Fantasy Football

THE Premier League season will resume with a bang this weekend thanks to mouthwatering fixtures such as Arsenal v Tottenham and the Manchester derby.They’ll hardly be any time to catch breath however as there’s a full allotment of European fixtures to take place in midweek.
In fact, because of Leicester v Nottingham Forest (another derby) on Monday night, there will be Dream Team eligible fixtures for six consecutive days in Game Week 8.
With action aplenty, which players are best placed to rack up double-digit hauls? We’ve picked out three assets who seem to fit the bill…
Luis Diaz (£5.3m)
Diaz has already scored four goals this seasonCredit: getty
As the kids say, the Colombian winger ‘has that dog in him’ and it’s his blend of tenacity and technique that has allowed him to tick along nicely despite Liverpool’s hot-and-cold form at the start of 2022/23.
Diaz has scored four goals in eight appearances so far and this week he’ll be unleashed upon Brighton and Rangers.
The Reds won 2-0 at the Amex back in March and, wouldn’t you know it, Diaz scored a brave header that day so recent history is on his side in this fixture.
Plus, the Seagulls may be weakened by the departure of Graham Potter, who did an excellent job on the south coast.
As for Rangers, last season’s Europa League finalists appear to have dropped a level from last term and were comprehensively beaten by Celtic, Ajax and Napoli prior to the international break – a trip to Anfield looks a daunting task for the Glasgow club.
Points have been hard to come by for Liverpool’s defenders this campaign but Diaz and company still pack a punch going forward and if selected to start both fixtures this week, it would be something of a surprise if the 25-year-old didn’t register at least one goal involvement.
Bukayo Saka (£4.1m)
England’s game-changer against Germany
The north London derby will be fiercely contested as always but the Gunners will feel confident of getting one over their rivals on home soil.
Arsenal’s No7 made a huge difference to England’s attack when he came off the bench against Germany, playing a significant role in the 12-minute blitz that that resulted in three goals for the hosts at Wembley.
Truth be told, Saka has not been at his absolute best at the start of this season and yet it’s a measure of his talent that he has a goal and four assists to his name from seven league outings.
Spurs are third in the table currently but Antonio Conte will be concerned by how many shots they’ve allowed so far, suggesting they’re more vulnerable than their lofty position indicates.
Harry Kane (£7.5m) and company could do some damage at the other end of the pitch but it will be a tough ask for the visitors to keep a clean sheet at the Emirates on Saturday and Saka will be at the heart of many an attack.
Mikel Arteta’s side then face Bodo/Glimt on at home on Thursday night and while the Norwegian club have punched above their weight in recent seasons, Arsenal will be heavy favourites.
Of course, Saka may be rested but even a quick dart off the bench could prove profitable.
Kevin De Bruyne (£7.5m)
Dream Team’s best-performing midfielder so far this seasonCredit: getty
A blindingly obvious nomination? Admittedly, yes.
But we reckon Manchester City’s brilliant Belgian will outscore Erling Haaland (£8.7m) in Game Week 8 – now that’s a bold call given the Norwegian striker has 121 points to his name at this stage.
Pep Guardiola’s men face Man United on Sunday and Copenhagen with both fixtures taking place at the Etihad.
Bearing in mind De Bruyne is averaging a goal or assist every 78.7 minutes this season it seems reasonable to expect more plentiful returns this coming week.
And we reckon he’ll edge out Haaland thanks to a Star Man award (or two?) seeing as his play style tickles WhoScored’s stats-based algorithm so seductively even when he doesn’t find the net himself.
Cue a pair of Haaland hat-tricks…

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ARSENAL deserve huge credit for the way they’ve burst out of the blocks this season.On the brink of October, the Gunners are top of the Premier League having won six of their first seven games.
Given that Mikel Arteta’s side also won their first European fixture of 2022/23, it would perhaps be reasonable to expect this supremacy to be reflected in the Dream Team rankings.
While plenty of Emirates residents are providing plentiful returns, not least the popular Gabriel Jesus (£5.7m) who has racked up 45 points, it’s Manchester City assets who are dominating the Stats Centre at this juncture.
Dream Team’s best defenderCredit: getty
Joao Cancelo (£7.6m) is already in a bracket of his own in his position having established a 17-point lead at the top of the defensive rankings.
The Portuguese full-back has earned seven 7+ ratings this campaign, only one player has more at this stage – more on him in a moment.
Cancelo built some serious momentum prior to the international break, registering 41 points across his last five outings.
Similarly, Kevin De Bruyne (£7.5m) is the current outright best asset in his field.
The brilliant Belgian doesn’t have the luxury of Cancelo’s extensive lead as he’s just eight points ahead of surprise package Pascal Gross (£3m).
However, the 31-year-old’s numbers make for ominous reading – he’s raced to eight assists in no time at all and has a goal plus two Star Man awards in addition.
And of course the forward rankings have been rendered a mockery by Erling Haaland (£8.7m) who, unsurprisingly, is the only player to have gained more 7+ ratings than Cancelo.
City’s relentless No9 has scored 14 goals in all competitions at a rate of one every 52.5 minutes – obscene.
A formidable duoCredit: getty
Haaland has already bagged two hat-tricks, which came in consecutive games to give him a freakish haul of 51 points in Game Week 4.
For comparison, only two other forwards, Ivan Toney (£4.9m) and Aleksandar Mitrovic (£4.7m), have 50+ points to their name in total.
The Norwegian goal-machine has amassed 121 points from just seven Game Weeks’ work.
For those keeping track, that gives Haaland a 67-point lead at the top of the rankings which already looks like an insurmountable deficit.
Cristiano Ronaldo (£5.5m) is the only player in Dream Team history to have reached 400+ points – in 2007/08 – but Haaland has given himself every chance of joining the exclusive group with his flying start.
Elsewhere, Phil Foden (£5.7m) and Ruben Dias (£5.7m) are also within the top 15 performers overall at this stage, giving City five representatives in total to Arsenal’s one, the aforementioned Jesus.
This is not meant to be a dig at the Gunners at all, just a reminder that the league table doesn’t always tell the full story.
Arteta’s troops may be doing tremendously well but in the realm of Dream Team, City still reign supreme.

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THE next time the classic Dream Team season game pauses it will be for the World Cup.Until then, there’s an unholy volume of club games to be fulfilled and shed-loads of points to be collected.
Given that some teams are scheduled to play six fixtures in October and others have as many as NINE games to complete, gaffers would do well to ensure their XI is in tip-top shape, especially if they’ve got one eye on our monthly competition’s top prize.
With that in mind, we’ve assembled a list of five players we believe have the potential to amass a lot of points next month.
Before we get into the list, the likes of Erling Haaland (£8.7m), Harry Kane (£ 7.5m), Kevin De Bruyne (£7.5m), etc should go without saying – you don’t need us to tell you they’ll keep producing the goods.
The following suggestions don’t fall into the category of: obvious candidates.
Gabriel Martinelli (£3.3m)
Young Gunner
Arsenal are one of those teams with a whopping nine fixtures to fulfil in October and while rotation is inevitable, their Brazilian No11 will be a busy man.
Martinelli has already scored three league goals this season and notably had an impressive strike disallowed at Old Trafford for a foul in the build-up that could have gone either way.
The 21-year-old looks lively this term and has been desperately unlucky not to have registered an assist.
In fact, only De Bruyne has accumulated more expected assists (xA) in the Premier League so far in 2022/23 – if he keeps at it then surely his team-mates will start making more of the chances he’s creating.
The table-topping Gunners face stiff tests against Tottenham and Liverpool in October but four Europa League outings and games against Leeds, Southampton and Nottingham Forest represent significant point-scoring opportunities.
Aleksandar Mitrovic (£4.7m)
Mitro was on fire for Serbia during the international break
Fulham have just the six fixtures in October but it’s a relatively favourable set: Newcastle, West Ham, Bournemouth, Aston Villa, Leeds, Everton.
All those teams are currently below the Cottagers in the table and half of them have only won one league game so far this season.
No player has registered more shots in the top flight than Fulham’s No9 at this stage, not even Haaland.
And Manchester City’s prolific Norwegian is the only man with more league goals (and Dream Team points) than Mitrovic after seven Game Weeks.
Plus, the Serbian target man kept his excellent form going with four goals during the international break – he’s in a serious groove.
Luis Diaz (£5.3m)
Too obvious?
This suggestion may be considered an obvious one but we thought it best to include the Colombian winger anyway since a few Dream Team managers have been uncertain on how to react to Liverpool’s hot-and-cold form.
The first thing to note is that Diaz has ticked along nicely despite the Reds’ somewhat shaky start to the campaign, it’s the defenders who have suffered.
With 33 points to his name, the 25-year-old is the joint-sixth best midfield asset right now by virtue of four goals in eight appearances.
And we think he could run riot in October thanks to some favourable fixtures.
Brighton’s visit to Anfield in Game Week 8 looks considerably more friendly now Graham Potter has moved onto pastures new and a double-header against Rangers – who were soundly beaten in three consecutive games in September – should be profitable for Diaz and company.
Granted, Liverpool must also face Arsenal and Man City in the coming weeks but league games against West Ham, Nottingham Forest (both currently in the relegation zone) and Leeds (still suspect at the back) to finish the month should be fruitful endeavours.
Reece James (£5.3m)
Simmering away under the surface
Something of a bold shout here given the England international is averaging just 2.4 points-per-game so far this campaign.
However, now that Potter has had some time to settle in at Stamford Bridge, we reckon Chelsea will pick up this coming month.
Based on the new gaffer’s previous tactics at Brighton, James should have a pivotal role to play if he’s deployed as the right-sided wing-back, where he can occupy attacking positions in the final third.
The Blues’ first two league games after the break come against Crystal Palace and Wolves, two teams who have scored just ten goals between them in 13 combined games, so Potter will be hopeful of at least one much-needed clean sheet.
Back-to-back Champions League clashes with AC Milan will be hotly contested but October shouldn’t be too problematic for Chelsea all things considered.
Assists are coming for James, trust us.
Bruno Fernandes (£4.9m)
19 points across the last three Game Weeks
Who remembers when the Portuguese midfielder was by far and away the most-popular player in Dream Team?
Those days seem a long time ago as Fernandes’ current ownership of 4.9% makes him just the 16th-most selected asset in his position.
His total of 20 points is nothing more than moderate to date but there were signs before the international break that he was growing into the season.
With Erik ten Hag having steadied the ship after a rocky start, Fernandes has pocketed 19 points across the last three Game Weeks.
Looking ahead to October, the Manchester derby will obviously be a huge test and the Red Devils also have to play Chelsea and Spurs but fixtures against Omonia Nicosia (x2), Sheriff Tiraspol, Everton and West Ham look ripe for returns.
Fernandes’ form is worth monitoring at the very least – we all know what he’s capable of at his best.

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THE international break is over and it’s time for Dream Team bosses to refocus on the task at hand.Transfers won’t be refreshed until October 7th because of how the Game Weeks fall but you should still be aware of the upcoming month’s fixtures.
October is an incredibly busy month, particularly for clubs participating in Europe, so your XI needs to be in tip-top shape.
Let’s take a closer look at the imminent fixtures for the current top eight teams…
Gabriel Jesus will be a busy man in OctoberCredit: getty
ARSENAL

Tottenham (h)
Bodo/Glimt (h)
Liverpool (h)
Bodo/Glimt (a)
Leeds (a)
PSV (h)
Southampton (a)
PSV (a)
Nottingham Forest (h)

The Gunners have a whopping nine fixtures to fulfil before the start of November!
Naturally, the north London derby will be fiercely contested and even an out-of-sorts Liverpool pose a considerable threat but Mikel Arteta’s side have the luxury of home advantage for both crunch match-ups.
As the Premier League’s leaders, trips to Leeds and Southampton shouldn’t be too problematic and Forest’s visit to the Emirates looks ripe for points at the end of the month.
Keep an eye on the team selections on Thursday nights – those four Europa League fixtures shouldn’t be totally ignored.
MANCHESTER CITY

Manchester United (h)
Copenhagen (h)
Southampton (h)
Copenhagen (a)
Liverpool (a)
Brighton (h)
Borussia Dortmund (a)
Leicester (a)

Like Arsenal, City start the month with three consecutive home games, giving Erling Haaland (£8.7m) and Kevin De Bruyne (£7.5m) significant opportunities to strengthen their positions at the top of their respective position rankings.
Trips to Anfield and Signal Iduna Park will test the character of Pep Guardiola’s side but there’s rarely a bad month to back Etihad assets.
Graham Potter’s departure makes Brighton a more appealing match-up while Leicester are in serious danger of shipping seven or eight goals to City given their current defensive woes.
Haaland and De Bruyne could go to town on Leicester’s defence given the chance
TOTTENHAM

Arsenal (a)
Frankfurt (a)
Brighton (a)
Frankfurt (h)
Everton (h)
Manchester United (a)
Newcastle (h)
Sporting CP (h)
Bournemouth (a)

Five of Spurs’ nine October fixtures come on the road, including three away days back-to-back at the start of the month.
Antonio Conte’s side were gifted a relatively favourable Champions League group but they suffered a disappointing defeat to Sporting CP in Lisbon prior to the international break so perhaps we need to re-evaluate our expectations on that front.
There are a few potential speed bumps on the horizon but Harry Kane (£7.5m) will feel confident of extending his fine start to the campaign while Son Heung-min (£5.8m) will be hopeful of building upon his much-needed hat-trick in Game Week 7.
BRIGHTON

Liverpool (a)
Tottenham (h)
Brentford (a)
Nottingham Forest (h)
Manchester City (a)
Chelsea (h)

The first thing to note is that the Seagulls have just six fixtures to fulfil whereas some other clubs will be in action nine times – that’s a big difference.
Not only that, four of Brighton’s games come against members of the so-called ‘big six’.
Factor in a change of personnel in the dugout and all signs seem to suggest Dream Team managers should stay clear of Amex assets in the coming weeks.
Man United assets have surged up the rankings after a shaky start
MANCHESTER UNITED

Manchester City (a)
Omonia Nicosia (a)
Everton (a)
Omonia Nicosia (h)
Newcastle (h)
Tottenham (h)
Chelsea (a)
Sheriff Tiraspol (h)
West Ham (h)

The Red Devils face a tricky run of domestic fixtures that’s offset by some favourable match-ups in the Europa League that could be fruitful.
After a rocky start, Erik ten Hag has guided his side to four straight wins in the league, a run that has propelled Marcus Rashford (£4m), Jadon Sancho (£3.5m) and Diogo Dalot (£2.6m) up the Dream Team rankings.
The jury is still out on Man United this term but this coming month will go a long way to answering some pressing questions.
FULHAM

Newcastle (h)
West Ham (a)
Bournemouth (h)
Aston Villa (h)
Leeds (a)
Everton (h)

Just the six fixtures for the Cottagers but it’s a relatively friendly batch so Aleksandar Mitrovic (£4.7m) owners may reap more substantial rewards in the near future.
Dream Team’s third-best player overallCredit: getty
CHELSEA

Crystal Palace (a)
Milan (h)
Wolves (h)
Milan (a)
Aston Villa (a)
Brentford (a)
Manchester United (h)
Red Bull Salzburg (a)
Brighton (a)

The Blues are on the road for six fixtures out of nine this coming month.
And having mustered just one point from their first two Champions League games, a double header against the reigning Serie A champions appears a daunting task.
Still, a busy schedule should mean plenty more points for Raheem Sterling (£5m) and if Potter can work some of the magic he performed at Brighton then this could be something of a transformative month for Chelsea.
Surely we’ll see improved returns from Reece James (£5.3m) sooner rather than later?
LIVERPOOL

Brighton (h)
Rangers (h)
Arsenal (a)
Rangers (a)
Manchester City (h)
West Ham (h)
Nottingham Forest (a)
Ajax (a)
Leeds (h)

Three stern tests against Arsenal, City and Ajax await but Jurgen Klopp will be privately confident about his side’s chances elsewhere in October.
Rangers suffered three consecutive heavy defeats before the international break and appear diminished from the force they were last season when they made it to the Europa League final.
The Hammers and Forest are both currently among the bottom three and while Leeds have offered a bit of everything this season, the Reds have scored freely against them in recent meetings so the back end of the month could be very profitable for the likes of Luis Diaz (£5.3m) and Mohamed Salah (£7.7m).
The Hammers are also in action nine times throughout OctoberCredit: getty
WEST HAM

Wolves (h)
Anderlecht (a)
Fulham (h)
Anderlecht (h)
Southampton (a)
Liverpool (a)
Bournemouth (h)
Silkeborg (h)
Manchester United (a)

As just mentioned, the Irons are languishing near the foot of the Premier League table but since their Europa Conference League commitments mean they also have nine fixtures in October we thought it best to include them as well.
It’s worth keeping track of the distribution of minutes between Michail Antonio (£4.1m) and Gianluca Scamacca (£2.9m), both have kept Dream Team gaffers interested so far in 2022/23.

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A QUICK glance at the midfield rankings confirms that many of Dream Team’s usual suspects are thriving at the start of the 2022/23 season.Kevin De Bruyne (£7.5m) leads the field with 49 points while familiar favourites such as Phil Foden (£5.7m), Raheem Sterling (£5m), Luis Diaz (£5.3m) and Bernardo Silva (£4.6m) are all there or thereabouts.
But there’s an impostor present too, none other than Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (£3.1m).
Hear us out on this one
Okay, impostor is a harsh word, Tottenham’s No5 has earned his 35 points just as legitimately as any other player after all.
The point is, this feels like a classic test of Dream Team gaffers’ knowledge and experience – do we think Hojbjerg’s returns are sustainable?
The biggest indicator when analysing a midfielder’s long-term viability is their specific role at club level.
Wingers, playmakers and late-arriving No8s all get the thumbs up because, by their very nature, they will be directly contributing to goals on a regular basis if they’re selected and playing well.
However, defensive midfielders and deep-lying playmakers are tasked with other duties and frequently go long spells without registering a goal or assist, mostly because it’s their job to recover the ball and give it to their more attack-minded team-mates.
Hojbjerg very much falls into the second camp.
And that’s not a dig at the Denmark international, every football fan worth their salt knows such players are required to form a balanced midfield.
It’s just that in the world of Dream Team, managers don’t have to worry about a realistic balance of profiles, they just want as many goal involvements as possible.
Kevin De Bruyne’s play style is conducive to consistently brilliant returnsCredit: getty
Hojbjerg has scored two goals and provided two assists already this season which is a commendable effort but the underlying stats suggest it would be naive to expect him to maintain his current rate.
For example, 100 players have registered more shots in the Premier League at this stage.
The 27-year-old has scored two goals from six shots giving him a conversion rate of 33.3%.
While this is to be applauded, history tells us very few players are consistently this efficient, especially not midfield anchors.
For comparison, Aleksandar Mitrovic (£4.7m), who has been described as ‘clinical’ many times over during his prolific opening burst, has a conversion rate of 19.4% in the league this season.
Expected goals (xG) is another helpful metric in scenarios such as this.
Those leading the way in xG are usually the league’s top scorers too and that’s the case currently with Erling Haaland (£8.7m) having amassed the most, followed by Mitrovic and Harry Kane (£7.5m).
146 players have accumulated more xG than Hojbjerg’s 0.3 after seven Game Weeks.
Again, while we need to give the former Southampton man credit for his finishing up to this point, we must also be realistic and expect a drop-off when it comes to shot conversion.
Defensive midfielders rarely excel in Dream TeamCredit: getty
In fairness to Hojbjerg, his creative numbers suggest he may be able to keep chipping in with the odd assist – only 16 players have totalled more expected assists (xA).
However, taking everything into account, he simply isn’t equipped to maintain his current level of returns and the 4.9% of gaffers backing him should brace themselves for a dip in the coming months.
Martin Odegaard (£3.2m) can be snapped up for just £0.1m more and as a more advanced midfielder he’s more likely to provide goal involvements in the long run – Arsenal’s captain is expected to return from injury in Game Week 8.
Hojbjerg owners with a little more budget spare would do well to consider Jadon Sancho (£3.5m), Luis Sinisterra (£3.3m) and Jack Harrison (£3.5m) – only De Bruyne has accumulated more xA than the latter this season.

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Let’s step away from the Gareth Southgate culture war for a moment and refocus on Dream Team.As you probably already know, lowly-owned players often have the greatest impact.
Erling Haaland (£8.7m) is plundering points for fun but since he appears in the vast majority of teams it’s highly likely that the two rivals either side of you in your mini-league will also benefit from his hat-tricks.
With that in mind, these are the seven forwards with the most points among assets that currently have an ownership below 2%.
Julian Alvarez (£3.9m)

18 points
1.7% ownership

One of Man City’s many attacking assets
There’s a good reason the Argentine forward features in so few teams, he’s understudy to Man City’s prolific No9.
Pep Guardiola likes to rotate his squad but let’s be honest, Haaland will start every meaningful game for the foreseeable future and Alvarez will have to make do with substitute appearances an occasional starts on the right flank.
The 22-year-old has looked lively in his 166 minutes of Premier League action so far – he scored a brace against Nottingham Forest in Game Week 4 and banked all of his 18 points in one fell swoop.
His role may increase in importance as the season progresses.
Leandro Trossard (£3.6m)

19 points
0.3% ownership

Just as Brighton are a well-functioning Premier League side, their Belgian No11 has the technical skills to compete and then some in the top flight.
2021/22 was Trossard’s best ever campaign in terms of goals (eight) for the Seagulls and he’s out the gate with two in his first six outings this term, not to mention an assist.
Brighton are currently fourth in the league and Trossard has been a key contributor to their flying start but how will Graham Potter’s departure impact their fortunes after the international break?
The fact Trossard is categorised as a forward rather than a midfielder makes him a less viable option but he’s certainly not an asset to write-off totally.
Bright sparkCredit: getty
Danny Ings (£3.1m)

21 points
0.7% ownership

Aston Villa’s No9 has a respectable total but that’s predominantly because of a 15-point haul against Bolton in the Carabao Cup.
Ings has blanked in three consecutive outings since then and didn’t feature against Man City so it would be a stretch to say he’s worth a transfer.
Banking points in the domestic cups is a perfectly legitimate method but generally speaking you want your players to be providing healthy returns in the league on a weekly basis.
Michail Antonio (£4.1m)

23 points
1.3% ownership

West Ham’s experienced striker is an underrated Dream Team asset.
Injury setbacks have frustrated his owners but he’s often been good value-for-money when fit, as evidenced by his opening salvo this campaign.
It’s two goals and two assists in terms of goal involvements and he pocketed 19 points cross Game Weeks 4 and 5.
Hammer time!Credit: getty
Rodrigo (£2.4m)

28 points
1.6% ownership

The Leeds forward was flying before he popped his shoulder out against Everton in Game Week 4.
Re-energised under Jesse Marsch, Rodrigo filled in for the injury-dogged Patrick Bamford (£2.7m) at centre-forward and did a tremendous job before he was sidelined, scoring four goals and providing an assist in 360 minutes of Premier League action.
The 31-year-old is expected to return shortly after the international break and plenty of Dream Team bosses will be on the look out to see if he picks up where he left off.
Gianluca Scamacca (£2.9m)

30 points
1.9% ownership

Bow down to the master of the Europa Conference League!
The Hammers’ new target man took Viborg and Silkeborg for 31 points by virtue of two goals, an assist and a pair of Star Man awards.
The downside is that the Italy international has mustered minus one point from his league outings so far, mostly cameos off the bench in fairness.
One to keep an eye on but no more at this stage.
Lucky SaintCredit: getty
Che Adams (£2.9m)

31 points
0.8% ownership

Another strange case here as all 31 of the Southampton poacher’s points came in Game Week 3.
Adams came off the bench to score twice against Leicester on the Saturday before helping himself to a brace against Cambridge on Tuesday in the Carabao Cup.
Four goals in 97 minutes is, to put it mildly, good going but the pessimistic view is that a scoring rate of this nature is unsustainable, as evidenced by his blanks elsewhere.

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LET’S not pretend that picking an England team using Dream Team points is the optimum method.The very nature of the methodology means we’re likely to end up with an imbalanced XI because, let’s be honest, fantasy football is very different to the real thing.
Saying that, Dream Team points do generally correlate with individual performances so let’s pick a team anyway and see who makes the cut.
GOALKEEPER: Nick Pope (£3.7m)
Have faith in Pope
Not only is the Newcastle custodian the best goalkeeper among his compatriots at this stage of the season, he’s Dream Team outright best asset in his position among all his peers.
Pope has amassed 39 points, a tally built on a foundation of three Star Man awards which is the joint-most after seven Game Weeks.
It terms of pure shot-stopping, the ex-Burnley keeper is probably the best of the options available to Gareth Southgate but his distribution isn’t up to the same standard as Jordan Pickford (£2.5m) or Aaron Ramsdale (£3.1m), how much that matters is up for debate.
His place on the plan to Qatar is guaranteed if he avoids injury.
DEFENDERS: Kieran Trippier (£3.9m), John Stones (£5.2m), Eric Dier (£4.3m), James Tarkowski (£3.5m)
Trippier’s success goes hand-in-hand with Pope’s as Eddie Howe’s side have conceded just seven goals this season, which is a great effort considering they’ve already played Manchester City and Liverpool.
The 32-year-old full-back is a favourite of Southgate’s and continues to make England squads despite stiff competition for places in his preferred positon.
If Dream Team points are anything to go by then Trippier is actually the best option out of himself, Reece James (£5.3m), Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.6m) and Kyle Walker (£4m) but whether that aligns with reality is another question.
England’s best right-back?Credit: getty
Stones has been a regular starter for the Three Lions in recent years and his tally of 29 points is only marginally bettered by Eric Dier’s (£4.3m) total of 30 this term.
Given Harry Maguire’s (£2.6m) club form in recent times, many supporters on these shores believe that this combination is most-equipped to start against Iran come late November.
But here’s a spanner in the works: Tarkowski is Dream Team’s outright best English centre-back in 2022/23.
The Everton man’s tally of 37 points (same as Trippier’s) is only dwarfed by Joao Cancelo’s (£7.6m) among all defenders in the game – the Portuguese full-back has racked up 54 points.
Tarkowski earned two caps for England in 2018 but hasn’t featured since – time for a recall?
MIDFIELDERS: Phil Foden (£5.7m), Raheem Sterling (£5m), Jadon Sancho (£3.5m)
This midfield would never work in reality as all three are almost exclusively deployed in attacking positions.
But perhaps the fact that Foden (39 points) and Sterling (35 points) are both among the top four midfield assets indicates that they’re the two players who deserve to start in the wide positions in Southgate’s set-up?
Sancho has looked brighter at the start of this seasonCredit: getty
Sancho just edges out Jack Harrison (£3.5m) to claim third spot – 29 points to 28 – which is interesting because neither winger is included in the current squad.
Manchester United’s No25 has scored three goals at the start of this season and may be able to force himself on the plane to Qatar if he continues to show a marked improvement on last term.
FORWARDS: Harry Kane (£7.5m), Ivan Toney (£4.9m), Marcus Rashford (£4m)
Captain Kane is an automatic selection for Southgate but the issue of who should be first reserve at centre-forward is widely debated.
It’s early days but Toney is actually outperforming Tottenham’s No10 in Dream Team this season, having amassed 52 points thanks predominantly to his impressive hat-trick against Leeds.
Kane’s tally of 47 points is very healthy too – he’s sixth in the overall rankings at this juncture.
Toney should feature in some capacity against Germany this eveningCredit: getty
Two thirds of our hypothetical forward line aligns with Southgate’s most recent squad selection but the 52-year-old omitted Rashford, who fell out of favour on the international scene after Euro 2020.
Man United’s homegrown hero desperately struggled for from last season but he’s set about correcting that well so far in 2022/23 with 35 points from six outings.
Three goals and two assists in 523 minutes of Premier League action is much more encouraging, reminiscent of the Rashford who was a Dream Team gem in 2020/21.
Like Sancho, the 24-year-old has a chance of making the World Cup squad if he continues to score goals under Erik ten Hag – the fact he’s previously been involved under Southgate will help his case.

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FREDDY KRUEGER, Michael Myers, Leatherface… these villains have got nothing on this tale of Dream Team horror.When Kasper Schmeichel left Leicester to join Nice in August it opened the door for Danny Ward (£1m) to take up the mantle and become the Foxes’ first-choice goalkeeper.
Having been a back-up option virtually his whole career, it seemed as if the 29-year-old was to be rewarded for his patience and professionalism.
And this shift in the pecking order at the King Power presented an opportunity to Dream Team gaffers.
Originally priced at £2m, Ward suddenly looked like an enticing bargain upon Schmeichel’s departure.
Leicester may not have had the best 2021/22 but they still finished 8th and, generally speaking, they’ve been one of the league’s better sides under Brendan Rodgers stewardship.
A starting keeper for a top-half team at £2m looked to be a potentially savvy Dream Team strategy that would open up some additional budget to invest elsewhere.
Hindsight is a wonderful thingCredit: getty
Plus, most fans would have been impressed by Ward’s efforts between the sticks for Wales in recent years – he’s earned 26 caps for the Dragons, 14 of those coming in 2021.
However, this punt could not have worked out any worse.
After seven Game Weeks, Ward has -15 points to his name – yes, that’s minus fifteen.
Leicester’s No1 is quite literally the worst player Dream Team has to offer at this stage of the season.
Bournemouth defender Marcos Senesi (£0.9m) is the second-worst asset currently but he’s four points better off than Ward on -11.
Some readers may be thinking that this is the nature of being a goalkeeper in the realm of Dream Team since they incur minus points whenever they concede two or more goals in a game.
And yet Ward is the only player in his position on minus points right now.
Dean Henderson (£2.2m) of 19th-placed Nottingham Forest actually has 19 points to his name, a tally bettered by only seven other keepers.
Ward is Dream Team’s worst asset this seasonCredit: getty
Occasionally, assets can be reduced to the doldrums of minus points because their team is performing badly rather than through their own individual form but in this instance it’s a bit of both to be brutally honest.
Leicester’s defence has been embarrassingly porous but Ward has also been at fault for several goals himself.
The Foxes have conceded 22 goals in seven Premier League games this term, giving them the worst defensive record among the 20 teams.
Even Bournemouth have conceded fewer goals and they were thumped 9-0 by Liverpool.
Perhaps most concerning is that Ward’s worst two performances came in his two most recent outings when he conceded five goals to Brighton before shipping six to Spurs.
This disastrous pair of fixtures cost him minus points alone.
Leicester have just one point from seven league fixtures this campaignCredit: getty
Leicester actually have two relatively favourable games first up after the international break in the form of Forest and the Cherries but they’re currently such a mess at the back that further minus points seem more likely than clean sheets.
It goes without saying that Dream Team bosses shouldn’t touch Ward or any Leicester defenders with a barge pole.
In fact, with Halloween coming up it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a few a little scamps dressed as the Foxes’ goalkeeper – what a horrifying sight that would be for any self-respecting Dream Team manager!

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