Dream Team

AFTER a month of unfolding drama, the World Cup is set to conclude this weekend.Morocco meet Croatia in the third-place play-off on Saturday before Argentina take on France in the main event on Sunday.
Dream Team World Cup will come to a close with those two fixtures and so let’s preview the climax by reflecting on the best eleven of the tournament to date.
GOALKEEPER: Thibaut Courtois
Belgium’s No1 has been on holiday for a fortnight alreadyCredit: getty
A real surprise here given that Belgium crashed out at the group stage but their world-class goalkeeper gave a good account of himself during the little time he spent in Qatar.
Courtois claimed Star Man awards against Canada and Croatia, not forgetting a penalty save against the former, to take an early lead among his peers that he hasn’t given up despite his premature exit.
The Real Madrid custodian racked up 28 points in three games.
Dominik Livakovic or Bono could claim top spot with a clean sheet in the third-place play-off, assuming they’re selected.
DEFENDERS: Achraf Hakimi, Harry Maguire, Romain Saiss, Theo Hernandez
Morocco defended admirably in QatarCredit: getty
Morocco’s No2 has been the best right-back on display this winter, banking 33 points as a key member of an Atlas Lions side fulfilling the role of the overachieving underdog in Qatar.
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England have some representation in the form of their cult hero centre-back who headed his way to 31 points before being sent packing by France.
Maguire earned a Star Man award and contributed an assist during a fruitful group stage.
It’s only right Morocco’s captain also makes the cut given the herculean nature of his defensive efforts in the last month.
Saiss played with half a hamstring in the knockout stages and is fully deserving of his 29-point tally.
In theory he could claim top spot among defenders this weekend but the ex-Wolves man will surely sit out having come off in the first half of the semi-final.
Speaking of that semi-final, France’s left-back was the player who dealt the crucial early blow.
Hernandez is far from the most defensively resolute full-back in world football but he has been a constant threat going forward this winter and an 18-point haul in his last outing took his overall tally to 27 – a clean sheet and a 7+ rating in the final would put him top of the pile among defenders.
MIDFIELDERS: Bruno Fernandes, Bukayo Saka, Frenkie de Jong
Dream Team World Cup’s leading midfielderCredit: getty
Many fans expected Portugal’s No7 to be their talisman in Qatar but it was their No8 who stepped up.
Fernandes scored two goals and provided three assists in four appearances before Fernando Santos’ side were upset by Morocco in the quarter-finals.
Still, his tally of 37 points will almost certainly see him finish the campaign as Dream Team World Cup’s top asset in his position.
Next comes a second England representative in the form of Arsenal’s homegrown hero.
Saka scored three goals and was the Three Lions’ best player against Didier Deschamps’ men before he was replaced by Raheem Sterling.
The 21-year-old banked 31 points, over half of which were earned against Iran.
What’s notable is how far off the pace the finalists’ midfielders are in Dream Team World Cup – Enzo Fernandez and Adrien Rabiot are their respective teams’ best assets in the position and they are both nine points short of De Jong, who completes our midfield in this exercise.
The Dutchman earned two Star Man awards in the group stages before he scored a goal against hosts Qatar, accounting for his total of 25 points.
FORWARDS: Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Richarlison
A two-horse race
It’s quite revealing that Argentina’s captain is the only one of his compatriots who makes this XI.
In fact, Messi has more than twice as many points as his next-best team-mate having amassed a whopping 65, the most of all players with two games remaining.
The 35-year-old has registered six 7+ ratings, five goals, four Star Man awards and three assists so far – an unbelievable campaign.
France’s No10 is Messi’s closest rival but he’s 14 points shy of his PSG team-mate after two quieter showings in the quarter and semi finals.
And yet the 23-year-old remains the joint-top scorer with five goals after his borderline unplayable displays in the group stage and against Poland in the round of 16.
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Brazil’s No9 completes the set having scored three goals and earned two Star Man awards before the Selecao’s elimination at the hands of Croatia, resulting in a points tally of 33.
However, Richarlison may lose his place at the last hurdle with Olivier Giroud (32 pts), Antoine Griezmann (30 pts) and Julian Alvarez (28 points) sniffing around. More

MANY parallels can be drawn between Olivier Giroud and Julian Alvarez’s World Cup campaigns.Both were expected to be back-up options in Qatar but now find themselves as starting centre-forwards for the two teams most likely to lift the trophy.
In the case of Milan’s experienced target man, the door was opened by Karim Benzema’s injury when the current Ballon d’Or holder withdrew from France’s squad on the eve of the tournament.
While this was something of a blow for Les Bleus, it was by no means a disaster as Didier Deschamps is a huge fan of Giroud, who led France’s line for years during Benzema’s international exile.
France have not been negatively impacted by Benzema’s absence in the slightestCredit: getty
France won the World Cup in Russia with Giroud acting as selfless striker so that Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe could express themselves, he didn’t even register a shot on target – four years later he’s shown a sharper eye for goal.
The Man City forward’s journey from understudy to leading man has been rather different.
Lautaro Martinez started the tournament as Argentina’s first-choice striker and deservedly so, the 25-year-old was his side’s joint-leading scorer in qualifying.
He also scored crucial goals during the Albiceleste’s successful Copa America campaign and subsequent 3-0 Finalissima victory over Italy at Wembley.
Martinez entered the tournament having scored eight goals and provided six assists for Inter in the first half of the current season, which makes his sudden loss of form even stranger.
For whatever reason, his finishing has deserted him in Qatar, although he did convert the winning spot-kick in the penalty shootout against Netherlands.
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Alvarez is averaging a goal every 91 minutes in Qatar
Lionel Scaloni had no choice but to promote Alvarez to starting striker and the result has been a considerable improvement to Argentina’s performances.
Giroud and Alvarez (who both wear No9 for their respective nations) are rightly seen as secondary threats to Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi (who both wear No10) but their contributions should be recognised and celebrated.
At the time of writing, they each have four goals to their name and both have affected decisive moments in the knockout stages – most notably, Giroud’s headed winner to eliminate England and Alvarez’s brace against Croatia.
And the pair are very much in the hunt for the Golden Boot, currently led by Messi and Mbappe on five goals each, which is extraordinary when you consider they would have spent the majority of the tournament on the bench were it not for Benzema’s injury and Martinez’s unexpected yips.
Decisions, decisions…
Fittingly, only a cigarette paper separates them in Dream Team World Cup.
The Frenchman currently has 29 points to the Argentine’s 28.
If the bookmakers are to be believed and Deschamps see off a resilient Morocco outfit this evening then gaffers will be presented with a close call ahead of the final.
Assuming most opt for a 4-3-3 or 3-4-3 formation, and decide to back Mbappe and Messi, there’s only one space left in the forward line.
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A case could be made that Antoine Griezmann deserves the spot but at this stage it looks to be a toss-up between Giroud and Alvarez.
Tonight’s events could alter the picture of course – only a fool would underestimate the Atlas Lions now – but it looks as if tens of thousands of Dream Team World Cup bosses will have to agonise over whether France or Argentina’s No9 is the man to back ahead of the big one. More

ENGLAND’S players are coming home but football, sadly, is not.The Three Lions were more than competitive against France in the last of the four quarter-finals but the contest boiled down to moments, those taken by Aurelien Tchouameni and Olivier Giroud and a golden one missed by Harry Kane.
Several of Gareth Southgate’s troops were among the most-popular players in Dream Team World Cup, leaving swathes of gaffers in need of replacements ahead of the semi-finals.
Let’s run through the most-appealing options.
Harry Kane (£7.5m)
Kane still features in over a quarter of teamsCredit: getty
England’s skipper is the joint-most expensive player in the game alongside Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
It just so happens that the latter pair are in a two-horse race to finish the tournament as Dream Team World Cup’s best performer.
Argentina’s No10 holds a narrow lead at the top of the rankings right now with 50 points to his junior club team-mate’s 48.
Croatia and Morocco have proven to be defensively resolute but surely it makes sense to back Messi or Mbappe in Kane’s place ahead of the midweek fixtures.
Alternatively, Olivier Giroud may fit the bill.
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France’s all-time top scorer has four goals at this tournament, one fewer than Mbappe, and he has 29 points to show for efforts after his headed winner against England.
Harry Maguire (£4m)
Morocco are brilliantly organised out of possession but they don’t offer too much going forward.
Swapping Maguire for Theo Hernandez, France’s most attack-minded defender, seems like a wise move if you think Didier Deschamps’ men will put an end to the Atlas Lions’ impressive underdog run.
Dream Team World Cup’s top defenderCredit: getty
Conversely, if you think the North Africans have at least one more upset in them then Achraf Hakimi is your man – he leapfrogged England’s No6 to become Dream Team World Cup’s best defender with a five-point haul against Portugal, taking his overall tally to 34.
Croatia will hope to mirror the rearguard that frustrated Brazil when they meet Argentina on Tuesday night.
Dejan Lovren has the most points among their defenders but Josko Gvardiol has looked most impressive to the naked eye – the pair cost £2.5m each, almost half Maguire’s price.
If Zlatko Dalic’s side have a weakness it’s their relative bluntness up front so perhaps backing an Argentina clean sheet is the way to go, in that case it’s a toss up between certain stater Nicolas Otamendi or right-back Nahuel Molina.
The latter scored the Copa America champions’ opening goal against Louis van Gaal side – he has 18 points to his name.
Jude Bellingham (£4m)
Bellingham is the most-selected of England’s midfieldersCredit: getty
The two best midfielders still active in Qatar are Hakim Ziyech (18 points) and Adrien Rabiot (16 points) but given the expected pattern of the semi-final, Ousmane Dembele may be a more tempting replacement for England’s teenage star.
The Barcelona winger is more attack-minded than his team-mate and will probably see more of the ball than Morocco’s talisman.
Those gaffers with a spare £1m could wait for Argentina’s starting line-up to be announced and then bring in Angel Di Maria if he was selected.
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The Albiceleste’s No11 is more likely to register a goal involvement than the more defensive-minded midfielders available to Lionel Scaloni such as Enzo Fernandez or Rodrigo de Paul, although the former has contributed in the final third in this tournament.
Luka Modric is a class act but his efforts have only returned five points so far, Ivan Perisic has three times than total and is the same price as Bellingham. More

IF you come for the king, you best not miss.After the round of 16, Kylian Mbappe was Dream Team World Cup’s outright best player by a comfortable margin.
Having raced out in front in the Golden Boot race, the 23-year-old had 48 points to his name heading into his quarter-final against England, a full 12 points ahead of his closest rival, Lionel Messi.
Given the 12-year age difference between the two forwards, the dynamic felt like a continuation of a theme that has dictated the last few years: a passing of the torch from one generational talent to another.
And while it seems inevitable that Mbappe will indisputably hold the crown of world’s best player some time soon (if he doesn’t already) Messi is raging against the dying of the light in Qatar.
Messi isn’t giving up the crown easilyCredit: getty
And in fact, the balance of power between the two global superstars was readdressed during the quarter-finals, as evidenced by the Dream Team World Cup rankings.
Les Bleus edged out Gareth Southgate’s men but their No10 had a relatively quiet game, registering a blank.
Whereas Argentina once again leaned on their captain to squeeze out Netherlands.
In a game rammed full of needle of ill-will, some genuine football occasionally broke out and one of the highlights was Messi’s inch-perfect disguised pass to assist Nahuel Molina.
The Albiceleste’s legendary No10 scored a second-half penalty and converted a spot-kick during the shootout to book his place in the semi-finals.
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When all was said and done, Messi banked 14 points to take his overall tally to 50, meaning he reclaimed his throne from Mbappe to become the game’s top asset.
Mbappe blanked against England
The 35-year-old is the only man to have earned three Star Man awards at this late stage of the tournament – class really is permanent.
It should go without saying that all Dream Team World Cup gaffers would probably be wise to back both to thrive once more in the semis.
The pair come at an eye-watering cost of £15million but with a combined points total of 98 they’ve justified their price tags twice over.
On paper, Argentina and France are favourites to meet in the final but only a fool would underestimate Croatia or Morocco at this stage.
Still, Messi and Mbappe have nine goals and four assists between them in Qatar so the underdogs will be thoroughly up against it in midweek.
Friendly rivalsCredit: getty
The battle for supremacy in Dream Team World Cup is set to go down to the wire as even if one of the front-runners gets through to the final and the other doesn’t, the latter will have the third-place play-off to fulfil.
Another PSG star, Achraf Hakimi, is the next-best performer still active at the tournament but he’s 14 points short of Mbappe’s total currently – realistically it’s a two-horse race for top spot.
Mbappe will also be looking over his shoulder in the Golden Boot hunt – Messi and Olivier Giroud have four goals each to the young whippersnapper’s five. More