Dream Team

ALL is not well at Manchester United.Having lost to Crystal Palace in the Premier League at the weekend, the Red Devils lost to Galatasaray on Tuesday night, despite taking the lead twice at Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag has overseen six defeats already this season to leave his side tenth in the league and bottom of their Champions League group.
Multiple factors have contributed to this stuttering start, not least a litter of injuries, but Marcus Rashford’s (£5.7m) form is a major concern, not least for the 13.3% of Dream Team gaffers currently backing him.
Time for a Rash move?Credit: Dream Team
The England international’s decision-making has been questionable since the start of the campaign and while he was undoubtedly one of the world’s most in-form players earlier this year, he simply doesn’t look right at the moment.
With that in mind, here are five potential replacements for Dream Team’s sixth-most popular striker…
Rasmus Hojlund (£3.7m)
A straight swap from one Man United forward to another is certainly a viable option.
The rapid Dane scored both his side’s goals against their Turkish opposition in midweek and his performances since recovering from injury have provided fans with a reason to be hopeful that the club can eventually settle in 2023/24.
Whereas Rashford averages just 2.7 points-per-game across his last three outings, Hojlund averages 6.3 points-per-game in the same time frame.
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Many Dream Team bosses will feel like staying away from Man United assets altogether but their fixtures are relatively friendly leading up to a daunting Manchester derby at the end of the month.
This coming weekend, Ten Hag’s side host a Brentford side without a win since Gameweek 2 before a trip to 20th-placed Sheffield United and another home European game against Copenhagen.
Ollie Watkins (£4.1m)
Just the 25 points this GameweekCredit: Getty
Not only would this transfer allow gaffers to swap an out-of-sorts striker for one bang in form, it would also free up an additional £1.6m to spend on improvements elsewhere.
Aston Villa’s No11 plundered 25 points against Brighton last Saturday via a hat-trick and two assists for the highest single-game return among all players so far this season.
While it would unreasonable to expect Watkins to repeat that masterclass on a weekly basis, he’s well placed to build upon his overall tally of 58 points in the coming weeks.
Unai Emery’s troops face Wolves, West Ham, Luton, Nottingham Forest and Fulham in their next five league games – plus favourable match-ups in the Europa Conference League (on paper at least).
Watkins started the season with a series of assists but some frustratingly wasteful finishes in the league but he’s well and truly found his shooting boots now and, given the Villains’ attacking verve, may well embark on something of a scoring streak in the coming Gameweeks.
Julian Alvarez (£4.5m)
Hunting Haaland down point by pointCredit: Getty
The World Cup winner has arguably been Manchester City’s best player this season and his total of 75 points is bettered only by team-mate Erling Haaland (£8m) among forwards.
The Argentina international has scored five goals and provided five assists in nine outings and only Jordan Ayew (£2.8m) has more bonus points among players in his position.
Alvarez has registered a whopping 16 shots on target this term – only Haaland has more to his name – and his new role as the treble-winners’ specialist set-piece taker has made him a top-tier Dream Team performer.
He’s likely to feature against RB Leipzig this evening where he’ll almost certainly extend his 30-point lead over Rashford further.

Son Heung-min (£4.7m)
Continuing the theme of players second only to Haaland in key metrics, Tottenham’s captain has six goals to the Norwegian poacher’s eight this season.
The South Korean superstar kickstarted his campaign with a hat-trick against Burnley in Gameweek 4 and not looked back.
Son was Spurs’ derby day hero against Arsenal for his brace at the Emirates and he scored against another tough opponent in Liverpool most recently.
The 16.5%-owned forward is a popular recruit ahead of Gameweek 8 with Ange Postecoglou’s side set to face Luton.
Get in my Son!Credit: Reuters
Darwin Nunez (£4.2m)
Dream Team managers may find it a struggle to swap Rashford for Mohamed Salah (£6.7m) because of the price difference and so the Uruguay international offers a cheaper route into Liverpool’s dynamic attacking unit.
The 24-year-old possess a distinct chaotic energy but this trait makes him a nightmare to defend against when he’s full of confidence.
Nunez didn’t feature against Spurs but with Cody Gakpo (£3.2m) seemingly set for a stint on the sidelines, the former should be back in favour.
The ex-Benfica man banked 42 points between Gameweeks 3 and 6 – his tally of four goals and three assists is only marginally shy of Salah’s record with the Egyptian having played considerably more minutes.
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Jurgen Klopp’s side desperately need to improve their discipline as regular red cards have been an unwelcome hindrance to what has otherwise been an encouraging start to the season.
The Reds face Brighton in Gameweek 8 and then play Everton, Toulouse, Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, and Luton in their first five games after the international break.

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HERE at Dream Team HQ we consider it our duty to flag up successful players who may be flying under the radar.Take Mathias Jensen (£3.2m) for example.
At the time of writing, Brentford’s No8 is the ninth-best midfielder in the game having collected 52 points from seven Gameweeks.
Pulling weight and them someCredit: Dream Team
This impressive total puts him above the likes of Bruno Fernandes (£5.9m), Phil Foden (£4.5m), Pedro Neto (£3.2m), Dominik Szoboszlai (£3.8m), Moussa Diaby (£3.4m) and several other assets who have deservedly received praise so far this season.
In fact, Jensen is the Bees’ best performer at this stage, having recently surpassed Yoane Wissa (£2.3m) and Bryan Mbeumo (£3.6m) – two players considered smart options during the opening month of the campaign.
Thomas Frank’s side were undefeated in their first five games of the season (all competitions) but results have tailed off lately.
Defeat to Newcastle at St James’ Park was followed by a shock loss to Everton and elimination from the Carabao Cup at the hands of Arsenal.
On Sunday, Brentford drew 1-1 with Nottingham Forest, extending their winless run to seven games.
However, despite this drop-off as a collective, Jensen has pulled twice his weight in the middle of the park.
The Denmark international’s assist at the City Ground was his fifth goal involvement of 2023/24.
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Brentford are without a win in the league since August 19thCredit: Getty
He scored against the Toffees, Bournemouth and Newport in addition to his other assist against Tottenham in Gameweek 1.
This increase in attacking output is something the 27-year-old has developed in the last year or so.
He wasn’t a regular scorer in the Championship and he registered just two assists (and zero goals) in all competitions upon promotion to the top flight in 2021/22.
Last season, he registered a very respectable eleven goal involvements (five goals, six assists) and he’s on course to beat that personal best return this term.

Jensen’s minuscule ownership of 0.3% is understandable; Brentford’s form is on the slide and without European fixtures to bolster his schedule it will be a tough ask for him to maintain his lofty position in the coming weeks.
But he evidently deserves to be acknowledged for his efforts to date – the numbers don’t lie.

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DREAM TEAM managers are turning their backs on Brighton players in droves this week.With several fixtures still to play before Gameweek 7 is complete, Pervis Estupinan (£3.4m) and Kaoru Mitoma (£3.8m) are among the most transferred-out players ahead of Gameweek 8.

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A dip in popularityCredit: Dream Team
Only the suspended Rodri (£4.2m) has been shipped out of more teams than the Ecuador left-back this week, with the Japan winger third in the list of recently ditched assets.
Clearly this is a response to the Seagulls’ capitulation at Villa Park on Saturday.
Ollie Watkins (£4.1m) inspired Aston Villa to an emphatic 6-1 win in what many anticipated to be a competitive contest.
It was a particularly brutal encounter for Estupinan, who missed a gilt-edged chance early on and was then all over the shop defensively before being hooked at half time.
The 25-year-old incurred minus one point to continue what has been a relatively lean period of late.
He burst out of the blocks with 18 points in his first two outings but has mustered just 15 points across the five Gameweeks since.
Dream Team bosses are looking elsewhere this weekCredit: Rex
As for Mitoma, he claimed just one point at the weekend.
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The skilful dribbler has more credit in the bank as he pouched 15 points the previous Gameweek, mostly through his match-winning display against Bournemouth.
Roberto De Zerbi’s enterprising tactics ensure plenty of goals but clean sheets are few and far between, so perhaps it’s understandable that so many gaffers feel there are better alternatives to Estupinan.
Mitoma’s popularity dip feels harsher but, with an ownership of 20.4%, it’s worth noting he’s still the fourth-most selected midfielder in the game.
Perhaps Dream Team bosses are moving away from Brighton assets because of the fixture list.
Having suffered a heavy defeat to the Villains, De Zerbi’s side suddenly look vulnerable ahead of Liverpool’s visit to the south coast this coming weekend.
And a trip to Manchester City first up after the international break has to be considered among the most-difficult match-ups in world football at present.

Brighton will hope to respond with a win in the Europa League on Thursday nightCredit: Getty
However, it may not be long before Mitoma and company are back in favour as Brighton’s league fixtures from the end of this month through to mid-December look rather friendly.
They’re due to host Fulham at the end of October and will then face: Everton, Sheffield United, Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, Brentford, Burnley.
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There’s also the small matter of Europa League commitments to consider.
Gaffers would also do well to remember that Brighton won five of their six league games prior to their Villa Park humbling and they remain the league’s top scorers.

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CRYSTAL PALACE were soundly beaten by Manchester United in the Carabao Cup last week but the Eagles took their revenge at the weekend in fine style.Roy Hodgson returned to Old Trafford with a full-strength XI and left with three points thanks to Joachim Andersen’s (£2.9m) winner.
The Denmark international executed his finish with uncharacteristic expertise for a centre-back and of course he was a key contributor to the visitors’ clean sheet as well.
Having been influential and both ends of the pitch, it’s no wonder Andersen departed Manchester 15 Dream Team points richer.
The joy of a clean sheetCredit: Dream Team
The 27-year-old has scored two goals this season, registered three clean sheets, and his tally of seven bonus points is only bettered by six defenders at this stage.
Add in some extra points for tackles, shots on target plus appearances and Andersen has amassed 51 points overall – only Ben White (£4.3m) and Kieran Trippier (£5.5m) are above him in the rankings among defenders.
And he’s not the only Palace player punching above his weight in 2023/24.
Sam Johnstone (£1.8m) also benefited from the clean sheet at Old Trafford, his third of the campaign, to the tune of eight points.
The 30-year-old was the bargain choice among many of the elite Dream Team gaffers prior to Gameweek 1 and he’s proven to be a seriously smart selection.
Three clean sheets and countingCredit: Getty
His season total of 35 points is only bettered by three goalkeepers with Andre Onana (£3.6m) only one ahead in the rankings at the time of writing.
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Factor in value-for-money and the England international undoubtedly has be considered among the top two assets in his position so far this season, alongside Nick Pope (£4.2m).
In midfield, Eberechi Eze (£3.7m) has been rubbing shoulders with the game’s most-popular stars since Gameweek 1.
Palace’s No10 is a truly brilliant dribbler and among the league’s most accurate crossers this term – a combination that has allowed him collect 22 bonus points, the most among all players.
His overall tally of 63 points put him fourth among midfielders, sandwiched between James Ward-Prowse (£4.1m) and Martin Odegaard (£5m).

Collects bonus points for funCredit: Getty
Up front, Odsonne Edouard (£2.9m) scored five goals before his frustratingly-timed injury.
The Frenchman missed both fixtures at Old Trafford but still he’s sixth among strikers with 53 points to his name.
Again, when value-for-money is taken into account, Edouard simply has to be considered among the best Dream Team performers in his position so far this season.
Only Erling Haaland (£8m) and Son Heung-min (£4.7m) have scored more goals in all competitions.
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Whether Hodgson’s boys will be able to maintain such lofty rankings without European fixtures to bolster their schedule (they’re also out the Carabao Cup) remains to be seen but the fact Palace have a top-tier asset in every position is remarkable.
Selhurst Park is the destination of choice for gaffers in need of bargain options.

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THERE’S a new king in town!Since Erling Haaland (£8m) joined Manchester City, he has spent most of time at the top of the Dream Team rankings but the Norwegian poacher was dethroned this past weekend.
Bukayo Saka (£6.4m) took Bournemouth for ten points to leapfrog his rival as the treble-winner mustered just three points against Wolves.
Arsenal’s No7 now has 81 points overall, two more than Haaland at the time of writing.
Top of the pileCredit: Dream Team
This development was particularly engrossing because the England winger was the most transferred-out player prior to Gameweek 7!
Only Kevin De Bruyne (£6.7m) has been removed from more teams in one week than Saka was recently – following the Belgian playmaker suffered a long-term injury on the opening weekend.
A sizeable chunk of Dream Team gaffers were duped by Mikel Arteta, who confirmed that Saka had not trained all week prior to the Spanish tactician’s press conference on Friday.
The 22-year-old has been playing through an Achilles injury for some time and he looked seriously hampered at the back end of the North London derby in Gameweek 6.
He then skipped the Gunners’ Carabao Cup game at Brentford in midweek, leading many to assume he would be given time to recover at the weekend.
However, come Saturday, Saka was once again selected to start and while he appeared in discomfort at times before he was substituted in the 76th minute, his opening goal initiated what was ultimately a comfortable win for Arsenal over the Cherries.
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Saka scored his side’s first goal on SaturdayCredit: Getty
Needless to say, many of the Dream Team bosses who used a transfer to ditch Saka were left feeling shortchanged.
Except those who followed our advice and brought in Martin Odegaard (£5m) as a direct replacement – the Norway international banked 16 points at the Vitality Stadium.
It will be interesting to see what team Arteta selects to start against Lens on Tuesday night.
The French side are currently 15th in Ligue 1 and while Arsenal will undoubtedly want to try their best in the Champions League after a few years absent from the prestigious competition, Man City are due to visit the Emirates this coming Sunday.
The Gunners probably wouldn’t need Saka in the initial line-up to take three points from their trip to France but he generally starts if available, even if only half fit, as evidenced by his presence at Bournemouth.
Arteta must know he’s taking a risk heaping more minutes on his star player’s problematic Achilles but perhaps this just underlines Saka’s importance to the team.
Some fans have criticised Arteta for not resting SakaCredit: Getty
Dream Team’s top performer has five goals and four assists to his name but he’s also earned eight points from tackles a great effort for such an attack-minded asset.
He’s also pocketed 13 bonus points, an aspect of the game in which he has a clear edge over Haaland, who is rarely involved in the action outside penalty-box chances.
No doubt many, many Dream Team gaffers will be transferring Saka back in this week…

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ASTON VILLA registered a statement victory over Brighton on Saturday.The Seagulls had won five of their six Premier League games before what many expected to be a relatively even match-up on paper but Unai Emery’s side swaggered to a mightily impressive 6-1 win thanks mostly to an Ollie Watkins (£4.1m) masterclass.

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Different gravyCredit: Dream Team
Roberto De Zerbi’s side simply couldn’t handle the Villains’ forward, who took the match ball home after bagging a ruthless hat-trick.
Not only was Watkins clinical in front of goal, he registered two assists to notch FIVE goal involvements in all.
This dominant performance resulted in a 25-point haul – the best return from a single game among all Dream Team players this season.
Prior to Gameweek 7, Watkins merely simmered in the realm of Dream Team without fully capitalising on the chances presented to him.
He scored a hat-trick against Hibernian in the first leg of Villa’s Europa Conference League qualifying play-off but that wasn’t a Dream Team eligible fixture.
Domestically, he didn’t score his first goal of the campaign until Gameweek 6, his side’s winner against Chelsea, but that effort was partially undermined by a goose egg at home to Everton in the Carabao Cup in midweek.
Villa thrashed Brighton on SaturdayCredit: Getty
According to the xG models, Watkins was among the most-wasteful finishers in the league at one point but his fantastic display against Brighton has readdressed the balance – he’s now over-performing against his xG.
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The 27-year-old was already among the leaders in the creative department with four assists in his first five outings but he’s kickstarted his Dream Team campaign in emphatic fashion with the demolition of De Zerbi’s troops.
Watkins now has four goals and six assists to his name; his combined tally of ten goal involvements is the joint highest at the time of writing – he’s level with Erling Haaland (£8m) and Julian Alvarez (£4.5m).
Needless to say, a 25-point haul has catapulted him up the Dream Team rankings.
The England international is now fifth among strikers with 58 points in total, just two fewer than Son Heung-min (£4.7m) and four fewer than Mohamed Salah (£6.7m).
And Watkins has a superb chance to leapfrog the South Korea international this week if selected to play any part against Zrinjski Mostar on Thursday night – Tottenham obviously don’t have European commitments this season.

Villa’s form has been brilliant since Emery took chargeCredit: Getty
Villa are now up to fifth in the league table and, somewhat ironically, only Brighton have scored more goals in the top flight this term.
Factor in their excellent form in the second half of last season and it’s clear there are plenty of points to be had backing the likes of Watkins, Moussa Diaby (£3.4m) and attacked-minded full-back Matty Cash (£3m).
Villa’s fixtures for the upcoming Gameweeks look rather favourable too: Wolves, West Ham, AZ Alkmaar (x2), Luton, Nottingham Forest, Fulham.

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