Dream Team

DREAM TEAM WORLD CUP managers need to prepare their XIs for the quarter-finals.Assuming you have enough transfers in the bank, it’s probably wise to target the two quarter-finals that are seemingly easier to predict.
On paper, England v France and Netherlands v Argentina are relatively even match-ups, this is reflected in the betting odds.
Whereas Croatia v Brazil and Morocco v Portugal both have odds-on favourites.
Don’t it wrong, Zlatko Dalic’s side and the Atlas Lions are both capable of progressing to the semi-finals, the former were finalists in Russia four years ago while the latter have been punching above their weight ever since they landed in Qatar.
But the smart, logical money is on the Selecao and Fernando Santos’ mob to reach the last four.
A shiny new toyCredit: getty
So how would this strategy specifically translate to your Dream Team World Cup XI?
Croatia have some excellent defenders and in Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic and Mateo Kovacic they have one of the best-balanced midfield trios in international football.
Their fatal flaw is most commonly exposed in the final third where they can be uninspiring and wasteful.
They put a leggy Canada to the sword but goals have been hard to come by in their other three fixtures this tournament.
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2018’s runners-up drew 0-0 with both Morocco and Belgium in the group stage before drawing 1-1 with Japan in the round of 16, eventually progressing on penalties.
Most Dream Team World Cup gaffers would instinctively think of Brazil’s attacking assets first but perhaps it would be smarter to back Thiago Silva (£5.5m), Marquinhos (£5.5m) and Alisson (£5m) to keep a clean sheet.
That trio are nailed-on starters and they come at a cost.
Cheaper alternatives Danilo (£3.5m) and Eder Militao (£4.5m) will be the full-backs unless Alex Sandro (£4m) recovers from injury, which is a possibility.
Dream Team World Cup’s third-best forwardCredit: getty
In terms of Brazil’s firepower, only Lionel Messi (£7.5m) and Kylian Mbappe (£7.5m) have more points among forwards than Richarlison (£5.5m) right now – the Spurs man has 33 to his name having scored three goals in three outings.
With an ownership of 31.9%, Vinicius Junior (£6m) is the second-most selected midfielder in the game.
The Real Madrid winger finally delivered the returns his talent promised in the round of 16 as he banked ten points at the expense of South Korea.
Raphinha (£5m) will likely keep his place on the right flank and while he’s looked threatening, he’s been unable to provide the killer final touch, much to the frustration of his Dream Team World Cup owners.
And of course, Neymar (£7m) remains the main man and, perhaps crucially, he’s the five-time world champions’ penalty taker.
Portugal will have to work hard to break down a Moroccan side who have worked harder and been more disciplined than any other side at the tournament.
Bruno Fernandes (£4.5m) is the best-performing midfielder in the game at this juncture having racked up 34 points by virtue of two goals and three assists in three appearances.
Brazil are heavy favourites to vanquish CroatiaCredit: getty
Goncalo Ramos (£3m) will be a popular recruit in the next 48 hours after his hat-trick against Switzerland and with good reason.
However, given the North Africans are likely to attempt a repeat of their defensive masterclass against Spain when they meet Portugal on Saturday, are the latter’s defensive assets a potentially more reliable source of points?
Diogo Dalot (£3.5m) started ahead of Joao Cancelo (£6m) at right-back against Switzerland while left-back Raphael Guerreiro (£3.5m) got on the scoresheet – with 16 points to date the Borussia Dortmund defender is the top performer in his position among his compatriots.
Pepe (£4.5m) and Ruben Dias (£5.5m) make up an physically intimidating centre-back pairing although it’s worth noting the latter only has three points to show for his efforts in Qatar.
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Guerreiro appears in just 3% of teams at the time of writing
Heading into the quarter-finals, a Dream Team World Cup XI featuring Alisson, Silva, Danilo, Guerreiro, Fernandes, Vinicius Jnr, Ramos and Richarlison would be well placed to provide plentiful returns in the quarter-finals.
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WE’RE officially in the nether zone.This is always the most sobering part of a World Cup, when the daily games suddenly comes to a halt, leaving us all bereft.
Still, at least this pause gives Dream Team World Cup gaffers a chance to take stock and in the spirit of reflection, we’ve assembled an XI of the best performers at the tournament so far.
GOALKEEPER: Thibaut Courtois (£4.5m)
You’re still thinking about the bad news…
Belgium may have crashed out at the group stage but their world-class goalkeeper gave a good account of himself in Qatar.
Courtois claimed Star Man awards against Canada and Croatia, not forgetting a penalty save to keep the former at bay when it looked for all the world the North Americans would get something from the game.
The Real Madrid custodian racked up 28 points in three games which is still enough to make him the top performer in his position.
Croatia’s Dominik Livakovic (£3m) is the best keeper among those still active in the tournament, he’s on 21 points ahead of a daunting meeting with Brazil in the quarter-finals.
DEFENDERS: Achraf Hakimi (£3m), Harry Maguire (£4m), Daley Blind (£3.5m), Jordi Alba (£4m)
Morocco’s Panenka hero has been talismanic for his side this winter.
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Inarguably the best right-back on display, Hakimi has banked 29 points as a key member of an Atlas Lions side fulfilling the role of likeable underdog in Qatar.
A class act
The PSG full-back is not top dog among defenders, however, that title belongs to England’s No6.
Gareth Southgate’s side have kept three consecutive clean sheets since shipping two late on against Iran and Maguire has been the primary beneficiary.
Many fans may have felt no individual deserved the Star Man award following England’s drab 0-0 with USA but somebody had to get it and the Man United centre-back edged out his rivals to pocket a 13-point haul.
Add in an assist and four 7+ ratings and you arrive at Maguire’s impressive tally of 33 points.
Blind was Netherlands’ unlikely hero of the round of 16.
Operating as left wing-back, the 32-year-old scored one goal and assisted another as the Oranje booked their place in the last eight at USA’s expense.
A massive match rating of 9.2 earned him the Star Man award, meaning he more than doubled his overall points total in one fell swoop – he’s now on 28 points.
Love is BlindCredit: getty
Alba completes our back four having accumulated 26 points during Spain’s curious campaign.
Again, if you’re not interested in eliminated players then Luke Shaw (£4m) is the replacement – England’s left-back has 25 points.
MIDFIELDERS: Bruno Fernandes (£4.5m), Frenkie de Jong (£3.5m), Bukayo Saka (£5m)
With Cristiano Ronaldo (£7m) now a benchwarmer, the mantle of Portugal’s talisman has defaulted from their No7 to their No8.
Fernandes has two goals, three assists and two Star Man awards from just three outings and already looks nailed on for a spot in the official Team of the Tournament.
His tally of 34 points makes him king among midfielders at this juncture.
The best midfielder on display in QatarCredit: getty
England’s No17 is Fernandes’ closest competitor having scored two goals against Iran plus a delicate finish to seal the victory over Senegal.
Saka (26 points) is one of SEVEN Englishmen on 20+ points heading into the quarter-finals – no other team can match that right now.
As a player who operates in a deeper role, De Jong isn’t the type of midfielder who usually succeeds in the realm of Dream Team but he’s earned his tally of 25 points through two Star Man awards and a rare goal against minnows Qatar.
The Dutchman has got Phil Foden (£5m) and Hakim Ziyech (£3m) breathing down his neck.
FORWARDS: Lionel Messi (£7.5m), Richarlison (£5.5m), Kylian Mbappe (£7.5m)
You know it’s a star-studded forward line when Cody Gakpo (£4m) misses the cut on 32 points!
Brazil’s No9 edges out the Dutchman by one point having scored three goals, earned two Star Man awards and provided one assist despite sitting out the final group game.
Gaffers who stayed cleared of Richarlison because of his Premier League form have been thoroughly punished.
Making pigeons popularCredit: getty
Argentina’s captain is carrying the weight of his nation on his shoulders and so far he’s hardly been hampered at all.
Sure, the Copa America champions slipped up against Saudi Arabia and Messi missed a penalty against Poland but his performances around those moments have been spellbinding at times – his tally of 36 points is only bettered by one man.
And that man is his PSG team-mate, France’s 23-year-old sensation.
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With five goals and two assists, Mbappe already has one hand on the Golden Boot and his Dream Team World Cup total of 48 points may already been unbeatable.
England will have their hands full on Saturday. More

IN a World Cup which saw no team win all their group games for the first time ever, most fans would have anticipated at least one upset in the round of 16.So far, the first round of knockout fixtures have gone the way of the favourite.
Netherlands, Argentina, France, England and Brazil all registered relatively comfortable victories while Croatia required a penalty shootout to edge out Japan.
Today is the last day a true underdog can join the heavy hitters in the quarter-finals with Morocco and Switzerland set to take on Spain and Portugal respectively.
One wonders if the success and swagger of the teams already in the last eight has increased the pressure on Fernando Santos and Luis Enrique’s sides?
Morocco are not to be taken lightly, Luis…Credit: getty
The lingering spectre of the upset has never drifted far in Qatar and it would be natural for fans of Portugal and Spain to now be worried it has it’s haunting eyes set on their team.
Let’s not forget, Morocco topped Group F ahead of Croatia and Belgium.
Walid Regragui only took charge of his first game as coach of the Atlas Lions as recently as September 21st but the late change of dugout personnel has not had any adverse impact on the North Africans.
In fact, since the decision led to Hakim Ziyech’s return to the international stage, it has to be said that Regragui’s appointment gave Morocco a boost on the eve on the tournament – the Chelsea attacking midfielder has been brilliant in Qatar.
Achraf Hakimi, Nayef Aguerd, Sofyan Amrabat and Romain Saiss have all performed superbly too, ensuring their side is awkward to play against.
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Pedri, Gavi and company will have to be at their best to play through what is a compact, organised and hard-working Moroccan outfit.
And in Ziyech, Sofiane Boufal and Youssef En-Nesyri they have a forward line that can hurt Spain on the break – La Roja’s back four is far from the most impenetrable at the tournament.
Still, Enrique’s troops will start as favourites because of the talent in the squad and their high ceiling – when it clicks, they are arguably the most fluent international side in world football.
Switzerland beat Portugal in their last meetingCredit: getty
As for Portugal, they won’t be underestimating Switzerland in the slightest ahead of this evening’s contest.
The last meeting between the two teams was only a few months ago in the Nations League where Haris Seferovic’s first-minute goal proved to the winner.
Although it’s worth noting that Cristiano Ronaldo and co won the reverse fixture in Lisbon 4-0.
Murat Yakin’s side finished top of their qualifying group ahead of Italy, a development that eventually contributed to the Euro 2020 winners’ failure to reach Qatar, and they were only one goal away from finishing above Brazil in Group G.
And of course it was Switzerland who eliminated France in the round of 16 last year at the Euros – giant-killing is in their nature.
But again, Portugal’s overall quality makes them favourites – Bruno Fernandes registered two goals and two assists in the group stage before he was rested against South Korea and his return to the starting line-up is a given.
Brazil sent out a message to the other quarter-finalistsCredit: getty
From a Dream Team World Cup perspective, today’s fixtures are the last ones in which there are clear favourites (although some would argue Brazil v Croatia is mismatch on current form) and so the temptation will be to use transfers to back Spain and/or Portugal for healthy returns – this tactic worked superbly last night as Tite’s men had their wicked way with Son Heung-min and pals.
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Looking ahead, the quarter-finals will cause headaches as gaffers will likely have to back one team or another in a series of relatively even match-ups.
Kylian Mbappe’s electricity or England’s consistent defence? Lionel Messi’s destiny or Louis van Gaal’s charisma? Decisions, decisions… More

IN many ways, England’s three group games at this World Cup have encapsulated Gareth Southgate’s entire reign as head coach.The Three Lions’ wealth of attacking assets have set up the team for a positive tournament performance and yet still supporters had to endure 90+ minutes of nothingness against USA, a reminder of the risk-adverse approach that tempers the creative talent in the squad from time to time.
Still, seven points from what could have been a deceptively tricky group is objectively good going and the Euro 2020 finalists will start as favourites when they meet Senegal in the round of 16.
Looking ahead to Sunday night’s knockout game, Gareth Southgate has big decisions to make in the wide areas, as do Dream Team World Cup gaffers.
Should Rashford start against Senegal?Credit: getty
Raheem Sterling, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden , Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford have all scored at the tournament already – a notable statistic given none of them got close during the stalemate against the Americans.
Manchester United’s boy wonder has made a compelling case to start from the off against the Africa Cup of Nations champions having scored three goals in 107 minutes so far.
Rashford came off the bench to cash in against a deflated Iran and was England’s most-threatening player against Wales, opening the scoring with sweetly-struck free-kick before capping the victory with a left-footed goal to make it 3-0 in the 68th minute.
Naturally, the 25-year-old scooped the Star Man on Tuesday night to bank 18 points, taking his overall tally to 23 and putting him level with Lionel Messi (albeit having played a game more).
It’s easy to forget that Saka scored a brace of his own in England’s opening fixture, an effort that produced an 18-point haul – only two midfielders, Frenkie de Jong and Bruno Fernandes, have racked up more since.
England are stacked in the wide areasCredit: getty
Sterling scored one goal and assisted another against Iran to pocket ten points and, crucially, is probably Southgate’s favourite option on the left flank.
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The clamour for Foden was satisfied when the Manchester City youngster produced a silky performance against Wales, winning the free-kick which Rashford converted with a mazy run before scoring one of his own to double the lead.
The 22-year-old earned eight points for his efforts but whether he’s done enough to convince Southgate he should start in the knockout stages remains to be seen.
Finally, there’s Grealish, who also has eight points, but it seems likely he’ll continue in his impact substitute role for the foreseeable future.
DREAM TEAM WORLD CUP OWNERSHIP:

Foden – 17.4%
Saka – 17.4%
Rashford – 9.9%
Sterling – 6.9%
Grealish – 2.3%

It’s worth noting that all the above players are categorised as midfielders except for Rashford, who is a forward.
England fans got their wish against WalesCredit: getty
Despite being the least in-form, Sterling is surely the favourite to start from the left against Senegal, the Chelsea winger has been one of the first names on the team sheet under Southgate and he’s justified his status more often than not in recent times.
Let’s not forget he was arguably England’s most potent threat throughout Euro 2020.
That leaves Foden, Saka and Rashford scrapping for a place on the right and no matter Southgate’s decision, a sizeable chunk of Dream Team World Cup bosses will be disappointed.
If the team selection was determined by Dream Team World Cup points then it would Saka and Rashford either side of Kane from the off on Sunday night – that sounds pretty good on paper but the national coach cares not for fantasy football games (sadly).
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Dream Team World Cup bosses may choose to wait until the starting line-up is announced before making any transfers but with France likely to play in the afternoon (and possibly Argentina) they will be have to mindful of lockout.
The last thing you want as we delve into the knockouts is multiple non-starters polluting your XI. More