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      Son Heung-min kickstarts his Dream Team campaign with hat-trick and 28-point haul

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      LAST week we published an article highlighting the contrasting fortunes of Richarlison (£4.1m) and Son Heung-min (£5.5m).The gist being, the Brazilian had made the most of limited minutes while the South Korean superstar had been unusually blunt.
      And so we’d like to take partial credit for the mother of all turnarounds that took place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night – nothing works quite like a jinx.
      Son emphatically responded to being dropped from the starting line-up when he came off the bench to score a 13-minute hat-trick and condemn Leicester to a 6-2 humiliation.
      We can only assume Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has Son in his Dream Team
      Having gone eight games without a goal prior to the Foxes’ visit to north London, last season’s joint Golden Boot winner had mustered just seven Dream Team points, a bitterly disappointing return for the significant chunk of gaffers backing him throughout.
      But 13.7% of managers had their faith repaid with a whopping 28-point haul in Game Week 7.
      At this early stage of the season, such a performance can propel an asset up the rankings and that’s exactly what has happened with Tottenham’s No7.
      Suddenly Son is the joint-seventh best forward in the game – his overall tally of 35 points is matched by Marcus Rashford (£4m) and Gabriel Martinelli (£3.3m).
      Harking back to our ill-timed article last week, we did mention that Son’s barren streak was unlikely to be a long one, citing his mightily impressive and consistent record in recent years.
      But a 13-minute hat-trick represents a comeback of alarming efficiency and therefore one that changes the Dream Team landscape considerably.
      Back in contentionCredit: getty
      Those who may have planned to transfer the 30-year-old out of their XI during the international break will surely now think again.
      Granted, he won’t have the luxury of facing Leicester’s disorganised defence again for a few months but when in-form he’s capable of taking points off any team.
      Let’s not forget his final tally of 243 points last season was only bettered by Harry Kane (£7.3m) and Mohamed Salah (£7.7m) among assets in his position.
      Spurs’ first fixture after the international break is a trip to the Emirates for a massive north London derby.
      The fixture always feels significant but this edition is specially poised as Antonio Conte’s would go top of the table with a win while the Gunners would only need a draw to retain top spot, though they would then risk being leapfrogged by Manchester City on the Sunday.
      Son struggled for form prior to Leicester’s visit to north LondonCredit: getty
      Following the trip to their rivals, Spurs play Eintracht Frankfurt (twice), Brighton, Everton, Man United, Newcastle, Sporting CP and Bournemouth in what will be a busy October.
      From Conte’s viewpoint, it would be a very helpful time for Son to rediscover the form that has earned him his reputation as a prolific goalscorer.
      Dream Team managers may remember from the back end of last season that Son’s points flow very freely once he’s on a hot streak – no player could hang with him in the last two months of 2021/22.

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      Only Erling Haaland has more Dream Team points than Joao Cancelo this season – is he still underrated?

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      IN the past couple of weeks, we’ve made plenty of references to the fact Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.6m) is averaging 2.5 points-per-game this season.Liverpool’s No66 rightfully started the campaign as Dream Team’s joint-most-expensive defender having racked up 298 points in 2021/22 – a tally only bettered by Mohamed Salah (£7.7m).
      And while the England international current season total of 20 points isn’t a disgrace by any means but it’s below what gaffers have come to expect from him.
      Rather than chew out Alexander-Arnold further, we thought it would be better to celebrate the other full-back who started the campaign at £6.5m and who has lived up expectations and more during the first seven Game Weeks of 2022/23.
      The man in question is, of course, Joao Cancelo (£7.4m).
      A reliably brilliant Dream Team assetCredit: getty
      The Portugal international pocketed another eight points at the weekend as Manchester City beat Wolves 3-0 at Molineux.
      He earned another 7+ rating on top of the clean sheet to take his overall tally for the season to 54 points.
      At the time of writing, only Erling Haaland (£8.4m) has more points among all assets – City’s cyborg has a frankly obscene 121 points.
      Similarly, only the Norwegian striker has earned more 7+ ratings than Cancelo so far this season and it’s this ability to tick along with bonus points that makes the full-back such an incredible asset.
      Anyone who has watched even a handful of City’s games in recent seasons will know that Cancelo is a ‘defender’ in the loosest possible sense.
      Technically sound and positionally ambitious, he often occupies areas more associated with centre-midfielders and wingers.
      Cancelo is consistently among the players to register the most touches on any given weekend – in fact he’s had the third-most in the Premier League this season – and his possession isn’t stale either, he is a key cog in Pep Guardiola’s system.
      And it’s his influence on City’s build-up play that helps him bag so many 7+ ratings, meaning he accumulates points even when his attacking threat doesn’t directly translate to goals or assists.
      Man City enjoyed another routine win over Wolves on SaturdayCredit: getty
      Not that the 28-year-old is lacking goal involvements, he has three assists and one goal in all competitions already.
      Strangely, all his assists have occurred across City’s two Champions League fixtures – he set up two of his side’s four goals against Sevilla and memorably provided a glorious outside-of-the-boot cross for Haaland’s acrobatic winner against Borussia Dortmund.
      Cancelo has racked up 41 points in his last five outings to propel himself up the rankings and he’ll sit proudly in second place throughout the international break.
      His presence on the podium should serve as reminder of his enduring quality to Dream Team bosses, not that they should need it with him having finished as the best defender in 2020/21 and the runner-up in his position last season.
      Dream Team’s top two performers this seasonCredit: getty
      Cancelo’s ownership of 20.9% makes him the 13th-most popular player in the game but perhaps he should be even more widely selected?
      The aforementioned Alexander-Arnold features in 28.5% of teams by way of a comparison.
      However, Cancelo’s current price of £7.4m makes him a difficult player to recruit – only Salah and Haaland are more costly at this stage – but his returns suggest he’s worth the investment.
      Value-for-money bargains are great but sometimes in the world of Dream Team, you have to cough up the budget for serious quality.

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      Bargain option Diogo Dalot has amassed 34 Dream Team points in three Game Weeks

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      WE’LL admit to feeling very sheepish after the first three Game Weeks of the season.Prior to Game Week 1, we tipped Diogo Dalot (£2.6m) a few times as a potential savvy option for Dream Team gaffers in need of a value-for-money defender.
      Unfortunately, after the Portuguese’s first three outings he had incurred minus five points with nothing in the way of compensation.
      Defeats to Brighton and Brentford put him deep in the red and a booking against Liverpool only worsened the outlook despite the Red Devils victory over Jurgen Klopp’s side.
      Dalot’s price dropped to £2.2m after this desperately disappointing start to the campaign and it looked as if we’d steered our readers horribly wrong.
      On the rise!Credit: getty
      However, redemption is ours because, at the time of writing, the 23-year-old is the joint-fifth best defender in the game!
      Erik ten Hag’s beat Sheriff Tiraspol 2-0 in the Europa League on Thursday night and it was Dalot who won the penalty, converted by Cristiano Ronaldo (£5.5m), for the visitors second goal in Moldova.
      This act earned him an assist to add to his clean sheet and a thoroughly deserved 7+ rating which all amounted to a ten-point haul.
      This influx moved the Portugal international onto 29 points overall, putting him above the likes of Ruben Dias (£5.4m), Eric Dier (£4.2m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.6m).
      Dalot’s resurgence has been remarkable, he’s gained 34 points in the space of just three Game Weeks, a prosperous run that has coincided with Manchester United’s upturn in results.
      Victory over Liverpool was followed by wins over Southampton, Leicester, Arsenal, Real Sociedad and Sheriff.
      This winning streak has included five clean sheets, hence Dalot’s healthy returns.
      Dalot won a penalty in Moldova on Thursday night
      Add in two assists and a Star Man award and we feel our pre-season suggestion has been fully justified despite the disastrous start to the new term.
      Man United’s emotionally-charged game against Leeds will not take place this weekend as it’s been postponed due to issues with police numbers so gaffers would be overly eager to transfer Dalot into their XIs ahead of Game Week 7.
      And managers may even feel reluctant to recruit him prior to Game Week 8 given the Manchester derby is scheduled for the first weekend after the international break – nobody is safe from Erling Haaland (£8.4m).
      But at £2.6m Dalot is currently offering amazing returns for little investment and should be considered carefully.

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      NINE Man United players feature in the best Dream Team of Game Week 6 – including in-form Jadon Sancho

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      THE latest Team of the Week is a strange edition as the best-performing XI is utterly dominated by Manchester United.Two managers achieved the exact same score by virtue of having the same team.
      Even more confusing is the fact one of Game Week 6’s top gaffers, Simon Trubshaw, is an Arsenal fan!
      Let’s take a closer look at the XI, also backed by Shaun Murphy, that racked up 83 points this past week.

      It’s quite the sight, isn’t it?
      Perhaps we should have anticipated a quirky Team of the Week given the Premier League fixture postponements last weekend following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
      With only the midweek European fixtures eligible (and not even a full complement) it stands to reason that a team such as this would come out on top.
      Erik ten Hag’s side were the only side to keep a clean sheet this past week with David de Gea (£2.9m), Raphael Varane (£4.2m), Lisandro Martinez (£3.3m), Tyrell Malacia (£3m) and Diogo Dalot (£2.6m) combining for 36 points against Sheriff Tiraspol on Thursday night.
      The latter banked ten points as he registered an assist and a 7+ rating as it was him who was fouled for the visitors’ penalty in Moldova.
      Dalot is now the fifth-best defender Dream Team has to offer having moved onto 29 points overall – Simon and Shaun would do well to stick by the Portuguese right-back even if they move away from their ultra Man United focus.
      Man United got the job done in MoldovaCredit: getty
      Whisper it quietly but Jadon Sancho (£3.5m) is starting to show the Old Trafford faithful the kind of form his displayed at Borussia Dortmund.
      The 22-year-old scored his third goal of the season on Thursday, a precise left-foot finish after some neat footwork in the box.
      Sancho also swooped the Star Man award to take home 13 points.
      Christian Eriksen (£2.8m) provided the assist for Man United’s opening goal and did enough to earn a 7+ rating, as did Bruno Fernandes (£4.9m), meaning Simon and Shaun earned 21 points from their midfield trio.
      Cristiano Ronaldo (£5.5m) was the man who converted the spot-kick, pocketing his first points of the season, five of them to be exact, but that’s where the Man United monopoly finally ends as Mohamed Salah (£7.7m) and Erling Haaland (£8.4m) join the five-time Ballon d’Or winner in the front line.
      Sancho has scored three goals in his last six games
      Liverpool’s Egyptian King scored against Ajax on Tuesday night for an eight-point haul while Man City’s No9 scored a remarkably acrobatic effort to give his side the three points against Borussia Dortmund the following evening.
      Haaland also claimed the Star Man award to add 13 points to his already mountainous tally.
      The Norwegian poacher has plundered 113 points from just six Game Weeks and that’s even accounting for a postponed league fixture – extraordinary stuff.
      Whether Simon and Shaun have an XI suited to long-term success remains to be seen but they’ll always have their Game Week 6 glory.
      Good luck to all gaffers ahead of Game Week 7 – make sure you’ve got enough active players!

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      Thiago Silva and Raheem Sterling thriving in Dream Team despite Chelsea’s stumbling form

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      TODD BOEHLY will be writing to Uefa this morning demanding a reason why Chelsea weren’t gifted their obligatory New Manager Bounce™ last night.Tradition dictates that a switch of head coaches results in a immediate uplift in form and so the Stamford Bridge faithful have every right to feel shortchanged by a 1-1 draw against Red Bull Salzburg to mark Graham Potter’s first game in charge of the Blues.
      Having lost to Dinamo Zagreb last week, Chelsea would have been desperate for a win on home soil to kickstart their Champions League campaign.
      For a while it looked as if the hosts would take all three points as Raheem Sterling (£4.7m) opened the scoring three minutes into the second half with a precise finish.
      However, the Austrian side grabbed an equaliser against the run of play in the 75th minute through Noah Okafor and were able to hold on for a point in west London.
      Sterling has scored four goals in eight appearances for Chelsea so farCredit: getty
      Chelsea had 72% possession and registered 17 shots to Salzburg’s four but it ultimately proved to be another frustrating night.
      The Blues find themselves bottom of Group E after two European fixtures and they’re yet to play AC Milan, the reigning Serie A champions.
      Combine this with disappointing domestic defeats to Leeds and Southampton and it’s fair to say Chelsea’s form is wobbly at best, hence the change in dugout personnel.
      This has largely been reflected in the world of Dream Team but there are two notable exceptions.
      Thiago Silva (£5.4m) and the aforementioned Sterling are thriving despite their side’s stumbling results.
      The Brazilian veteran narrowly swooped the Star Man award on Wednesday night to bank eight points and take his overall tally to 36.
      Fine wines and all thatCredit: getty
      At the time of writing, only two defenders, Kieran Trippier (£3.9m) and Joao Cancelo (£7.2m), have more points at this stage.
      Silva has managed to achieve this feat without regular clean sheets by claiming three Star Man awards, the joint most in 2022/23.
      The 37-year-old centre-back currently appears in 3.8% of teams – his ownership will surely rise in the coming weeks, particularly if Potter whips the defence as a whole into shape.
      Similarly, Sterling is the third-best asset in his position having amassed 35 points.
      He too pocketed eight points against Salzburg by virtue of his fourth goal of the campaign. coming in his eighth outing.
      The England international has also provided an assist and is averaging a goal involvement every 135.2 minutes for his new club.
      Pascal Gross (£3m) and Kevin De Bruyne (£7.5m) are the only two midfielders with more points than Sterling at the time of writing.
      The Chelsea pair are proving healthy returns
      Given the evidence at hand, it seems if Dream Team gaffers would be wise to discard all Chelsea assets except for Silva and Sterling.
      However, it feels as if Reece James (£5.5m) isn’t far off a couple of healthy hauls – his underlining attacking stats are strong.
      An important thing to note, Chelsea’s fixture against Liverpool in Game Week 7 has been postponed so Dream Team managers certainly shouldn’t transfer any Stamford Bridge residents into their XI until at least the international break.

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      Kostas Tsimikas is Liverpool’s best defender this season but also the least popular among Dream Team gaffers

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      WILL the real Liverpool please stand up?Jurgen Klopp’s side looked a shadow of their former selves against Napoli last week.
      Luciano Spalletti’s men ripped the Reds to shreds in Naples and could have inflicted even more damage had they not essentially declared when 4-0 up just after half-time.
      Due to the Premier League postponements, the FA Cup holders were gifted some unexpected time to regroup and they responded to their Neapolitan ‘horror show’ with a performance against Ajax more befitting of Klopp’s tenure.
      Granted, the hosts needed an 89th-minute winner from Joel Matip (£4.6m) to bag the three points at Anfield but it was no less than they deserved having peppered the Dutch side with 24 shots – the visitors mustered just three attempts in response.
      Liverpool eventually wore down Ajax
      Evidently, the return of Thiago Alcantara (£2.4m) improved the functionality of Liverpool’s midfield significantly as the Spain international dictated the game in a stylish manner.
      But Kostas Tsimikas (£3m) also deserves to be singled out for praise.
      Truth be told, the Greek left-back has been a greater threat going forward than Andy Robertson (£4.6m) this season.
      With Scotland’s captain sidelined through injury, Tsimikas started against Ajax and it was his late corner that Matip nodded over the line for the winner.
      The 26-year-old has now registered three assists in just 221 minutes of action in all competitions this season.
      For comparison, Robertson has two assists to his name while Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.7m) is yet to get off the mark, though he has scored a goal of his own.
      Tsimikas is averaging an assist every 74 minutes this season
      Tsimikas’ efforts are reflected in the Dream Team rankings.
      With 23 points to his name he’s currently Liverpool’s best defender and yet his ownership of 0.7% makes him the least-popular asset among his immediate peers.
      Even the crocked Ibrahima Konate (£4m) appears in more teams!
      Despite his wobbling form, Robertson remains first-choice left-back at Anfield and he’s likely to resume starting duties when he regains fitness after the international break but Dream Team gaffers would do well to monitor this situation.
      Tsimikas is the joint-eighth best defender overall which is remarkable given he’s started just two games.
      You can bet your life Klopp would have noted his attacking contributions in recent weeks.
      Whatever you do, don’t make a rash decision on Liverpool assets ahead of Game Week 7 as they won’t be active – their visit to Stamford Bridge on Sunday has been postponed.
      You’ve got the whole international break to decide whether or not you believe the Reds have truly refocused.

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      Don’t get caught out by the international break – use your September transfers!

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      WITH fixture postponements, European drama, and everything else that’s happened in the world of football recently, you’d be forgiven for not being aware of the impending international break.After this weekend’s fixtures (those that are still set to go ahead) there will be a break for the Nations League before the Premier League resumes in October.
      Given that Brighton v Crystal Palace, Leeds v Manchester United and Chelsea and Liverpool have all been postponed, Dream Team gaffers need to make sure their XI is relatively active in Game Week 7.
      Dream Team’s top midfielder will go a full month without playingCredit: getty
      If your team is stacked full of players with an unforeseen break this coming weekend then you should use any available transfers to target short-term gains.
      For example, Pascal Gross (£3m) is currently Dream Team’s outright best midfielder having racked up 41 points so far this season, putting him marginally ahead of Kevin De Bruyne (£7.5m).
      As a result, the Seagulls midfielder has been a popular recruit in the early weeks of the season with his ownership rising from less than 1% to 10.5%.
      However, since Brighton don’t play again until their trip to Anfield at the start of next month, those who own the German might as well use a transfer to bring in a replacement who is set to compete this weekend.
      And given the situation it might be worth targeting the specific fixtures as you could always bring Gross (or other such players) back in ahead of Game Week 9.
      Be aware that Game Week 8 gets underway on September 30th which means transfers won’t be refreshed until October 7th.
      Odegaard could be a good midfield option in Game Week 7Credit: getty
      Pablo Fornals (£3.1m) is one such option, he plays against a winless Everton on Sunday and has a home game against Wolves first up after the international break.
      The West Ham man has 23 points to his name at the time of writing, putting him within striking distance of the top ten midfielders overall.
      Alternatively, Martin Odegaard (£3.2m) is in a similar price range to Gross and the Arsenal skipper has 33 points to his name with Brentford to face this weekend.
      Naturally, several Chelsea, Man United and Liverpool players are popular assets among Dream Team bosses.
      It’s likely that there are thousands of teams out there that will head into the weekend with less than half of the players active in the Game Week.
      Tragically, some may not have any transfers at their disposal to improve the situation.
      If this group includes the rivals in your mini-league then Game Week 7 represents a massive opportunity to gain ground or extend your lead and partially tailoring your XI to the weekend’s fixtures could help maximise the advantage.
      Mitrovic will be unleashed upon Nottingham Forest on Friday nightCredit: getty
      PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES CURRENTLY SCHEDULED FOR GAME WEEK 7:

      Aston Villa v Southampton
      Nottingham Forest v Fulham
      Wolves v Manchester City
      Newcastle v Bournemouth
      Tottenham v Leicester
      Brentford v Arsenal
      Everton v West Ham

      With Forest having conceded 14 goals in six league games so far, now could be a opportune time for Dream Team managers to dip their toe into the realm of Aleksandar Mitrovic (£4.5m) ownership.
      Similarly, Nick Pope (£3.6m) and Kieran Trippier (£3.9m) will be confident of adding to their impressive returns – a clean sheet for Newcastle at home to the Cherries looks promising.
      And given Leicester’s defensive woes, Harry Kane (£7.4m) and Richarlison (£3.9m) will be hopeful of cashing in before the international break, though Spurs looked timid against Sporting CP in midweek.
      Whatever the case, make sure your XI is in the best place possible ahead of Game Week 7.

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      Determining the teams for Todd Boehly’s Premier League All-Star Game using Dream Team points

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      TODD BOEHLY is determined to become a main character in the Premier League landscape.Having already spent over £250million on reinforcements at Chelsea, sacked Thomas Tuchel and bought Graham Potter from Brighton, the Blues’ chairman has caused a stir by suggesting an All-Star Game as an annual showpiece fixture for English football’s top flight.
      The American businessman proposed that one team would be made up of players from the south and the other from players based in the north.
      This is not the first time an American-style All-Star Game has been put forward in regards to the Premier League though many fans are dismissive of the idea.
      While the practicalities make it an unlikely reality (imagine Jurgen Klopp’s reaction if one of his players gets injured) it’s a fun notion to speculate on.
      Here we’ve combined last season’s Dream Team points with those earned this campaign to create a sample large enough to determine the starting XIs of Team North and Team South should such a fixture materialise.
      Chelsea’s chairman is making a splash on these shores
      Before we get into it, just a quick note to say that since exactly half of the Premier League teams are based in London or on the south coast, we’ve categorised those in the midlands as being from the north for a preferred balance.
      SOUTH: Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, Brighton, Brentford, Fulham, Southampton, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, West Ham.
      NORTH: Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle, Everton, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Leicester, Wolves.
      We set out both sides in a 4-3-3 formation and have attempted to maintain a realistic balance – each team has a player capable of playing as a holding midfielder, etc.
      Maddison infiltrates the Liverpool/Man City duopoly
      TEAM NORTH

      Trent Alexander-Arnold
      Joel Matip
      Virgil van Dijk
      Joao Cancelo

      Ilkay Gundogan
      Kevin De Bruyne
      James Maddison

      Riyad Mahrez
      Diogo Jota
      Mohamed Salah

      As you would expect, the northern XI is dominated by players from Man City and Liverpool with Maddison being the only asset to crash the party.
      Leicester’s No10 amassed 228 points last season and has 16 to his name this term.
      Ruben Dias would probably have slotted nicely alongside Van Dijk had he not missed out a sizeable portion of 2021/22 through injury.
      As far as purely hypothetical scenarios go, the thought of Alexander-Arnold attacking down the right while Cancelo supports the left flank is a satisfying one.
      Salah was the only player to achieve 300+ points last season
      Cristiano Ronaldo racked up an impressive 225 points last season but his reduced role at the start of the current term means he’s just edged out by Jota for the centre-forward role.
      Wingers Mahrez and Salah have combined for 600 points across the one and a bit seasons.
      TEAM SOUTH

      Edouard Mendy

      Reece James
      Eric Dier
      Thiago Silva
      Cesar Azpilicueta

      Jorginho
      James Ward-Prowse
      Mason Mount

      Jarrod Bowen
      Harry Kane
      Son Heung-min

      Six Chelsea players make the cut which makes sense given the west Londoners finished third behind City and Liverpool last season as well as making both domestic finals.
      James has produced 227 points since the start of 2021/22 which is a remarkable return given he’s missed 19 games through injury since Christmas.
      It has to be said that Team South’s midfield doesn’t compare favourably to their northern rivals – this trio is a full 195 points behind the trident of De Bruyne, Gundogan and Maddison.
      However, the southern contingent pack a punch up front as Spurs duo Kane and Son were both among the top three assets in their position last season.
      While the South Korea international is struggling for form currently, his spell of form after the turn of the year to capture the Golden Boot was incredibly profitable in terms of Dream Team points.
      A familiar double act
      And last but certainly not least, Bowen is deservedly included having been the breakout star of 2021/22 – he’s amassed 231 points since the start of last season.
      West Ham’s No20 has 28 goal involvements in that time frame.
      Instinctively it feels as if Team North have the stronger outfit, largely because Man City and Liverpool have been the two standout teams of recent times.
      It may be interesting to revisit this discussion at the end of the current season given the Reds’ wobbling form and strong starts from Arsenal and Brighton, two sides that would have representation in Team South if we only counted points from 2022/23.
      So there you have it, Mr Boehly, is that what you had in mind?

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