Fantasy Football

AT the risk of sounding like Rafa Benitez, let’s talk facts.Everton are currently 17th in the Premier League but only because they were slapped with a ten-point deduction for financial indiscretions.
Had they not incurred the punishment, they would reside in the top half of the table.
The Toffees have won seven league games this season, just one fewer than Newcastle and the same number as Brighton and West Ham.
From a purely footballing perspective, they are genuinely rather good right now.
And so the question must be asked: when will Dream Team managers start taking Everton seriously?

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Among the best assets in their respective positionsCredit: Dream Team
Sean Dyche’s side have lost just once in their last eight games in all competitions – a 3-0 defeat to Manchester United in which they had more than their fair share of chances.
Consecutive wins over Nottingham Forest, Newcastle and Chelsea in December have given the Goodison Park faithful reasons to be optimistic.
Notably, Everton are yet to concede a goal this month.
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Naturally, a trio of clean sheets has done wonders for Jordan Pickford (£2.8m) in the realm of Dream Team.
England’s No1 has notched 25 points across his last three outings and now finds himself fourth in the goalkeeper rankings, just one point off the podium behind Robert Sanchez (£2.6m).
That clean sheet feelingCredit: Getty
Similarly, Vitaliy Mykolenko (£3.2m) is now fourth among defenders having plundered 26 points against Forest, Newcastle and Chelsea.
The Ukraine international is just two points shy of a century with only William Saliba (£3.9m), Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.7m) and Kieran Trippier (£5.3m) above him in the defensive rankings.
However, whereas the few defenders above Mykolenko are among the most-selected players in the game, Everton’s left-back features in just 1.4% of teams.
He’s currently less popular than Willy Boly (£2.1m), Marc Guehi (£2.6m) and Axel Disasi (£3m).
Mykolenko has made 51 tackles this season, the most among defenders at the time of writing.
In fact, he’s earned 11 points through tackles alone since the start of Gameweek 10.
A tackle machine!Credit: Reuters
Pickford is marginally more popular than his team-mate but his ownership remains modest at 2.5%.
Aaron Ramsdale (£3.4m) features in more teams and he’s firmly Arsenal’s second-choice keeper these days.
Dream Team bosses would do well to shake off their false perceptions of Everton and acknowledge the reality that they are one of the most in-form teams in the top flight.
Only neighbours Liverpool have earned more points in their last six Premier League fixtures.

And it’s no coincidence Pickford and Mykolenko are flying high given Dyche’s side have conceded 20 league goals – only Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City boast a better defensive record in 2023/24.
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With the European competitions set to pause for almost two months after this week, there’s no real reason for gaffers to shy away from Everton’s best-performing assets.
Simply put, Dream Team managers would be foolish to overlook the Toffees entirely.

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TOTTENHAM ended their run of five games without win in emphatic style on Sunday.Ange Postecoglou’s side thoroughly outplayed Newcastle in North London to register a 4-1 win.
At the time of writing, Son Heung-min (£4.4m) and Richarlison (£2.4m) are Dream Team’s two best performers of Gameweek 15 having plundered 17 and 15 points respectively.
However, for the purposes of this article the focus is on Pedro Porro (£3.3m).
Selected by 5.9% of Dream Team bossesCredit: Dream Team
The 24-year-old provided the assist for Spurs’ third goal with a glorious lofted pass to find Richarlison in the box and it was his throughball that set Son away for the penalty incident late on.
When all was said and done, Porro banked eight points, which boosted him up to seventh in the defensive rankings for the season.
His overall tally of 94 is particularly impressive given a) his lack of European commitments, and b) Spurs’ inability to keep clean sheets.
Joelinton’s (£3.4m) consolation goal in stoppage time meant Postecoglou’s men have conceded at least one goal in each of their last seven games.
Their last clean sheet came against Fulham on October 23rd.
This is to be expected to some extent as the Australian tactician wants his side to overwhelm the opposition in attack and, consequently, is willing to accept a certain degree of vulnerability at the back to guarantee his preferred swashbuckling style.
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Most defenders rely on a steady stream of clean sheets if they’re to climb the Dream Team rankings and so Porro’s recent success is notable.
Porro caused Newcastle all kinds of problemsCredit: Reuters
The Spanish right-back passes the eye test with flying colours as he’s clearly a key component in Spurs’ attacking game as well as a first-choice defender.
Porro has provided six assists, a tally only bettered by Kieran Trippier (£5.3m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.7m) among defenders and it’s the same two names above him for big chances created.
Defensively, only Vitaliy Mykolenko (£3.2m) and Emerson (£2.4m) have made more tackles (46) than Porro among assets in his position.
He also ranks highly for successful dribbles and accurate crosses, which have contributed to his respectable tally of 13 bonus points.
In fact, eight of his 13 bonus points have come in his last six games, highlighting the impressive nature of his current form.

Postecoglou encourages his full-backs to get forwardCredit: Getty
Essentially, the stats reinforce what many Dream Team bosses have observed – Porro is influential figure at both ends of the pitch for one of the Premier League’s most attacking teams.
A lack of European fixtures has hindered the viability of Spurs assets this season but that won’t be a factor from Gameweek 16 until the knockouts get underway in February.
Simply put, now is as good a time as any to recruit Porro.

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HOW quickly things change in the world of Dream Team.The weekend before last, Kieran Trippier (£5.3m) banked 14 points at Manchester United’s expense to underline his status as the game’s outright best defender.
Many gaffers would have considered him a must-have asset just a few days ago.
Trippier remains the top performer in his position at the time of writing having racked up 129 points this season but the outlook regarding his viability has changed dramatically.
A top-tier asset but his form is a concernCredit: Dream Team
The 33-year-old was at fault for two goals during his side’s 3-0 defeat to Everton last week.
Usually such a reliable performer, Trippier was uncharacteristically sloppy at Goodison Park with fans and pundits alike suggesting fatigue was the interfering factor – the Magpies looked leggy generally.
On Sunday, Eddie Howe’s side produced a similarly laboured performance against Tottenham with Trippier’s lethargy exposed by the brilliant Son Heung-min (£4.4m).
It’s understandable why Newcastle may be fatigued as they’re in the midst of an injury crisis that has stretched the squad thin.
Few would doubt the club have suffered rotten luck in regards to availability of late but Dream Team bosses should always focus on the raw numbers.
However you spin it, the fact is Trippier has produced just two points across his last two outings and, to make matters worse, he incurred a domestic suspension when he received his fifth yellow card of the campaign in North London.
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A tough couple of gamesCredit: Reuters
In the wider scheme of things, this may prove to be a blessing in disguise as he looks as if he could do with a rest – he’ll miss Fulham’s trip to St James’ Park on Saturday.
But there’s no question Trippier’s one-game suspension is a pesky problem for the 32.5% of gaffers currently backing Newcastle’s No2 – he’s the seventh-most popular player in Dream Team right now.
Holding Trippier isn’t untenable because Newcastle are among the eight teams with two fixtures to fulfil in Gameweek 16.
In theory, he could sit out the weekend’s league game then return for the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Chelsea in midweek.
Given the majority of players will only have one fixture available to them in Gameweek 16, this is a potentially handy workaround that would negate the impact of his suspension.
However, Howe may see the secondary domestic cup as a low priority and therefore an opportunity to extend Trippier’s rest period with a view to ensuring the defender is back to his best for the Toon’s league games against Luton and Nottingham Forest in Gameweek 17.
Defeats to Everton and Spurs have checked Newcastle’s progressCredit: Getty
Dream Team bosses will probably get another look at Trippier this week as Newcastle host AC Milan in their final Champions League group game with their fate in the competition hanging in the balance.
If he plays and does well then it may the worst is over and there’s no need to use a transfer.
Equally, if he continues to look below par then it may be time to analyse suitable replacements.

Tino Livramento (£2.9m) is an affordable alternative to Trippier but if Newcastle’s malaise proves to be a team-wide issue then such a move may be counterproductive.
Saying that, the Gameweek 17 double of Luton and Forest is appealing on paper.
Some Trippier owners may choose to pivot to Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.7m), who has racked up 44 points across the last two and a half Gameweeks.
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Liverpool’s homegrown hero is now just eight points short of Trippier at the top of the defensive rankings.
So what’ll be… stick or twist?

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MANCHESTER CITY’S starting line-up at Luton didn’t just throw a spanner in the works, it lobbed a hammer, a saw and a screwdriver in for good measure.Erling Haaland’s (£7.9m) absence from the matchday squad sent Dream Team managers into meltdown.
What to do with Haa;and?Credit: Dream Team
The prolific poacher is the most-popular player in the game with an ownership just shy of 85% and he’s also been the most-selected captain every Gameweek this season.
Pep Guardiola revealed that Haaland has been suffering from “a bone stress reaction in his foot” but was quick to shutdown rumours of a broken bone.
In terms of a timeline for the injury, the decorated tactician appears to be targeting the Club World Cup for a return.
“It’s not ready today,” Guardiola told reporters on Sunday. “Don’t think so in Crystal Palace, hopefully can be ready in Saudi Arabia.”
Later on, City’s head coach offered a slightly more optimistic opinion: “Maybe Crystal Palace is ready, I don’t know, I don’t think so but maybe, so we will see.”
Evidently, Haaland will not be involved in Belgrade in midweek when the treble winners take on Red Star in what is essentially a dead rubber to complete their Champions League group.
City are scheduled to host Roy Hodgson’s side on Saturday, their only Gameweek 16 fixture, but at this stage it seems unlikely last season’s Golden Boot winner will be involved.
Dream Team gaffers face a dilemmaCredit: AFP
Club World Cup fixtures don’t count in the realm of Dream Team so it’s Haaland may not have the opportunity to add to his points tally until he travels to Everton on December 27th!
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Gaffers are looking at a potentially significant lay-off for the game’s top scorer (195 points) at a crucial stage of the campaign.
It’s worth noting here that City are one of just two Premier League teams with just one fixture in Gameweek 17 because of their Club World Cup commitments – Brentford being the other.
All this means Haaland may end up playing just one fixture between the start of Gameweek 15 and the end of Gameweek 17.
For comparison, Newcastle, Liverpool and West Ham have SIX fixtures to fulfil in the same time frame.
Barring a rapid recovery in time to face Palace next weekend, Haaland should surely be on the chopping block for the vast majority of Dream Team bosses this week.
While this is something of a headache, gaffers can take solace in the fact most of their rivals are in the same situation.
In fact, how each Haaland owner reacts to this injury is likely to have a significant impact on the overall leaderboard and thousands of Mini Leagues worldwide.
Alvarez is likely to be Man City’s centre-forward against Crystal Palace next weekendCredit: Getty
In Haaland’s absence, Julian Alvarez (£4.2m) is likely to lead the line, as he did against the Hatters on Sunday – the Argentine forward returned six points.
However, while backing the World Cup winner may feel natural, gaffers will run into the same problem in regards to the Club World Cup in a week’s time.
Mohamed Salah (£6.7m) is clearly the front-runner to replace Haaland as Dream Team’s second-best striker (168 points) but many gaffers already own Liverpool’s No11 – he currently features in 43.2% of teams.
If not Alvarez or Salah then who?
Ollie Watkins (£4.7m) and Son Heung-min (£4.4m) must surely be considered strong contenders.
Aston Villa have just knocked off Man City and Arsenal in back-to-back home games and their first-choice centre-forward has ten goals and nine assists to his name in all competitions in 2023/24.
Son starred against NewcastleCredit: AFP
As for Tottenham’s captain, he bagged 17 points against Newcastle on Sunday and is currently Gameweek 15’s top performer.
Only Haaland and Salah have scored more league goals than Son at this stage of the campaign.
The main reason to stay clear of Spurs assets has been their lack of European fixtures but with the continental competitions set to pause for almost two months, it’s potentially a great time to back the South Korean superstar.
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Darwin Nunez (£4.3m) and Alexander Isak (£4.3m) may also be popular alternatives because of their busy schedules although both are likely to be rotated.
Dream Team managers would be wise to keep some budget in reserve so they can afford to bring Haaland back in when he’s available again, especially if that proves to be Gameweek 18 when City host Sheffield United at the Etihad.

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DREAM TEAM brings you all the latest injury, suspension and availability news ahead of Gameweek 15 in one easily digestible dose.Manchester City will be able to call upon Jack Grealish (£3.9m) and Rodri (£4.1m) again after the pair missed the trip to Aston Villa through suspension.
Pep Guardiola offered no further update on Jeremy Doku (£4.3m) – the Belgian is due to be assessed having not been fit enough to make his side’s squad at Villa Park.
It’s unclear whether or not the tricky winger will travel to Luton at this stage.

Doku was not involved at all against VillaCredit: Getty
Son Heung-min (£4.4m) was seen in considerable discomfort on the bench after he limped off late against West Ham on Thursday night.
“He’s a bit sore after the game,” Ange Postecoglou said of the South Korean superstar, “we’ll see how recovers today.”
Brentford have been dealt a significant blow as it transpires Bryan Mbeumo (£3.7m) will require a few weeks to recover from the ankle injury he sustained against Brighton.
The 24-year-old has seven goals and four assists to his name this season and is comfortably the Bees’ top performer in the world of Dream Team.
Alisson (£3.7m) has returned to full training earlier than expected and is in contention to start against Crystal Palace on Saturday, though it depends how the Brazilian comes through Friday’s session.
Dream Team managers with Caomhin Kelleher (£1.9m) in goal could hold as the Irishman would still be favourite to start what is essentially a dead rubber for Liverpool in the Europa League on Thursday.
Jurgen Klopp revealed that he expects to be without Alexis Mac Allister (£3.1m) at Selhurst Park.
Mbeumo’s impressive season has been interrupted by an ankle injuryCredit: Dream Team
Jose Sa (£2.2m) is “100% fit” in Gary O’Neil’s words and so the Portuguese goalkeeper is likely to return to Wolves’ starting XI at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Elsewhere in goalkeeper availability news, David Moyes failed to provide a concrete update on Alphonse Areola (£2m).
The Frenchman sat out West Ham’s win over Spurs because of ligament damage in his wrist but it’s not thought to be a long-term issue.
Mikel Arteta reiterated that Takehiro Tomiyasu (£2.6m) will be sidelined “for a while” but squashed rumours of a problem for Gabriel Martinelli (£4.6m).
Arsenal should have the same personnel available as against Luton on Tuesday.
Conor Gallagher (£3.4m) is available again after serving his suspension and will surely come back straight in for Chelsea given the performance of the Blues’ midfield in his absence at Old Trafford in midweek.
Jamaal Lascelles (£2.2m) was replaced late on against Everton with a suspected dead leg.
Eddie Howe told reporters he didn’t think it was a “bad one” but the Newcastle centre-back is listed as a doubt.
Martinelli is expected to be available to face Villa this weekendCredit: PA
ARSENAL
Injuries: Jurrien Timber, Thomas Partey, Emile Smith Rowe, Fabio Vieira, Takehiro Tomiyasu
Suspensions: None
ASTON VILLA
Injuries: Tyrone Mings, Emi Buendia, Bertrand Traore
Suspensions: None
BOURNEMOUTH
Injuries: Ryan Fredericks, Emiliano Marcondes (doubt), Tyler Adams, Alex Scott, Max Aarons, Lloyd Kelly, Hamed Traore
Suspensions: None
BRENTFORD
Injuries: Aaron Hickey, Josh Dasilva, Rico Henry, Kevin Schade, Nathan Collins, Mathias Jensen (doubt), Bryan Mbeumo
Suspensions: Ivan Toney
BRIGHTON
Injuries: Julio Enciso, Pervis Estupinan, Solly March, Danny Welbeck, Tariq Lamptey, Adam Webster, Ansu Fati
Suspensions: None
BURNLEY
Injuries: Lyle Foster, Jack Cork, Luka Koleosho
Suspensions: None
CHELSEA
Injuries: Trevoh Chalobah, Christopher Nkunku (doubt), Wesley Fofana, Carney Chukwuemeka, Romeo Lavia (doubt), Ben Chilwell, Malo Gusto, Lesley Ugochukwo
Suspensions: None
CRYSTAL PALACE
Injuries: Dean Henderson, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, Cheick Doucoure, Eberechi Eze, Tyrick Mitchell, Rob Holding, Michael Olise (doubt)
Suspensions: None
EVERTON
Injuries: Dele Alli, Andre Gomes, Amadou Onana (doubt), Seamus Coleman (doubt), Jordan Pickford (doubt)
Suspensions: None
FULHAM
Injuries: Adama Traore (doubt), Issa Diop, Rodrigo Muniz (doubt), Tyrese Francois
Suspensions: None
LIVERPOOL
Injuries: Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic, Andy Robertson, Diogo Jota, Alisson (doubt), Joel Matip, Alexis Mac Allister
Suspensions: None
LUTON
Injuries: Dan Potts, Albert Sambi Lokonga (doubt), Mads Andersen, Reece Burke, Cauley Woodrow, Marvelous Nakamba (doubt)
Suspensions: None
MANCHESTER CITY
Injuries: Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku (doubt)
Suspensions: None
MANCHESTER UNITED
Injuries: Amad Diallo (doubt), Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Mason Mount (doubt), Raphael Varane (doubt), Victor Lindelof, Marcus Rashford (doubt)
Suspensions: None
NEWCASTLE
Injuries: Javier Manquillo, Harvey Barnes, Sven Botman, Jacob Murphy, Elliot Anderson, Matt Targett, Dan Burn, Callum Wilson, Joe Willock, Sean Longstaff, Nick Pope, Jamaal Lascelles (doubt)
Suspensions: Sandro Tonali
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Injuries: Taiwo Awoniyi, Will Boly (doubt)
Suspensions: None
SHEFFIELD UNITED
Injuries: Rhys Norrington-Davies, Daniel Jebbison, John Egan, Chris Basham, Tom Davies, Rhian Brewster, George Baldock (doubt)
Suspensions: Oliver Norwood. Oli McBurnie
TOTTENHAM
Injuries: Ivan Perisic, Ryan Sessegnon, Alfie Whiteman, Manor Solomon, James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, Rodrigo Bentancur, Son Heung-min (doubt), Eric Dier
Suspensions: None
WEST HAM
Injuries: Alphonse Areola (doubt), Michail Antonio,
Suspensions: None
WOLVES
Injuries: Joe Hodge, Pedro Neto, Nathan Fraser, Rayan Ait-Nouri
Suspensions: None

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

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

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

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

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

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