Dream Team

ANY Dream Team manager worth their salt should be able to distinguish between any given player’s form and the fortunes of the club they represent.While it’s true that individuals contracted to the top clubs tend to produce more points over the course of a season, only a fool would disregard all assets in the bottom half of the Premier League entirely.
Take Rodrigo (£3.8m) for example.
Goals have flowed freely for Rodrigo this seasonCredit: getty
Jesse Marsch has had about as much luck solving Leeds’ defensive problems as Marcelo Bielsa did during his final weeks in Yorkshire.
However, the American head coach has unquestionably got the best out of the Whites’ second-most expensive signing, as evidenced by the Dream Team rankings.
In his first two seasons at Elland Road, Rodrigo mustered 13 goals in all competitions from 62 appearances.
This campaign, he’s scored 11 goals in 18 outings.
In Dream Team money, he’s got 79 points which is currently enough to grant him a place among the top ten assets in his position.
One of the reasons for this uplift is that he has generally been deployed as a genuine striker this term where before he was utilised as a No10, particularly under El Loco.
But the role change alone does not account for such a dramatic improvement in attacking output.
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Leeds are leaky at the back but they average 1.5 goals per game themselvesCredit: getty
Marsch quickly decided to install the Spain international as a dressing room leader upon his appointment following Bielsa’s exit and the show of faith has likely been a contributing factor to Rodrigo’s increased confidence in front of goal.
Where before he tended to snatch at chances, he now hits the target more regularly while still striking the ball with plenty of power.
The ex-Valencia forward’s form was so poor during the final days of the old regime that it would have been understandable had Marsch decided to make him a periphery figure or push for a sale.
The Red Bull Salzburg tactician still has much to work on if he’s to last on these shores but he can count the rise of Rodrigo as one of his big wins.
Dream Team bosses shouldn’t touch Leeds defenders with a barge pole but they would do well to consider Rodrigo’s viability at the very least.
After coming off the bench to score against Cardiff in the FA Cup on Sunday, the 31-year-old has registered 25 points in his last five appearances – a run that includes fixtures against Spurs, Man City and Newcastle.
The less said about his penalty miss in Wales the better.
The Spaniard will feel confident on adding to his tally given his upcoming fixturesCredit: getty
Looking forward, there could be more points to come as Leeds have a relatively favourable run until the end of February.
They take on Aston Villa this Friday before hosting Cardiff in a FA Cup replay, making Game Week 18 a double.
Rodrigo then faces Brentford, Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, Everton and Southampton before the start of March.
The Red Devils aside, that’s a tempting string of fixtures – three of those teams are currently below Leeds in the table.
Erling Haaland (£9m), Harry Kane (£7.4m), Ivan Toney (£5.3m) and Aleksandar Mitrovic (£5.4m) are the only players to have scored more Premier League goals than Rodrigo’s ten in 2022/23.
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And at the time of writing he appears in just 1.8% of teams, meaning it’s unlikely your mini-league rivals are backing him.
Those searching for some short-term gains that may escape the attention of their mates would do well to consider taking a punt on Rodrigo during his favourable run of fixtures. More

THE 100 Club™ remains an exclusive clique at this stage of the season.Just seven players have celebrated a century of Dream Team points and only one of the septet has doubled it up since.
Let’s take a closer look at each of 2022/23’s centurions before highlighting which assets are next in line to reach three figures.
Ivan Toney (£5.3m)
Brentford’s top scorer is rubbing shoulders with the top clubs’ biggest namesCredit: getty

Forward
111 points
7.3% ownership

With 12 goals to his name, Brentford’s No17 is the Premier League’s third-top scorer this term.
Faultless from the penalty spot and a nightmare for centre-backs to contend with over 90 minutes, Toney averages 6.2 points-per-game and is living proof that not all Dream Team assets need European fixtures to consistently hover near the top of the rankings.
However, the 26-year-old’s current viability is threatened by off-field issues and, more pressingly, an injury setback.
Plenty of gaffers will be using one of their five January transfers to find a replacement before Game Week 17 gets underway.
Marcus Rashford (£5.1m)
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Forward
115 points
20.3% ownership

Back in the zone
Man United’s boy wonder has recaptured his best form in recent months and is flourishing under Erik ten Hag’s stewardship.
Rashford has 12 goals and four assists in all competitions for the Red Devils already this season.
Last term he mustered a pitiful 38 points in total so for him to be beyond a century at the midpoint of 2022/23 represents a massive uplift – no wonder he’s back in the good books of gaffers everywhere.
Kevin De Bruyne (£7.8m)

Midfielder
128 points
47.6% ownership

There’s a good reason the Belgian playmaker appears in almost half of all teams.
With nine league assists he’s in a bracket of his own among Premier League creators (nobody else has more than six) and he’s provided a further five in other competitions as well.
Add in three goals, frequent Star Man awards and a host of 7+ ratings and it’s no wonder De Bruyne is the only midfielder in the 100 Club™ at the time of writing.
Harry Kane (£7.4m)
A reliable performerCredit: getty

Forward
129 points
30.1% ownership

Another proven performer here and one who is succeeding individually despite some stodgy team performances from Spurs.
Under normal circumstances his tally of 15 goals from 18 league games would put him in pole position to win the Golden Boot but he’s got stiff competition in that department this season, more on that later…
Mohamed Salah (£8.8m)

Forward
141 points
34.7% ownership

The prolific Egyptian has impressed most in the Champions League this term with seven goals in just 444 minutes of playing time.
Add in seven goals (and four assists) in the league plus another in the Carabao Cup and it’s already another fruitful campaign for the man who has earned more Dream Team points than anyone else since he signed for Liverpool.
The Reds have issues to solve if they’re to compete for trophies but Dream Team bosses would be wise to focus on Salah’s individual returns – he banked a 20-point haul as recently as Game Week 15.
Always there or thereaboutsCredit: getty
Kieran Trippier (£6m)

Defender
148 points
47.7% ownership

Newcastle’s vice captain is the second-best player overall and the only defender on this list.
Our ratings providers WhoScored reckon Trippier has been the Premier League’s next-best player after you know who so far – he has an average rating of 7.7!
Leader of the league’s best defence and a chance-creating machine, the England international has been an utter revelation and he looks nailed on for a double century so long as he avoids injury setbacks.
Erling Haaland (£9m)

Forward
220 points
74.2% ownership

Here he is, the free-scoring elephant in the room.
Man City’s No9 is averaging 10.5 points-per-game this season, a frankly ludicrous statistic, and the Premier League Golden Boot is probably already on his mantelpiece – he’s on 21 league goals for crying out loud.
Haaland pocketed 51 points in Game Week 4 at the expense of Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest but his biggest single-game haul came against Man United when he earned 32 points in one fell swoop.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s all-time season record of 477 points is under threat – at the very least the Norwegian looks set to become only the second-ever quadruple centurion.
Records are tumblingCredit: getty
Which players are close to 100 points?
Joao Cancelo (£6.5m) needs just three more points but the Portuguese full-back’s form has dipped in recent weeks and he’s been used sparingly be Pep Guardiola since returning from the World Cup.
Just one more clear sheet should do the job for Nick Pope (£4.6m).
Newcastle boast the best defensive record in the league this term and the England international has an impressive 96 points as a result – no other goalkeeper is particularly close to three figures.
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It’s a similar story for Fabian Schar (£4.2m), who is one point behind his team-mate.
Aleksandar Mitrovic (£5.4m), Martin Odegaard (£3.4m), Bukayo Saka (£4.3m) and Gabriel (£4.2m) are the other assets in the nervous nineties at this stage. More

STAYING on top of your Dream Team during the festive period can be tricky.No doubt there a plenty of gaffers out there who need to whip their XI into shape this month, especially with January’s monthly competition about to get underway – the winner will take home a brand new PlayStation 5!
With that in mind, allow us to suggest some hypothetical transfers that will think could be profitable.
As always, bear in mind that these recommendations are unlikely to apply specifically to your team but you should still be able to extrapolate the logic.
OUT: Ben White (£4.3m), IN: Fabian Schar (£4m)
Dream Team’s second-best defender this seasonCredit: getty
On the surface this suggestion looks counterproductive.
After all, there’s no doubt whatsoever that Arsenal are performing at a high level right now and so ditching one of their most consistent players feels wrong.
However, the Gunners are scheduled to face Oxford, Tottenham and Manchester United this month, Mikel Arteta is likely to rest his regular starters against League One opposition in the FA Cup and many supporters would back both teams to score in the following league fixtures, which would likely mean blanks for White and his fellow defenders.
Newcastle boast the best defensive record in the Premier League this season and they’ll be hopeful of more clean sheets in the coming weeks when they face Sheffield Wednesday, Leicester, Fulham and Crystal Palace.
Kieran Trippier (£5.7m) reigns supreme among Dream Team defenders with a whopping 148 points but Schar is the current runner-up with 95 points to his name at an average of 5.3 per game.
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Eddie Howe’s side have conceded just 11 goals in 18 league games this term and three of them were inflicted by Manchester City in the third fixture of the campaign.
OUT: Virgil van Dijk (£5.1m), IN: John Stones (£5m)
Man City have a busy month aheadCredit: getty
Liverpool’s No4 is set to see a specialist about his hamstring injury and is facing a longer spell on the sidelines than first thought.
The Dutchman currently features in 15.1% of teams so plenty of gaffers are in need of a replacement and, given the schedule, a Man City defender looks to be a clever option.
Pep Guardiola won’t be happy with how many goals his side have conceded this term but still the defending champions boast the third-best defence in the league at this stage.
With Ruben Dias sidelined, Stones is expected to start at the heart of defence this evening for the foreseeable future – City face Chelsea (x2), Southampton, Man United, Spurs and Wolves before the end of the month.
No City player is immune from rotation but the England international should get more than his fair share of minutes in the coming weeks.
OUT: Jarrod Bowen (£3.6m), IN: Bryan Mbeumo (£2m)
A bold move…Credit: getty
Now here’s a wildcard!
West Ham haven’t won a game outside the Europa Conference League since late October and Bowen, last season’s breakout star, has mustered just three points in his last eight outings.
The 26-year-old has scored two goals in 18 league starts and is yet to provide an assist, hence his disappointing Dream Team returns – his backers should have changed strategy a while ago in all honesty.
If you’re after a cheap differential option with favourable fixtures ahead then look no further than Mbeumo.
The 23-year-old is generously categorised as a midfielder but essentially plays up top for Brentford and with Ivan Toney (£5m) out injured he’s momentarily the main man, as evidenced by his Star Man showing against Liverpool this Game Week.
The Bees face West Ham, Bournemouth and Leeds in their next three games, all of whom are struggling at the wrong end of the table and have issues at the back.
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This switch has the dual purpose of freeing up plenty of cash to invest in improvements elsewhere.
Right now, Mbeumo has an ownership of 0.5% – dare you go so dramatically against the grain this month? More

BY now Dream Team bosses should have shaken off the festive haze and refocused on the task at hand.And what better way to see in the new year with mountains of points and the potential reward of a brand new PlayStation 5?
That’s right, we’re once again offering up the highly-desired games console as the prize for January’s monthly competition, which runs from the 6th until February 2nd.
The gaffer who earns the most points during this scoring period will land a PS5 – consider it a late Christmas present.
Couple this enticing proposition with the fact transfers are set to be refreshed this coming Friday and managers will be desperate to know which teams have the most favourable fixtures in the coming weeks.
Allow us to assist by laying out the upcoming match-ups for all the teams currently in the top half; please note any fixtures listed in italics are part of the current Game Week and December’s monthly competition…
A fourth official’s worst nightmare
ARSENAL

Oxford (a)
Tottenham (a)
Manchester United (h)

Mikel Arteta has the opportunity to rest some of his key players on Monday night when he travels to the Kassam Stadium for FA Cup duty.
Once that fixture is fulfilled all that remains in January is a pair of mouthwatering league fixtures in the form of a North London derby and the visit of the Red Devils to the Emirates.
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It would be reasonable to expect a drop in returns for Arsenal assets this month compared to the high standard they have set this season but it would be a stretch to think of transferring out their best performers.
MANCHESTER CITY

Chelsea (a)
Chelsea (h)
Southampton (a)
Manchester United (a)
Tottenham (h)
Wolves (h)

Pep Guardiola’s side travel to Stamford Bridge this week and will host the Blues in return on Sunday in the FA Cup – it’s a relatively good time to play Chelsea in a double header.
City are busy this month as the clash with Saints is a Carabao Cup quarter-final.
The upcoming Manchester derby should be more competitive than the previous one and Spurs have a decent record at the Etihad in recent times but still it seems wise to back a few City assets in the coming weeks to make the most of the schedule.
How many goals will Erling Haaland score this month?Credit: getty
NEWCASTLE

Sheffield Wednesday (a)
Leicester (h)
Fulham (h)
Crystal Palace (a)

How many more clean sheets will Kieran Trippier (£5.7m) and his mob register this month?
Eddie Howe’s side have still only lost one league fixture this season and so they won’t be intimidated by a trio of mid-table opponents once their favourable FA Cup match-up at Hillsborough is complete.
MAN UNITED

Everton (h)
Charlton (h)
Manchester City (h)
Arsenal (a)

A month of two halves for Erik ten Hag’s troops.
They will be heavy favourites to triumph in both domestic cup fixtures but Premier League meetings with the current top two will be extremely challenging.
The likes of Luke Shaw (£3.8m), Bruno Fernandes (£5.3m) and Marcus Rashford (£4.8m) have racked up points for fun recently so it would be very bold (foolish?) to replace any of them any time soon.
Shaw has banked 26 points this Game WeekCredit: getty
SPURS

Crystal Palace (a)
Portsmouth (h)
Arsenal (h)
Manchester City (a)
Fulham (a)

Harry Kane (£7.1m) and company have won just one of their last five games in all competitions and they’ll be desperate for a positive result at Selhurst Park this evening.
On current form, fans will certainly not be relishing the prospect of a North London derby followed by a trip to the defending champions’ lair – Craven Cottage has been the undoing of a few decent teams this term too.
LIVERPOOL

Wolves (h)
Brighton (a)
Chelsea (h)

It’s a quiet month from hereon out for the Reds and perhaps mercifully so after their defeat to Brentford.
Mohamed Salah (£8.9m), Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.8m) and Darwin Nunez (£5.7m) are all immensely popular assets but their respective ownerships may drop once transfers are refreshed.
FULHAM

Hull (a)
Chelsea (h)
Newcastle (a)
Tottenham (h)

Marco Silva’s side are flying high in seventh (level with Liverpool on points) and are happy to be considered underdogs but their next three league fixtures will test their resolve.
Aleksandar Mitrovic (£5.2m) is Dream Team’s sixth-best forward right now but he’s suspended for Fulham’s short trip to Stamford Bridge.
A potentially costly yellow cardCredit: getty
BRIGHTON

Middlesbrough (a)
Liverpool (h)
Leicester (a)

It’s a quiet January for the Seagulls.
Had they the luxury of three ultra favourable fixtures then gaffers may be tempted to think outside the box but this simply isn’t the case here.
BRENTFORD

West Ham (h)
Bournemouth (h)
Leeds (a)

It could be argued that the Bees do have a favourable trio of fixtures as all three of their remaining January opponents are currently in the bottom seven.
Ivan Toney (£5m) averages 6.2 points-per-game this term having scored 13 goals in all competitions already but gaffers should wait for an update on his knee injury before using a transfer.
Graham Potter may be feeling some pressureCredit: getty
CHELSEA

Manchester City (h)
Manchester City (a)
Fulham (a)
Crystal Palace (h)
Liverpool (a)

The Blues have an extra fixture after this week but trips to the Etihad and Anfield are daunting tasks on current form.
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Thiago Silva (£5.9m) and Kepa Arrizabalaga (£3.2m) have produced healthy returns but most Stamford Bridge assets have been frustrating ones this season.
Keep an eye on new recruits while the transfer window is open. More

LUKE SHAW’S (£3.6m) form tends to coincide closely with Manchester United’s as a collective.In 2020/21, he was voted the club’s Players’ Player of the Year and was selected in the Premier League Team of the Year as the Red Devils finished runners-up behind Manchester City under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The left-back carried that form into Euro 2020 (delayed because of Covid-19) where he was one of England’s best performers – he even scored in the final.
After the penalty shootout defeat to Italy at Wembley, Shaw was one of a number of Three Lions’ stars who suffered a hangover of sorts once the new domestic season got underway.
His form dropped dramatically and Man United’s results fell off a cliff as Solskjaer was replaced by Ralf Rangnick in a fractured, disjointed campaign.
Shaw’s form has fluctuated dramatically in the last three yearsCredit: getty
There were several other contributing factors to the decline, of course, but it does seem that Shaw’s personal fortunes have often reflected his club’s in recent times.
And this relationship should encourage the Old Trafford faithful presently as the 27-year-old has gained considerable momentum in recent weeks.
While he did not light up the World Cup in the same manner as the Euros, he performed well and registered an assist in Qatar.
Since returning to club duty, he has contributed to four consecutive clean sheets – a run that has resulted in 39 Dream Team points.
In fact, Shaw is currently the highest scorer of Game Week 16 having racked up 26 points at the expense of Wolves and Bournemouth.
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Shaw impressed as a makeshift centre-backCredit: getty
Against Bruno Lage’s side he played at centre-back alongside Raphael Varane (£4.2m) and held firm to help his side to a 1-0 win on the road, highlighting his adaptability and defensive merits.
And then at home to the Cherries, he reverted to left-back and exhibited his prowess in attack by scoring a fluid goal and playing a superb pass in the build-up to the hosts’ third and final goal.
When all was said and done on Tuesday night, Shaw claimed the Star Man award to bank 18 points, his biggest single-game haul of the season by a considerable margin.
With Lisandro Martinez (£3.8m) set to return to the starting line-up, Shaw is unlikely to be required at centre-back for the foreseeable future but he’s cemented himself as first-choice left-back ahead of Tyrell Malacia (£3.4m).
Shaw was brilliant against BournemouthCredit: getty
This prosperous spell post-World Cup has propelled the former Southampton defender up the rankings, he’s now the seventh-best asset in his position with 82 points overall, one behind Diogo Dalot (£3.5m).
Granted, January ends with some testing fixtures for Erik ten Hag’s side in the form of Man City and Arsenal but Shaw looks a good option in the long run regardless.
And if it’s true that his individual form dictates his club’s progress then supporters will hope to see more performances like those exhibited this Game Week. More