Dream Team

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.
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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.
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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

A TIP of the hat to Martyn Frankson, Game Week 19’s top Dream Team gaffer.The Everton fan amassed 162 points this past week thanks to a healthy allotment of big names and a couple savvy bargains.
Let’s take a closer look at how he topped the pile…
A brilliant blendCredit: dream team
By now, Dream Team gaffers know that Newcastle’s defensive assets are ultra reliable and two more clean sheets meant Nick Pope (£5.3m), Fabian Schar (£5m) and Kieran Trippier (£6.6m) combined for 50 points.
The latter is now 21 points shy of bringing up his double century having earned a whopping SEVEN Star Man awards – the most of any player so far this season.
Martyn’s stroke of genius was not going all in on Eddie Howe’s defence; instead of backing Sven Botman (£4.7m) or Dan Burn (£4.9m) he opted for Lisandro Martinez (£4.4m).
The Argentine centre-back scored against Arsenal and earned a 7+ rating to counteract the minus points he endured because Man United conceded three to the Gunners.
Martinez then scooped a Star Man award after ensuring his side kept a clean sheet against Nottingham Forest in their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg in midweek.
The Red Devils’ No6 banked 19 points in total to finish level with Trippier as Game Week 19’s best defender.
Holy goalieCredit: getty
Both Kevin De Bruyne (£7.2m) and Riyad Mahrez (£6.1m) are among the top three midfielders overall and the Man City pair combined for a steady ten points this past week.
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Bukayo Saka (£4.3m) scored a wonderful long-distance goal on Sunday to pouch eight points at the expense of Erik ten Hag’s side.
Martyn brilliantly complemented these three popular superstars with Kaoru Mitoma (£2.6m).
The Japan international scored a pleasing curled effort from the edge of the box against Leicester, his fifth goal in his last nine games at club level.
The 25-year-old features in just 0.5% of teams which meant Martyn was among a tiny minority of managers who benefited from the winger’s 13-point haul.
One of many Brighton assets punching above their weight
In contrast, Erling Haaland (£9.1m) is by far the most-popular asset in the game with a massive ownership of 74.2%.
Man City’s prolific No9 scored his fourth Premier League hat-trick of the campaign to take Wolves for 28 points – his total now stands at a ginormous 256.
Elsewhere, Marcus Rashford (£5.7m) continued his scoring flurry with goals against Arsenal and Forest, he’s scored ten goals since returning from the World Cup.
Man United’s boy wonder added 16 points to his total this past week and his ownership is up to 31.7%.
Last but by no means least it’s Eddie Nketiah (£3.5m), another of Martyn’s savvy bargains.
Arsenal’s junior poacher bagged a brace in the entertaining 3-2 win over Man United and scooped the Star Man award in the process to claim 18 points.
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Impressive work from a Dream Team boss who clearly has his finger on the pulse.
Good luck to all gaffers for Game Week 20! More

IS it possible that Dream Team managers are sleeping on Lisandro Martinez (£4.1m)?That seems unlikely given the Argentina international recently won the World Cup – that sort of thing tends not to go unnoticed – but his current ownership of 6.8% feels a tad low all things considered.
We’ll give gaffers the benefit of the doubt and conclude that his popularity is still recovering from his absence post-Qatar when he was given extended leave to attend celebrations in his homeland.
However, the Manchester United centre-back underlined his viability with a mighty 19-point haul this Game Week.
Now a top ten defender in the realm of Dream Team!Credit: getty
The unstoppable Kieran Trippier (£6.3m) was the only defender to match Martinez for points in Game Week 19.
Racking up such a haul is difficult enough for a defender in normal circumstances but the 25-year-old managed to do it despite being part of a defence that conceded three goals at the Emirates on Sunday.
Martinez left north London with his head held high despite his side’s defeat to Arsenal because of his headed goal and a thoroughly deserved 7+ rating to pouch six points when all was said and done.
He then banked a further 13 points thanks to a Star Man display (and clean sheet) against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night.
Game Week 19 was Martinez’s most profitable of the campaign so far and his overall of 87 points is enough to make him the tenth-best defender in the game.
Erik ten Hag’s side may have been humbled by the Gunners but, generally speaking, they have made big strides in recent months.
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The loss to Mikel Arteta’s troops is their only defeat in their last 12 games.
The Butcher stands tallCredit: getty
And a quick glance at the Red Devils’ upcoming fixtures suggests a good chance of more positive results to come.
They face Reading in the FA Cup this Saturday before fulfilling the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Forest, in which they hold a 3-0 aggregate lead.
After that they host Crystal Palace in the league before a double header against Leeds, who they have beaten heavily a few times since the Yorkshire club were promoted.
It depends on team selections of course, but Martinez will be eyeing his fair share of clean sheets and 7+ ratings from those five fixtures.
The ex-Ajax defender will surely be a relatively popular recruit once transfers are refreshed in February. More

THIS is it, the crescendo of Newcastle’s defensive dominance.On Tuesday night, the Magpies beat Southampton 1-0 in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final.
Yet another clean sheet means that Eddie Howe’s first-choice back four now occupy the top four spots in the Dream Team rankings where only defenders are concerned.
The Fab Four
DREAM TEAM’S TOP 10 DEFENDERS

KIERAN TRIPPIER (£6.3m) – 179 points
FABIAN SCHAR (£4.8m) – 129 points
SVEN BOTMAN (£4.6m) – 103 points
DAN BURN (£4.6m) – 103 points
Gabriel (£4.7m) – 101 points
Joao Cancelo (£6m) – 99 points
Thiago Silva (£5.5m) – 99 points
Ben White (£5m) – 96 points
Diogo Dalot (£3.7m) – 91 points
Luke Shaw (£4.1m) – 79 points

Newcastle have kept 16 clean sheets this season, 12 of them coming in the Premier League.
As a result, Nick Pope (£5m) is the clear front runner in the race for the Golden Glove, he’s three clean sheets clear of his closest rival, Aaron Ramsdale (£4.2m), at this stage.
Naturally, the England international is also Dream Team’s outright best goalkeeper.
His overall tally of 126 points is 49 greater than that of David de Gea (£3.8m), the game’s second-best custodian at present.
Top of the classCredit: getty
Trippier remains the main man because of his sheer influence on every aspect of his side’s play.
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He wears the captain’s armband almost every week, is a key contributor to the string of clean sheets, and is hugely influential to the Toon’s build-up play, creating more than his fair share of chances.
As an in-form Swiss army knife, the England international has hoarded 7+ ratings for fun, 20 of them to be precise, more than anyone else.
Crucially, he’s also pocketed a whopping SEVEN Star Man awards, one more than Kevin De Bruyne (£7.3m) and Erling Haaland (£8.8m) have collected respectively.
With an ownership of 50% Trippier is the second-most popular player in the game – only runaway points leader Haaland appears in more teams.
Dream Team’s top defender (by a huge margin)Credit: getty
However, Botman and Burn feature in 6.6% and 5% of teams respectively, meaning the vast majority of gaffers have missed out on their significant returns in recent weeks.
Block picking defenders from one team has long been a legitimate tactic.
In recent seasons, backing three or four Liverpool, Chelsea or Manchester City defensive assets would have paid out huge dividends if timed correctly.
But 2022/23’s version feels different, probably because Newcastle players have not had European fixtures to bolster their schedule, not to mention the unexpected nature of their top four push.
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How long will Newcastle’s supremacy in this field last?
Well, they’ve got Saints again at home on Tuesday before they resume league duties against West Ham then Bournemouth, two teams in the bottom five… More

“Maybe Riyad had a problem coming back from the summertime, not the World Cup.”That was Pep Guardiola’s assessment of Riyad Mahrez’s (£5.8m) sluggish start to the campaign and subsequent resurgence.
The Algerian winger desperately struggled for rhythm in his first nine outings this term, failing to register a goal involvement or even a single Dream Team point.
However, he broke the shackles at the start of October with a goal and assist in a Star Man showing against Copenhagen in the Champions League and he hasn’t looked back since.
A man in formCredit: getty
Mahrez has scored ten goals and provided four assists in his last 15 games, a run that also includes four Star Man awards.
Having started Game Week 8 with zero points, the four-time Premier League winner is set to end Game Week 19 with 103 to his name.
Despite giving his peers a massive head start, Mahrez is one of only five midfielders to have celebrated their century at the time of writing, alongside Bukayo Saka (£4.1m), Martin Odegaard (£3.6m), Bruno Fernandes (£5.6m) and Kevin De Bruyne (£7.3m).
In fact, the 31-year-old is third among assets in his position right now, an extraordinary achievement given he essentially overslept at the start of the season.
Making up for lost timeCredit: getty
And it’s probably because of his false start that Dream Team gaffers have been slow to back Mahrez.
Even now, after 60 points across the last four Game Weeks, he only appears in 7% of teams – he’s less popular than Christian Eriksen (£3.4m), Pascal Gross (£3.4m) and Dejan Kulusevski (£3.8m).
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Having publicly acknowledged Mahrez’s poor form at the start of the campaign, Guardiola has heaped praise on the winger in recent weeks and while second-guessing the decorated tactician’s starting line-ups is easier said than done, this one seems like a lock for now.
It’s worth noting that Mahrez has outscored De Bruyne, Dream Team’s leading midfielder, by 24 points since that game against Copenhagen that started his fruitful run.
Got a transfer or two remaining from January’s allotment? You could do a lot worse than recruiting City’s No26. More

IMAGINE getting up early with a burning hangover to play university football and you’re directly up against Kaoru Mitoma (£2.3m).That was almost certainly the brutal reality for at least a couple of students as recently as 2019, when the Japan international was studying at the University of Tsukuba having turned down a professional contract with Kawasaki Frontale.
The 25-year-old did eventually sign with the top-flight club and enjoyed two prosperous seasons before being snapped up Brighton, arguably the Premier League’s smartest recruiters.
He spent last season on loan at Royal Union Saint-Gilloise, scoring eight goals and providing four assists for the Belgian club.
And now, quicker than expected, he’s become a regular starter for the Seagulls and a key player too.
Yet another success story for Brighton’s recruitment teamCredit: getty
Leandro Trossard’s (£4.3m) dispute with Roberto De Zerbi worked in Mitoma’s favour but the quick-footed winger has worked his way up the pecking order through a series of impressive performances.
He’s scored five goals and provided two assists in his last ten games at club level and has captivated fans with his enterprising dribbling and electric acceleration.
Mitoma actually wrote a thesis on dribbling as a university student, an act that taught him to keep his head up whenever possible, but it’s clear he was born with the necessary tools to become an elite athlete, attributes that can’t be learned from a book.
Sixth-placed Brighton have only tasted defeat once since the restart and that an entertaining 4-2 loss to table-toppers Arsenal.
This weekend, they drew 2-2 at Leicester and it was Mitoma who opened the scoring with a pinpoint curling effort from the edge of the box.
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And from a Dream Team perspective it was a particularly profitable excursion because he also swooped the Star Man award to bank 13 points, his joint-best single-game haul so far.
Mitoma has gotten the best of several right-back this season
Mitoma has now produced 60 points across the last eight Game Weeks.
At just £2.3m he’s the latest Brighton midfielder to off superb value for money in the world of Dream Team.
Pascal Gross (£3.4m) flew out of the blocks before passing the mantle to Alexis Mac Allister (£3.5m); recently Solly March (£2.6m) has provided healthy returns but now Mitoma has grabbed the spotlight.
Dream Team bosses in need of a cheap midfield asset capable of ticking over should permanently have one eye on the Amex Stadium, especially while De Zerbi’s tactics continue to ensure plenty of goals to go around.
There isn’t a right-back in the land who isn’t at least partially wary of facing Mitoma on current form. More