Premier League

AS the first few eager gaffers dive headfirst into Dream Team’s much-improved fantasy game for 2023/24, it’s worth recapping some of the important lessons from last season.The first thing to note is that this coming season’s game has been revolutionised and with a new scoring system, transfer process, and the introduction of game-changing Boosters, Dream Team bosses should expect a fresh feel.
However, the tried-and-tested essence of the game remains the same and it would be wise to take the prominent themes of the 2022/23 campaign into consideration when selecting a team.

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School’s IN for summer, Dream Team gaffers!Credit: DREAM TEAM
Newcastle’s watertight defence
The success of Eddie Howe’s first-choice back four, and Nick Pope, was a key narrative last season.
Kieran Trippier reigned supreme among defenders but at one stage he was joined in the top four by Fabian Schar, Sven Botman and Dan Burn.
The Toon’s clean sheets dried up at the back end of the season but Newcastle’s top four defenders combined for 630 points when all was said and done – for comparison, Manchester City’s four-best defenders registered 561 points between them.
David de Gea pipped Pope at the post but the England custodian’s final tally of 147 meant he outperformed the likes of Alisson, Ederson and Aaron Ramsdale.
What’s truly remarkable about Newcastle’s defensive might last term is that they didn’t have European fixtures to bolster their schedule.
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What could they achieve this coming season with at least six Champions League games on top of their regular domestic commitments?
Dream Team’s reigning king of defendersCredit: GETTY
Hated, adored, but never ignored
Man City may have dominated midfield from a collective perspective but it was Bruno Fernandes who finished as the top asset in his position with 283 points, 31 more than Kevin De Bruyne.
One of the main reasons for the divisive Portuguese playmaker’s supremacy was his unmatched tally of 12 Star Man awards but, as you should know by now, this aspect has been removed from the game for the upcoming season.
However, the improved scoring system should suit Fernandes’ playstyle just as well.
Throughout 2023/24, players will receive a point for every big chance created (as defined by OPTA) and no player registered more in the Premier League than Manchester United’s No18 last season.
Similarly, players will be rewarded with a point per shot on target and while that metric was predictably led by forwards, Fernandes ranked highest among midfielders.
Try your luck at Pep Roulette
Ready for another season of unpredictable starting line-ups?Credit: PA
It goes without saying that last season’s top gaffers made extensive use of Man City’s treble winners.
However, it’s not as simple as locking in three or four Etihad assets from Gameweek 1 until the end of the campaign, arguably only Haaland and De Bruyne fit that description in 2022/23.
Juggling Pep Guardiola’s troops requires an observant eye, sharp instincts and a dose of luck.
Take Jack Grealish as an example, he had just one goal involvement to his name by the end of Gameweek 14 and was therefore an ineffective use of a midfield slot.
Not long after, he produced ten goal involvements in the space of nine Gameweeks and was very much worthy of his place in a competitive XI.
A similar thing could be said of Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez and Bernardo Silva who suffered fallow spells while out favour in between blistering periods of plentiful returns.
Gaffers shouldn’t be afraid to rotate City assets freely.
The myth of the ‘big six’
Can Mauricio Pochettino fix Chelsea’s problems?Credit: GETTY
Plenty of Dream Team gaffers will want to stack their team full of players from the Premier League’s so-called ‘big six’ and while that can be a profitable tactic, last season proved it can also cause serious problems.
2022/23 was an underwhelming campaign for Liverpool, a bitterly disappointing one for Spurs, and a horrendous one for Chelsea.
Dream Team bosses with Reds’ defenders, Blues’ attackers and any Spurs asset not named Harry Kane would have been much better off cherry-picking value-for-money gems from the likes of Brentford, Brighton and Newcastle.
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They’ll always be lorry-loads of points within the ‘big six’ but don’t put your faith in them blindly – it’s usually the case that at least two of the members are performing below par at any one time.

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WHETHER this is your first season playing Dream Team’s fantasy game or you’re a veteran of 20 years, you should familiarise yourself with the scoring system for the 2023/24 campaign.We’ve revolutionised how players earn points this season in hope of maximising transparency and satisfaction.

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Dream Team gaffers should take note of how players will earn points this seasonCredit: DREAM TEAM
Firstly, while Dream Team gaffers should take all elements of the scoring system into consideration when selecting their XI ahead of the new season, there’s no need to overcomplicate things if you’re not keen on stats.
Primarily, you want your strikers and midfielders to get goals and assists, and you want your goalkeeper and defenders to keep clean sheets – that’s the classic formula for a reason.
Here’s the full breakdown of how points are gained and lost:
All Players

Goal +5 points
Assist +2 points
Appearance (0-59 minutes) +1 point
Appearance (60+ minutes) +1 point
Shot on target +1 point
Big chance created +1 point
Successful tackles +1 point per two
Yellow card -1 point
Red card -3 points
Penalty miss -3 points
Own goal -2 points

Goalkeepers & Defenders Only

Clean sheet (minimum 60 minutes played) +5 points
Each goal conceded over one goal -1 point

Goalkeepers Only

Saves +1 point per two
Penalty save +3 points

This is mostly self explanatory but it’s worth expanding on a few aspects, particularly those unfamiliar to experienced Dream Team bosses.
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Bruno Fernandes created more big chances than any other Premier League player last seasonCredit: GETTY
As you can see, players will earn one point per shot on target, as defined by OPTA – it’s important to realise that a shot on target is different to a goal-bound shot that is blocked by a defender (registered as a blocked shot).
The average number of shots on target in a Premier League game last season was eight and of course these were generally spread out among several players from both sides.
In fact, only two top-flight players averaged 2+ shots on target per 90 minutes in 2022/23, Julio Enciso and Darwin Nunez.
Big chances created are defined by stats boffins OPTA as “a situation where a player should reasonably be expected to score, usually in a one on one scenario or from very close range when the ball has a clear path to goal and there is low to moderate pressure on the shooter.” 
For perspective, Bruno Fernandes created the most big chances in the Premier League last term, 32 in 37 appearances.
Again, please note that a ‘big chance created’ is different to the more common ‘chance created’ – we’re only rewarding genuinely brilliant moments of creativity.
Joao Palhinha: tackle machineCredit: GETTY
Defensive midfielders are long overdue proper recognition in the realm of Dream Team.
This season, their diligent work will be rewarded as players will receive one point per two successful tackles.
To be clear, if a player registers two/three successful tackles they will receive one point, if they make four/five tackles they will earn two points, and so on. 
Combative midfielders will benefit from this addition the most but players from all positions are eligible to score points this way.
Fulham’s Joao Palhinha was in a league of his own in terms of tackles last season with 147 attempted in the league alone at an average of 4.2 per game, with 83 of them being registered as successful.
But the Portugal international was a huge outlier.
Moises Caicedo was his closest competitor and the Brighton midfielder attempted 100 tackles with half of them being successful.
Similarly, goalkeepers will earn one point per two saves – as with all these stats, we align with OPTA’s definition.
David Raya made more saves than anyone else in the top flight last termCredit: GETTY
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David Raya led the way in terms of Premier League saves last season, he registered 154 in 38 appearances for Brentford at an average of just over four per game.
For comparison, Dream Team’s top two keepers in 2022/23, David de Gea and Nick Pope, averaged 2.7 and 2.4 saves per league game respectively. 
In addition to the core points, each player involved in any given fixture has the opportunity to earn bonus points; zero, one, three or five depending on their performance.
These bonus points are determined by a combination of the following following stats: completed crosses, successful dribbles, pass completion rate, interceptions, blocks, fouls won and goals scored from outside the area.
Offsides, fouls conceded and errors leading to goals will negatively impact a player’s chances of earning bonus points.
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When using our app or site, Dream Team managers will be able to view how many points players would have got last season if the new system had been implemented – a helpful tool when selecting an XI.

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STOP the presses, Dream Team is live!You can now register to play The Sun’s much-loved fantasy game for free ahead of the 2023/24 season via our app or website.
We’ve made a host of significant improvements to Dream Team for the coming season while maintaining the tried-and-tested essence of the game that has compelled football fans in their millions over the years.
Not only have we revolutionised the scoring system and the transfer process, we’ve introduced several new features to enhance your experience of the game throughout the duration of the season.

CLICK HERE TO PLAY DREAM TEAM 2023/24 NOW – FREE TO PLAY, MORE WINNERS THAN EVER BEFORE!

Allow Dream Team to unleash the Premier League manager within youCredit: DREAM TEAM
Team Entry & Prize Pool
This season, users will be limited to one team each. This ensures maximum competitiveness and challenges gaffers to commit fully to a single XI of Premier League stars.
For the first time ever, users from all over the world can enter Dream Team and international gaffers are eligible to bank a share of the prize pool if they excel.
This season’s overall winner will take home £50,000 with the following 20 runners-up banking £1,000 each, there’s also £100 for every Gameweek’s top gaffer – meaning more cash winners than ever before!
Compete for bragging rights and play in Mini Leagues alongside your friends, colleagues, family members, etc.
Team Selection
You will have an initial budget of £50million to select your team of eleven players from the vast pool of talent provided by the 20 Premier League clubs for the 2023/24 campaign.
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This season, you have the choice of seven formations: 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 4-5-1, 3-4-3, 3-5-2, 5-4-1, 5-3-2.
There is no limit on the number of players you can select from any one club so if you want to pick Luton’s entire starting line-up then crack on.
This season’s most-expensive player? Erling Haaland (£8.5m) of course.
Erling Haaland is the most-expensive player in Dream Team prior to Gameweek 1Credit: DREAM TEAM
Scoring System
Dream Team features an improved scoring system this season, one that recognises individual performance levels in more detail than ever before.
All Players

Goal +5 points
Assist +2 points
Appearance (0-59 minutes) +1 point
Appearance (60+ minutes) +1 point
Shot on target +1 point
Big chance created +1 point
Successful tackles +1 point per two
Yellow card -1 point
Red card -3 points
Penalty miss -3 points
Own goal -2 points

Goalkeepers & Defenders Only

Clean sheet (minimum 60 minutes played) +5 points
Each goal conceded over one goal -1 point

Goalkeepers Only

Saves +1 point per two
Penalty save +3 points

Transfers
Once the season is underway, transfers become the most important element of the game as they allow you to swap under-performing players for replacements in sparkling form – that’s the idea at least.
This season, you will have the opportunity to make two transfers per Gameweek.
If you choose not to make any transfers in a given Gameweek then one of them will carry over, meaning you’ll have three available the following Gameweek.
It’s possible to carry over again but four is the maximum number of transfers you’ll have available at any one time.
Hypothetically, if you were to only use one of your two weekly transfers then you would have two available again the following Gameweek – transfers only carry over if you don’t use any at all. 
All players will be locked out one hour before the first fixture of the Gameweek kicks off.
More prize winners than ever before guaranteed this season!Credit: DREAM TEAM
Captaincy
Each Game Week you will be invited to select one of your players as captain – the chosen player will receive DOUBLE points for the duration of the Gameweek.
If you forget to set your captain then the armband will default to your most recently-selected captain and they will score double points.
Boosters
Now for the most exciting new feature in the world of Dream Team.
This season you will have three Boosters at your disposal which, if used wisely, will provide a lorry-load of points in one fell swoop.
Each Booster can only be played once per season and only applies for the duration of the given Gameweek.

PARK THE BUS: All defenders score double points

12TH MAN: Select a 12th player to score points for your team

MAX CAPTAIN: Whichever player earns the most points will automatically be selected as captain

Boosters give you the opportunity to make up serious ground in your Mini Leagues in the blink of an eye but all your rivals have the opportunity to do the same so endeavour to play each one at the best possible moment.

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Turn your love of football into cash with Dream Team this seasonCredit: DREAM TEAM
Eligible Competitions
One of the reasons Dream Team is such a rewarding fantasy football game is that scoring is not limited to the Premier League.
The league fixtures make up the bread and butter of the season but players also score points in the domestic cups and European competitions.
In regards to the 2023/24 season specifically, all 20 clubs will of course be active in the Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle have qualified for the Champions League while Liverpool and Brighton will compete in the Europa League, as will West Ham by virtue of their triumph over Fiorentina in Prague.
Aston Villa will qualify for the Europa Conference League group stages if they win their play-off, please note that Unai Emery’s troops will not score points in the two play-off legs.
It goes without saying that you should ensure your team is packed with players active in Europe once the continental groups stages are underway as there’ll be plenty of points on offer. 
Be aware Pep Guardiola’s side will not score points in the Club World Cup, so you can disregard that sneaky tactic immediately.
Variable Pricing
All player prices are fixed prior to Gameweek 1 but once the season gets underway all players are subject to variable pricing. 
Without over-complicating it, if a player performs well his price will increase but if he finds points hard to come by then his value will decrease.
Once the action starts, it’s likely many teams will have a total value in excess of the initial £50million limit – that’s all part of the game – successful gaffers know how to work Dream Team’s stock market to their advantage.
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Dream Team will be on hand in the coming weeks with plenty of information and advice to ensure you understand every aspect of the game before the new season gets underway on August 11th.

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