Fantasy Football

ENGLAND’S players are coming home but football, sadly, is not.The Three Lions were more than competitive against France in the last of the four quarter-finals but the contest boiled down to moments, those taken by Aurelien Tchouameni and Olivier Giroud and a golden one missed by Harry Kane.
Several of Gareth Southgate’s troops were among the most-popular players in Dream Team World Cup, leaving swathes of gaffers in need of replacements ahead of the semi-finals.
Let’s run through the most-appealing options.
Harry Kane (£7.5m)
Kane still features in over a quarter of teamsCredit: getty
England’s skipper is the joint-most expensive player in the game alongside Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
It just so happens that the latter pair are in a two-horse race to finish the tournament as Dream Team World Cup’s best performer.
Argentina’s No10 holds a narrow lead at the top of the rankings right now with 50 points to his junior club team-mate’s 48.
Croatia and Morocco have proven to be defensively resolute but surely it makes sense to back Messi or Mbappe in Kane’s place ahead of the midweek fixtures.
Alternatively, Olivier Giroud may fit the bill.
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France’s all-time top scorer has four goals at this tournament, one fewer than Mbappe, and he has 29 points to show for efforts after his headed winner against England.
Harry Maguire (£4m)
Morocco are brilliantly organised out of possession but they don’t offer too much going forward.
Swapping Maguire for Theo Hernandez, France’s most attack-minded defender, seems like a wise move if you think Didier Deschamps’ men will put an end to the Atlas Lions’ impressive underdog run.
Dream Team World Cup’s top defenderCredit: getty
Conversely, if you think the North Africans have at least one more upset in them then Achraf Hakimi is your man – he leapfrogged England’s No6 to become Dream Team World Cup’s best defender with a five-point haul against Portugal, taking his overall tally to 34.
Croatia will hope to mirror the rearguard that frustrated Brazil when they meet Argentina on Tuesday night.
Dejan Lovren has the most points among their defenders but Josko Gvardiol has looked most impressive to the naked eye – the pair cost £2.5m each, almost half Maguire’s price.
If Zlatko Dalic’s side have a weakness it’s their relative bluntness up front so perhaps backing an Argentina clean sheet is the way to go, in that case it’s a toss up between certain stater Nicolas Otamendi or right-back Nahuel Molina.
The latter scored the Copa America champions’ opening goal against Louis van Gaal side – he has 18 points to his name.
Jude Bellingham (£4m)
Bellingham is the most-selected of England’s midfieldersCredit: getty
The two best midfielders still active in Qatar are Hakim Ziyech (18 points) and Adrien Rabiot (16 points) but given the expected pattern of the semi-final, Ousmane Dembele may be a more tempting replacement for England’s teenage star.
The Barcelona winger is more attack-minded than his team-mate and will probably see more of the ball than Morocco’s talisman.
Those gaffers with a spare £1m could wait for Argentina’s starting line-up to be announced and then bring in Angel Di Maria if he was selected.
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The Albiceleste’s No11 is more likely to register a goal involvement than the more defensive-minded midfielders available to Lionel Scaloni such as Enzo Fernandez or Rodrigo de Paul, although the former has contributed in the final third in this tournament.
Luka Modric is a class act but his efforts have only returned five points so far, Ivan Perisic has three times than total and is the same price as Bellingham. More

IF you come for the king, you best not miss.After the round of 16, Kylian Mbappe was Dream Team World Cup’s outright best player by a comfortable margin.
Having raced out in front in the Golden Boot race, the 23-year-old had 48 points to his name heading into his quarter-final against England, a full 12 points ahead of his closest rival, Lionel Messi.
Given the 12-year age difference between the two forwards, the dynamic felt like a continuation of a theme that has dictated the last few years: a passing of the torch from one generational talent to another.
And while it seems inevitable that Mbappe will indisputably hold the crown of world’s best player some time soon (if he doesn’t already) Messi is raging against the dying of the light in Qatar.
Messi isn’t giving up the crown easilyCredit: getty
And in fact, the balance of power between the two global superstars was readdressed during the quarter-finals, as evidenced by the Dream Team World Cup rankings.
Les Bleus edged out Gareth Southgate’s men but their No10 had a relatively quiet game, registering a blank.
Whereas Argentina once again leaned on their captain to squeeze out Netherlands.
In a game rammed full of needle of ill-will, some genuine football occasionally broke out and one of the highlights was Messi’s inch-perfect disguised pass to assist Nahuel Molina.
The Albiceleste’s legendary No10 scored a second-half penalty and converted a spot-kick during the shootout to book his place in the semi-finals.
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When all was said and done, Messi banked 14 points to take his overall tally to 50, meaning he reclaimed his throne from Mbappe to become the game’s top asset.
Mbappe blanked against England
The 35-year-old is the only man to have earned three Star Man awards at this late stage of the tournament – class really is permanent.
It should go without saying that all Dream Team World Cup gaffers would probably be wise to back both to thrive once more in the semis.
The pair come at an eye-watering cost of £15million but with a combined points total of 98 they’ve justified their price tags twice over.
On paper, Argentina and France are favourites to meet in the final but only a fool would underestimate Croatia or Morocco at this stage.
Still, Messi and Mbappe have nine goals and four assists between them in Qatar so the underdogs will be thoroughly up against it in midweek.
Friendly rivalsCredit: getty
The battle for supremacy in Dream Team World Cup is set to go down to the wire as even if one of the front-runners gets through to the final and the other doesn’t, the latter will have the third-place play-off to fulfil.
Another PSG star, Achraf Hakimi, is the next-best performer still active at the tournament but he’s 14 points short of Mbappe’s total currently – realistically it’s a two-horse race for top spot.
Mbappe will also be looking over his shoulder in the Golden Boot hunt – Messi and Olivier Giroud have four goals each to the young whippersnapper’s five. More

DREAM TEAM WORLD CUP managers need to prepare their XIs for the quarter-finals.Assuming you have enough transfers in the bank, it’s probably wise to target the two quarter-finals that are seemingly easier to predict.
On paper, England v France and Netherlands v Argentina are relatively even match-ups, this is reflected in the betting odds.
Whereas Croatia v Brazil and Morocco v Portugal both have odds-on favourites.
Don’t it wrong, Zlatko Dalic’s side and the Atlas Lions are both capable of progressing to the semi-finals, the former were finalists in Russia four years ago while the latter have been punching above their weight ever since they landed in Qatar.
But the smart, logical money is on the Selecao and Fernando Santos’ mob to reach the last four.
A shiny new toyCredit: getty
So how would this strategy specifically translate to your Dream Team World Cup XI?
Croatia have some excellent defenders and in Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic and Mateo Kovacic they have one of the best-balanced midfield trios in international football.
Their fatal flaw is most commonly exposed in the final third where they can be uninspiring and wasteful.
They put a leggy Canada to the sword but goals have been hard to come by in their other three fixtures this tournament.
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2018’s runners-up drew 0-0 with both Morocco and Belgium in the group stage before drawing 1-1 with Japan in the round of 16, eventually progressing on penalties.
Most Dream Team World Cup gaffers would instinctively think of Brazil’s attacking assets first but perhaps it would be smarter to back Thiago Silva (£5.5m), Marquinhos (£5.5m) and Alisson (£5m) to keep a clean sheet.
That trio are nailed-on starters and they come at a cost.
Cheaper alternatives Danilo (£3.5m) and Eder Militao (£4.5m) will be the full-backs unless Alex Sandro (£4m) recovers from injury, which is a possibility.
Dream Team World Cup’s third-best forwardCredit: getty
In terms of Brazil’s firepower, only Lionel Messi (£7.5m) and Kylian Mbappe (£7.5m) have more points among forwards than Richarlison (£5.5m) right now – the Spurs man has 33 to his name having scored three goals in three outings.
With an ownership of 31.9%, Vinicius Junior (£6m) is the second-most selected midfielder in the game.
The Real Madrid winger finally delivered the returns his talent promised in the round of 16 as he banked ten points at the expense of South Korea.
Raphinha (£5m) will likely keep his place on the right flank and while he’s looked threatening, he’s been unable to provide the killer final touch, much to the frustration of his Dream Team World Cup owners.
And of course, Neymar (£7m) remains the main man and, perhaps crucially, he’s the five-time world champions’ penalty taker.
Portugal will have to work hard to break down a Moroccan side who have worked harder and been more disciplined than any other side at the tournament.
Bruno Fernandes (£4.5m) is the best-performing midfielder in the game at this juncture having racked up 34 points by virtue of two goals and three assists in three appearances.
Brazil are heavy favourites to vanquish CroatiaCredit: getty
Goncalo Ramos (£3m) will be a popular recruit in the next 48 hours after his hat-trick against Switzerland and with good reason.
However, given the North Africans are likely to attempt a repeat of their defensive masterclass against Spain when they meet Portugal on Saturday, are the latter’s defensive assets a potentially more reliable source of points?
Diogo Dalot (£3.5m) started ahead of Joao Cancelo (£6m) at right-back against Switzerland while left-back Raphael Guerreiro (£3.5m) got on the scoresheet – with 16 points to date the Borussia Dortmund defender is the top performer in his position among his compatriots.
Pepe (£4.5m) and Ruben Dias (£5.5m) make up an physically intimidating centre-back pairing although it’s worth noting the latter only has three points to show for his efforts in Qatar.
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Guerreiro appears in just 3% of teams at the time of writing
Heading into the quarter-finals, a Dream Team World Cup XI featuring Alisson, Silva, Danilo, Guerreiro, Fernandes, Vinicius Jnr, Ramos and Richarlison would be well placed to provide plentiful returns in the quarter-finals.
Dare you back the two clearest favourites to such a dramatic degree? More

WE’RE officially in the nether zone.This is always the most sobering part of a World Cup, when the daily games suddenly comes to a halt, leaving us all bereft.
Still, at least this pause gives Dream Team World Cup gaffers a chance to take stock and in the spirit of reflection, we’ve assembled an XI of the best performers at the tournament so far.
GOALKEEPER: Thibaut Courtois (£4.5m)
You’re still thinking about the bad news…
Belgium may have crashed out at the group stage but their world-class goalkeeper gave a good account of himself in Qatar.
Courtois claimed Star Man awards against Canada and Croatia, not forgetting a penalty save to keep the former at bay when it looked for all the world the North Americans would get something from the game.
The Real Madrid custodian racked up 28 points in three games which is still enough to make him the top performer in his position.
Croatia’s Dominik Livakovic (£3m) is the best keeper among those still active in the tournament, he’s on 21 points ahead of a daunting meeting with Brazil in the quarter-finals.
DEFENDERS: Achraf Hakimi (£3m), Harry Maguire (£4m), Daley Blind (£3.5m), Jordi Alba (£4m)
Morocco’s Panenka hero has been talismanic for his side this winter.
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Inarguably the best right-back on display, Hakimi has banked 29 points as a key member of an Atlas Lions side fulfilling the role of likeable underdog in Qatar.
A class act
The PSG full-back is not top dog among defenders, however, that title belongs to England’s No6.
Gareth Southgate’s side have kept three consecutive clean sheets since shipping two late on against Iran and Maguire has been the primary beneficiary.
Many fans may have felt no individual deserved the Star Man award following England’s drab 0-0 with USA but somebody had to get it and the Man United centre-back edged out his rivals to pocket a 13-point haul.
Add in an assist and four 7+ ratings and you arrive at Maguire’s impressive tally of 33 points.
Blind was Netherlands’ unlikely hero of the round of 16.
Operating as left wing-back, the 32-year-old scored one goal and assisted another as the Oranje booked their place in the last eight at USA’s expense.
A massive match rating of 9.2 earned him the Star Man award, meaning he more than doubled his overall points total in one fell swoop – he’s now on 28 points.
Love is BlindCredit: getty
Alba completes our back four having accumulated 26 points during Spain’s curious campaign.
Again, if you’re not interested in eliminated players then Luke Shaw (£4m) is the replacement – England’s left-back has 25 points.
MIDFIELDERS: Bruno Fernandes (£4.5m), Frenkie de Jong (£3.5m), Bukayo Saka (£5m)
With Cristiano Ronaldo (£7m) now a benchwarmer, the mantle of Portugal’s talisman has defaulted from their No7 to their No8.
Fernandes has two goals, three assists and two Star Man awards from just three outings and already looks nailed on for a spot in the official Team of the Tournament.
His tally of 34 points makes him king among midfielders at this juncture.
The best midfielder on display in QatarCredit: getty
England’s No17 is Fernandes’ closest competitor having scored two goals against Iran plus a delicate finish to seal the victory over Senegal.
Saka (26 points) is one of SEVEN Englishmen on 20+ points heading into the quarter-finals – no other team can match that right now.
As a player who operates in a deeper role, De Jong isn’t the type of midfielder who usually succeeds in the realm of Dream Team but he’s earned his tally of 25 points through two Star Man awards and a rare goal against minnows Qatar.
The Dutchman has got Phil Foden (£5m) and Hakim Ziyech (£3m) breathing down his neck.
FORWARDS: Lionel Messi (£7.5m), Richarlison (£5.5m), Kylian Mbappe (£7.5m)
You know it’s a star-studded forward line when Cody Gakpo (£4m) misses the cut on 32 points!
Brazil’s No9 edges out the Dutchman by one point having scored three goals, earned two Star Man awards and provided one assist despite sitting out the final group game.
Gaffers who stayed cleared of Richarlison because of his Premier League form have been thoroughly punished.
Making pigeons popularCredit: getty
Argentina’s captain is carrying the weight of his nation on his shoulders and so far he’s hardly been hampered at all.
Sure, the Copa America champions slipped up against Saudi Arabia and Messi missed a penalty against Poland but his performances around those moments have been spellbinding at times – his tally of 36 points is only bettered by one man.
And that man is his PSG team-mate, France’s 23-year-old sensation.
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With five goals and two assists, Mbappe already has one hand on the Golden Boot and his Dream Team World Cup total of 48 points may already been unbeatable.
England will have their hands full on Saturday. More

IN a World Cup which saw no team win all their group games for the first time ever, most fans would have anticipated at least one upset in the round of 16.So far, the first round of knockout fixtures have gone the way of the favourite.
Netherlands, Argentina, France, England and Brazil all registered relatively comfortable victories while Croatia required a penalty shootout to edge out Japan.
Today is the last day a true underdog can join the heavy hitters in the quarter-finals with Morocco and Switzerland set to take on Spain and Portugal respectively.
One wonders if the success and swagger of the teams already in the last eight has increased the pressure on Fernando Santos and Luis Enrique’s sides?
Morocco are not to be taken lightly, Luis…Credit: getty
The lingering spectre of the upset has never drifted far in Qatar and it would be natural for fans of Portugal and Spain to now be worried it has it’s haunting eyes set on their team.
Let’s not forget, Morocco topped Group F ahead of Croatia and Belgium.
Walid Regragui only took charge of his first game as coach of the Atlas Lions as recently as September 21st but the late change of dugout personnel has not had any adverse impact on the North Africans.
In fact, since the decision led to Hakim Ziyech’s return to the international stage, it has to be said that Regragui’s appointment gave Morocco a boost on the eve on the tournament – the Chelsea attacking midfielder has been brilliant in Qatar.
Achraf Hakimi, Nayef Aguerd, Sofyan Amrabat and Romain Saiss have all performed superbly too, ensuring their side is awkward to play against.
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Pedri, Gavi and company will have to be at their best to play through what is a compact, organised and hard-working Moroccan outfit.
And in Ziyech, Sofiane Boufal and Youssef En-Nesyri they have a forward line that can hurt Spain on the break – La Roja’s back four is far from the most impenetrable at the tournament.
Still, Enrique’s troops will start as favourites because of the talent in the squad and their high ceiling – when it clicks, they are arguably the most fluent international side in world football.
Switzerland beat Portugal in their last meetingCredit: getty
As for Portugal, they won’t be underestimating Switzerland in the slightest ahead of this evening’s contest.
The last meeting between the two teams was only a few months ago in the Nations League where Haris Seferovic’s first-minute goal proved to the winner.
Although it’s worth noting that Cristiano Ronaldo and co won the reverse fixture in Lisbon 4-0.
Murat Yakin’s side finished top of their qualifying group ahead of Italy, a development that eventually contributed to the Euro 2020 winners’ failure to reach Qatar, and they were only one goal away from finishing above Brazil in Group G.
And of course it was Switzerland who eliminated France in the round of 16 last year at the Euros – giant-killing is in their nature.
But again, Portugal’s overall quality makes them favourites – Bruno Fernandes registered two goals and two assists in the group stage before he was rested against South Korea and his return to the starting line-up is a given.
Brazil sent out a message to the other quarter-finalistsCredit: getty
From a Dream Team World Cup perspective, today’s fixtures are the last ones in which there are clear favourites (although some would argue Brazil v Croatia is mismatch on current form) and so the temptation will be to use transfers to back Spain and/or Portugal for healthy returns – this tactic worked superbly last night as Tite’s men had their wicked way with Son Heung-min and pals.
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Looking ahead, the quarter-finals will cause headaches as gaffers will likely have to back one team or another in a series of relatively even match-ups.
Kylian Mbappe’s electricity or England’s consistent defence? Lionel Messi’s destiny or Louis van Gaal’s charisma? Decisions, decisions… More