Dream Team

IT’S been a while since we checked in with the best possible Dream Team XI.For the purposes of this exercise, all we care about is total points, nothing else matters.
GOALKEEPER: David de Gea (£4.1m) – 122 points
Best in classCredit: GETTY
Nick Pope (£4m) led the way in his position for a long, long time but Newcastle’s clean sheets have evaporated in the last two months.
The England international’s red card against Liverpool didn’t help his case either.
Manchester United’s European exploits and their run to the FA Cup semi-finals have kept De Gea busy and all the additional fixtures have allowed him to claim top spot.
It’s as tight as it can be though as the Spaniard is just one point ahead of Pope so a resurgence from the Magpies could bring the latter back into contention.
De Gea (16.1% ownership) is also now the second-most popular asset among keepers having overtaken Pope (15.5%) in recent weeks though Aaron Ramsdale (£3.6m, 19.7%) remains the most selected.
DEFENDERS: Kieran Trippier (£5.7m), Luke Shaw (£4.6m), Gabriel (£3.7m)
A Shaw thingCredit: GETTY
Nothing more needs to be said about Newcastle’s right-back, even accounting for a mini drought of clean sheets he’s on 195 points, 67 more than the other two names featured here.
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Trippier is in a league of his own among defenders and only Bruno Fernandes (£6.5m) and Kevin De Bruyne (£7.7m) have claimed more Star Man awards overall.
For the longest time Fabian Schar (£3.6m) played second fiddle to his team-mate and he’s still within touching distance on 126 points but both Shaw and Gabriel have poked their noses ahead of the Swiss centre-back on 128 each.
Again, the Red Devils’ busy schedule has boosted Shaw as it has De Gea while Arsenal’s omnipresent centre-back has made his way to the podium through impeccable consistency.
The Gunners have kept the joint-most clean sheets in the league this term so Gabriel backers can expect more returns in the final two months of the season.
MIDFIELDERS: Bruno Fernandes (£6.5m), Kevin De Bruyne (£7.7m), Bukayo Saka (£5.6m), Phil Foden (£5.1m)
StarboyCredit: GETTY
Foden’s injury means he could slip out of this hypothetical XI soon but he’s deserving of his place currently having racked up 53 points in four Game Weeks before the international break.
Manchester City’s wonderkid has 152 total points to his name, 20 shy of Saka who is the only Premier League player into double figures for goals and assists this season.
Arsenal’s No7 is a Player of the Year candidate and is probably more assured of his place in Team of the Year than any other midfielder.
But it’s Man United’s Portuguese playmaker who leads the way among Dream Team midfielders with 200 points having registered 80 in the last seven Game Weeks.
Fernandes has 12 assists, ten goals and eight Star Man awards and yet he’s less than half as popular as De Bruyne, who is 20 points behind at this stage.
It’s interesting that just two Arsenal players feature in this team given the state of the Premier League table but it’s possible Martin Odegaard (£3.7m) will take Foden’s place in the coming weeks.
FORWARDS: Erling Haaland (£9.3m), Marcus Rashford (£6.5m), Mohamed Salah (£8.7m)
A consistent superstarCredit: GETTY
A powerhouse front line led by Man City’s prolific poacher who is on course to breach 400 points in his first Dream Team campaign.
Haaland has had one hand on the Golden Boot since August and it’s not unthinkable he could notch half a century of goals in 2022/23 – ridiculous numbers.
Man United’s No10 may have pushed the Norway international close had he not been merely average during the opening weeks of the campaign.
Rashford has been on a tear since the World Cup the likes of which Dream Team gaffers have rarely seen – 174 points in 13 Game Weeks is obscene by any measure.
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And no best Dream Team XI of the season would be complete without Salah who has been a permanent fixture for five years now.
Some gaffers are undoubtedly guilty of taking the Egyptian’s brilliance for granted but the fact he’s on 208 points despite Liverpool enduring an underwhelming campaign more generally is testament to the forward’s quality. More

THE calendar has conspired to frustrate to Dream Team managers desperate for fresh transfers.Transfers are replenished on the first Friday of the month which means April’s batch won’t be available until Game Week 29.
However, some clever gaffers will have planned for this very moment and may have kept some of March’s allotment back so they can makes changes suited to Game Week 28.
With a dozen teams set to play twice this coming week, we’ve identified three players who could run amok (in a good way).
James Maddison (£5.6m)
A Dream Team gemCredit: GETTY
Fresh off what felt like his second England debut, the 26-year-old travels to a Crystal Palace side without a win since November on Saturday before welcoming Aston Villa to the King Power in midweek.
Leicester’s No10 averages 4.3 points-per-game this season, only four midfielders boast a better average at this stage (minimum three appearances).
This suggests that even an average week would mean a return of eight or nine points but given the relative favourability of his match-ups in the form of two bottom-half clubs, a double-digit haul could be on the cards.
Despite being limited to 20 league appearances this term, Maddison has registered nine goals and six assists in the top flight.
Dream Team bosses should always seek midfielders who provide regular goal involvements and the Foxes’ star has been in the top bracket for the last three years in that regard.
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Kaoru Mitoma (£4.5m)
Brighton’s new fan favourite
The Japan international is one of the very few midfielders to average more points-per-game (4.5) than Maddison in 2022/23.
Brighton’s enterprising style of football has produced enough points for their midfield to share around liberally but Mitoma leads the way with 122 at this juncture.
The skilful winger, who was initially added to Dream Team at just £1.5m, has claimed three Star Man awards in the last nine Game Weeks.
In Game Week 28, he’ll play Brentford at the Amex (the Bees are generally less threatening away from home) before a trip to Bournemouth on Tuesday night.
The Cherries have conceded more goals (54) than any other Premier League outfit this season so Mitoma owners should be licking their lips.
Jarrod Bowen (£3.9m)
A rogue optionCredit: GETTY
West Ham have endured a season to forget so far and the fact they will start Game Week 28 in the relegation zone hardly screams: viable Dream Team assets.
But their No20 has been somewhat immune to the mediocrity around him this campaign.
In fact, plenty of Dream Team gaffers will be surprised to learn that only four players – Erling Haaland (£9.3m), Kieran Trippier (£5.7m), Kevin De Bruyne (£7.7m), Bruno Fernandes (£6.5m) – have earned more Star Man awards than Bowen’s six.
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The Hammers host 20th-placed Southampton in a must-win game this Sunday before welcoming Newcastle to the London Stadium on Wednesday.
Granted, things could turn toxic if Bowen and company can’t vanquish Saints first up but the England international has a decent double Game Week on paper with both fixtures coming at home – even Eddie Howe’s side have conceded a few goals recently. More

THE international break provided reasonable entertainment all things considered but attention now turns to the resumption of the Premier League, FA Cup and continental competitions.April promises to be a decisive month in the world of Dream Team with fixtures coming thick and fast in the coming weeks.
And Gaffers intent on banking plentiful points would do well to put their faith in the Manchester clubs for the foreseeable future.
Arsenal may be deserving favourites for the league title and the fact they’re no longer active in any other competition may help them focus on their primary objective but Dream Team bosses should always be looking to squeeze the schedule for all it’s worth.
For example, whereas the Gunners have six league games to fulfil in April, Manchester United will be in action NINE times throughout the course of the month.
Fernandes is the only midfielder to have reached the 200-point mark this seasonCredit: GETTY
The Red Devils’ meeting with Brighton at Wembley and a two-legged Europa League quarter-final against Sevilla ensure their most-popular assets will be incredibly busy.
Bruno Fernandes (£6.5m), Luke Shaw (£4.6m), David de Gea (£4.1m), Lisandro Martinez (£4.5m) and Marcus Rashford (£6.5m) all look to be excellent options after the international break – the latter’s injury is not thought to be nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
It’s not that Erik ten Hag’s side have a massively favourable run of match-ups, it’s just the sheer volume of fixtures that should put gaffers on alert.
Fernandes and Rashford actually combined to outscore the trio of Mohamed Salah (£8.7m), Darwin Nunez (£5.7m) and Cody Gakpo (£3.7m) in March despite the month starting with that 7-0 result at Anfield.
Man United’s extra games and Liverpool’s comparatively relaxed schedule meant the former’s two best attacking assets registered a net gain over their rivals’ first-choice front three in March despite the Reds’ forwards getting a massive head start.
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The lesson: squeeze the schedule.
Dream Team’s top goalkeeper right nowCredit: GETTY
United aren’t the only Manchester club with an FA Cup semi-final and a European quarter-final in the diary.
Pep Guardiola’s troops will be desperate to get past Bayern Munich, now with Thomas Tuchel at the helm, in the Champions League last eight to once again put themselves in serious contention to win the trophy they desire most.
Manchester City were also handed a favourable FA Cup draw in the form of Sheffield United, who will be prioritising automatic promotion from the Championship and may name a second-string XI, as they did against Spurs – though of course they won that game.
The defending English champions have eight games to fulfil in April and while half of them are likely to be tough tests – Liverpool, Bayern (x2), Arsenal – there’s rarely a bad time to back City players.
Phil Foden’s (£5.1m) owners will have to find a replacement while the England international recovers from having his appendix removed – some players have returned a fortnight later from similar surgery while others have been sidelined for almost two months.
Both Jack Grealish (£4.1m) and Riyad Mahrez (£6.1m) should get plenty of minutes next month.
Probably making Dream Team transfers…
Hypothetically, if a Dream Team gaffers were to transfer five Arsenal/Tottenham players for five City/United assets right now they’d potentially gain 15-20 appearances across April – that’s a huge swing!
The volume of fixtures isn’t everything of course, it wouldn’t be wholly surprising if Manchester-based defenders suffered minus points in multiple given the match-ups, but it’s generally something gaffers should take into account when devising their strategy. More

THE fixtures will come thick and fast once the international break is done and dusted.FA Cup semi-finals, European knockout ties and some Premier League double game weeks make for an April ripe with Dream Team points.
In the spirit of helping gaffers devise an optimised strategy, we’ve laid out next month’s fixtures for each team in the top half in one convenient location.
ARSENAL

Leeds (h)
Liverpool (a)
West Ham (a)
Southampton (h)
Manchester City (a)
Chelsea (h)

Man City vs Arsenal is undoubtedly April’s standout Premier League fixtureCredit: GETTY
At the risk of oversimplifying things, the Gunners’ six fixtures can be divided in two: three favourable match-ups, three tough tests.
Leeds, West Ham and Southampton are all threatened by relegation and while they’ll be scrapping for points, the gulf in class should benefit Mikel Arteta’s troops.
Elsewhere, the trips to Anfield and the Etihad look massive in the context of the title race with the latter likely to be an emotionally and physically taxing game – getting back up for a London derby against the Blues three days later will be a challenge.
MANCHESTER CITY

Liverpool (h)
Southampton (a)
Bayern Munich (h)
Leicester (h)
Bayern Munich (a)
Sheffield United (n)
Arsenal (h)
Fulham (a)

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Pep Guardiola’s side remain active in the FA Cup and the Champions League so, unlike Arsenal, they won’t be able to focus solely on the league run-in.
Naturally, the two legs against the Bundesliga giants stick out like a sore thumb but at least they have the luxury of relatively favourable fixtures around the quarter-final tie: rotated teams will still be heavy favourites over Saints, Leicester and Sheffield United.
The fact City’s two biggest domestic fixtures, Liverpool and Arsenal, are home games will be seen as a positive and, generally speaking, it once again looks like a good time to back Kevin De Bruyne (£7.7m).
MANCHESTER UNITED
A busy month ahead

Newcastle (a)
Brentford (h)
Everton (h)
Sevilla (h)
Nottingham Forest (a)
Sevilla (a)
Brighton (n)
Spurs (a)
Aston Villa (h)

The Red Devils have no fewer than NINE fixtures to fulfil next month and that alone should make their players immensely popular in the world of Dream Team.
At the time of writing, Erik ten Hag’s side are the bookies’ favourites to win the Europa League but in Sevilla they will come up against the modern masters of the competition in the quarter-finals.
Away days to Newcastle and Spurs will go some way to determining who finishes third and fourth this season and they’ll feel confident of positive results at home throughout the month.
Bruno Fernandes (£6.5m), Marcus Rashford (£6.5m), Luke Shaw (£4.6m) and David de Gea (£4.1m) are all either first or second in the their respective positions in the Dream Team rankings currently and a busy April should help them solidify their placings.
TOTTENHAM

Everton (a)
Brighton (h)
Bournemouth (h)
Newcastle (a)
Man United (h)
Liverpool (a)

It’s hard to know what to make of the north Londoners now that Antonio Conte has officially departed.
Will the players feels as if a weight has been lifted off their shoulders or will they simply be thinking of getting to the end of the campaign and a summer reset?
Harry Kane (£8.1m) can be relied upon at least, England’s all-time top scorer seems to bang in the goals no matter how bleak the outlook at Spurs – he’s on 205 points currently.
If things aren’t going well then the second half of April could be rough.
A Dream Team double centurion once again
NEWCASTLE

Man United (h)
West Ham (a)
Brentford (a)
Aston Villa (a)
Spurs (h)
Everton (a)
Southampton (h)

Four away days, including three in a row, will ask questions of the Magpies’ endurance at the back end of this unique season.
However, the St James’ Park faithful will surely play their part when Man United and Spurs come to town as part of the top four merry-go-round.
The main thing Dream Team bosses are interested in is whether Eddie Howe’s side can rediscover their clean sheet habit – they haven’t kept one since January having provided bucket-loads throughout the first two thirds of the campaign.
LIVERPOOL

Man City (a)
Chelsea (a)
Arsenal (h)
Leeds (a)
Nottingham Forest (h)
West Ham (a)
Spurs (h)

Which version of the Reds will turn up in April?
If they’re at their swashbuckling best then they could have a major say in who wins the title but if their defensive problems persist then City and Arsenal could inflict defeats similar to those suffered at the hands of Real Madrid, Wolves and Bournemouth in recent weeks.
In fairness, Jurgen Klopp’s men have scored their fair share of goals despite their struggles so Mohamed Salah (£8.7m) and Darwin Nunez (£5.2m) are likely to provide more returns for their backers but the first half of the month could mean minus points for the likes of Virgil van Dijk (£5.1m) and Andy Robertson (£3.9m).
BRIGHTON

Brentford (h)
Bournemouth (a)
Spurs (a)
Chelsea (a)
Man United (n)
Nottingham Forest (a)
Wolves (h)

Brighton’s mastermind
Such is the enterprising nature of the Seagulls under Roberto De Zerbi that fans and neutrals alike will expect them to be ultra competitive in every game for the remainder of the campaign.
The FA Cup semi-final against Man United represents a massive opportunity for a club that wouldn’t have even dreamed of domestic glory just a few years ago.
When everything clicks there’s usually enough points to share around between Kaoru Mitoma (£4.5m), Solly March (£4.1m), Alexis Mac Allister (£3.5m) and Evan Ferguson (£3.3m).
BRENTFORD

Brighton (a)
Man United (a)
Newcastle (h)
Wolves (a)
Aston Villa (h)
Chelsea (a)
Nottingham Forest (h)

The Bees have only lost one Premier League game since the start of November so it’s taken for granted that they’ll give any opponent a stiff game.
Once again it’s seemingly a month of two halves as their first three opponents are all above them in the table while the latter quartet are all comfortably below them.
Ivan Toney (£6.2m) averages 5.7 points-per-game this term so expect more returns from him after the international break so long as he’s not slapped with a lengthy suspension.
FULHAM

Bournemouth (a)
West Ham (h)
Everton (a)
Leeds (h)
Aston Villa (a)
Man City (h)

Dream Team bosses need to find a replacement for the suspended MitrovicCredit: GETTY
Marco Silva’s side have run out of steam somewhat in recent weeks and Aleksandar Mitrovic’s (£3.8m) suspension means their assets aren’t as viable as they were.
Saying that, barring City’s visit to Craven Cottage, it’s a relatively favourable run for Fulham that starts with four consecutive match-ups against teams in the relegation dogfight.
CHELSEA

Aston Villa (h)
Liverpool (h)
Wolves (a)
Real Madrid (a)
Brighton (h)
Real Madrid (h)
Brentford (h)
Arsenal (a)

A busy month for the Blues but a testing one that features two legs against Champions League specialists Real Madrid and a trip to the league leaders.
In fact, Wolves are the only one of Chelsea’s opponents with fewer points at the time of writing.
Graham Potter’s side improved considerably in March, registering three wins and a draw, including an impressive 2-0 victory over Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund.
Chelsea are on a mini undefeated streakCredit: GETTY
That’s your lot for the top half but we feel it’s worth including one more team because of their jam-packed schedule…
WEST HAM

Southampton (h)
Newcastle (h)
Fulham (a)
Gent (a)
Arsenal (h)
Gent (h)
Bournemouth (a)
Liverpool (h)
Crystal Palace (a)

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The Hammers play nine games in the space of 27 days in April and while they’ve underwhelmed this season, this flurry of fixtures is ripe with potential.
Take Jarrod Bowen (£3.9m) for example, a top ten midfielder with so many double Game Weeks is surely worthy of consideration? More

With England having registered two wins at the start of their European Championship qualifying campaign, thoughts drift away from Gareth Southgate’s team selections and back towards the domestic season.Club fixtures will come thick and fast once April in underway with the FA Cup semi-finals and a smattering of two-legged European knockout ties around some double game weeks in the Premier League.
Needless to say, Dream Team managers would be wise to ensure their XIs are full of players set for a busy month ahead if possible – a lot will be waiting for transfers to be refreshed in Game Week 29.
No doubt assets associated with the Manchester clubs will spring to mind first for the majority of gaffers.
The Red Devils are hopeful of adding the FA Cup to the Carabao Cup they won in February and at the time if writing, they are the bookies’ favourites to win the Europa League having made it to the quarter-finals.
While Pep Guardiola’s side are also present in the FA Cup semi-finals, they will be prioritising their Champions League clash with Bayern Munich in the last eight of the competition they are so desperate to win.
Manchester City assets will be popular after the international break
But it would remiss to overlook West Ham when weighing up strategies for next month.
The Hammers are currently 18th in the table and are one of nine teams in what promises to be dramatic relegation dogfight.
It goes without saying that they have underperformed significantly as a collective this season but Jarrod Bowen (£3.9m) remains a viable option.
The 26-year-old took Dream Team by storm in 2021/22 and while he hasn’t been to match those heights, his tally of 107 points puts him among the top ten midfielders in the game at this juncture.
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West Ham’s No20 has scored ten goals and provided four assists in all competitions, taking full advantage of some favourable match-ups in the Europa Conference League.
Preserving their top flight status will be the club’s primary objective as the current campaign draws to a close but they also have a two-legged European quarter-final against Gent to fulfil.
This tie with the Belgians means David Moyes’ side have a hectic schedule in April – they’re due to play nine games in the space of 27 days.
Bowen features in 6.2% of Dream TeamsCredit: GETTY
During this time, Bowen will face Southampton, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace – three games West Ham will surely have to take at least five points from if they are to survive.
A busy schedule is only one of the reasons Dream Team gaffers should consider the England international.
Bowen has claimed six Star Man awards this season, a tally only bettered by four players: Kieran Trippier (£5.7m), Erling Haaland (£9.3m), Kevin De Bruyne (£7.7m) and Bruno Fernandes (£6.5m).
This is a very useful habit of the ex-Hull winger’s and one that could well place him among the top point scorers in April.
Such a tactic comes with risk, few West Ham season ticket holders would recommended backing any of their lads based on the team’s collective performances in recent months, but the stats suggest Bowen has risen above the mediocrity around him to a notable degree. More

SUPERSTITIOUS Arsenal fans won’t want to say it out loud but their side are the favourites to win the Premier League this season.The Gunners are eight points clear of Manchester City having played one more game than the defending champions.
Pep Guardiola’s side have an FA Cup semi-final to think about and they’re desperate to win the Champions League, so a two-legged quarter-final against Bayern Munich is likely to be their primary focus after the international break.
In contrast, Mikel Arteta and his troops have no other distractions, just ten league fixtures to determine their fate.
A lot can happen in ten games and with Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea, Newcastle and Brighton among Arsenal’s opponents there’s no room for complacency – but it looks promising for a side who haven’t won a league title since 2004.
Trossard has made a positive impact at ArsenalCredit: GETTY
Dream Team gaffers should certainly target the Manchester clubs’ extra fixtures in the coming weeks but given that the north Londoners have won 22 of their 28 league games in 2022/23, the temptation to back Emirates-based assets is an understandable one.
Aaron Ramsdale (£3.6m), Gabriel (£3.7m), Ben White (£4.5m), Martin Odegaard (£3.7m) and Bukayo Saka (£5.6m) are the best options across the other positions but which forward (if any) is the optimum selection?
It’s between Leandro Trossard (£4m), Gabriel Martinelli (£3.9m) and Gabriel Jesus (£4.8m), who should be close to full fitness come Game Week 28 having played 45 minutes against Sporting CP and a further 25 at Selhurst Park.
Let’s see how the trio match-up in some key statistics.
TOTAL DREAM TEAM POINTS
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Martinelli – 136
Trossard – 110
Jesus – 88

AVERAGE POINTS-PER-GAME

Jesus – 3.8
Trossard – 3.8
Martinelli – 3.6

OWNERSHIP

Jesus – 26.9%
Martinelli – 14.9%
Trossard – 2%

STAR MAN AWARDS

Trossard – 3
Jesus – 3
Martinelli – 2

GOALS

Martinelli – 13
Trossard – 8
Jesus – 5

ASSISTS

Trossard – 9
Jesus – 7
Martinelli – 3

MINUTES PER GOAL INVOLVEMENT

Trossard – 114.7
Jesus – 128
Martinelli – 181.2

Jesus was sidelined for three months
The former Man City forward’s lengthy lay-off should be taken into account when considering his stats but that’s why it’s useful to consider aspects such as his points-per-game ratio and his impressive average of 128 minutes per goal involvement.
Surprisingly, it’s probably Trossard who comes out on top in the stats comparison but it will be interesting to see how he’s used by Arteta now that Jesus is available again.
The Belgian may revert to impact substitute, a role he performed admirably in his first few weeks for the club.
Or it may be that Trossard and Jesus are to share centre-forward duties for the remainder of the campaign, which sounds handy in reality but something of a pain for Dream Team managers.
And that’s why Martinelli is probably the best bet, because he’s likely to play the most minutes of the three.
Only four players have scored more Premier League goals than Martinelli this season
Not only that, the 21-year-old is in great form having racked up 51 points across the last Game Weeks, a dramatic upturn from the spell of five consecutive blanks he endured from late January to late February.
He’s also the cheapest of the three options so if budgetary constraints are an issue then Martinelli fits the bill best.
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It should be noted that locked-in right winger Saka, who is categorised as a midfielder in Dream Team, remains Arsenal’s best attacking asset.
The England international has 172 points to his name and averages 4.5 points-per-outing. More

THE international break allows Dream Team managers time to pause and take stock of the season.With the FA Cup semi-finals confirmed and the European competitions deep into knockout territory, only a handful of teams boast a busier schedule than those purely focused on Premier League commitments.
Gaffers should target these additional fixtures but they should also be aware of which players boast high points-per-game averages with the schedule set to level out in April.
With that in mind, allow us to present the strikers with the best points-per-game ratios in 2022/23…
8. Darwin Nunez (£5.2m)

3.9 points-per-game
125 total points

Has he actually had a good first season?Credit: GETTY
The Uruguay international has copped more than his fair share of stick in recent months and, truthfully, most the complaints about his wastefulness in front of goal throughout the first half campaign were justified.
However, it’s probably fair to say that the 23-year-old was also misunderstood at first – he certainly wasn’t given enough credit for the constant threat he posed.
Even accounting for a host of squandered chances, Nunez averages a goal or assist every 118.9 minutes for Liverpool to date – that’s good going for a raw player expected to improve over the next year or two.
The Reds’ defence has been more vulnerable that usual this term but they still pack a punch going forward – only three teams have scored more Premier League goals and they netted 19 in the Champions League as well, before they were eliminated by Real Madrid.
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Jurgen Klopp’s side face a tough little run after the break (Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal) but once that’s done they play five relegation candidates in their last eight games – Nunez could run amok to finish on a high.
=6. Evan Ferguson (£3m)

4 points-per-game
64 total points

The future is nowCredit: GETTY
We waxed lyrical about Brighton’s promising wonderkid in an just article yesterday so we won’t delve too deep into the details again.
The headline news is that the 18-year-old has blended style and substance in his breakout season having registered ten goal involvements in 16 appearances since he became a first team regular in December.
The Seagulls play enterprising football that produces plentiful chances and if Ferguson can lock down a starting spot next season, with some European fixtures to pad out his schedule, he could be a smart value-for-money option.
Keep an eye on his returns next month too.
=6. Rodrigo (£3.8m)

4 points-per-game
96 total points

Thriving in the relegation dogfight
An injury setback evidently didn’t cause the Spaniard to lose his goalscoring touch as he provided the final blow of Leeds’ 4-2 win over Wolves at the weekend in just his second substitute appearance since January.
Given that the 32-year-old has scored 13 goals at a rate of one every 113.2 minutes in 2022/23, Javi Gracia will surely reinstall him in the starting line-up for the next game.
No self-respecting Dream Team gaffer would put their faith in Leeds’ defence but they’ve scored plenty more goals than all their relegation rivals bar Leicester.
It’s worth noting that Rodrigo averages more points-per-game than Leandro Trossard (£3.9m), Gabriel Martinelli (£3.6m) and the suspended Aleksandar Mitrovic (£3.8m) this season.
5. Harry Kane (£7.8m)

5.3 points-per-game
205 total points

Taken for granted
A massive jump here as we’re introduced to the elite bracket by Tottenham’s all-time top scorer.
The north London club’s season may have crumbled to pieces in the last month but nobody can accuse Kane of slacking – he’s the Premier League’s second-top scorer with 21 goals at this stage.
A tried-and-tested Dream Team asset, gaffers now take for granted that the England skipper will trundle along at a rate of five points-per-game despite representing a team who, if anything, are drifting further away from a trophy lift.
4. Mohamed Salah (£8.7m)

5.5 points-per-game
208 total points

Peerless in the realm of Dream Team across the last six years
Similarly, Liverpool have been well under par this season but their prolific No11 has plundered a double century of points all the same.
Salah made hay in Europe while the sun shined (before Real Madrid derailed the gravy train) with eight goals and two assists in eight continental outings.
A lot of what applied to Nunez is also relevant here although whereas the ex-Benfica forward is a somewhat unpredictable asset, Anfield’s Egyptian King couldn’t be more established – no player has racked up more Dream Team points since Salah’s debut for the Reds six years ago.
3. Ivan Toney (£6.3m)

5.7 points-per-game
155 total points

Overdue an England debut
What an effort from Brentford’s main man!
This suggests that Toney is likely to outscore Kane and Salah at the back end of the campaign now that Spurs and Liverpool have been eliminated from all cup and European competitions.
That’s assuming all three players maintain their current rate of course, which is far from guaranteed.
But this stat does highlight the 27-year-old’s pedigree and proves his lofty ranking in last season’s game was no fluke.
17 goals and five assists in 27 appearances speaks for itself.
2. Marcus Rashford (£6.7m)

5.8 points-per-game
256 total points

Superhero mode engagedCredit: GETTY
The Old Trafford hero’s average is hindered by a comparatively pedestrian spell just prior to the World Cup when he mustered 27 points from 11 outings.
However, having flipped a switch in Qatar, Rashford has been on a tear since, amassing 174 points across the last 13 Game Weeks – incredible!
Simply put, Manchester United’s No10 is one of the most in-form players of 2023 on a global scale and with Erik ten Hag’s side hunting further honours in the FA Cup and Europa League, Dream Team bosses will be expecting him to finish the campaign as a triple centurion.
1. Erling Haaland (£9m)

9.6 points-per-game
344 total points

A league of his own
What you can you? A total outlier, a freak outcome.
The calendar is about to flip over to April and the Etihad’s resident marksman is averaging a shade under TEN points-per-game- obscene.
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Rashford’s aforementioned rampage appeared to put some pressure on Haaland’s status as Dream Team’s top dog for a while but the Norwegian poacher responded with eight goals in four days (an effort that resulted in an influx of 61 points) to remind everyone of his supremacy.
There’s a reason fans and pundits alike were only half-joking when they predicted that Haaland would score 50 goals a season for Pep Guardiola’s side – he’s on 42 with with a possible 18 games still to play if Man City make it to the finals of the FA Cup and Champions League. More

DREAM TEAM gaffers are inherently a greedy bunch.This season we’ve been spoiled by the likes of Erling Haaland (£9m), Marcus Rashford (£6.7m) and plenty of other free-scoring forwards and yet the hunger for more potentially prolific poachers never ceases.
Enter Evan Ferguson (£3m).
A future starCredit: GETTY
The 18-year-old is enjoying a breakout season at Brighton having been a first-team regular since December.
On Sunday, the Republic of Ireland forward scored two goals in a game for the first time in his professional club career as the Seagulls made light work of Grimsby to progress to the FA Cup semi-finals.
Obviously there are caveats when a Premier League player comes up against a side in the bottom half of League Two but Ferguson showed his class, particularly with the Bergkamp/Berbatov-esque touch that preceded his first goal.
Solly March (£3.8m) actually scooped the Star Man award when all was said and done but Ferguson banked 13 Dream Team points at the Mariners’ expense for his biggest single-game haul yet.
The talented teenager has scored seven goals and provided three assists in 16 appearances this season.
Those numbers boil down further for an average of one goal involvement every 86 minutes.
To put his efforts into perspective, only five strikers average more than his four points-per-game this term: Haaland, Rashford, Ivan Toney (£6.3m), Mohamed Salah (£8.7m) and Harry Kane (£7.8m).
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Needless say, all those assets are at least twice as expensive as Ferguson.
A welcome sight for Irish eyesCredit: GETTY
It may be a relatively small sample size but those stats have put the Brighton youngster on the radar, if not for the remainder of 2022/23 then for future campaigns.
It’s not just Ferguson’s raw numbers that have fans excited, it’s the nature of his performances too.
He’s leaps and bounds ahead of most forwards his age in terms of physicality but he’s already shown a deftness of touch that indicates he’s more than a bullying target man.
The stars seemed to have aligned to aid him in the infancy of his career with Roberto De Zerbi encouraging enterprising attacking play that generates plenty of chances and a host of in-form midfielders providing a healthy supply line in March, Alexis Mac Allister (£3.4m) and Kaoru Mitoma (£4.2m).
All 6ft 2in of himCredit: GETTY
If the south coast club end up qualifying for a European competition at the climax of this season, something they will feel confident of achievement, then they will have extra fixtures to bolster their schedule in 2023/24.
It’s not unthinkable that Ferguson will be the starting striker for an attacking team as busy as any other fixture-wise next season.
If that’s the case then he’s likely to be a value-for-money option worth serious consideration. More