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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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      Target short-term Dream Team returns before the international break with players pulling double duty

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      WITH plenty of fixtures having already been postponed and more to come, Dream Team gaffers may be uncertain of what fixtures are to be fulfilled before the international break.Here we layout the September fixtures for each Premier League club and suggest some players who could provide healthy short-term returns.
      Man City are one of only three teams set to play twice before the international breakCredit: getty
      Arsenal: Brentford (a)
      Manchester City: Borussia Dortmund (h), Wolves (a)
      Tottenham Sporting CP, Leicester (h)
      Brighton: None
      Manchester United: Sheriff Tiraspol (a)
      Chelsea: Red Bull Salzburg (h)
      Liverpool: Ajax (h)
      Brentford: Arsenal (h)
      Leeds: None
      Fulham: Nottingham Forest (a)
      Newcastle: Bournemouth (h)
      Southampton: Aston Villa (a)
      Bournemouth: Newcastle (a)
      Wolves: Man City (h)
      Crystal Palace: None
      Everton: West Ham (h)
      Aston Villa: Southampton (h)
      West Ham: Silkeborg (a), Everton (a)
      Nottingham Forest: Fulham (h)
      Leicester: Spurs (a)
      It goes without saying that you should transfer out any assets with zero fixtures remaining this month.
      That includes Pascal Gross (£3m), who is Dream Team’s outright best midfielder at the time of writing with 41 points.
      Wilfried Zaha (£5.3m) and Jack Harrison (£3.5m) are other notable players who have started the campaign well but will now be inactive for three weeks.
      Gross has an unexpectedly long breakCredit: getty
      Conversely, it’s probably worth backing players with two fixtures before the Nations League fixtures get underway.
      Man City, Spurs and West Ham are the three teams set to pull double duty as it stands.
      Dream Team managers hardly need to be persuaded to recruit Etihad residents – Erling Haaland (£8.1m) has 100 points to his name already while Kevin De Bruyne (£7.5m), Joao Cancelo (£7.2m), Ruben Dias (£5.4m) and Phil Foden (£5.5m) are also all among the top five performers in their respective positions.
      Similarly, Harry Kane (£7.4m) is a popular, productive asset.
      The England captain has scored five goals in seven appearances this term and has 37 points to show for his efforts.
      Dream Team gaffers seeking short-term gains would be wise to consider 1.4%-owned Richarlison (£3.9m), who plundered 27 points in Game Week 5.
      Additionally, Eric Dier (£4.3m) and Emerson Royal (£3.5m) are both top ten defenders currently – if Spurs could squeeze out a pair of clean sheets before the international break they may well leap into the top three.
      Foden could produce healthy returns in the coming daysCredit: getty
      West Ham currently find themselves languishing in the relegation zones and the fact both their remaining September fixtures are away days may perturb some gaffers but Silkeborg and Everton is a relatively favourable double header – the latter are without a win in the league this season.
      Jarrod Bowen (£4.3m), Michail Antonio (£4.1m), Pablo Fornals (£3.1m) or Gianluca Scamacca (£2.9m) may be worth a whirl.
      Whatever you decide, make sure you double check the latest updates in regards to fixtures as further postponements are possible.

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      Richarlison has four times as many Dream Team points as Son Heung-min at this stage

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      GAME WEEK 6 is finally set to get underway this week with a smattering of European fixtures after a full round of Premier League games were postponed following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.Tottenham’s trip to Lisbon to face Sporting CP will get the Game Week underway later today and it’ll be interesting to see how Antonio Conte deploys his forwards.
      Harry Kane (£7.4m) has fired from the get-go and has five goals from six league outings already but the same can’t be said for Son Heung-min (£5.7m).
      Last season’s Golden Boot winner has looked out of sorts at the start of this term, an observation reinforced by stats.
      The South Korean superstar has mustered one assist in all competitions so far and is yet to score.
      It’s been a frustrating start to the campaign for Son personallyCredit: getty
      While he’s earned two 7+ ratings, a booking against Marseille means his current overall Dream Team points tally of seven is very modest indeed – Kane has 37 points to his name for comparison.
      New signing Richarlison (£3.9m) has looked lively when called upon and many fans have been calling for him to be a regular starter.
      The Brazil international has played just 167 minutes of league football in 2022/23 but his tally of two assists means he’s outperforming Son in terms of goal involvements – the latter has racked up 493 minutes.
      In Game Week 5, Richarlison was rewarded for his lively cameos when he was selected to start against both Fulham and Marseille.
      First he took Marco Silva’s side for nine points having provided an assist for the opening goal and swooped the Star Man award.
      Then he plundered 18 points against the Ligue 1 outfit thanks to a brace of accomplished headers to ensure Spurs started their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 home win.
      Richarlison was Spurs’ match-winner against MarseilleCredit: getty
      The 25-year-old’s match-winning double earned him his second Star Man award in five days.
      In fact, his Game Week haul of 27 points was only bettered by Ivan Toney (£4.6m) among all assets – Brentford’s top scorer bagged a hat-trick at home to Leeds.
      The contrasting form of Richarlison and Son may well be causing headaches for more than a few Dream Team gaffers.
      Spurs’ No7 is one of the most-popular players in his position with an ownership of 14.2% but Richarlison has four times as many points as his team-mate at this stage and he features in just 1.4% of teams.
      On the surface it seems like a straight swap could be a profitable transfer, especially since the ex-Everton forward is available for £1.8m cheaper right now.
      Decisions, decisions…Credit: getty
      However, it remains to be seen whether Richarlison continues as a starter, you’d think so but Conte has been keen to retain his faith in Son and there’s also Dejan Kulusevski (£3.5m) to accommodate.
      And to parrot an old cliche: form is temporary, class is permanent.
      It seems unlikely Son will falter for long given his impressive record – he’s scored 18+ goals in each of his last six seasons.
      Tonight’s clash in Lisbon could provide Dream Team bosses with some decisive information.
      If Son gets off the mark then it may be worth persisting with him but if he’s outperformed by Richarlison again then that could be the green light for an appealing transfer.

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      The Premier League is back and so is Dream Team – win a share of £100k prize pot and take on celebs including Clarkson

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      THE Premier League season is back and that can only mean one thing – another year of Dream Team.Arsenal make the short trip across North London to Prem new-boys Brentford on Friday night.
      DREAM TEAM 2021/22PLAY DREAM TEAM FOR THE 2021/22 SEASON

      £100,000 prize pot up for grabs
      £50million budget to build your best XI
      Play in Mini Leagues against your mates, colleagues, etc
      Click here to play for FREE
      Dream Team app available through Apple Store and Google Play Store

      With kick-off at 8pm, you’ve got just 24 hours to submit your final team – so it’s time to pick your XI!
      Click HERE to play.
      You can make unlimited transfers before Friday’s game, but after that you’re locked in.
      So prove you’re the best manager out there and you could be in with a shot of WINNING A SHARE OF £100,000.
      Not only that, you can take on a host of celebrities – from Jeremy Clarkson and Alan Brazil to Rhian Sugden and James Argent – by joining their Mini Leagues this season.
      But with such a busy summer in the transfer window, will you brave picking a new face?
      Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane both joined Manchester United, while neighbours City shattered the British transfer record to land £100million star Jack Grealish as they aim to retain the title.

      BETTING SPECIAL – GET ARSENAL TO BEAT BRENTFORD AT 30/1
      Liverpool will look to claw back their crown with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip now all fully fit after the Reds’ freak defensive injuries last term. They’ve added Ibrahima Konate to their books too…
      Chelsea are on the brink of bringing Romelu Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge in a £97.5m deal as they aim to add a Premier League crown to their Champions League and Super Cup titles of 2021.
      Tottenham look set to lose Harry Kane, with Man City the beneficiaries.
      All that and more… so what are you waiting for? Work out the best possible XI using your £50m budget and conquer the nation.
      Once you’ve got your team together, make sure to join the celebs’ Mini Leagues using the pins below – and read on to find out just how to enter.
      CELEBRITY MINI LEAGUE PINS
      Jeremy Clarkson – SGJEREMY
      talkSPORT – SGSPORT
      Alan Brazil – SGBRAZIL
      Rhian Sugden – SGSUGDEN
      George Groves – SGGROVES
      Wes Nelson – SGNELSON
      Adam Brooks – SGBROOKS

      Sonny Jay – SGSONNYJ
      James Argent – SGARGENT
      Dan Osbourne – SGDANOSB
      AJ Pritchard – SGAJPRIT
      Curtis Pritchard: SGCURTIS
      Joe Garratt: SGJOEGAR
      Luke Mabbott: SGMABBOT
      HOW DO I PICK A TEAM?
      In the Dream Team Season game, you’ve got a budget of £50m to pick 11 Premier League players.
      Choose wisely, some players are pricey and you’ll struggle to completely fill your fantasy football team full of superstar names.
      But don’t worry if you fear you’ve made a mistake or a star man gets injured.
      As a manager you can make a maximum of five transfers to your team each month.
      HOW DO I EARN POINTS?
      Your chosen stars are awarded points for things such as scoring, assists, getting a 7+ match rating (via WhoScored) and winning Star Man.
      Goalkeepers and defenders earn extra points for keeping clean sheets and saving penalties.
      But be warned, yellow cards, red cards, missed penalties and conceding goals will see them lose points.

      HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
      There are private and public Mini Leagues, meaning you can own your mates or take on a world of other fantasy football fans – all for free.
      But for those wanting a more immersive, detailed Dream Team experience, you can subscribe to Dream Team Coach.
      For just £9.99, you get access to an enhanced stats centre, transfer recommendations, fixture difficulty analysis, predicted price changes, and many more features for the whole season to boost your chances of winning.
      HOW MUCH CAN I WIN?
      There’s a share of a whopping £100,000 to get your hands on.
      The standalone winner will take home a £75,000 jackpot at the end of the season.
      A further £25,000 in prize money will be awarded to the other top gaffers.

      ANYTHING ELSE?
      Ever get frustrated when your star man bags a hat-trick and then realise everyone else in your league has that player too?
      Well, why not try your hand at a draft?
      This format sees bosses compete in Mini Leagues after taking part in an initial draft in which participants take turns to pick players.
      For example, if the first person picks Mohamed Salah that means only that boss will benefit from any points he may score.
      The same goes for the second person who might pick Bruno Fernandes and third with Kevin De Bruyne and so on.
      Draft provides an extra challenge for gaffers but also rewards them with immense satisfaction.
      There’s nothing quite like knowing you are the only one in your Mini League who benefits when your star man plays a blinder.
      *Dream Team is available to play via the website or app – which is available on the Apple Store and Google Play Store.
      Premier League supercomputer predicts Man City romping to title, Arsenal WAY back… and three promoted clubs down More