Fantasy Football

FEBRUARY sees the return of the European competitions, the continuation of the FA Cup, and the culmination of the Carabao Cup, not to mention the bread and butter of the Premier League.More than ever, Dream Team gaffers need to make sure their XIs are in tip-top shape.
With that in mind, allow us to humbly propose three transfer recommendations.
OUT: Andy Robertson (£4.2m), IN: Luke Shaw (£3.9m)
Liverpool are going through a rough patchCredit: getty
Liverpool are in a right pickle at the moment, so much so that their 3-0 defeat to Wolves at the weekend didn’t come as much of a surprise.
The Reds’ first-choice left-back has provided more than his fair share of points in recent years but he’s mustered just 42 this season.
The extensive list of defenders with more points than Robertson this term includes: Lewis Dunk (£2m), Ryan Sessegnon (£2.3m), Tim Ream (£2.2m), Serge Aurier (£2.6m) and Ben Johnson (£3.4m).
Scotland’s captain remains more popular than Dan Burn (£4.8m) even though Newcastle’s big man is the third-best asset in his position!
Chances are Robertson will come strong again in the future but he’s one of several Liverpool players who simply aren’t worth sticking by during this funk.
In contrast, Manchester United’s results have been categorically encouraging in recent months.
Most read in Dream Team
Currently third in the league and set to recommence European commitments against Barcelona in the Europa League, there are plenty of points to be had backing the Red Devils.
After a flurry of minus points at the start of the campaign, Shaw has amassed 94 across the last 13 Game Weeks.
Lisandro Martinez (£4.6m) may also appeal for those keen on this tactic.
OUT: Miguel Almiron (£3.4m), IN: Martin Odegaard (£3.4m)
The gravy train is off the tracksCredit: getty
Almiron’s brief transformation into a Gareth Bale/Thierry Henry hybrid was fun while it lasted but the Paraguayan winger has seemingly returned to normality.
Having scored seven goals in as many games earlier in the season, he’s now without a goal in his last nine appearances and his underlying numbers have dropped off a cliff too.
The 28-year-old has produced 12 points in his last nine games whereas Odegaard has amassed 52 in the same time frame.
Admittedly, Arsenal’s skipper has blanked three times in a row recently but with eight goals and five assists to his name he’s been one of the standout Premier League players this season.
The Gunners don’t recommence their European campaign until next month but they’ve got four fixtures still to fulfil this month which means their assets are busy enough.
Eddie Howe’s side play three times before the start of March and one of those is the Carabao Cup final against Man United.
OUT: Aleksandar Mitrovic (£4.6m), IN: Son Heung-min (£5.1m)
Hear us out…Credit: getty
A big call here.
On the surface, Fulham’s No9 is enjoying a fantastic season while the South Korean superstar is enduring perhaps his worst time in English football.
While that’s true to a certain extent, every Dream Team manager knows that form can be painfully fleeting.
Since the start of Game Week 16, Mitrovic has mustered just one point while Son has pouched 27.
There have been signs in the last two or three outings that Tottenham’s No7 is shaking off his slump which should put gaffers on alert.
Read More on The Sun
Son is a Dream Team phenomenon when at his best and it’s telling that he’s the sixth-best forward in the game currently despite having been mostly below par.
If the 30-year-old is truly on the rise then this transfer could be extremely well timed but gaffers will need a little extra cash in the bank to make it work. More

THE Premier League have accused Manchester City of breaching over 100 financial regulations.The scale of the charges is unprecedented and so if the reigning champions of English football are ultimately found guilty then the club are likely to face severe punishment.
Some fans of other clubs believe City should be stripped of the titles they won during the given time period, which in this case ranges from before Sergio Aguero’s dramatic winner against QPR to Pep Guardiola’s reign.
However, at this stage it seems more likely that the club would face a significant points deduction, or possibly even expulsion from the Premier League.
No doubt there will be the mother of legal disputes before any action is taken but it’s clear the ramifications of this story could be huge.
Incoming asterisks?Credit: getty
Putting our Dream Team hat back on, City’s expulsion from the top flight would dramatically change the landscape of the game.
Assets under Guardiola’s watch have provided more points than players from any other club in recent years.
Their standards have dropped a tad this season but still there is plenty of City representation at the top of the rankings.
As a thought experiment, let’s take a look into an alternate reality in which the Etihad residents have been removed from Dream Team.
The headline news in this parallel universe is that Marcus Rashford (£5.8m) is the outright top performer this term.
Most read in Dream Team
Man United’s No10 has 190 points to his name, 66 fewer than Erling Haaland (£9.1m) but the prolific Norwegian’s 31 goals have been wiped from the record for the purposes of this article.
Kieran Trippier (£6.6m) has been promoted to second in the rankings, just three behind Rashford on 187 points, and Harry Kane (£7.9m) completes the podium on 166 points.
Don’t look now, Erling…Credit: getty
In the real world, Kevin De Bruyne (£7m) is Dream Team’s leading midfielder.
The brilliant Belgian is the Premier League’s top assist provider by a huge margin (his tally of 11 is four more than his closest rival has mustered) but let’s wave goodbye to his 135 points for now.
Suddenly, Bruno Fernandes (£5.8m) is top dog with 133 points – the Portuguese may well claim that status for real relatively soon as he’s in sensational form.
With Riyad Mahrez’s (£5.9m) 103 points eviscerated from existence, Bukayo Saka (£4.2m) has been bumped up to second in the midfield rankings and team-mate Martin Odegaard (£3.4m) takes the bronze medal.
The Arsenal pair have 103 and 101 points respectively.
To really ram home the surreal nature of this alternate reality, consider a world in which Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (£3.3m) is the fourth-best asset in his position!
Almost certainly too good for the National LeagueCredit: getty
CURRENT DREAM TEAM MIDFIELD RANKINGS:

Kevin De Bruyne
Bruno Fernandes
Riyad Mahrez
Bukayo Saka
Martin Odegaard
Phil Foden

DREAM TEAM MIDFIELD RANKINGS WITHOUT MAN CITY PLAYERS:
Read More on The Sun

Bruno Fernandes
Bukayo Saka
Martin Odegaard
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
Casemiro
Miguel Almiron

Dream Team bosses should enjoy Man City points while they can! More

THIS article should have been written earlier.We have been aware of Ben Mee’s (£3.4m) healthy Dream Team returns for a while now and probably should have highlighted his viability already but as the old saying goes: better late than never.
The 33-year-old has proved to be a smart recruit for Brentford, adding experience, leadership and reliability to their defence.
He’s also chipped in with three goals in 20 appearances for the Bees so far, his latest coming in the form of a brave header to open the scoring against Southampton on Saturday.
Thomas Frank’s side scored three unanswered goals to register a comfortable victory and move up to seventh in the table.
Mee scooped the Star Man award on top of his goal, clean sheet and 7+ rating to bank 18 points when all was said and done – his best Game Week haul this season.
Buzzing Bee!
The former Burnley centre-back has amassed 34 points in his last three games having contributed to a trio of consecutive clean sheets.
This prosperous run has propelled Mee up the rankings and he’s now the ninth-best defender in Dream Team.
Given that one of the assets above him is Joao Cancelo, who will spend the rest of the campaign on loan with Bayern Munich, Brentford’s No16 is effectively eighth in his position.
At £3.4m, Mee is the cheapest defender currently in the top 15 and his ownership of 2.5% is also the lowest among the same group.
Most read in Dream Team
The slim minority of Dream Team bosses who have backed him (which probably features plenty of Brentford supporters) have been handsomely rewarded for relatively little investment.
Mee deserves huge amounts of credit for his efforts to date, the other names at the top of the defensive rankings include Thiago Silva (£5.8m) and multiple representatives from the top four clubs: Newcastle, Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal.
Credit where it’s dueCredit: getty
Whether Mee can maintain his lofty position remains to be seen.
Brentford have no European commitments and were eliminated from the FA Cup by West Ham in the third round, meaning their Premier League games will be their only fixtures for the remainder of the campaign.
Having a singular focus may well help them achieve an impressive league position but, generally speaking, successful Dream Team assets will be active in more than one competition during the second half of the season.
Mee will have to be immense to keep pace with the likes of Lisandro Martinez (£4.6m), Nathan Ake (£4m) and Ben White (£4.8m) if the Manchester clubs and the Gunners go deep in Europe.
At the risk of wishing time away, if the Bees continue their good form and end up qualifying for a European competition then Mee may well be a smart selection in 2023/24. More

JUST one Dream Team gaffer achieved three figures in Game Week 20.Simon Jebson earned 101 points (also known as a Dalmatian) thanks to an extensive array of Manchester United assets.
Let’s see take a closer look at how the Sheffield United fan topped the pile.
No fewer than eight Old Trafford residentsCredit: dream team
David de Gea (£3.9m) was the only one of the eight Red Devils present not to contribute as he missed out on what probably should have been a clean sheet at home to Reading in the FA Cup.
Tom Heaton was given the gloves for the 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg.
Lisandro Martinez (£4.6m), Luke Shaw (£3.9m) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£3.8m) combined for 21 points, all taken from Steve Cooper’s side in midweek.
Given that Man United are one of just three teams pulling double duty in Game Week 21, Simon could well be in for back-to-back bumper weeks.
Old Trafford hosted the most successful assets in Game Week 20
You would have got incredible odds on Casemiro (£3.8m) and Fred (£2.5m) combining for 42 points in a Game Week this term.
The Brazil internationals generally let their team-mates enjoy the attacking side of the game while they run the hard yards in midfield.
But that all changed this past week as the former Real Madrid favourite scored a brace against the Royals while Fred registered two goals and an assist across the two fixtures.
Most read in Dream Team
Impressively, Casemiro pocketed two Star Man awards to bank 25 points, his highest Game Week haul yet!
In comparison, Bruno Fernandes’ (£5.8m) eight points seem somehow underwhelming but an assist and a pair of 7+ match ratings continued his prosperous form.
Kevin De Bruyne (£7m) joined his cross-town rivals in Simon’s midfield but the brilliant Belgian blanked at home to Arsenal.
Manchester City’s playmaker-in-chief remains Dream Team’s top midfielder but a run of 15 points in his last seven games represents a notable drop-off from his usual high standards.
Spurs could really do with Son at his best in the coming monthsCredit: getty
Up front, Mohamed Salah (£8m) assisted Harvey Elliott’s (£2.6m) goal against Brighton but the Egyptian forward missed out on a 7+ match rating so he had to settle for just the two points.
Marcus Rashford (£5.8m) continued his fruitful spell with a ten-point haul despite the fact he failed to score – VAR saw to that.
Man United’s No10 received two 7+ ratings and provided a brace of assists to bank ten points.
Last but not least, a frankly inspired selection from Simon in the form of Son Heung-min (£5.1m).
The South Korean superstar has not been at his best this season but took full advantage of Tottenham’s FA Cup match-up with Preston, scoring twice to claim the Star Man award and an 18-point haul.
Read More on The Sun
No forward scored more points than the 30-year-old in Game Week 20.
Superb work, Simon, good luck to you and all gaffers ahead of Game Week 21! More

WITH transfers set to be replenished on Friday morning, Dream Team gaffers will be hoping to identify which players are most likely to bank plentiful points throughout February.As if any extra motivation was needed, the manager who racks up the most points between now and March 2nd will win a brand new PlayStation 5!
With that in mind, allow us to suggest three candidates we believe are capable of producing bumper months.
Bruno Fernandes (£5.8m)
It’s all smiles at Old Trafford right nowCredit: getty
Manchester United are the busiest team this month with seven fixtures to fulfil before the start of March.
A two-legged Europa League meeting with Barcelona, the Carabao Cup final, and a rearranged Premier League fixture against Leeds means loads of scoring opportunities for the Old Trafford residents in the coming weeks.
Marcus Rashford (£5.7m) is the name that should come to mind first and foremost but we’ve promoted his virtues enough in the last few weeks – if you ignored our advice then you’ve missed out some massive hauls.
The England international’s ownership has sky-rocketed to 33.7% since the restart but the Red Devils’ Portuguese midfielder features in 13.2% of teams, meaning a fair few gaffers are overlooking his form.
Fernandes has amassed 53 points across the last five Game Weeks and a busy schedule should ensure the returns keep flowing.
Generally speaking, backing several Man United assets looks to be a wise approach for the coming weeks.
Most read in Dream Team
Nathan Ake (£3.7m)
A well-timed goal!Credit: getty
Fresh off an 18-point haul in Game Week 20, the Dutchman looks set to be Manchester City’s first-choice left-back for the foreseeable future after Joao Cancelo’s surprise departure to Bayern Munich.
Ake underlined his impressive recent form when he scored the winner against Arsenal in last Friday night’s FA Cup showdown, earning him a Star Man award in the process.
Granted, Pep Guardiola’s side haven’t kept as many clean sheets as they would have liked this season but, when reasonably priced, their defensive assets remain solid options.
City have six fixtures to squeeze in this month with three of them coming against bottom-half opposition: Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth.
On paper, there should be a healthy allotment of points up for grabs for Ake and company.
Eddie Nketiah (£3.5m)
Underestimated by Dream Team bosses?
Arsenal have five games in February which makes them less busy than the Manchester clubs but more active than the likes of Newcastle and Brighton.
One of the Gunners’ fixtures sticks out like a sore thumb, a top-of-the-table clash with Man City which will be a serious test of their title-winning credentials.
However, the rest of the match-ups are relatively favourable.
Nketiah will continue to lead the line as Mikel Arteta’s side take on Everton, Brentford, Villa and Leicester around that meeting with Guardiola’s men.
It’s worth noting the game against the Bees takes place at the Emirates – Thomas Frank’s side are considerably weaker on the road.
Read More on The Sun
Arsenal’s homegrown poacher has deputised for Gabriel Jesus (£5.3m) superbly while the Brazilian has been sidelined.
Nketiah has scored seven goals in his last eight outings and still only appears in 3.6% of teams. More