Dream Team

NO player personifies Liverpool’s decline from last season to the current campaign more than Joel Matip (£3.8m).The likeable Cameroonian centre-back finished 2021/22 with 236 points to his name, a tally bettered by only four defenders: Andy Robertson (£3.9m), Virgil van Dijk (£4.9m), Joao Cancelo and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£4.8m).
As the cheapest member of the Reds’ first-choice back four, he was among Dream Team’s most endearing gems.
This term, however, it’s no exaggeration to say he’s been one of the most disappointing flops.
Matip has incurred minus points in nine fixtures this seasonCredit: GETTY
Matip contributed to a clean sheet in the Merseyside derby on Monday to bank five points but even that desperately-needed haul pushed his overall total up to just 15.
The extensive list of defenders with more points to their name includes Jordan Zemura (£1.4m), Cedric Soares (£1.8m), Lyanco (£1.4m), Cheikhou Kouyate (£2.1m) and Jamaal Lascelles (£3m).
This stark contrast between seasons is reflected not just in the 31-year-old’s Dream Team returns but in observations from fans and pundits alike.
It could be argued that Matip actually outperformed Van Dijk last season but he’s looked terribly vulnerable this term and, with fitness issues throw in, has consequently been limited to just eight league starts (and 15 appearances in all competitions).
He’s far from the only Anfield resident to suffer a significant drop-off, in fact Mohamed Salah (£7.7m) and Roberto Firmino (£3.7m) are the only individuals who have continued to provide the goods this season and the latter has been frustrated by injury setbacks.
Form is temporary…Credit: GETTY
Jurgen Klopp’s side would have have savoured their victory over neighbours Everton but the table remains grim reading for a side who hold both domestic cups, they’re ninth having won nine of their 21 league fixtures so far.
Most read in Dream Team
A thrashing away to Napoli aside, Liverpool’s performances in the Champions League have been more typical of recent years but another meeting with European specialists Real Madrid in the round of 16 represents a stern test.
Naturally, Dream Team managers have ditched Matip in their droves and his ownership is now below 1%.
Fingers crossed he regains his best form at some stage but for now, as an embodiment of Liverpool’s dip, gaffers should stay clear. More

DREAM TEAM gaffers are forever keeping an eye out for bargains.This season, several affordable midfielders have mixed with the familiar premium options at the top of the rankings.
Even now, seven of top 13 midfielders are available for less than £4m – let’s run through the septet…
Kaoru Mitoma
A rising starCredit: GETTY

Brighton
£3.2m
84 points

The Seagulls’ new fan favourite with a degree in dribbling (literally).
Mitoma gave everyone else a head start and didn’t score his first point until Game Week 12 but since then he’s given it both barrels – he’s averaged 6.5 points-per-game since getting off the mark.
The 25-year-old has scored seven goals in all competitions and his educated running has ensured plenty of 7+ ratings and three Star Man awards.
Solly March
March madness!Credit: GETTY

Brighton
£2.8m
85 points

Most read in Dream Team
Graham Potter did a fantastic job at Brighton but if there was one criticism of his reign it’s that the team didn’t score as many goals as they deserved.
Roberto De Zerbi has imprinted his own style on the south coast and while clean sheets are now harder to come by, the goals are flooding in.
March has been a revelation under the Italian coach and is currently on a run of five goals, three assists and four Star Man gongs in his last nine outings.
Previously a wing-back/utility man, he’s thriving on the right wing where he can take up more advanced positions.
Rodri
A reliable performerCredit: GETTY

Manchester City
£3.7m
87 points

The Spain international is something of an anomaly in the realm of Dream Team because he’s a defensive midfielder who consistently provides healthy returns.
Generally speaking, deep-lying playmakers or tough-tackling anchors do a lot of the dirty work that doesn’t translate to points in the same direct manner as goal involvements.
Rodri has bucked that trend for three seasons on the bounce now thanks to impressive match ratings and a penchant for the odd goal.
He’s actually the best-performing asset of the current Game Week at the time of writing having taken Aston Villa and Arsenal for 16 points.
Casemiro
Safe hands

Manchester United
£3.5m
95 points

Like London buses, you wait an age for a defensive midfielder who produces loads of points and then two come along at once.
The five-time Champions League winner has made a world of difference to Man United and while his experience and industry are intangible factors, it’s his nine goal involvements that have endeared him to Dream Team bosses.
Casemiro is the ninth-best asset in his position right now despite his recent red card.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
A surprising package

Tottenham
£3.6m
96 points

Another combative midfielder… what is going on this season?
It’s a similar story here as Spurs’ No5 have contributed five goals and five assists so far this term, more than would have been expected of him given his role within the squad.
You would have got long odds on Hojbjerg being his side’s next-best performer after Harry Kane (£8.2m) this campaign but that’s the reality of it after 22 Game Weeks.
Miguel Almiron
Where did Almiron’s form come from?Credit: GETTY

Newcastle
£3.4m
99 points

A surprise package here not because of his specific position – backing wingers is usually a wise move – but because of his unanticipated new lease on life.
The 29-year-old has scored more Premier League goals (ten) in 2022/23 than he managed in his previous four seasons combined!
Almiron is one of just seven players into double figures for league goals and the other six are all categorised as forwards.
Martin Odegaard
The Gunners’ skipperCredit: GETTY

Arsenal
£3.2m
104 points

In terms of pure value for money, there aren’t many Dream Team assets who can hold a candle to Arsenal’s captain this season.
Odegaard’s playmaking is his great strength but he’s developed a keen eye for goal since his move to these shores – he has eight league goals from 21 outings this term.
Read More on The Sun
Add in five assists and the same number of Star Man awards and it’s no wonder the Norwegian’s ownership is up to 37.9%.
The Gunners’ No8 is the fifth-best midfielder overall but, taking price into account, he’s arguably been the most valuable asset in his position to date. More

LET’S preface this article with a simple statement: Kevin De Bruyne (£6.7m) is one of the best midfielders of his generation and one of the greatest players to ever grace the Premier League.It’s because of this reputation that Dream Team gaffers hold the Belgian to an immensely high standard.
All things considered, he is living up to lofty expectations this season having banked 135 points to date.
At the time of writing, Bruno Fernandes (£5.9m) is the only midfielder with a higher tally and his lead is a slender one at four points.
That being said, it can’t be denied that De Bruyne is enduring something of a lean spell of late.
Stick or twist?
He’s mustered 12 points in eight outings since the start of Game Week 16 – Manchester City have played ten fixtures in that time frame.
During this time, he’s averaged 1.5 points-per-game which is represents a significant drop-off from his healthy season average of 4.8.
The 31-year-old has provided two assists during this relatively barren patch so it’s not like his owners have been totally starved of goal involvements but, given his price, his recent returns are a cause for concern.
Contrast De Bruyne’s form with the aforementioned Fernandes and Riyad Mahrez (£5.7m).
Man United’s Portuguese playmaker has earned a whopping 72 points since the start of Game Week 16 while City’s Algerian winger has added 70 points to his total.
Most read in Dream Team
Any Dream Team gaffers that replaced De Bruyne with either of these options last month would have been rewarded with massive gains.
Things haven’t gone De Bruyne’s way in recent weeks from a Dream Team perspectiveCredit: GETTY
It’s only natural that De Bruyne’s backers will now be debating the best course of action going forward.
A decent showing from the strawberry-blonde creator in tonight’s mouthwatering top-of-the-table clash at the Emirates between Pep Guardiola’s men and Arsenal would likely take him back to the top of the midfield rankings.
And history is on De Bruyne’s side – he’s rarely kept quiet for long.
His tally of 16 assists in all competitions so far in 2022/23 would be freakish for most players but it’s what fans have come to expect from a player whose crossing and eye for a killer pass is unparalleled.
He’s only scored three goals this season which represents a decline from last term when he scored 19, his best-ever campaign in that regard.
However, only Kieran Trippier (£6.6m) has earned more Star Man awards (seven) than De Bruyne’s six.
This conundrum is affecting 45.5% of Dream Team managers – only Trippier and Erling Haaland (£8.8m) are more popular currently.
Cue a classic De Bruyne masterclass this evening… More

IT would be naive to downplay the significance of tonight’s top-of-the-table Premier League clash.Having played one game fewer than Manchester City, Arsenal are currently three points ahead of Pep Guardiola’s side but defeat this evening would drop them down to second on goal difference.
The safety net of a game in hand means the Gunners’ fate will remain in their hands as long as they avoid a total thrashing but there’s no telling how a loss to their title rivals, and subsequent fall to second, would impact them psychologically.
Conversely, victory would likely provide a massive morale boost that may be enough to carry them over the line throughout the final third of the campaign.
Should the Citizens lose, they may well feel the Premier League is something of a lost cause and focus their attention entirely on their quest for European glory.
A pivotal showdown
Such decisive fixtures invariably provoke a torrent of combined XIs and we too shall oblige but only on the condition that we use this season’s Dream Team points to solely determine the selected players.
GOALKEEPER: Aaron Ramsdale (£4m)
Arsenal’s custodian edges out Ederson (£4.4m) by three points.
The England international’s overall total of 69 is bettered by five other assets in his position but Man City’s No1 is not among them.
Goals have flowed freely for the top two teams but clean sheets have been harder to come by then many would expect.
Most read in Dream Team
Ramsdale narrowly edges out Ederson in the Dream Team rankings ahead of tonight’s gameCredit: GETTY
DEFENDERS: Ben White (£4.5m), Gabriel (£4m), Nathan Ake (£4.1m)
Neatly, this back three would function very well should they ever combine in reality.
Both White and Ake have played the majority of their minutes at full-back this season (right and left respectively) but are centre-backs by trade.
The former is four points off a century, something achieved by just eight defenders at this stage, while the latter sits on 76, one ahead of Ruben Dias (£5.9m), though the Portugal international boasts a superior points-per-game average.
Gabriel reigns supreme at the back among these teams with 101 points to his name.
It’s worth noting that Joao Cancelo would have been included in this XI had he not left the Etihad to join Bayern Munich on loan – he amassed 99 points before his unceremonious January exit.
MIDFIELDERS: Riyad Mahrez (£5.7m), Kevin De Bruyne (£6.7m), Martin Odegaard (£3.2m), Bukayo Saka (£4.2m)
The exuberance of youthCredit: GETTY
The real-world viability of this team takes a hit here but who cares, this is Dream Team and it’s an incredible quartet!
Bruno Fernandes (£5.9m) is king among midfielders right now but these four names make up the rest of the top five as the only other centurions.

De Bruyne – 135 points
Mahrez – 113 points
Saka – 108 points
Odegaard – 104 points

City’s brilliant Belgian has endured something of a lean streak of late (by his standards) but 16 assists in all competitions is a formidable tally at this stage of the season.
As for the Algerian winger, he’s been on a tear of late, posting 70 points across the last seven Game Weeks.
Arsenal’s captain has scored eight goals and provided five assists in 20 league appearances so far while the Gunners’ homegrown No7 has 16 goal involvements in all competitions.
Phil Foden (£4.7m) is unlucky to miss out here given that he’s Dream Team’s seventh-best midfielder at the time of writing with 96 points to his name.
FORWARDS: Erling Haaland (£8.8m), Gabriel Jesus (£5.3m), Gabriel Martinelli (£3.2m)
InevitableCredit: GETTY
Norway’s apex predator is the first name on the team sheet in this hypothetical exercise.
With 31 goals under his belt already, it’s not inconceivable that Haaland may reach 50 before the end of term; hence his obscene Dream Team points tally of 261, which is 55 better off than that of his nearest rival among assets from all teams.
Jesus makes the cut despite his lengthy injury lay-off having plundered 88 points before the World Cup break.
Read More on The Sun
His team-mate and compatriot Martinelli is three points further back having endured something of a slump in recent weeks.
However, the 21-year-old’s contribution of seven goals and two assists has helped put Mikel Arteta’s side in pole position. More

KELECHI IHEANACHO (£2.9m) averages a goal or assist every 111.6 minutes in the Premier League.This is a significant statistic because the 26-year-old is midway through his eighth season in England’s top flight, it’s by no means a small sample size.
Given his potency, it’s remarkable that the striker has rarely been a first-choice starter for a prolonged spell of games.
Iheanacho has made 184 appearances in the Premier League of which he’s started 72 – he has played the full 90 minutes just 22 times.
A name to considerCredit: GETTY
One of the few times he was cemented as a certain starter was during the second half of the 2020/21 season.
With Jamie Vardy (£3.5m) sidelined through injury, Iheanacho stepped up for Leicester in a big way, scoring 12 goals in 15 league games at the back end of the campaign.
Add in four goals in what proved to be a successful FA Cup campaign and a sprinkling of other strikes across all competitions and the Nigeria international finished the season with 19 goals and seven assists to his name.
Dream Team managers will remember the huge swathes of points he provided during that time – he was a popular recruit ahead of a meeting with Sheffield United and instantly delivered a hat-trick at the Blades’ expense to underline his viability.
32 points in two games speaks volumes
More than a few gaffers will have been reminded of those prosperous weeks in the wake of Iheanacho’s masterclass at home to Spurs om Saturday.
The Foxes’ No14 scored one goal and assisted another to claim the Star Man award and bank 15 points.
Most read in Dream Team
And he achieved something similar the previous Game Week when he scored one and assisted two more as Leicester beat Aston Villa 4-2.
Back-to-back Star Man awards and an influx of 32 points in two games is more than enough to put Dream Team bosses on alert, especially those who remember his 2020/21 exploits.
Iheanacho is dirt-cheap at £2.9m and his current ownership of 0.2% makes him a massive differential.
A fruitful Dream Team combination
One potential drawback to this transfer suggestion is his upcoming fixtures.
Brendan Rodgers’ side travel to Old Trafford this Sunday before hosting league leaders Arsenal the following weekend.
Saying that, Villa were unbeaten in four league games before they succumbed to Leicester’s onslaught and Champions League hopefuls Spurs came off the back of a win over Manchester City when they were thrashed at the King Power.
2022/23 has been an underwhelming season for the Foxes so far but they’re steadily moving out of the relegation dogfight and towards the relative safety of mid table.
Keeping clean sheets has been a problem for them under Rodgers but scoring goals has rarely been an issue.
Read More on The Sun
Only Southampton and Bournemouth have conceded more goals this term but only five teams have scored more at this stage.
Keep an eye on Iheanacho’s returns, if he embarks on 2020/21-esque spree then you probably can’t afford to miss out. More

NOT all prolific goalscorers at Championship level are able to transfer their skills successfully to the Premier League.Ivan Toney (£5.4m), however, has proven to be a centre-back’s nightmare at top-flight level since Brentford’s promotion.
Last season, the Bees’ No17 scored 12 goals and provided five assists in 33 league appearances – a superb effort for a newly-promoted side.
This campaign, he’s already scored 14 goals (and provided three assists) with only Harry Kane (£8.2m) and runaway leader Erling Haaland (£8.8m) ahead of him in the Golden Boot race.
A well-earned slice of luckCredit: GETTY
Granted, Toney latest strike was served with a sizeable slice of luck given the PGMOL have issued an apology to Arsenal for video assistant Lee Mason’s mistake in incorrectly checking for an offside in the build-up.
Had VAR been properly employed, Brentford’s equaliser would have been chalked off although Toney certainly won’t be breaking out the violins for the Gunners over the matter.
What matters to Thomas Frank’s side is that they’re now unbeaten in ten league fixtures and a point earned at the home of the leaders may well prove to be hugely valuable in their quest for European qualification this season.
It goes without saying that if they are to maintain their pursuit of the Europa Conference League/Europa League then their top scorer will need to keep leading the line in the effective manner to which opposition defenders have become accustomed, much to their chagrin.
Poor William Saliba (£3.1m) was given a ragged time by Toney at the weekend with the latter winning all but one of his 13 aerial duels, a freakish statistical achievement.
From a Dream Team perspective, it was the 26-year-old’s all-round performance that contributed to him bagging the Star Man award just as much as his goal.
Most read in Dream Team
Mixing it with the big boysCredit: GETTY
A 13-point haul in north London has taken Toney’s total for the campaign to 133.
Mohamed Salah (£7.7m), Kane, Marcus Rashford (£6.1m) and Haaland are the only forwards with more points to their name at the time of writing.
Even more impressively, Toney averages six points-per-game in 2022/23 – Haaland and Rashford are the only assets in his position who boast a superior rate.
Barring injury setbacks or suspensions, he should register 20+ Premier League goals this season and, more importantly, 200+ Dream Team points.
Double centurions are relatively rare, last season just six forwards reached the milestone.
Premier League is the Bees sole focus for the rest of the seasonCredit: GETTY
One potential issue for Toney (and his backers) is that Brentford’s calendar contains their remaining 16 league fixtures and nothing more.
Without European or FA Cup commitments, the streetwise target man may find it difficult to keep pace with busier assets in the final third of the campaign but he’s not to be underestimated.
Toney’s current ownership of 8.1% makes him the ninth-most selected forward in the game but the fact he’s less popular than Darwin Nunez (£4.8m), Gabriel Martinelli (£3.1m) and Son Heung-min (£5.2m) should raise a few eyebrows. More