Dream Team

THE elongated nature of Gameweek 20 allows us time to reflect upon the Dream Team season so far.What better way than the construction of the best XI of the campaign?

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Stars of the showCredit: Dream Team
GOALKEEPER: Andre Onana (£3.6m)
The Cameroon international has led the way in his position for a while now but it still comes as something of a surprise when viewing the Stats Centre.
Onana’s form has been shaky at best since his transfer to Manchester United, more so during the Red Devils’ failed Champions League group campaign.
However, Erik ten Hag’s side haven’t actually conceded that many goals on the domestic front and Onana’ s nine clean sheets (all comps) is the highest tally among Dream Team goalkeepers.
The 27-year-old has also made the most saves (98) which is a concern for the Old Trafford faithful but a profitable source of points for Dream Team gaffers.
Onana is currently 22 points clear of his closest rivals at the top of the rankings among keepers with 122 overall.
Look at the stats, not his performances…Credit: Rex
DEFENDERS
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Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.7m) – 169 pts
Kieran Trippier (£5m) – 162 pts
Pedro Porro (£3.7m) – 148 pts

The perfect illustration of the need for attacking impotence in your back line.
This trio have combined for 27 assists already in 2023/24 with Liverpool’s homegrown hero the pick of the bunch with 11.
Obviously clean sheets have played a role too – Alexander-Arnold has contributed to nine this term – but it’s no coincidence these three defenders make up the podium for big chances created among assets in their position.
They’re all among the top five defenders for bonus points as well with Trippier having delivered a whopping 67 accurate crosses, the most among all players.
If you didn’t already know the benefit of selecting defenders who contribute in the final third, now you do!
Just as important to Newcastle’s attack as their defenceCredit: Reuters
MIDFIELDERS

Bukayo Saka (£5.9m) – 204 pts
Phil Foden (£5.3m) – 198 pts
Jarrod Bowen (£5.6m) – 193 pts
Anthony Gordon (£3.8m) – 161 pts

An all-English midfield – it’s coming home!
Arsenal’s resident ‘star boy’ has become the most-popular player in the game during Erling Haaland’s (£7.9m) injury and it’s a measure of his pedigree as a Dream Team asset that he’s continued to tick over nicely despite looking in need of a rest in recent weeks.
Saka is one of just two players to have celebrated his double century at this stage of the season, he’s scored nine goals and registered 12 assists.
But Manchester City’s own academy success story has been hunting down his international team-mate at a rapid rate of late.
Foden has racked up 49 points across his last five outings and is therefore one of the game’s most in-form players – only Bruno Guimaraes (£3.8m) has earned more bonus points this season.
The 23-year-old has bagged ten goals but he’s not the top-scoring midfielder, that honour belongs to Bowen.

Granted, West Ham’s No20 has played plenty of minutes as a centre-forward this term, which has undoubtedly help him score 14 goals.
There are rumours the Hammers’ main man will recover in time to face Sheffield United on Sunday – potentially life-saving news for the 13.8% of Dream Team bosses who didn’t transfer him out ahead of Gameweek 20.
Gordon completes the quartet having bagged nine points against Manchester City on Saturday.
The Newcastle winger averages 5.4 points-per-game this season and he’s supplemented his 15 goal involvements with 48 tackles.
14 goals and countingCredit: PA
FORWARDS

Mohamed Salah (£6.7m) – 212 pts
Erling Haaland (£7.9m) – 195 pts
Julian Alvarez (£4.3m) – 172 pts

Liverpool’s Egyptian hero remains Dream Team’s outright leader at the time of writing although his time away at the Africa Cup of Nations presents his rivals with an opportunity to catch up.
A modern Dream Team legend, Salah has raced to 18 goals and nine assists – it could be argued he deserves more of the latter given he’s created 18 big chances, the highest tally among all players.
The 31-year-old is on course for another 40+ goal involvement season despite his mid-season departure to AFCON – what a player.
Haaland’s stint on the sidelines has seen him drop down to fourth in the rankings but the stat to focus on is his points-per-game average of 9.8, the highest in the game.
Needless to say, the Norwegian poacher’s return from injury will be the next major turning point in the Dream Team campaign.
Plenty of firepowerCredit: AP
Last but not least, it’s Haaland’s understudy.
Alvarez started the season as a No10 but has spent the last few weeks as Manchester City’s centre-forward, a luxurious role to fulfil.
The Argentina international was a bit-part player in 2022/23 but he’s been a central figure this time around, as evidenced by his tally of 11 goals and ten assists.
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Whether his playing time will suffer once Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne (£6.4m) resume normal service as regular starters remains to be seen but Alvarez’s efforts throughout the first half of the season deserve proper recognition.
Joao Pedro (£3.8m) narrowly misses out having plundered 169 points for Brighton.
Now that’s a Dream Team!Credit: Dream Team
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JORDAN PICKFORD (£3m) has become just the third goalkeeper to reach 100 Dream Team points this season.Everton’s No1 joined Nick Pope (£4.1m) and Andre Onana (£3.6m) in the exclusive club with a nine-point return against Aston Villa on Sunday.

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One of just three goalkeeping centurionsCredit: Dream Team
In fact, he’s level with his England team-mate on a exactly a century with the Cameroon international top of the tree on 122 points having kept nine clean sheets in all competitions, despite his shaky form at times.
However, with Onana now at the Africa Cup on Nations and Pope sidelined with injury, Pickford is the highest-scoring Dream Team asset in his position among those currently available.
Last weekend’s goalless draw with the Villains was the 29-year-old’s eighth clean sheet in all competitions.
In the Premier League, Pickford leads the race for the Golden Glove with seven clean sheets, one more than his closest competitors, Onana and Alisson (£3.5m).
The Toffees boast one of the better defensive records in the top flight this campaign, they’ve shipped just 28 goals from their 21 league fixtures.
Only the current top four of Liverpool, Villa, Manchester City and Arsenal have conceded fewer league goals at this stage.
Everton are conceding fewer goals this seasonCredit: Reuters
Clean sheets remain the primary currency for custodians in the realm of Dream Team but this season’s improved scoring system means saves are a significant factor as well.
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Remember, keepers earn one point for every two saves they make per appearance.
Pickford has made 68 saves in total, the seventh-highest tally, which works out at 2.72 per game.
He’s earned 29 points through saves to date.

Everton have been hampered by a points deductionCredit: Reuters
Pickford’s most recent haul, the nine-pointer at home to Villa, was his joint-best return of the season.
And his owners may be hopeful of more points this evening as Sean Dyche’s side take on low-scoring Crystal Palace in an FA Cup third round replay, although Joao Virginia (£1.6m) did make a rare appearance between the sticks against the Eagles at Selhurst Park so rotation is possible.
Everton face Fulham in Gameweek 21 but Pickford may find substantial points hard to come after that with Tottenham, Man City and Brighton to come (either side of yet another meeting with Palace) between Gameweeks 22 and 25.
Regardless, the stats don’t lie – Pickford is enjoying a fine season.

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IT’S time we had an awkward conversation about Ollie Watkins (£4.2m).With an ownership of 30.5%, the Aston Villa forward is the seventh-most selected player in Dream Team but his recent form has failed to justify his popularity.

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155 Dream Team points this season but too few in recent weeksCredit: Dream Team
After a flat showing against Everton on Sunday, he’s mustered just 30 points from his last eight fixtures.
And half of those have been appearance points, the least impressive scoring method in the game.
Needless to say, a striker who features in just shy of a third of all teams is expected to average more than 3.75 points-per-game over a run of eight appearances.
Granted, Watkins has had his moments during this relatively barren streak.
He scored against Brentford in Gameweek 16 and provided two assists at home to Burnley in Gameweek 18 but there really hasn’t been much else to shout about since the start of December.
The 28-year-old’s dip has come at a frustrating time, coinciding with Erling Haaland’s (£7.9m) injury and Mohamed Salah’s (£6.7m) Africa Cup of Nations commitments.
Gaffers have had to tinker with their forward line enough in recent weeks and it would have been helpful if Watkins had ticked over without drawing a critical eye but things are rarely that simple in Dream Team.
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His time will come againCredit: Reuters
The fact of the matter is the Villains’ top scorer has been thoroughly outperformed by several other assets in his position across the last six weeks.
Joao Pedro (£3.8m), Matheus Cunha (£3.6m), Alexander Isak (£4.5m), Julian Alvarez (£4.3m) and Richarlison (£3.1m) have all satisfied their backers with healthy returns lately.
But hang on, let’s not rush to transfer out Watkins without considering all factors.
Despite this lean spell, the England international’s tally of 11 goals and 11 assists for the season remains mightily impressive.
In fact, only Salah and Haaland have more goal involvements to their name at the time of writing.
Watkins is a top-tier Dream Team asset when everything clicks, hence his total of 155 points.
Villa have not been at their best in recent weeksCredit: Getty
Perhaps more relevantly, Villa are about to embark of a favourable run of fixtures that could prompt a resurgence in their No11’s form.
In Gameweek 21, Unai Emery’s side take on Chelsea in the FA Cup before a league meeting with Newcastle at Villa Park.
The Magpies beat Villa 6-1 in the reverse fixture but it should be a different story in the Midlands as Eddie Howe’s troops have desperately struggled on the road – only Sheffield United have earned fewer points away from home this season.
Plus, Newcastle have lost six of their last seven league games.

Villa then face the Blades (a), Manchester United (h), Fulham (a), Nottingham Forest (h) and Luton (a) in their next five league fixtures.
It won’t be long before they resume their Europa Conference League campaign either, which will bolster the schedule further.
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If you feel Watkins has let you down too many times in recent weeks then by all means find a suitable replacement but those inclined to keep the faith may have endured the worst.
Of course, if his dip extends into February then we may have to revisit this subject with a more cut-throat attitude.

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IT wasn’t that long ago Marcus Rashford (£3.9m) was among the world’s most in-form players.The 26-year-old shined for England at the 2022 World Cup and returned from Qatar in blistering form for Manchester United.
He scored ten goals in as many Premier League games in a purple patch that lasted from late December until the start of March.
Needless to say, Old Trafford’s homegrown hero provided a tidal wave of Dream Team points during this time – his ownership also went through the roof.

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One game at a time…Credit: Dream Team
Rashford’s returns gradually fell away in the final quarter of the season and that proved to be a prelude for what was to come in 2023/24.
Erik ten Hag’s side have had severe problems scoring goals this season – only Burnley, Sheffield United and Crystal Palace have scored fewer in the top flight.
Rashford is not solely to blame but his tally of four goals from 26 appearances (all comps) represents a serious deficit from what is expected of him, especially after his world-class spell this time last year.
Until very recently, the Red Devils’ No10 was among worst under-performers against their xG in the Premier League.
However, two goals in his last two outings have partially addressed his underlying numbers and Man United’s fans will hope it’s the start of a significant upturn.
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Rashford has a high ceilingCredit: Rex
Whisper it quietly but Rashford’s Dream Team returns are already heading in the right direction.
After an eight-point haul against Tottenham on Sunday, he’s now earned 33 points across his last four outings.
Statistically, only three forwards – Joao Pedro (£3.8m), Alexander Isak (£4.5m), Matheus Cunha (£3.6m) – are in better form than Rashford at the time of writing.
Understandably, many Dream Team gaffers won’t be fully convinced by four decent showings after such a long spell of underwhelming returns.
But Rashford is an asset who warrants diligent consideration as few players are capable of reaching such heights when at their best, as evidenced by last season when he briefly put Erling Haaland (£7.9m) under pressure at the top of the rankings.
Man United have under-performed this seasonCredit: PA

Instinctively, Dream Team bosses will also be wary of any option from Man United’s ranks right now.
Ten Hag’s men have won just one of their last six league games and while this run includes a spirited comeback against a strong Aston Villa outfit and a handy draw at Anfield, such positives are countered by the 3-0 home loss to Bournemouth and defeat away to Nottingham Forest.
Brighton only need a point at home to Wolves next Monday to shunt Man United down to eighth in the table – Chelsea are now just one point behind too.
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A forward with four goals for the season who represents a club ever so close to mid-table mediocrity wouldn’t usually be worth a second thought in the world of Dream Team but Rashford’s previous efforts make him an exception.
A situation to keep an eye on, at least…

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PEDRO PORRO (£3.7m) earned himself a slice of Dream Team history on Sunday.Tottenham’s No23 earned himself five bonus points against Manchester United, just as he did at home to Burnley in his previous outing.
In doing so, he became the first player this season to earn maximum bonus points in back-to-back fixtures.

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Bonus ball!Credit: Dream Team
Bonus points are determined by a range of statistical factors with the most relevant ones in relation to Porro being interceptions, fouls won, successful dribbles and accurate crosses.
The Spaniard ranks sixth in his position for successful dribbles while only three defenders have provided more accurate crosses this season – a measure of his attacking contribution.
Remember, you can compare relevant stats in relation of bonus points using the Stats Centre – change the category to ‘Bonus Pts’.
Whether from open play or set-pieces, Porro’s crossing has been particularly influential in recent outings – his whipped delivery was headed home by Richarlison (£3.1m) for Spurs’ first goal in Manchester.
That was the defender’s eighth assist of the campaign.
Porro’s goal against Burnley was one to rememberCredit: Getty
Needless to say, ten bonus points in two games should pique the interest of Dream Team managers everywhere.
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Porro added 32 total points to his overall tally at the expense of the Clarets and the Red Devils.
He’s now breathing down the necks of Kieran Trippier (£5m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.7m) at the top of the defensive rankings.
DREAM TEAM’S TOP DEFENDERS:

Trent Alexander-Arnold – 169 pts
Kieran Trippier – 162 pts
PEDRO PORRO – 148 pts
Ezri Konsa – 125 pts
Vitaliy Mykolenko – 123 pts
Diogo Dalot – 122 pts
Matty Cash – 120 pts
William Saliba – 118 pts
Gabriel – 116 pts
James Tarkowski – 115 pts

Porro’s lofty ranking is particularly impressive given Ange Postecoglou’s side have not had European commitments to bolster their schedule this season.
The 24-year-old averages seven points-per-game in 2023/24, the outright best rate among all defenders.

Dream Team’s third-best defender at the time of writingCredit: Getty
The European competitions won’t resume for another few Gameweeks so Porro’s backers can rest easy for now and if he continues to rack up bonus points at such a prolific rate then he may be worth persevering with in the long term anyway.
Earlier in the campaign, James Maddison (£4.2m) proved that some players don’t need European fixtures to rub shoulders with the best assets in the game if their domestic form is strong enough.
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Spurs face Manchester City and Brentford in Gameweek 21 with the former match-up coming in the FA Cup fourth round.
Porro currently features in 15.6% of teams.

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SMART Dream Team managers should keep an eye on bonus points throughout the season.Several players currently occupy lofty positions in the overall rankings because of their ability to enhance their returns with helpful bonuses on top of the more noticeable point-scoring methods: goals, assists, clean sheets, etc.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at which players lead the way this campaign in terms of total bonus points…
SpoilersCredit: Dream Team
MOST BONUS POINTS

42 – Bruno Guimaraes (£3.8m)
37 – Ezri Konsa (£3.1m)
36 – Phil Foden (£5.3m), Kieran Trippier (£5m)
34 – Bukayo Saka (£5.9m)
31 – James Ward-Prowse (£3.9m)
29 – Antonee Robinson (£2.9m)
27 – Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.7m), Jeremy Doku (£4.1m), Conor Gallagher (£3.2m), Pedro Porro (£3.7m)

Newcastle’s all-action midfielder leads the way and by a notable margin.
The Brazil international ranks highly in his position for blocks, interceptions and successful dribbles – plus, he wins A LOT of free-kicks for the Magpies.
Guimaraes has earned bonus points in 22 of his 30 appearances this term, featuring one maximum (five bonus points) against Fulham in Gameweek 16.
Similarly, Konsa wins an awful lot of fouls for a player in his position and the Aston Villa defender isn’t shy of taking on opponents with the ball at his feet either.
29.6% of the 26-year-old’s total points have come through the bonus system so far this this season.
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Crossing machineCredit: Rex
Two England team-mates share third-place and it’s easy to see why.
Trippier is just as important to Newcastle in attack as he is in defence, as evidenced by the sheer volume of crosses he provides from open play and set-pieces.
The experienced right-back has found a team-mate with 67 crosses in all competitions this season – only one other defender has produced more than 35 accurate crosses.
As for Foden, his exemplary technique means he ticks over nicely with bonus points as the system tends to recognise his contributions to Manchester City’s build-up when he’s not scoring goals himself.
Robinson is an interesting inclusion on this list.
Fulham’s left-back is freakishly good at anticipating the opposition’s next pass and, as a result, he leads the way for interceptions among all Premier League players.
The USA international has picked off 62 interceptions, 17 more than his closest rival.
Robinson also ranks highly in his position for successful dribbles and accurate crosses.
Talk about a wildcardCredit: Getty
Doku is a player to monitor closely because his off-the-charts dribbling statistics have resulted in 27 bonus points from just over 1,000 minutes on the pitch (equivalent to 11 full games).
The Belgian was close to becoming a must-have asset prior to his injury so Dream Team bosses would do well to keep an eye on him now he’s available again.

In terms of pure form, no player holds a candle to Porro right now.
Spurs’ much-improved right-back has earned the maximum five bonus points in his last two outings!
The Spaniard maxed out as part of his match-winning display against Burnley in the FA Cup and he did the same against Manchester United in the league at the weekend, though his efforts only secured his side a draw.
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Porro now has eight assists in 2023/24 and his overall tally of 148 points put him third among defenders – he’s hunting down Trippier and Alexander-Arnold at a rapid rate.
It’s worth checking the most prolific bonus point collectors every so often throughout the season.

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