Fantasy Football

WHILE many neutrals would have enjoyed the perverse entertainment provided by Liverpool’s 7-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday, plenty of Dream Team gaffers would have been wincing as they goals flew in.Erik ten Hag’s troops are popular men in the world of Dream Team and with good reason.
Prior to Game Week 25, the Red Devils were the highest scoring team in the game having plundered one more point than neighbours Man City collectively.
However, the massacre of Anfield has taken its toll.
A rough weekendCredit: GETTY
David de Gea (£3.9m) is the second-most popular goalkeeper with an ownership of 16.1% and the second-best performer overall but he incurred minus six points when all was said and done this weekend.
It was a similar story for Raphael Varane (£3.5m), Tyrell Malacia (£3.5m), Diogo Dalot (£3.9m) and Luke Shaw (£4.1m), the latter being the seventh-most selected defender currently.
Lisandro Martinez (£4.4m) suffered the most damage having been booked before he was substituted in the 76th minute.
The Argentine World Cup winner endured minus seven points and, needless to say, he is Game Week 25’s worst performer so far.
It’s a crucial blow for the sizeable chunk of Dream Team bosses backing Man United assets, particularly those who used some of their March transfers to bring in a Red Devil or two prior to this weekend’s match-up.
The heavy defeat on Merseyside will be the ultimate test of whether tailoring one’s team to the schedule is the best approach.
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Can Shaw and company make up the ground in the coming Game Weeks?
Ten Hag’s side face Real Betis over two legs in the Europa League, host Southampton in the Premier League, and welcome to Fulham to Old Trafford in the FA Cup quarter-finals before the international break.
In contrast, Liverpool have just two fixtures to fulfil in the same time frame and one of those is a trip to Real Madrid.
On paper, Man United assets should outscore their rivals this month but Sunday’s result has thrown a spanner in the works.
While the visiting defenders suffered badly, pretty much every player involved for the hosts cashed in to some degree.
Mohamed Salah (£8.6m) was predictably the big winner with a 21-point haul with Cody Gakpo (£3.6m) and Darwin Nunez (£5.2m) following up with 13 points each.
A relentless Dream Team asset
Dream Team gaffers with De Gea, Shaw and Martinez in their team would probably be wise to trust the process and check back on their net returns in a fortnight.
If the 7-0 thrashing at Anfield proves to be something of a one-off then it can be stomached.
If it’s a sign of things to come then that’s a different story but managers should resisting overreacting now as the outlook should be brighter in two weeks’ time. More

ALL hail John Ilic, Game Week 24’s top Dream Team gaffer!The West Brom supporter amassed 167 points in what was a high-scoring week.
Let’s take a closer look at his inspired XI to see how he reached that imposing total…
Featuring now fewer than five Arsenal playersCredit: DREAM TEAM
John backed Arsenal to prosper in Game Week 24 and the Gunners repaid him with two wins and back-to-back clean sheets.
Aaron Ramsdale (£3.9m), Ben White (£4.4m) and Gabriel (£3.9m) all contributed to the defensive shut outs against Leicester and Everton, combining for 45 points.
Elsewhere, Ruben Dias (£5.7m) benefited from a favourable match-up in the FA Cup as he took Bristol City for eight points to add to the three he earned against Bournemouth.
Luke Shaw (£4.1m) was rested against West Ham in midweek but he filled his boots at Wembley with an assist on top of Manchester United’s clean sheet in the Carabao Cup final.
The England left-back was booked against Newcastle but a nine-point haul continued his good form.
Dream Team’s third-best defenderCredit: GETTY
John’s defensive assets averaged 13.4 points each in Game Week 24 – a gaffer can’t ask much more than that.
Bukayo Saka (£5.1m) missed out against the Foxes but he was superb at home to the Toffees, sparking his side’s rout with a wonderful goal before he assisted another for a return of ten points.
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With 128 points to his name in total, the Gunners’ No7 is the third-best asset in his position right now.
Phil Foden (£4.9m) was by far the most successful player of the Game Week with an explosive return of 32 points after a lean period.
Man City’s resident wonderkid produced a “10/10 performance” against the Cherries according to Match of the Day’s Micah Richards to register 15 points and he capitalised on his momentum to take Bristol City for a further 17 points via a brace on Tuesday.
No doubt the 22-year-old will be a popular recruit ahead of Game Week 25 now transfers have been refreshed.
Statement made
Jarrod Bowen (£3.8m) completes the midfield and he managed to take Nottingham Forest for ten points despite not getting on the scoresheet in West Ham’s comfortable 4-0 win in east London.
The ex-Hull winger assisted one goal and edged out his team-mates to claim the Star Man gong.
John’s decisive masterstroke in Game Week 24 was backing Julian Alvarez (£3.8m).
The World Cup winner scored City’s opener at the Vitality Stadium and provided an assist at Ashton Gate to add 15 points to his total, seven more than Erling Haaland (£9m) mustered this past week.
Gabriel Martinelli (£3.7m) blanked in five consecutive outings prior to his goal against Aston Villa and he emphatically built on that reprise with 22 points in Game Week 24, with 18 of them coming against Everton via a brace.
The Brazil international is one of just eight forwards with 100+ points to their name at this stage of the season.
Back with a bangCredit: GETTY
And finally, no Dream Team is complete without Marcus Rashford (£6.5m) right now.
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Man United’s No10 produced 13 points to take his overall total to 240 – he’s chipping away at Haaland’s lead every week.
Great work, John, good luck to you and all gaffers ahead of Game Week 25! More

MARCH’S transfers will be available from Friday and Dream Team gaffers will therefore be debating which players are well placed to bank loads of points this month.Having trawled through the fixtures as they stand currently, we’ve identified four players we think could enjoy a fruitful few Game Weeks.
We’ve deliberately overlooked assets who fall under the category of blindingly obvious: Erling Haaland (£8.9m), Marcus Rashford (£6.5m), etc.
Gabriel (£3.6m)
An omnipresent figure for ArsenalCredit: GETTY
William Saliba (£2.7m) may be the most-popular Arsenal defender but the Frenchman’s centre-back partner is the top performer in his position among the squad.
Gabriel has 106 points to Saliba’s 71 and is an ever-present for Mikel Arteta in the league this season.
The Gunners host Bournemouth and Crystal Palace this month, two teams unlikely to cause the league leaders many problems on current form.
A trip to Craven Cottage isn’t a straightforward task given Fulham’s lofty position upon their return to the top flight but two legs against Sporting CP in the Europa League ensures Arsenal will be one of the busier teams in the coming weeks, something Dream Team bosses should always note.
Premier League glory remains the primary goal and so it wouldn’t be a total surprise to see some rotation against the Portuguese outfit but given that Gabriel is seen as the leader of the back four he may well feature in every available fixture in March.
It should go without saying that Bukayo Saka (£4.8m) is a great option this month for similar reasons – the Emirates’ resident ‘starboy’ is already super popular.
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Solly March (£3.4m)
Suggesting March in March? A bit on the nose…Credit: GETTY
A kind FA Cup quarter-final draw would give Brighton a very favourable month indeed.
The Seagulls face West Ham, Leeds and Crystal Palace in the league, two teams threatened by relegation and one mid-table outfit without a win since December.
In terms of Dream Team points, it’s all about Roberto De Zerbi’s attack-minded midfielders and, truth be told, there’s a cigarette paper between March and Kaoru Mitoma (£3.5m), who are separated by just one point.
Without wanting to bore you with spreadsheets, the underlying numbers suggest the Englishman has been the marginally more threatening option in recent outings.
This possibility would increase in viability if Brighton were handed lower-league opposition in the FA Cup last eight.
Emerson Royal (£4m)
Hear us out
Okay, so this is a deliberately rogue selection.
Naturally, if you want back Tottenham this month then Harry Kane (£8m) is your man.
However, it may surprise you to learn that the club’s widely-criticised right-back has plundered 30 points in his last two games thanks to back-to-back Star Man awards.
And if that’s too small a sample size for you then how does 66 points in his last ten outings sound?
The arrival of Pedro Porro (£2.3m) seems to have given Royal a boot up the backside.
Looking ahead, Spurs face Wolves, Nottingham Forest and Southampton (all in the bottom half) around a Champions League round of 16 second leg against Milan.
Bruno Fernandes (6.1m)
160 points richCredit: GETTY
Possibly too obvious a proposition here but we need something to balance out Emerson Royal, don’t we?
Manchester United’s No8 has amassed 79 points in the last seven Game Weeks (with a game still to play this evening) which is a massive influx, one cruelly overshadowed by Rashford’s rampant form.
If the Red Devils edge out West Ham tonight then they’ll have five fixtures to fulfil in March: Liverpool, Real Betis (x2), Southampton, FA Cup quarter-final (TBC).
Fernandes and company will be licking their lips at the thought of a visit to Anfield this Sunday given the up-and-down results of Jurgen Klopp’s mob this term and Saints look destined for the drop.
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The Portugal international is back to his best under Erik ten Hag as evidenced by his healthy tally of 16 goal involvements.
For what it’s worth, Man United have racked up more points collectively than any other team at the time of writing. More

POUND for pound, Jarrod Bowen (£3.8m) was arguably Dream Team’s standout asset last season.Having previously looked promising without substantial returns, the ex-Hull winger suddenly ascended to another level, scoring 18 goals and providing 13 assists across all competitions.
When all was said and done, West Ham’s No20 racked up 210 Dream Team points, the fourth-best tally among midfielders.
Naturally, Bowen was then a popular selection ahead of Game Week 1 this season.
But the 26-year-old’s backers were left disappointed as he mustered just 13 points from his first eleven outings.
Bowen’s form has been erratic this season
He enjoyed some prosperous appearances between Game Weeks 8 and 9 when he bagged 34 points from four games but then netted zero points from the following 12 fixtures – a fallow spell that saw his price from £4.6m to £3.2m.
However, the England international has been resurgent of late, registering 43 points in his last six outings.
This purple patch has featured two assists, three goals and three Star Man awards – reminiscent of his 2021/22 form.
Bowen’s upturn has coincided with improved results for the Hammers.
Make no mistake, David Moyes’ side remain in the relegation dogfight but a run of three wins and two draws in their last six games (all competitions) has given the London Stadium faithful reason to be optimistic.
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From a Dream Team perspective, many gaffers may have written off Bowen as a one-season wonder of sorts but his recent returns deserve suitable consideration.
It’s remarkable, and perhaps an indication of his pedigree, that he’s among the top ten midfielders despite two relatively long lean spells this term.
Bowen’s returns have improved in recent weeks
If Bowen can continue his good form then March may be the best time to enact a transfer for Dream Team managers tempted by this proposition.
West Ham resume Europa Conference League duties in Game Week 25 with two legs against AEK Larnaca, currently second in the Cypriot top flight.
Saying that, the Irons’ domestic fixtures aren’t too friendly; they face Man United in the FA Cup this week before league meetings with Brighton, Aston Villa and Man City.
Still, Bowen’s returns are worth monitoring. More

IT’S easy enough for Dream Team gaffers to check each club’s best performers this season.But we’ve gone one further here and ranked all twenty teams on how reliant they are on their top asset.
We’ve crunched the numbers to work out the percentages for each of the players in relation to their side’s overall tally; for example, if Player x has 100 points and Team y has 1,000 points then the percentage is 10%.
20. ARSENAL – BUKAYO SAKA (£4.8m) – 9.26%
Arsenal’s resident ‘Starboy’Credit: GETTY
The Gunners’ title charge is the absolute definition of a team effort on the basis of this evidence.
Saka is the third-best midfielder in the game and has undoubtedly been one of the standout individuals of the season but the stats don’t lie, Mikel Arteta’s side have spread around the points more than any other team.
A good omen for their title challenge?
19. WEST HAM – JARROD BOWEN (£3.8m) – 9.6%
The Hammers’ No20 has enjoyed an upturn in form recently, producing 43 points in his last six outings.
Prior to that, Said Benrahma (£3m) was the club’s best performer but his overall tally of 78 points is nothing more than respectable.
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18. LEICESTER – JAMES MADDISON (£5.9m) – 10.63%
The Foxes’ playmaker-in-chief is his side’s best player, 12 points ahead of Harvey Barnes (£4.4m), despite the fact he was sidelined for several weeks with a knee injury.
Had Maddison been available more often, Leicester would likely be in the top half of this list as the No10 has clearly been their most successful asset for a while now.
17. NOTTINGHAM FOREST – MORGAN GIBBS-WHITE (£2.3m) – 11.03%
Not much to shout about here as the 23-year-old, as impressive as he’s been, has just 64 points to his name.
Only two other players on this list have fewer points than Gibbs-White.
Dean Henderson (£3m) was actually among the top five goalkeepers at one stage but injury has curtailed his campaign.
Gibbs-White has been a good signing for ForestCredit: GETTY
16. CRYSTAL PALACE – MICHAEL OLISE (£2.9m) – 12.11%
The Eagles are without a win in their last nine fixtures across all competitions and have won just one game since the restart.
The fact that Olise, with two goals and five assists, is their best Dream Team asset is another indication that things aren’t going all that smoothly at Selhurst Park right now.
15. BRIGHTON – SOLLY MARCH (£3.4m) – 12.17%
There’s a cigarette paper between the Seagulls’ best performers with Pascal Gross (£2.8m) on 83 points, Kaoru Mitoma (£3.5m) on 84 points and March leading the way on 88.
This is a case of one position holding up the team rather than one specific player – the aforementioned midfielders have all enjoyed fruitful bursts but Brighton’s defenders and forwards haven’t mustered many returns at all.
14. CHELSEA – THIAGO SILVA (£6m) – 12.82%
The experienced Brazilian is 29 points ahead of his next-best team-mate, Kepa Arrizabalaga (£3.5m), and it’s something of a surprise that he doesn’t feature higher in this list.
Silva has been among the top ten defender pretty much from the get-go in 2022/23 (currently eighth) but the Blues have no midfielders in the top 40 and their best forward, Kai Havertz (£3.3m), is 20th.
Fine wines and all that
13. FULHAM – ALEKSANDAR MITROVIC (£4.4m) – 13%
No prizes for guessing the Cottagers’ best performer this term.
Had we written this article earlier in the season the Serbian No9 would be among the top three names on this list but, partly due to injury niggles, his returns have dropped off in recent weeks – he’s added just three points to his total across the last nine Game Weeks.
Mitrovic’s overall tally of 93 points is still impressive but he’s not the top-tier asset he was during the first third of the season.
12. WOLVES – RUBEN NEVES (£3m) – 14.51%
The Portugal international has quietly earned five Star Man awards so far this season – only four players have more to their name – hence his slightly surprisingly appearance in the top 15 midfielders (84 points).
Wolves were horribly out of form prior to the World Cup but they’ve lost just one of their last seven league games and are heading towards the relative safety of mid table under Julen Lopetegui.
11. MANCHESTER UNITED – MARCUS RASHFORD (£6.5m) – 14.6%
Here’s a fun fact, the Red Devils as a collective have one more point than their “noisy neighbours” with 1,644 to Manchester City’s 1,643 at this stage, making them Dream Team’s outright best team!
Their in-form No10 has been unstoppable of late and his tally of 240 points is second-best overall but the fact Man United are in the bottom half of this list shows Rashford has had plenty of able assistance too.
In fact, seven Old Trafford residents are into double figures – that’s the most centurions of any team.
10. EVERTON – JAMES TARKOWSKI (£2.9m) – 15.14%
Familiar with Dyche-ball
The second of only three defenders on this list.
In characteristic fashion, the no-nonsense centre-back has doubled up at the Toffees’ primary attacking threat since Sean Dyche’s appointment, given the value placed on set pieces.
That being said, Tarkowski has scraped together just 63 points (the second-lowest total of any player listed) and one only team, yet to feature, have fewer points overall than Everton’s 416.
9. LEEDS – RODRIGO (£4m) – 15.49%
The Spanish forward remains one of just seven players to have reached double figures for Premier League goals in 2022/23.
This statistic underlines how much his absence may hurt the Whites in their quest to avoid the drop.
8. NEWCASTLE – KIERAN TRIPPIER (£6.5m) – 16.16%
Generally speaking, the Magpies have relied upon their defensive assets as a whole to amass the bulk of their Dream Team points but their even with Nick Pope (£4.7m) and Fabian Schar (£4.3m) having done so well their vice captain earns a lofty placing in this list because of his massive tally of 191 points.
Kevin De Bruyne (£7.3m) is the only player to have been named Star Man more times than Trippier (seven) this season, a reflection of the England international’s dual purpose at St James’ Park: reliable right-back and prolific chance-creator.
7. TOTTENHAM – HARRY KANE (£8m) – 16.42%
Spurs’ all-time top scorerCredit: GETTY
Another easy one to guess here, particularly with Son Heung-min (£5.3m) having been under par for long periods.
Kane has 20 goals in all competitions already with roughly a third of the season still to fulfil.
With 179 points, the England skipper is Dream Team’s fifth-best asset overall.
6. LIVERPOOL – MOHAMED SALAH (£8.3m) – 16.74%
The Reds have been a source of persistent frustration for many Dream Team bosses these past few months but at least their Egyptian hero has continued to provide the goods.
Last season’s top points scorer is set for yet another impressive campaign this time around having racked up 182 points.
In previous years, Salah has led the way but been ably supported by a strong backing group, however, with the likes of Virgil van Dijk (£4.7m) and Andy Robertson (£3.8m) operating at half capacity in a Dream Team sense, Liverpool’s No11 has had to perform something of a carry job.
5. MANCHESTER CITY – ERLING HAALAND (£8.9m) – 16.86%
As mentioned earlier, Pep Guardiola’s side are just one point off their local rivals in regards to the best collective totals and even with the usual assortment of world-class midfield returns – De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez (£6m) and Phil Foden (£4.6m) are all centurions – it’s hard to look past their monstrous No9.
Haaland has made a mockery of English football in his debut campaign on these shores having raced to 27 goals in 24 league appearances – the Golden Boot is already his for all intents and purposes.
His tally of 277 points is borderline freakish at this stage of the campaign but, incredibly, he now faces stiff competition from Rashford in the race to be named Dream Team’s apex predator come the end of term.
4. BRENTFORD – IVAN TONEY (£5.8m) – 17.23%
Brentford’s top marksmanCredit: GETTY
Ben Mee (£3.7m) is doing himself proud this season but even so, Toney has a 41-point lead the top of the rankings among the Bees.
The 26-year-old needs just one more goal or assist to pass 20 goal involvements for the campaign and despite not having European fixtures to boost his schedule, he’s well placed to finish among Dream Team’s top five forwards.
3. BOURNEMOUTH – PHILLIP BILLING (£2.6m) – 18.1%
Unfortunately, there’s not much to smile about here.
Billing has mustered just 61 points (most of them coming within the first ten Game Weeks) and somehow that’s enough to account for 18.1% of the Cherries’ team total.
The whole situation just screams: relegation.
2. SOUTHAMPTON – CHE ADAMS (£3.3m) – 20.63%
It’s a similar story at St Mary’s too although Saints’ Scottish forward can hold his head high having earned 91 points.
Granted, Adams’ respectable total owes a lot to his five goals in the Carabao Cup but that’s the beauty of Dream Team, gaffers have to be alert to all possibilities presented by the relevant competitions.
Southampton’s No10 deserves plenty of credit of providing over a fifth of his side’s points to date – any danger of helping him out, lads?
1. ASTON VILLA – OLLIE WATKINS (£4.5m) – 20.85%
Watkins can’t stop scoringCredit: GETTY
Top of the pile is a striker who is in great form right now.
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Watkins has scored in each of his last five games, a prosperous run that has generated 39 points – a superb effort considering he’s played Man City and Arsenal in that time.
The ex-Brentford forward has responded excellently to Unai Emery’s tactics – he now leads the line alone – and 65 points across the last 11 Game Weeks speaks for itself. More

PHIL FODEN’S (£4.6m) season came to a strange halt a few weeks ago.Manchester City’s homegrown starlet came down with illness at some stage, something that has affected a few Etihad residents this term, but his playing time was also reduced because of the form of his team-mates.
Jack Grealish (£4.1m) has been in Pep Guardiola’s good books of late and Riyad Mahrez (£6m) has justified his regular starts with plenty of goal involvements too.
Foden is more than capable of playing in midfield but in recent years he’s generally been deployed in the front three and with the false nine era having been ended by Erling Haaland’s (£8.9m) arrival at Eastlands, he’s had to wait his turn.
Statement made
The England international was given the full 90 minutes to strut his stuff against Bournemouth on Saturday for the first time since City’s 2-0 defeat to Southampton in the Carabao Cup back in mid-January.
And boy did he take his opportunity.
Micah Richards described Foden’s display at the Vitality Stadium as a “10/10 performance” on Match of the Day and while Dream Team’s ratings providers, WhoScored, were slightly less forthcoming (9/10) they agreed that City’s No47 was the best player on the pitch.
Foden was great value for the Star Man award having created the most chances, registered the most touches in the opposition’s box and completed the most passes in the final third.
Most importantly, he scored one of City’s four goals and assisted another.
According to WhoScored, Foden’s exhibition on the south coast was his second-best of the campaign so far – his hat-trick in the Manchester derby back in October earned him a 10/10 rating.
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Foden appears in 17% of Dream TeamsCredit: GETTY
In Dream Team terms, Foden banked 15 points when all was said and done, his first double-digit haul since Game Week 17.
The points would have come as a great relief to the 17% of Dream Team bosses currently backing the midfielder, who remains the fifth-most popular asset in his position despite a dip in returns recently.
Presumably, Saturday’s performance would have put an end to Foden’s mini exile.
With 114 points in total, he’s the fifth-best midfielder, five points ahead of Martin Odegaard (£3.4m) – Arsenal’s captain is over twice as popular.
Foden has scored ten goals and been credited with six assists at club level in 2022/23 – which boils down to a goal involvement every 109 minutes.
As has been established for a while now, he’s a top-tier Dream Team asset when fit and selected… but Guardiola is a cruel taskmaster at times. More