of the Year contender.
We’re not even sure how Hojbjerg has gathered 84 points, a total only bettered by six other midfielders.
The 27-year-old has quietly registered nine goal involvements (five goals, fours assists) and a healthy dose of 7+ ratings to warrant a spot in our team, although his returns are sustainable remains to be seen.
Brighton have averaged a shade under three goals a game since the start of November so it’s no wonder to see one of their many technically-sound midfielders make the cut.
Gross has dabbled at full-back recently but you’ll remember how he burst out of the blocks with a scoring spree at the start of the campaign – the German raced to 36 points by Game Week 4 and has 83 in total.
Southampton’s captain completes our midfield but by the skin of his teeth.
Ward-Prowse bagged his biggest haul of the season so far at the weekend as his brace at Goodison Park produced 18 points.
A reliable and consistent performer, Saints’ No8 has spent much of the last three seasons in and around the top ten Dream Team midfielders, his total of 76 points puts him tenth currently.
Plus, now we know who will be taking our free-kicks.
FORWARDS: Erling Haaland (£8.8m), Marcus Rashford (£5.4m), Mohamed Salah (£8.8m)
Red hot form
Here are we then, the glaring reason why the likes of Joao Cancelo (£6.3m) and Kevin De Bruyne (£7.6m) have been overlooked.
Man City’s No9 is in a league of his own in Dream Team right now having plundered 220 points – no other player has more than 160.
Haaland has scored 27 goals for his new club already and there’s still half a season to play – obscene.
Not even the prolific Norwegian has been able to keep pace with Rashford since the restart.
Man United’s No10 has scored in every game since returning from Qatar, zooming from 82 points to 156 in the blink of an eye.
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Last but not least, it says a lot about Liverpool’s main man that even when he’s not at his best amid a team with serious problems, he’s still racked up 149 points.
Salah has saved his best work for the Champions League this term (seven goals in 444 minutes) and he’s ticked over elsewhere despite the Reds’ stuttering form. More

THIS may come as a surprise, actually it won’t because you’ve already read the headline, no player has earned more bonus points from match ratings than Bruno Fernandes (£5.3m) this season.Manchester United’s midfield talisman registered his 18th rating of 7+ in Saturday’s Manchester derby.
His controversial goal (anyone else exhausted from all the talk of interference?) was the first of a quickfire double that saw the Red Devils come from behind to beat Manchester City 2-1.
Kieran Trippier (£6.2m) and Kevin De Bruyne (£7.6m) also have 18 7+ ratings to their name this term but Dream Team bosses would probably have guessed as much.
Newcastle’s vice-captain is by far and away the game’s best defender while the Belgian creator is king among midfielders at this stage.
That Fernandes rivals this pair in the eyes of our ratings providers, WhoScored, is somewhat unexpected because it wasn’t that long ago the Portuguese playmaker was subjected to frequent criticism.
Fernandes is collecting 7+ ratings for funCredit: getty
In truth, he has been a victim of his own success at times.
Last season, he scored ten goals and provided 14 assists in all competitions – a haul of goal involvements that is more than respectable for a player in his position.
Nevertheless, some fans felt this return represented a significant drop-off from his outrageous debut campaign in Man United colours – 28 goals and 17 assists in 2020/21!
It’s probably fairer to reflect upon that season as a Herculean effort rather than the norm.
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Some criticisms levelled at Fernandes in the last year have been valid though, his passionate nature on the pitch often transfers to petulance and when things aren’t clicking for him he gives the ball away with frustrating regularity.
But ever since Erik ten Hag steadied the ship after an initial wobble, United’s No8 has been increasingly influential.
Man United’s results have been impressive in recent monthsCredit: getty
Four goals and five assists represents a decent return at this stage without causing any jaws to drop but it’s the way he has adapted to the new regime that has led to a flurry of positive match ratings.
In fact, he’s produced nine consecutive 7+ ratings at club level, a streak that extends to 14 games if his World Cup appearances are factored in – Dream Team World Cup managers will remember his plentiful returns in Qatar.
Ten Hag has improved Man United considerably in a relatively short space of time and Fernandes’ uplift in form has one been one of several successes for the Dutch tactician.
With 89 points to his name, the 28-year-old is Dream Team’s fifth-best midfielder at the time of writing and yet he’s half as popular as the man three points behind him, Miguel Almiron (£3.4m), although of course the Newcastle winger has offered incredible value for money.
Fernandes may not be the unstoppable machine he was in 2020/21 but Dream Team gaffers would be foolish to disregard him entirely, his quietly going about his business very well. More

YOU would be forgiven for forgetting that Newcastle signed a £63million striker in the summer. Alexander Isak (£3.4m) was restricted to just 244 minutes of playing time for his new club prior to the World Cup break because of a hamstring injury he incurred while on international duty in September.
The Sweden forward would have been noticeably absent had the Magpies struggled in the months since but, on the contrary, they currently reside third in the Premier League table.
Callum Wilson (£3.9m) and Chris Wood (£2.1m) have shared centre-forward duties between them with the former impressively averaging a goal involvement every 108.8 minutes in the top flight this term.
Wilson has performed well again this season
More broadly, Miguel Almiron’s (£3.4m) purple patch has meant there hasn’t been much talk of a need for more attacking threat.
But of course Eddie Howe would have delighted to be able to call upon Isak again this month.
The 23-year-old got some minutes under his belt against Sheffield Wednesday and Leicester in Game Week 17 and this weekend he reminded fans and Dream Team gaffers alike of his presence when he came off the bench to score Newcastle’s winner against Fulham.
The goal itself was the simplest of tasks, a point-blank header with no goalkeeper to beat, but the magnitude of it should not be underestimated.
Howe’s side are now just one point behind Manchester City and have realistic hopes of Champions League qualification having still only lost one league game in 2022/23.
Isak’s goal was also a wake-up call for Dream Team managers who may have forgotten that the the former Real Sociedad striker scored two goals in three outings before his injury.
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It’s a small size granted, but the Toon’s No14 is averaging a goal every 87.7 minutes in the Premier League since his big-money transfer.
Those numbers, while probably unsustainable, certainly warrant consideration at the very least.
The £63million manCredit: getty
Saying that, patience remains a virtue, it’s not yet clear whether Isak is fully match fit or where he resides in the pecking order at St James’ Park.
Surely the long-term plan is for Isak to be the first-choice striker but it would be understandable if Howe stuck by Wilson for foreseeable future – the England international has always played his best football under the former Bournemouth tactician.
What’s clear is that Newcastle are a team to keep backing in the realm of Dream Team and their upcoming fixtures reinforce the validity of that idea.
They face Crystal Palace next Saturday before two Carabao Cup semi-final legs against Southampton, then West Ham and Bournemouth – two teams at the foot of the table. More

BRIGHTON fans would have been quick to notice that Graham Potter’s Chelsea, with their seemingly endless supply of cash for new transfers, are currently three places below the Seagulls in the table.Roberto De Zerbi’s first game as a manager on English shores was the enthralling 3-3 draw with Liverpool back in October, in which Leandro Trossard (£4.3m) scored a hat-trick.
It’s a measure of the Italian’s progression on the south coast that his most recent game was the reverse fixture with Brighton beating Jurgen Klopp’s side 3-0 on Saturday – and the Belgium international who ran riot at Anfield was nowhere to be seen having fallen out with De Zerbi.
Instead, it was Solly March (£2.3m) who played the role of Liverpool’s tormentor.
Whereas Trossard evidently doesn’t see eye to eye with the ex-Sassuolo tactician, Brighton’s No7 is thriving under the new regime.
Man of the momentCredit: getty
March scored two goals in the space of six minutes at the start of the second half to put his side firmly in the ascendancy against Liverpool before providing the assist for Danny Welbeck’s (£2.8m) cherry-on-top.
The 28-year-old’s performance continues a rare purple patch in terms of attacking returns – he’s now registered four goals and three assists in his last five games.
And from a Dream Team perspective, this fruitful run has also produced three Star Man awards.
All things considered, March has added 52 points to his tally over the last four Game Weeks, making him one of the most in-form players since the restart.
Bearing in mind he mustered just 17 points from the first 14 Game Weeks of the season, this dramatic uplift has caught Dream Team gaffers unaware.
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At the time of writing, March appears in just 0.5% of teams but his ownership will surely rise after his eye-catching 20-point haul against Liverpool.
Brighton have scored six goals in two games against Liverpool this seasonCredit: getty
March has fulfilled several different roles during his decade on the south coast but Premier League viewers will have seen him play predominantly as a left wing-back under Potter.
Right now, De Zerbi is deploying him as a right winger with unexpectedly profitable results.
More broadly, De Zerbi deserves huge credit for answering the one criticism of Brighton in recent years.
Potter’s reign on the south coast was mightily impressive but supporters were often frustrated at their team’s inability to convert possession and territory into goals.
Under De Zerbi, Brighton are averaging 2.13 goals per game – that figure increases to 2.83 when considering just the games since the conclusion of the World Cup.
Sure, they don’t keep as many clean sheets as they used to but they’re bold and dynamic.
More importantly, the Seagulls continue to punch above their weight in the league table – they’re currently one point behind sixth-placed Fulham with two games in hand.
Taken to English football like a duck to water
Just a few weeks ago it would have been unthinkable that De Zerbi could discard a player of Trossard’s ability and not see negative repercussions on the pitch but the performances and the results speak for themselves.
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If the players continue to share the coach’s vision and play to his instructions as closely as March is currently then the club will have a great chance of qualifying for European football for the first time in their history.
Dream Team bosses would do well to take note of March’s returns at the very least, he’s comfortably the cheapest asset currently residing within the top 20 midfielders. More