I’ve pulled together a huge spreadsheet showing some of the key stats from last season but it can be a little difficult to navigate. As a result, I’ve created a top 10 for a number of different metrics. This should help us spot some opportunities for next season. The figures include all games played – including cup and European fixtures.
Top 10 point scorers
Salah – 334 points
Alexander-Arnold – 298 points
Kane – 291 points
Cancelo – 275 points
Van Dijk – 249 points
De Bruyne – 245 points
Son – 243 points
Robertson – 238 points
Matip – 236 points
Mahrez – 230 points
This one is fairly straightforward so I won’t go into detail. Obviously points scored pretty much trumps everything else – all that really matters is how many points a player can get for you over the course of a season. There are no real surprises on this list with all of the players coming from teams we would expect to see near the top of the table. It’s also interesting that only three strikers make the list, with it mainly being made up of defenders. Considering defenders traditionally cost a little less than strikers it might be worth prioritising some high value defensive players next season.
Top 10 goalscorers
Salah – 31
Kane – 27
Son – 24
Mahrez – 24
Ronaldo – 24
Mane – 23
Jota – 21
De Bruyne – 19
Maddison – 18
Bowen – 18
No real surprises in the top 10 goalscorers, I’d expect Kane and Salah to be the top two goalscorers next season as well. Salah outscored Kane by 4 goals but with Kane in the Champions League this season, he could well jump above Salah again this season. I’d expect all of the players on the list above to be valued high next season, which is a shame as the likes of Bowen and Maddison are unlikely to be bargain prices.
Top 10 players who made assists
Alexander-Arnold – 19
Mount – 16
Salah – 15
De Bruyne – 15
Robertson – 15
Bowen – 14
Barnes – 14
Maddison – 13
Fernandes – 13
Jesus – 12
Given Alexander-Arnold was the second highest point scorer across the whole season it’s no surprise to see him top this list. The huge number of assists and clean sheets resulted in a huge point total for the Liverpool defender. Barnes is a player I didn’t expect to see on the list – he didn’t generate a huge overall points total but clearly didn’t have a bad season. Jesus chipped in with a decent number of assists and he could be one to watch given that he will get more game time at Arsenal.
Top 10 players by number of games played
Henderson – 57
Jota – 55
Fornals – 54
Alisson – 54
Maddison – 52
Schmeichel – 52
Salah – 51
Bowen – 51
Cancelo – 51
Mane – 51
This list is a good example of why defensive minded midfielders aren’t the best options when it comes to Dream Team points. Henderson featured in the most games across the season but didn’t even manage 100 points. It does however illustrate that more games does often result in more points for the more attacking minded players. Salah and Cancelo in particular reached a huge points total and also featured in a lot of games.
Top 10 players by minutes played
Alisson – 4890
Schmeichel – 4680
van Dijk – 4620
Cancelo – 4532
Ederson – 4423
Rice – 4422
Mendy – 4319
Soucek – 4317
Kane – 4250
Alexander-Arnold – 4233
Minutes played is another good indicator of how much game time a player may get next season. It also illustrates that game time doesn’t always result in huge point totals. Schmeichel is a good example in this area, a lack of clean sheets for Leicester meant all those minutes were almost meaningless.
Top 10 players who kept clean sheets
van Dijk – 29
Alisson – 27
Ederson – 25
Alexander-Arnold – 25
Robertson – 25
Cancelo – 24
Matip – 24
Mendy – 23
Laporte – 23
T. Silva – 21
Defenders became more prominent within the highest scoring players last season. The large number of clean sheets on the list above show why. The list is also dominated by Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City players, I’ll personally be aiming to stick to defenders from these teams myself next season.
Top 10 players who picked up the star man award
Kane – 10
Maddison – 10
Alexander-Arnold – 8
Salah – 8
James – 7
Ronaldo – 7
Cancelo – 6
Sa – 6
Mount – 6
Jota – 6
It’s great to see a player from outside of the top four clubs on this list, Maddison appeared to be something of a star man magnet last season. He’s certainly someone I’d be interested in owning next season but I’d imagine he will start with a fairly high value. I can’t help but think that midfielder is going to be where I’ll need to find some bargain players.
Top 10 players by average rating
De Bruyne – 7.5
Kane – 7.4
Alexander-Arnold – 7.4
Salah – 7.4
Cancelo – 7.4
Rodri – 7.4
Son – 7.3
Mahrez – 7.3
Foden – 7.3
Eriksen – 7.3
This list is generally made up from players we would expect to see on here. The one that surprised me a little was Eriksen. He didn’t play a huge number of games for Brentford but still managed to average a rating of 7.3. I really I don’t want to fall into the trap of relying on Man Utd players again and I’d have question marks next to how often he’s going to play but he could be one of those players who becomes a bit of a bargain at the start of the season.
Points per 1,000 minutes played
Origi – 104
Salah – 83
Minamino – 82
Mahrez – 81
De Bruyne – 73
James – 73
Nketiah – 72
Ronaldo – 71
Alexander-Arnold – 70
Jesus – 70
The final stat that I look at is points per 1,000 minutes played. This helps to level the playing field based on game time, as this is often the variable that skews the numbers. This is basically a list of who would be the top point scorers if they all had the same game time. Really interesting as Kane topped the list last season but doesn’t even make the top 10 this time around. The one that stands out to me is Jesus, playing for Arsenal next season is a completely different prospect as he may not get as many chances compared to what City produce, but he may come into his own with a longer run of consistent game time. He’s likely to be a lot cheaper than others on the list as well but I’m still not sure I’m brave enough to take a punt on him.
Top 10 players by difference in end value compared to new value (underpriced players)
Matip – dropped by 2m
Alexander-Arnold – dropped by 1.4m
Dubravka – dropped by 1.4m
Alonso – dropped by 1.3m
Mahrez – dropped by 1.1m
Ronaldo – dropped by 1.1m
Foden – dropped by 1.1m
Ake – dropped by 1.1m
Kouyate – dropped by 1m
Saka – dropped by 0.9m
This is an interesting stat as it can help us spot a bargain. If a player finished on a high value last season they usually come in at a high price this season. The players listed above have actually dropped compared to where they finished last time around. The one that stands out for me is Saka at 4m with a drop of 0.9m. With Arsenal in Europe he could be one of the bargain players this time around. 4m isn’t bad for a player who picked up 160 points last season. I’d also be interested in Konate if he can displace Matip at Liverpool, not sure I see that happening just yet after Matip’s form last season. Alonso would also be of interest but I think Chilwell will be regular choice at left back. I also think Mahrez is a reasonable price to start the season given that he typically hits over 200 points every season.
Top 10 players by points per million spent compared to points scored last season
Jota – 50
Alonso – 48
Matip – 47
Moura – 47
Bowen – 47
Mbeumo – 46
Alexander-Arnold – 46
Maddison – 46
Jorginho – 45
Henderson – 45
This is also an interesting one, it’s points per million spent based on the players new value, compared to how many points they achieved last season. Jota comes out on top with a value of only 4.5m for the season ahead but with well over 200 points on the board last time around. He would be straight in my team if I was certain he would be a regular starter. He had a good amount of game time last season but with Diaz, Nunez and Salah to compete with, I’m not so sure he will get as much game time next season. The same goes for Alonso, good value and points last season but I see Chilwell as being first choice. Moura stands out as a bit of a bargain at 2.5m but again it comes down to how often he will get game time.
That wraps up my extensive statistical research for pre season. If you did want to check out the full list and sort it as you wish. You can do so by using the link below:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AKOhqWjaVKlvRA4H4suYP6934xRMNQd4OCkItasxk18/edit?usp=sharing
Well done lot to digest
Thanks, it’s looking like it’s going to be a tough season in terms of building that opening team. All the stats favour City and Liverpool players who are very expensive this season.
Madison was interesting , but Leicester not in Europe so may be a big impact ….
I agree, not sure I see him reaching the same levels this season and I think he will be more expensive. Any thoughts on Saka if he starts at 4m?