Dream Team

THERE’S barely time for Dream Team managers to catch their breath from Gameweek 14 before Gameweek 15 gets underway.The European group stages will draw to a close in midweek after a full round of Premier League fixtures this weekend, meaning eight teams are set to pull double duty.
Once again, the focus should therefore be on Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle, Liverpool, West Ham, Brighton and Aston Villa for gaffers seeking substantial returns, right?

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Man City’s favourable double header may not be all it seemsCredit: Reuters
Erling Haaland (£8.1m) is by far and away the most-popular captain for Gameweek 15 and if he starts both games then he should feast.
Pep Guardiola’s side travel to Luton this weekend before a trip to Red Star in midweek.
Belgrade is said to be an intimidating place to go but the reality is the Serbian outfit have taken just one point from their five Champions League games this season.
In contrast, City are guaranteed to finish top of their group no matter what happens on Wednesday having won five from five in Europe.
And here’s where Dream Team bosses should fear a critical dose of Pep Roulette – the name given to the decorated tactician’s rotation policy.
Given that the meeting with Red Star is essentially a dead rubber, would it really be a surprise if Haaland and several other regular starters were given a rest ahead of the festive rush?
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What Dream Team bosses would give to predict Guardiola’s line-upsCredit: Getty
Second-guessing Guardiola’s line-ups is fraught with danger of course and Haaland may only need one fixture to bag a double-digit haul anyway – but it’s something to consider.
Or the Norwegian poacher may ask to play, sensing an opportunity to add to his already imposing goal tally after some squandered chances in the past week.
The more pressing question: if not Haaland then who?
Liverpool have already secured top spot in the Europa League group so the possibility of key players such as Mohamed Salah (£6.8m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (5.8m) being rested should also be acknowledged.
The latter remains a tempting option, however, having outscored all other Dream Team assets in Gameweek 14.
On Saturday, the Reds face a Crystal Palace side that have taken just one point from their last four games – only Sheffield United have scored fewer league goals than the Eagles this season.
The chances of Alexander-Arnold contributing to a clean sheet are relatively high and in current form he’s likely to chip in with attacking returns too – any minutes against Union Saint-Gilloise in midweek would be a bonus.
Man of the momentCredit: Dream Team
Bukayo Saka (£6.6m) and Jarrod Bowen (£5.3m) are appealing captaincy options as well but a lack European jeopardy for both Arsenal and West Ham heading into the final group game increases the chances of key players being rested.
Newcastle and Manchester United will have to field strong teams in midweek as they are still fighting to qualify for the knockout stages.
Anthony Gordon (£3.8m), Kieran Trippier (£5.8m) and Bruno Fernandes (£5.8m) should there be considered viable options for the armband in Gameweek 15 – certainly their minutes are more assured.
That being said, Eddie Howe’s side face a tough double header against Spurs and Milan while the Red Devils could easily be embarrassed by Bayern Munich.
Dream Team bosses who bet against Haaland this week would feel very silly if he was named to start against Red Star in midweek and perhaps it’s not worth the risk given the lack of a clearly superior alternative.

Gordon is among the most-popular recruits and the most transferred-out players this weekCredit: PA
As for Boosters, it could be argued that Max Captain is viable as it would remove the captaincy headache and act as an insurance policy if the likes of Haaland, Salah and Saka all sat out in midweek while other players thrived.
The fixtures don’t look right for Park the Bus unless one happened to strike the perfect combination of Man City defenders – although the defending champions have conceded more than their fair share of goals lately.
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As a general rule, the last round of European group games is something of a minefield as the competitiveness of the games depends on whether the English clubs involved are already through to the knockouts or not.
And with City, Arsenal, West Ham, Liverpool, Brighton and Villa all in the pots for their respective knockout draws, it’s probably best to save the precious Boosters for another Gameweek.

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IMAGINE if Dream Team paid for your Christmas shopping.That’s the reality for Dylan Plichta right now after his XI racked up 236 points in Gameweek 14 to earn him £100.
Let’s take a closer look at how he achieved such a massive score…
Yet another outstanding Park the Bus implementationCredit: Dream Team
As is usually the case, the Gameweek’s outright best gaffer made effective use of the Park the Bus Booster, which doubles the points of every defender in one’s team.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.6m) stole the show with a 24-point haul (doubled to 48!) via two assists, a goal and a clean sheet.
Liverpool’s No66 was ever so close to an even greater return as it initially looked as if he had scored an inch-perfect free-kick against Fulham before replays revealed it to be a Bern Leno (£2.6m) own goal.
Even so, the defender-cum-midfielder exhibited his attacking talent across his two fixtures to finish as the best performer of Gameweek 14.
Kieran Trippier (£5.2m) was a guilty of a rare error at Goodison Park on Thursday night, two errors in fact.
However, the Newcastle right-back had already provided the goods in the form of a 14-point haul against Manchester United on Saturday.
Even when Trippier has a bad night he somehow still comes out of the Gameweek with more points than 99.9% of defenders – what an asset.
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Dylan’s heroesCredit: Dream Team
Dylan’s true masterstroke was the confidence he had in Aston Villa’s Lucas Digne (£2.8m) and Ezri Konsa (£3m).
Gameweek 14 didn’t necessarily scream big points for Unai Emery’s men on paper as they faced a trip to a resurgent Bournemouth before hosting the mighty Manchester City.
As it happens, the Cherries gave the Villains a tougher time than the treble winners.
In midweek, Villa totally outplayed Pep Guardiola’s side and were thoroughly deserving of their clean sheet – Digne and Konsa combined for 17 points to add to the eight than earned on the south coast.
It’s worth noting that the latter is level with Bukayo Saka (£6.6m) and James Ward Prowse (£4.5m) on 28 bonus points this season – the trio are joint-leaders in the metric.
Levi Colwill (£2.5m) completed Dylan’s back five and compensated for four conceded goals across fixtures against Brighton and Manchester United with a goal against the Seagulls.
All told, Dylan’s defence notched 75 points, doubled to 150 by Park the Bus!
Dream Team’s champion midfielderCredit: Getty
Elsewhere, Bernd Leno (£2.6m) registered eight points thanks predominantly to Fulham’s comfortable 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
Although, the German goalkeeper is just the tenth-best performer in his position in terms of overall season points so he may not be the best option long term.
Erling Haaland (£8.1m), Mohamed Salah (£6.8m) and the aforementioned Saka almost go without saying these days when discussing Team of the Week.
They are the three best players this term with a staggering combined tally of 522 points.
Arsenal’s No7 shone brightest among the elite crop in Gameweek 14 with a 22-point return at the expense of Wolves and Luton.
Ten goals and counting for Jarrod Bowen this seasonCredit: AFP

Jarrod Bowen (£5.3m) played his role in West Ham’s smash-and-grab at Tottenham on Thursday night.
The Hammers’ leading man scored his tenth goal of the season in all competitions as his side came from behind to beat Spurs 2-1 – only Salah and Haaland have more goals to their name in 2023/24.
Last but not least, Cole Palmer (£3.2m) did his best to keep things respectable as Chelsea capitulated at Old Trafford in midweek.
The former Man City youngster produced a clever finish amid what was a poor performance from his team as a whole.
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Palmer only played 24 minutes against Brighton last weekend so his Gameweek return of 11 points has to be considered a noble effort.
Superb work, Dylan – good luck to you and all other gaffers ahead of Gameweek 15.

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FIXTURES continue to flow thick and fast in Gameweek 15.After a full round of Premier League games this weekend, eight teams will be in action again in midweek as the European group stages draw to a close.
Needless to say, there will be plenty of points on offer for Dream Team gaffers if they get their transfers right.
Allow us to provide some recommendations…

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Who doesn’t love a Bailey’s at Christmas?Credit: Dream Team
Leon Bailey (£3m)
The man of the hour!
A few eyebrows were raised when Unai Emery promoted the Jamaican winger to start over Moussa Diaby (£3.6m) this past week but the decision could not have been more justified.
Bailey scored against Bournemouth on Sunday but that proved to be just a warm-up for his match-winning heroics at home to Manchester City on Wednesday night.
The 26-year-old banked 19 points across the two fixtures and will surely keep his place as first-choice right winger for the foreseeable future.
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Here’s the really interesting bit; Bailey averages 1.32 goal involvements per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season.
That puts him above Erling Haaland (£8.1m), Mohamed Salah (£6.8m) and every other player to have played at least 500 minutes in the top flight this season.
The former Bayer Leverkusen midfielder appears in just 0.7% of teams right now but with Villa flying high in third, his ownership will surely rise sharply.
The Villains host league-leaders Arsenal on Saturday but having outplayed the treble winners in midweek, there’s no need for gaffers to worry about Bailey and company’s fixtures – they’ve got a Europa Conference League game against Zrinjski Mostar to fulfil on Thursday night too.
At the very least, he’s a tempting differential.
Martin Dubravka (£1.6m)
Another cheap goalkeeper, anyone?Credit: Reuters
Last week, we suggested Caoimhin Kelleher (£1.9m) as a cheap route into Liverpool’s starting line-up as a result of Alisson’s (£3.7m) injury.
This tactic looked silly when Fulham scored three goals at Anfield on Sunday but thankfully the Irish deputy compensated with a clean sheet at Sheffield United in midweek.
Dream Team managers have the opportunity to repeat the same trick ahead of Gameweek 15 with even greater legs.
Nick Pope (£4.2m) became the first goalkeeper to reach 100 points this season when he kept Manchester United at bay last Saturday but celebrations were cut short when the England international dislocated his shoulder late on.
Newcastle’s first-choice custodian is expected to be sidelined for at least four months, opening the door for Dubravka to take the gloves.
There’s a chance the club may spend money on another keeper in January but the veteran Slovak will be given the opportunity to prove himself this month.
The 34-year-old may find points hard to come in Gameweek 15 as Eddie Howe’s men are set to face Tottenham and AC Milan but the schedule turns friendly from Gameweek 16 until the end of the year: Fulham, Chelsea, Luton, Nottingham Forest.
Dream Team bosses should think of Dubravka is a facilitator, recruiting him for just £1.6m this week may mean it’s possible to afford both Kieran Trippier (£5.2m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.6m) in defence, for example.
Speaking of…
Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.6m)
Different gravyCredit: Reuters
We’ve talked up Liverpool’s homegrown hero enough recently but his name is worth underlining after an emphatic Gameweek 14.
Playing a hybrid role that’s more midfielder than defender, Alexander-Arnold registered two assists, one goal and a clean sheet across his two fixtures, Fulham and Sheffield United.
When all was said and done, The Reds’ No66 had plundered 24 points – the biggest haul of the Gameweek among all players at the time of writing.
Some Dream Team bosses will feel that transferring him in now is a case of bolted horses and sailed ships.
Chasing lost points is foolish but, equally, hopping aboard an in-form asset as talented as Alexander-Arnold could yield healthy returns for months on end.
Liverpool face Crystal Palace and Union Saint-Gilloise in Gameweek 15.

It should go without saying that Manchester City stars are expected to shine bright in Gameweek 15 with Luton and Red Star Belgrade in the headlights.
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Although gaffers should be aware that their midweek game is essentially a dead rubber because Pep Guardiola’s side are already guaranteed to finish top of their Champions League group – heavy rotation is expected.
Lock in your transfers before Saturday’s 11:30am deadline.

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HERE at Dream Team HQ we understand that not everyone has the time to dig through the Stats Centre for hours on end.Fortunately, we’ve done the hard yards and unearthed seven mind-blowing stats from the current season.

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Time to crunch the numbersCredit: Dream Team
1 Jeremy Doku’s insane dribbling
Manchester City’s Belgian winger has taken the Premier League by storm since his summer transfer.
The 21-year-old has proven to be a terror for full-backs everywhere because of his electric-quick feet, which have given him some frankly absurd dribbling statistics.
Most successful dribbles this season (all comps):

JEREMY DOKU – 67
Eberechi Eze – 38
Mohammed Kudus – 36
Kaoru Mitoma – 36
Raheem Sterling – 36
Matheus Cunha – 35
Marcus Rashford – 35
Jordan Ayew – 34
Gabriel Martinelli – 34
Luca Koleosho – 33

To say Doku is in a league of his own is an understatement and the truly remarkable thing is that he’s played just half of City’s minutes so far in 2023/24!
No ordinary right-backCredit: Getty
2 Defender by day, playmaker by night
The secret to Kieran Trippier’s success is that he’s essentially two players for the price of one.
First and foremost, he’s Newcastle’s ultra reliable right-back who has contributed to seven clean sheets.
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What sets him apart from his peers is his unmatched creative output.
Whether it’s from set-pieces or open play, Trippier supplies a steady stream of chances for the Magpies’ attackers.
In fact, he’s created 11 big chances this season when only one other defender, Pedro Porro (6), has registered more than five.
And only three players from all positions have provided more than Trippier’s eight assists at this stage.
Unexpectedly prolificCredit: PA
3 The big three: Haaland, Salah… Pedro?
Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah are the only players to have scored more goals than Joao Pedro this season.
That would remarkable enough as it is without the fact the Brighton youngster has played just 62.3% of the available minutes to date.
The ex-Watford Brazilian has bagged ten goals in all competitions with half of them coming in the Europa League.
Granted, he’s benefited from a penalty or two but his conversion rate of ten goals from 14 shots on target is amazing regardless.
Maybe Erik ten Hag was right?Credit: Rex
4 Onana, what’s his name?
Very few right-minded football fans would say that Andre Onana has been among the best goalkeepers this season.
The Cameroon international has rightly been criticised for his performances in several high-profile game since he joined Manchester United.
Onana himself has taken responsibility for a few clanging errors, most notably in the Champions League – the Red Devils are bottom of their group having conceded 14 goals in five games.
And yet, at the time writing, he’s on the brink of becoming Dream Team’s best keeper.
Seemingly against all logic, Onana has racked up 91 points, putting him second in his position behind Nick Pope who now faces at least four months on the sidelines with a shoulder injury.
And he’s comfortably second too, a full 23 points ahead of Alisson and David Raya – that’s a huge margin in his position.
The main reason for this is that he’s somehow kept seven clean sheets despite Man United’s problems.
Onana has also been forced to make 76 saves, the most among all keepers at this juncture.
RelentlessCredit: Getty
5 Bombardment
It’s hardly surprising that Erling Haaland has registered the most shots on target so far this campaign.
As the focal point of Manchester City’s rampant attack, the prolific poacher is presented with a wealth of chances almost every time he takes to the field.
Even so, the extent of his lead is staggering.
Haaland has registered 45 shots on target, 19 more than current runner-up Salah.
He’s almost doubled the tally of Julian Alvarez (26) which is incredible given the World Cup winner is fourth among all players in this metric.
Remember, each player receives one point for every shot on target this season – it’s no wonder Haaland is once again the game’s top performer.

Nobody is safe in the centre circle at Craven CottageCredit: Getty
6 Portuguese tackling machine
Dream Team assets also earn points for every two tackles they make per fixture this season.
This was mostly designed to recognise the important work of combative midfielders who don’t directly benefit from clean sheets and rarely contribute with goals and assists.
Lucas Paqueta, James Garner and Bruno Fernandes have put themselves about but one man reigns supreme, Joao Palhinha.
Fulham’s No26 is a one-man wrecking ball in the middle of the park having notched 63 tackles.
The Portugal international tops the pile despite being limited to domestic commitments.
As a comparison, his compatriot Fernandes (46 tackles) has already played 609 more minutes this season, the equivalent to six and half games.
Palhinha averages a shade under five tackles per appearance and has earned 28 points via this method.
In fact, 36.8% of his total points have come from tackles.
In Gameweek 10, he registered TEN tackles against Brighton for a five-point return, the equivalent of a scoring goal!
Just West Ham’s fifth-best midfielder right nowCredit: Getty
7 West Ham’s midfield maestros
Experienced Dream Team managers will know that Man City midfielders have dominated the position in Dream Team ever since Guardiola took up residence on these shores.
This season, however, the treble winners have met serious opposition from an unlikely source.
West Ham are currently the only team with three representatives inside the top eight midfielders and the only side with five among the top 20.
Jarrod Bowen, James Ward-Prowse, Lucas Paqueta, Tomas Soucek and Mohammed Kudus have combined for 526 points already!
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By way of a comparison, City’s top five midfielders – Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku, Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish – have combined for 460 points.
Anybody who says they predicted such a convincing win for David Moyes’ troops over the reigning European champions in this department is a liar.

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