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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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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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
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'
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 (£xxm) 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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