Dream Team

THE Dream Team season has reached a pivotal turning point.Once Gameweek 15 is in the record books, there will be no more European fixtures until February.
Dream Team managers should therefore prioritise domestic form above all else when devising their latest strategies.

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Domestic specialistsCredit: Dream Team
With that in mind, allow us to present the list of players who have taken the most points from Premier League fixtures so far in 2023/24.
Points in Premier League games this season:
1st Erling Haaland (£7.9m) – 141 pts2nd Mohamed Salah (£6.7m) – 134 pts3rd Bukayo Saka (£6.7m) – 132 pts4th Son Heung-min (£4.4m) – 123 pts5th Jarrod Bowen (£5.3m) – 116 pts6th Ollie Watkins (£4.7m) – 111 pts7th Kieran Trippier (£5.3m) – 104 pts8th Matheus Cunha (£3.1m) – 103 pts9th Phil Foden (£5.2m) – 101 pts10th Bryan Mbeumo (£3.8m) – 100 pts=10th Anthony Gordon (£4m) – 100 pts12th John McGinn (£3.8m) – 94 pts=12th James Ward-Prowse – 94 pts=12th Pedro Porro (£3.3m) – 94 pts15th Abdoulaye Doucoure (£3m) – 93 pts=15th Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.7m) – 93 pts17th Dominic Solanke (£3.6m) – 92 pts=17th Douglas Luiz (£3.7m) – 92 pts=17th James Maddison (£4.2m) – 92 pts20th Declan Rice (£3.9m) – 88pts=20th Raheem Sterling (£3.8m) – 88pts=20th Julian Alvarez (£4.2m) – 88pts
Naturally, there’s a considerable amount of overlap with the true rankings, starting with Manchester City’s No9 at the top of the pile.
But it’s the differences to which Dream Team bosses should pay attention.
Tottenham’s captain certainly catches the eye in fourth.
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Son is joint-11th overall but only because he doesn’t have European fixtures to enhance his schedule.
The South Korean superstar has to be considered a top-tier asset during this period between the end of the European groups stages and before he joins up with his international team-mates in January ahead of the Asian Cup.
Alvarez’s points total owes plenty to his Champions League effortsCredit: Getty
Take note of Alvarez’s ranking of equal 20th alongside Rice and Sterling in this list.
The World Cup winner is currently the sixth-best performer in Dream Team but that’s largely because of the points he’s earned against Man City’s favourable Champions League opponents.
The Argentina international has not been slack in the league by any means but the stats suggest he’s likely to be overtaken by several rivals in the coming Gameweeks.
Few Dream Team managers would have realised the extent of Cunha’s domestic success.
The Wolves forward has earned all of his 103 points in the league, putting him above the likes of Foden, Ward-Prowse and Alexander-Arnold in top-flight competition.
The Brazilian’s lofty position on this list should serve as a stark example of how the dynamics of Dream Team will change throughout the festive period and into the new year.
The same could be said for Porro, Doucoure and Solanke, who have all outscored some big names in the Premier League arena this campaign.

Solanke has scored nine goals already this seasonCredit: Reuters
Conversely, assets such as Bruno Fernandes (£5.6m), Martin Odegaard (£5.1m) and Joao Pedro (£3.1m) are absent from this list, indicating they have been heavily reliant on European fixtures to date.
This doesn’t necessarily mean they will struggle in the coming Gameweeks but it’s worth noting.
Read more on The Sun
Finally, a word for Maddison who features in this list despite the fact he’s been injured since Gameweek 11 – his league form was truly magnificent until that point.
Expect him to be a popular recruit later in the season if he returns from injury smoothly.

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TIME to shine a light on Dream Team’s underrated gems.In reverse order, here are the top seven players (based on total points) who currently feature in less than 5% of teams.

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Everton are on the charge!Credit: Reuters
7 Vitaliy Mykolenko

£3.2m
1.5% ownership
98 points

Every Dream Team manager should be monitoring Everton’s in-form leff-back now the European group stages are drawing to a close.
Mykolenko is currently the fourth-best defender in the game having plundered 26 points from his last three outings.
The Toffees have beaten Nottingham Forest, Newcastle and Chelsea this month without conceding a goal and only Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City boast a better defensive record in the top flight this season.
The Ukraine international has made 51 tackles, the most among defenders at the time of writing.
6 Abdoulaye Doucoure
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£3m
1.4% ownership
101 points

Another underestimated Goodison Park resident.
The 30-year-old is above the likes of Jeremy Doku (£4.1m), Gabriel Martinelli (£4.7m) and Kaoru Mitoma (£3.5m) in the rankings having brought up his century with an eight-point haul against Chelsea at the weekend.
Playing in a more advanced role where he can crash the box, Doucoure has scored six goals and provided three assists already in 2023/24 – he’s on course for the best season of his career in terms of attacking output.
Quietly brilliantCredit: Getty
5 Matheus Cunha

£3.1m
0.2% ownership
103 points

The Wolves forward has been on a tear of late having amassed 67 points across eight outings since the start of Gameweek 9!
And his most recent performance, a 14-point return against Nottingham Forest, was his best of the campaign to date.
In fact, Cunha is statistically the most in-form striker in Dream Team right now in terms of points-per-game average across the last three fixtures.
The Brazilian 24-year-old has scored five goals and provided three assists and no forward has registered more successful dribbles this season.
4 Bryan Mbeumo

£3.8m
4.7% ownership
104 points

Brentford’s No19 was relatively popular prior to his injury so he doesn’t truly fit among the other underrated gems in this list.
The remaining 4.7% of gaffers with Mbeumo still in their teams either had more pressing issues last week or they’ve simply given up on Dream Team – the Second Shot competition is coming up!
Jarrod Bowen (£5.3m) and Bukayo Saka (£6.7m) are the only midfield assets to have scored more goals than the Cameroon international this season.
Many Dream Team bosses will be eagerly awaiting his return from injury.
The Premier League’s most underrated player?Credit: Reuters
3 Pascal Gross

£3.9m
1.4% ownership
106 points

Brighton’s perennially underrated midfielder was fairly well backed at the start of the campaign and his returns were more than healthy but an injury setback in late September caused his ownership of plummet.
Upon Gross’ return, his points were initially underwhelming and so he never enjoyed a resurgence in popularity but 21 points across his last two outings should have raised a few eyebrows.
The Germany international has actually played as a full-back lately to cover for absentees but, if anything, it’s only improved his attacking returns.

2 Dominic Solanke

£3.6m
0.9% ownership
106 points

Bournemouth’s No9 scored his ninth goal of the season against Manchester United at the weekend.
The Cherries are top of the Premier League form table across the last five games and no team has generated more xG in the same time frame.
Having looked limp throughout the first three months of the campaign, something has clicked for Andoni Iraola’s men in recent weeks.
If they can extend their good form through the Christmas period, Solanke may well prove to be a smart differential option for Dream Team bosses – he’s outscored Mohamed Salah (£6.7m) across his last three games!
The Villains’ heroCredit: Dream Team
1 John McGinn

£3.8m
4% ownership
117 points

Who else but Villa Park’s fan favourite to top this list?
The Scotland international was the Villains’ match-winner against Arsenal on Saturday.
An all-round midfield general, McGinn got through 11 tackles across the victories over the Gunners and Manchester City – an effort that earned him five points.
Remarkably, the 29-year-old has scored six goals from just nine shots on target.
Read more on The Sun
For comparison, Bruno Fernandes (£5.6m) has scored five goals from 20 shots on target.
McGinn is Dream Team’s outright top performer among assets with an ownership below 5%.

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AT the risk of sounding like Rafa Benitez, let’s talk facts.Everton are currently 17th in the Premier League but only because they were slapped with a ten-point deduction for financial indiscretions.
Had they not incurred the punishment, they would reside in the top half of the table.
The Toffees have won seven league games this season, just one fewer than Newcastle and the same number as Brighton and West Ham.
From a purely footballing perspective, they are genuinely rather good right now.
And so the question must be asked: when will Dream Team managers start taking Everton seriously?

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Among the best assets in their respective positionsCredit: Dream Team
Sean Dyche’s side have lost just once in their last eight games in all competitions – a 3-0 defeat to Manchester United in which they had more than their fair share of chances.
Consecutive wins over Nottingham Forest, Newcastle and Chelsea in December have given the Goodison Park faithful reasons to be optimistic.
Notably, Everton are yet to concede a goal this month.
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Naturally, a trio of clean sheets has done wonders for Jordan Pickford (£2.8m) in the realm of Dream Team.
England’s No1 has notched 25 points across his last three outings and now finds himself fourth in the goalkeeper rankings, just one point off the podium behind Robert Sanchez (£2.6m).
That clean sheet feelingCredit: Getty
Similarly, Vitaliy Mykolenko (£3.2m) is now fourth among defenders having plundered 26 points against Forest, Newcastle and Chelsea.
The Ukraine international is just two points shy of a century with only William Saliba (£3.9m), Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.7m) and Kieran Trippier (£5.3m) above him in the defensive rankings.
However, whereas the few defenders above Mykolenko are among the most-selected players in the game, Everton’s left-back features in just 1.4% of teams.
He’s currently less popular than Willy Boly (£2.1m), Marc Guehi (£2.6m) and Axel Disasi (£3m).
Mykolenko has made 51 tackles this season, the most among defenders at the time of writing.
In fact, he’s earned 11 points through tackles alone since the start of Gameweek 10.
A tackle machine!Credit: Reuters
Pickford is marginally more popular than his team-mate but his ownership remains modest at 2.5%.
Aaron Ramsdale (£3.4m) features in more teams and he’s firmly Arsenal’s second-choice keeper these days.
Dream Team bosses would do well to shake off their false perceptions of Everton and acknowledge the reality that they are one of the most in-form teams in the top flight.
Only neighbours Liverpool have earned more points in their last six Premier League fixtures.

And it’s no coincidence Pickford and Mykolenko are flying high given Dyche’s side have conceded 20 league goals – only Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City boast a better defensive record in 2023/24.
Read more on The Sun
With the European competitions set to pause for almost two months after this week, there’s no real reason for gaffers to shy away from Everton’s best-performing assets.
Simply put, Dream Team managers would be foolish to overlook the Toffees entirely.

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