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MATTY CASH (£3.2m) has been among Dream Team’s most-popular players since the first month of the season.Aston Villa’s No2 quickly established himself as the most attack-minded defender available, helped by the fact Unai Emery has deployed him as a right midfielder on occasion.
Even now, he’s comfortably the leader in terms of shots on target (ten) among assets in his position and only Manuel Akanji (£4.5m) has scored more goals from the back.
However, gaffers should be asking if Cash still holds the same untouchable status now as he did earlier in the campaign?

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Cash out?Credit: Dream Team
The 26-year-old’s returns have fallen away recently, capped by a goose egg away to Tottenham at the weekend when he was substituted at half-time after going into the referee’s book for a bad foul on Rodrigo Bentancur (£2.6m).
Making a transfer based on one game would be something of an overreaction but Cash’s numbers have been disappointing for a little while now.
He’s notched just eight points in four outings since the start of Gameweek 11.
In fact, he’s earned 29 points in nine games since the start of October at an average of 3.22 per fixture – underwhelming to say the least given players receive two points just for playing more than 60 minutes.
Cash’s form should be carefully scrutinised as he’s currently the fourth-most popular defender in the game.
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His ownership of 21.7% makes him the ninth-most selected player overall.
Cash provided plentiful returns throughout the first two months of the campaignCredit: PA
The Poland international’s tally of 80 points still looks impressive, just six defenders boast higher totals at the time of writing, but his recent downturn is cause for serious concern.
Many Dream Team bosses have acted quickly as currently only the injured Jarrod Bowen (£5.3m) has been transferred out of more teams ahead of Gameweek 14.
A sizeable proportion of those transfers would likely be reversed if Cash provided a decent haul against Legia Warsaw in the Europa Conference League on Thursday night.
And many gaffers will be hesitant to ditch the affordable defender ahead of the Villains’ trip to Bournemouth on Sunday.
However, Cash and company are also due to face Manchester City in Gameweek 14 and while that should be a competitive fixture at Villa Park, there’s always a risk of minus points when up against Erling Haaland (£7.9m) and friends.
Villa then host Arsenal three days later.

Villa’s home games against City and Arsenal look massive on paperCredit: Getty
Additionally, Cash’s yellow card at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was his fourth in the Premier League this season, meaning the next will result in a one-game suspension.
Taking into account form, upcoming fixtures and his disciplinary record, it’s no wonder a fair few gaffers have already taken action to ditch Cash.
Healthy returns against Legia Warsaw and Bournemouth would ease the pressure but such an outcome might be too little, too late.
Over a fifth of Dream Team managers have a big decision to make.

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DREAM TEAM managers have enough on their plate at this time of the year without having to worry about suspensions.Unfortunately, there are a host of Premier League names one yellow card away from a one-game suspension, some of them among the most-popular assets in Dream Team right now.
It’s not that these players necessarily need to be replaced as soon as possible but gaffers should be aware of which individuals are walking the tightrope as it may influence their strategy.

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Walking the tightropeCredit: Dream Team
PLAYERS ONE YELLOW CARD AWAY FROM A DOMESTIC SUSPENSION:

Kai Havertz (£3m)
Matty Cash (£3.2m)
Lucas Digne (£2.8m)
Douglas Luiz (£3.4m)
Kristoffer Ajer (£1.9m)
Christian Norgaard (£2.4m)
Jordan Beyer (£1.6m)
Raheem Sterling (£3.9m)
Jordan Ayew (£3.1m)
Jarrad Branthwaite (£1.8m)
Ashley Young (£1.8m)
Abdoulaye Doucoure (£3m)
Antonee Robinson (£2.1m)
Tom Lockyer (£1.5m)
Issa Kabore (£1.8m)
Marvelous Nakamba (£1.7m)
Bruno Fernandes (£5.7m)
Rodri (£4.1m)
Kieran Trippier (£5.2m)
Sean Longstaff (£3m)
Orel Mangala (£1.7m)
Ibrahim Sangare (£2.1m)
Jack Robinson (£1m)
Oliver Norwood (£2.2m)
Rayan Ait-Nouri (£2.3m)

The inclusion of Trippier’s name in this list will have set a few alarm bells off.
Newcastle’s reliable right-back is Dream Team’s outright best defender having amassed 109 points and he’s the sixth-most popular player in the game with an ownership of 32.4%.
Cash is the seventh-best asset in his position and the ninth-most selected player in the game.
Aston Villa’s No2 is among the most transferred-out players ahead of Gameweek 14 having registered a goose egg against Tottenham at the weekend.
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Digne is also one yellow card away from an unscheduled rest meaning the Villains’ could conceivably be without both their first-choice full-backs sometime soon.
Trippier appears in almost a third of teamsCredit: Getty
Fernandes is comfortably Manchester United’s best performer this season, the Portuguese playmaker has racked up 105 points, and his ownership of 17.6% makes him the sixth-most selected midfielder.
The 29-year-old would be a huge miss for his owners if he incurred a suspension but at £5.7m there is plenty of cash available for a replacement if gaffers decide to get rid, if only until after his inevitable fifth yellow card.
Similarly, Rodri’s precarious status is a headache for the 14.5% of Dream Team bosses currently backing him.
Manchester City’s linchpin is adept at avoiding bookings but he’s also instructed to make tactical fouls when necessary, meaning a yellow card is always a possibility.
City’s record without Rodri is dismal this seasonCredit: Getty

There are bound to be plenty of XIs out there containing Trippier, Cash, Fernandes and Rodri – if all four were to be suspended at the same time it would be nothing short of a disaster.
Many gaffers will feel they have to act as soon as possible to remove even the slightest chance of such a fate.

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NEWCASTLE defied their injury crisis to register an emphatic 4-1 win over Chelsea on Saturday.Anthony Gordon (£3.6m) was the big winner from a Dream Team perspective.
The 22-year-old assisted his side’s second goal and scored the fourth to bank 12 points when all was said and done, his third double-digit haul of the season.
Gordon is enjoying a fine seasonCredit: Dream Team
Having started the campaign sharing his minutes with Harvey Barnes (£3m), Gordon has been one of the first names on the teamsheet since the ex-Leicester winger’s injury.
And points have flowed easily for him, particularly in recent weeks.
The Magpies’ No10 has produced 48 points across the last five Gameweeks with another fixture against PSG to come in midweek.
This surge of prosperous form has elevated Gordon up to joint-fifth in the midfield rankings, alongside Bruno Fernandes (£5.7m) on 105 points.
With an ownership of 20.4%, he’s currently Dream Team’s fourth-most selected midfielder and he’s also the most-popular recruit ahead of Gameweek 14 among all players, though it’s early days in that regard.
Newcastle swept Chelsea aside at St James’ ParkCredit: Reuters
Gordon’s form is not the only reason he’s a popular man in the realm of Dream Team.
At £3.6m he’s very affordable, the cheapest midfielder among the top 12 performers in terms of total points.
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After the weekend’s success, he’s now got five goals and five assists in all competitions but goal involvements only tell half the story.
He ranks among the top eight in his position for shots on target and big chances created.
On top that, the hard-working winger has earned 13 points through tackles.
In fact, he’s made the most tackles among the Newcastle squad.
Newcastle face some tough fixtures in the next two monthsCredit: Getty
Gordon is perhaps not at the level where he could be considered fixture-proof but healthy returns against Aston Villa, Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal and now Chelsea are proof that he’s certainly no flat-track bully.
This should encourage gaffers ahead of what is a relatively tough run for Eddie Howe’s side.
After a trip to Paris this week, they have to face Manchester United, Tottenham, AC Milan, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Villa before the end of January.
Gaffers should be aware that all but two of Gordon’s goal involvements have come St James’ Park with the exceptions being his goal and assist at Bramall Lane against lowly Sheffield United.

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LAST season, Dream Team managers were spoiled for choice when it came to attack-minded Arsenal assets.Bukayo Saka (£6.5m), Martin Odegaard (£4.9m) and Gabriel Martinelli (£4.5m) were all among the game’s best midfielders while Gabriel Jesus (£5.2m) also provided healthy returns when available.
There were times when Leandro Trossard (£3.3m) and Eddie Nketiah (£2.7m) were shrewd value-for-money options too.
This season, however, gaffers would be wise to switch strategy and target the Gunners’ defenders in search of plentiful points.
It’s like a throwback to the George Graham era!
A solid partnershipCredit: Dream Team
Saka continues to satisfy his backers having racked up 136 points, the highest tally among all players in his position right now.
But the England winger is the only Arsenal representative in the top ten midfielders or top ten strikers.
In contrast, William Saliba (£3.8m), Ben White (£4.4m) and Gabriel (£4.1m) are all among the top ten defenders at this stage.
This trend was perfectly illustrated by Saturday’s result at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Mikel Arteta’s side were not at their fluent best in attack but they beat Brentford courtesy of Kai Havertz’s (£3m) header to go top of the table.
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The victory was Arsenal’s sixth clean sheet in the league this campaign, the most in the top flight, and their tally of ten goals conceded is the outright lowest after 13 league fixtures.
Add in three other clean sheets across the Carabao Cup and the Champions League and it’s no wonder their defenders are among the best performers currently.
Havertz got the job done but Arsenal’s defence deserve plenty of credit as wellCredit: Alamy
An eight-point return against the Bees has put Saliba second in his position, behind only Kieran Trippier (£5.2m), with White now fourth and Gabriel ninth.
The French centre-back is Dream Team’s most-popular defender with an ownership of 40.1%.
It’s not that Arsenal have been lacking in goals as such, they’ve scored 27 in the league, the sixth-highest tally, but it’s clear their defence is the reason they’re once again competing for the title this time around.
A closer look at the underlying numbers reinforces this point.
The Gunners have generated 22.5 xG in the top flight, only the seventh-highest total, but they’ve conceded just 10.3 xG, making them the best defence according to this metric.
Essentially, they’ve done very well to restrict the quality of their opponents’ chances this season.

Looking forward, it seems reasonable to expect more points from Arsenal’s defenders in Gameweek 14 against Wolves and Luton.
And there’s a midweek meeting with Lens to fulfil before this Gameweek is complete.
Look back, not forward, when weighing up Arsenal’s options.

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DREAM TEAM brings you all the latest injury, suspension and availability news ahead of Gameweek 13 in one easily digestible dose.David Moyes was unable to provide much certainty around Jarrod Bowen’s (£5.2m) availability ahead of West Ham’s favourable match-up with Burnley this weekend.
The Hammers’ boss told reporters that he “hopes” his top scorer is available for the trip to Turf Moor but a final decision will be made tomorrow.
The 20.6%-owned midfielder is among the most-popular players in the game right now so a sizeable chunk of Dream Team bosses have a big decision to make.
Michail Antonio (£2.6m) will be sidelined for “a couple of weeks” having picked up a knee injury on duty for Jamaica.

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Dream Team bosses have some big decisions to makeCredit: Dream Team
Both Erling Haaland (£7.7m) and Ederson (£3.7m) have trained with Manchester City this week having incurred niggles during the international break.
In regards to the prolific Norwegian poacher, Pep Guardiola said: “He trained yesterday with some niggles but today we have the last training and hopefully he can be part of it.”
It would be a big surprise if the treble-winners’ No9 didn’t feature against Liverpool this Saturday lunchtime.
Gabriel Jesus (£5.2m) came through a competitive game for Brazil unharmed and is therefore expected to be involved for Arsenal against Brentford.
Martin Odegaard (£4.9m) has “progressed well” and should also make the squad while a late decision will be made on Ben White (£4.4m).
Aaron Ramsdale (£3.4m) will start between the sticks for the Gunners as David Raya (£3.7m) is not permitted to play against his parent club in the league.
The Spanish goalkeeper is likely to start against Lens in midweek.
Andre Onana (£3.7m) is ready to face Everton on Sunday and Erik ten Hag may also be able to call upon Luke Shaw (£4.9m) for the first time since mid-August.
However, Rasmus Hojlund (£3.9m) is scheduled to undergo a late fitness test.
Odegaard’s return would be a big boost for ArsenalCredit: Getty
Yves Bissouma (£2.6m) is suspended for Aston Villa’s visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium while his midfield partner, Pape Matar Sarr (£2.2m), faces a race against time to recover from an issue that developed while away with Senegal.
In more positive news for Spurs, Destiny Udogie (£2.6m) is said to be “fine” despite withdrawing from Italy’s squad.
As for Unai Emery’s side, John McGinn (£3.4m) trained today and, barring any adverse effects, should feature this weekend.
The Scotland international is Dream Team’s ninth-best midfielder right now.
Emi Martinez (£3m) returned from Argentina duty with “a little bit of pain” but is expected to pull through without missing any games.
Taiwo Awoniyi (£2.3m) is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines having undergone groin surgery.
Steve Cooper could only say that the Nottingham Forest striker would return this season but he’ll certainly be out for at least three months.
Kaoru Mitoma (£3.9m) was pictured in training on Thursday but Roberto De Zerbi has ruled the Japanese winger out of Brighton’s visit to the City Ground.
In better news, Lewis Dunk (£2.5m) is available for the Seagulls.
Mitoma will not feature this weekendCredit: Alamy
Eddie Howe confirmed Kieran Trippier (£5.4m) is fine ahead of Newcastle’s home game against Chelsea – the reliable right-back is Dream Team’s top defender this season.
However, the Magpies’ gaffer kept his cards close to his chest in regards to Alexander Isak’s (£4.2m) condition, refusing to give an indication either way in regards to the Swedish striker’s chances.
Lewis Hall (£2.6m) is not eligible to face his parent club, adding to the Magpies’ long list of absentees (see below).
Christopher Nkunku (£4m) and Romeo Lavia (£2.5m) are both close to making their Chelsea debuts but this weekend comes to soon – Levi Colwill (£2.6m) is fit and available.

ARSENAL
Injuries: Jurrien Timber, Thomas Partey, Emile Smith Rowe, Martin Odegaard (doubt), Ben White (doubt)
Suspensions: Fabio Vieira
ASTON VILLA
Injuries: Tyrone Mings, Emi Buendia, Diego Carlos (doubt), Jacob Ramsey, John McGinn (doubt)
Suspensions: None
BOURNEMOUTH
Injuries: Ryan Fredericks, Emiliano Marcondes, Tyler Adams, Alex Scott, Max Aarons
Suspensions: None
BRENTFORD
Injuries: Aaron Hickey, Josh Dasilva, Rico Henry, Mikkel Damsgaard, Kevin Schade, Nathan Collins
Suspensions: Ivan Toney
BRIGHTON
Injuries: Julio Enciso, Pervis Estupinan, Solly March, Danny Welbeck, James Milner, Kaoru Mitoma, Lewis Dunk (doubt), Tariq Lamptey (doubt), Adam Webster (doubt), Igor Julio (doubt)
Suspensions: Mahmoud Dahoud
BURNLEY
Injuries: Hjalmar Ekdal (doubt) Manuel Benson (doubt), Lyle Foster, Jack Cork, Arijanet Muric
Suspensions: None
CHELSEA
Injuries: Trevoh Chalobah, Christopher Nkunku, Wesley Fofana, Carney Chukwuemeka, Moises Caicedo (doubt), Romeo Lavia, Ben Chilwell
Suspensions: None
CRYSTAL PALACE
Injuries: James Tomkins, Dean Henderson, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi
Suspensions: None
EVERTON
Injuries: Seamus Coleman, Dele Alli, Andre Gomes, Amadou Onana (doubt)
Suspensions: None
FULHAM
Injuries: Adama Traore, Issa Diop, Rodrigo Muniz
Suspensions: Joao Palhinha
LIVERPOOL
Injuries: Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic, Andy Robertson, Curtis Jones (doubt), Ryan Gravenberch (doubt), Ibrahima Konate (doubt), Joe Gomez (doubt)
Suspensions: None
LUTON
Injuries: Dan Potts, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Amari’i Bell, Mads Andersen, Reece Burke, Cauley Woodrow, Chiedozie Ogbene (doubt), Issa Kabore, Alfie Doughty (doubt)
Suspensions: None
MANCHESTER CITY
Injuries: Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Gomez, Mateo Kovacic (doubt), Ederson (doubt), Erling Haaland (doubt), Matheus Nunes (doubt), Nathan Ake (doubt)
Suspensions: None
MANCHESTER UNITED
Injuries: Amad Diallo, Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, Jonny Evans, Christian Eriksen, Rasmus Hojlund (doubt)
Suspensions: None
NEWCASTLE
Injuries: Javier Manquillo, Harvey Barnes, Sven Botman, Jacob Murphy, Alexander Isak (doubt), Elliot Anderson, Matt Targett, Dan Burn, Callum Wilson, Miguel Almiron (doubt), Sean Longstaff (doubt)
Suspensions: Sandro Tonali
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Injuries: Danilo, Felipe, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Taiwo Awoniyi, Murillo (doubt), Anthony Elanga (doubt)
Suspensions: None
SHEFFIELD UNITED
Injuries: Rhys Norrington-Davies, Daniel Jebbison, John Egan, Chris Basham, Tom Davies, Rhian Brewster
Suspensions: None
TOTTENHAM
Injuries: Ivan Perisic, Ryan Sessegnon, Alfie Whiteman, Manor Solomon, James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, Richarlison, Pape Matar Sarr (doubt)
Suspensions: Yves Bissouma, Cristian Romero
WEST HAM
Injuries: Jarrod Bowen (doubt), Mohammed Kudus (doubt), Michail Antonio
Suspensions: None
WOLVES
Injuries: Mario Lemina (doubt), Joe Hodge, Pedro Neto, Nathan Fraser, Nelson Semdo (doubt)
Suspensions: Craig Dawson
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