Team Selection 2021/22

523 thoughts on “Team Selection 2021/22”

1. Think kdb is set to miss first couple of games

   1. Yeah I thought he might but it was more of a concept team at the moment, just to make sure I can accommodate him

2. nice start Paul.
   my dark horse has to be A villas Buendia
   cheaper than Grealish he likes to bomb forward.

   1. I think we need to uncover another Barnes for the season. It could well be Buendia

3. Cheers Paul. Great to get back at it! Enjoying reading all the funky stats so far 👍🏻I like the early line-up!!!! Doherty could be worth keeping. Tottenham could hit the ground running! Them and Liverpool.

   Could Pickford be a keeper to consider early on based on fixtures and possibly keep a few clean sheets? At 2.5M it could be an opportunity to make some money.

   1. Yeah it’s a tough one, I don’t fancy Spurs starting against Man City but could take a hit on that game. Pickford could be a nice option, I think their fixtures are OK

4. A good start, I have enjoyed reading last seasons highest scoring posts. Makes for interesting reading and helps clear up a few things in my mind. Incoming transfers will be interesting, will city have a ‘proper’ striker for example.

   1. If they sign Kane, he will be the first name on my teamsheet

5. Also I found the budget for the euros fairly comfortable, could pretty much pick who you like! A little tight here again with difficult decisions to be made.

6. Doherty could be a good shout with Nuno in charge. He knows how to get the best out of him.

   1. Yeah I agree at 2m. Could recapture that form and pick up some good points.

7. Anyone know much about Mbeumo of Brentford? Midfielder with a lot of goals and assists if he can carry over that kind of form to the prem he could be a great enabler at only 1.5m? I’m also interested in Justin & H.Barnes again if fit.

   1. I must admit I’ve never heard of him but I don’t tend to look at any players outside of the top 6-7 teams. Do we know if the two Leicester players are fit? Both of interest to me

8. Mendy
   Dias
   A V Bissaka
   Justin
   D Bruyne
   Fernandes
   Mount
   Barnes
   Cavani
   Kane
   C lewin
   very difficult to get all the players you want
   expect to change the team at some time.we always do.

   1. Liking a lot of those Don, Justin looks a bargain, do we know if he’s fit to start?

9. Anyone clocked that Spurs and Arsenal may have additional fixtures in August? I’m assuming the two fixtures for Spurs to quality for the new Europa Conference will count? Not sure what kind of team they will put out in that though. Then there’s the Carabao Cup for Arsenal in game week 2
   Will you be targeting these fixtures?

10. I recall RR bigging up defenders/wingbacks last season, I’ll be going down that route this season, TAA, Chilwell, or R. James, add Wan bissaka, a cheap Leicester regular starter, + Ederson
    will be pretty close to my back 5, goals, assists, regular 7+ ratings.

    1. Wan Bisska is definitely on my list to start with. Doherty at 2m could be a bargain. Robertson is also one I’m keen on. All attacking wingbacks as you say

11. just watched Leicester city new striker Patson Daka on u tube
    most impressive worth a watch.

12. Most teams will only have 3 games in August, then what must be an international break, no more games until September 11th, 10 transfers, so makes sense to target teams with better opening fixtures, Villa, Leicester, West ham, Liverpool, Man utd. Even for Man city, other than 2nd game in, their opening fixtures are tough, similar for Chelsea, might hold off on their defensive & offensive assets, knowing you can use August transfers at the back end of the month, + September transfers from the 11th onwards, to put in the their big guns.
    Martinez
    TAA
    Robbo
    Maguire/Shaw
    Wan bissaka
    Bruno
    Buendia
    Soucek
    Ieanacho
    Kane
    Salah
    Keeping an eye on Abraham’s, see where he ends up for 2.5, see if Grealish makes 1st game, & Sancho could hit the ground running 4.5, early days.

    1. I like it David and good logic on the fixutes. Had you clocked that Spurs have two additional games in August as well though?

13. nice post Dave, something I did not even think off.
    that’s the beauty off this site, you learn something new every day.
    look forward to more off your tips that you are willing to disclose. 👍

14. Great job as always.
    Picking nailed on players is going to be tricky, especially with the first game on a Friday.
    A lot of people will be making some early subs.

    1. Thanks Dan, it’s a tough one with fixtures this season. It’s a shame someone else isn’t kicking us off on the Friday

    2. That’s one of the reasons I’m wary of picking City players for GW 1 Dan. I can see it being Ederson, Mahrez plus nine others who could be any combination, with KDB looking doubtful for starting. Don’t want to be blowing subs before a ball is kicked after that Friday game.

       Might not be as ridiculous as it sounds to dodge City assets for GW1?

15. Is digne not a consideration? If Everton play wingbacks he’s an absolute beast for the price.

    1. Yeah spotted that as well Tech, with Benitez their now Everton should tighten up at back, Digne at 3 million is worthy of alot of consideration, first 6 fixtures very good, as Mick has also spotted Henderson if 1st choice above De gea, could do a Man utd double up with Wan bissaka for only 6.5 million.

       1. How certain are we that Henderson will get the nod though?

    2. I think he could be worth considering. Everton do have good fixtures. I’m assuming he’s fit? He went off injured in the Euro’s didn’t he?

16. Talksport announced this week Henderson will be first choice at Utd this season 👍🏻They seemed fairly certain.

    1. Bargain if it’s a certainty but will he rotate for Europe?

       1. Only if they end up in the europa league. Will mean business in champions league until out I guess! Do you get me?

          1. Yeah absolutely, but I still think they will rotate for the cup games, but most of the big clubs do these days anyway.

17. One thing we need to consider later this season as well guys is the African Cup of Nations. This takes place early Jan and runs through to early Feb. Will impact the likes of Salah, Mane, Mahrez etc…

    1. Hadn’t thought of that, will hopefully mix things up a bit as I can see a lot of people going for similar players

18. Looks like a very strong opening line up.I’m always over cautious though and like to have something in the bank for the price changes that come after the first games.Anyway good luck everyone

    1. that worries me to use all the 50ml and players you have go down
       players you want go up. its difficult to make up ground.
       catch 22 really.

    2. Yeah it’s a tough one, I’m hoping to get off to a flyer but if some of them blank I might need a good backup plan. Thinking De Bruyne might not start anyway so may start with someone cheaper

19. With KDB a doubt for the first game and Pep possibly resting the players who went deep into the Euro’s for GW1, my latest draft for my main team has no City coverage at all. Do I need to have strong words with myself?

    1. I’d add the caveat that I’d probably be bringing City coverage for GW2 if KDB returns. Also makes the likes of Torres, Mahrez, Gundo appealing from the off mind you adversely.

       Brain ache already….😂

       1. I like Torres as an option but I’m not sure how much he will start, good price at 3.5m if he can get good game time

       2. maybe this will perk you up Chris 🍺 🍺

    2. De Bruyne is the only one in my team, I’ve only got him in at the moment so I know I can afford him. May well take him out and bring someone else in to start. Tough one though, it’s very tricky at the start of the season

20. Feels a bit like deja-vu from last season but is there any love for starting the season with Dele Alli? I see an opportunity for him making the no.10 role his own again under new management?

    1. I did have the same thought, but for me it’s going to have to be Moura as he’s a bit more consistent.

    2. Seems to be playing all preseason game. I reckon he’s part of this new team rebuilt at Tottenham. At 2.5 M he’s a bargain 😀

       1. Thanks for that Mick. I’ve been reading an article about him saying he’s looking fitter and stronger than ever so I might be tempted to take a punt with those extra fixtures.

          Conversely, I’ve also read that both VVD and Gomez are still doubts for GW1. I was tempted on the Robbo TTA double up but might need a rethink.

21. The season opener, is Friday 13th, Brentford Vs Arsenal, I don’t see any additional fixtures for Spurs in August as yet, any games they have before Friday 13th will not count, I’ve checked their possible strongest lineup, & doesn’t include Moura. Bergwijn, Ndombele, Ali, with Son & Kane upfront.

    1. The draw hasn’t been made for Spurs playoff game but they will have two additional fixtures. One in game week 1 and one in game week 2.

22. + Hojbjerb.

23. this seems to be spurs dates.
    https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrJQ4xFjv1gFH8AogBLBQx.;_ylu=Y29sbwNpcjIEcG9zAzEEdnRpZANDMjAxNV8xBHNlYwNzcg–/RV=2/RE=1627258566/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fwww.tottenhamhotspur.com%2fnews%2f2021%2fjune%2ffixtures-2122-list-in-full%2f/RK=2/RS=X0NouVTjWb8Z2Li137Q_ben0VZU-

24. sorry did not work this is what it said.
    august 14th man city
    august 19th UEFA game
    august 21st wolves
    august 26th UEFA game
    28th Watford.

    1. Cheers Don, I couldn’t find that info, digest it & possibly make some changes.

       1. Has it definitively been confirmed by Dream Team that these extra fixtures for Spurs will count in the game? We’ve been here many time before. I’m not on Twitter anymore so I can’t really delve into it myself.

          1. I’ve seen it in the rules but you never know. I’m fairly sure they will count.

       2. With no teams going straight into the Europa Conference league, they are having to play these “play-off” games to qualify. I know qualifiers have been discounted in previous seasons but I think they were before season had properly begun.

25. Given spurs tough first game and kanes likely absence I’ve gone with the following
    Allison
    Wan-biss, Maguire, Robertson, soyuncu
    Fernandez, kdb, (check fitness?) Buendia
    Mane,Salah, cavani
    Villa and Leicester look to have a straight forward start to the season, as for the rest, they are established point scorers.

    1. Kane’s likely absence because he won’t be at Spurs?

       It’ll be interesting to see what Kane does this preseason. He was obviously making noises about going at the end of last season but if Spurs are stubborn, will Harry play hard ball and start missing training sessions etc to force the move? Many players have done it before but I’d imagine Harry would find it difficult as he’s such a decent bloke.

       1. I’m hearing he’s not going to make the start of the season regardless of who he’s playing for after an extended break and getting back to fitness. On that basis, expect us to start without him and then him unexpectedly start the first game.

    2. It is a tough start for Spurs, but are you not tempted by a couple of their players for their additional fixtures?

       1. I think August is a decent opportunity to go a bit rogue with team selection. There are only three GW’s.

          Spurs have two extra fixtures that I’m sure Nuno will want to win to qualify and teams not in Europe have an extra game with the Carabao second round. I would look at Paul’s “minutes played” stats from last season though to see who has a decent shot at game time for the Carabao.

26. Paul what about down grading Allison to Henderson
    Maguire to konate

    Still gets you your double ups but you can then upgrade moura to Sancho?
    Yes spurs have 2 extra games but the proximity of them to league games probably means your not likely to necessarily get extra out of moura etc?

    1. Yeah it was Henderson or De Gea who jumped out at me first. Do we think Henderson is the certain first choice though?

27. Hi all,

    Hope everyone’s keeping well!

    I’ve been a bit quite since the Euros as felt I really needed to switch off for my own sanity! I’m still not ready to get fully going again but will do so shortly I’m sure.

    I’m even thinking of dropping FPL completely this year which is crazy as I’ve been playing it religiously for around 12 years but upon reflection I’ve been so submersed in DAILY fantasy management, running two formats (DT & FPL) side by side for 4 years I haven’t been coming up for air! This is on top of a work/life balance which still isn’t quite where I want it to be, plus two young/growing children demanding more of my time at the weekends it’s something I currently feel I need (and want) to do.

    Fortunately I do actually prefer DT over FPL and the unlimited management and variables on FPL make it an easy decision to pick between the two games for the coming season as FPL takes a lot more time and effort to do well on these days so it should help my general life balance for the coming season I’m sure!

    Anyway, the point of my post isn’t really anything major but just to make sure you enjoy it! If something is stressing you out in life, don’t let, address it.

    Brad

    1. Great post Brad and I completely understand everything you say. I still consider myself to be very much a rookie when it comes to FF (4th season playing this season) so I’m still finding what works for me and what doesn’t.

       I have a busy family life as well and when you throw in a global pandemic and homeschooling into the mix then giving time to Fantasy Football becomes extremely difficult.

       I also ditched FPL (only tried the once) and have also moved away from Twitter. Spend way too much time on there and ultimately I struggle to navigate through all the “noise” surrounding all things Fantasy Football. It kinda created a FOMO mentality with me (fear of missing out) which is what social media companies ultimately want to do I guess. I also wanted to stick two fingers up to them as well for not tackling online hate crime but that’s another issue.

       There is more than one way to make a cake and each and every one of us need to find what works for us. There is no one way of being a good FF manager so the key to getting the right balance is to do what works for you.

       Great to see you back my man. 👍🏻

       1. It’s a good point both, I’m in a similar position with having a youngish family, a full time job and being self employed as well. It’s all about hitting the right balance for me and prioritsing only the things that matter. As in, I’ll jump on here when everyone else is busy 😂

          1. Cheers both, keep your eye on the ball. If you both manage family life as well as you do your DT’s then I’m sure you’re headed in the right direction! 😉

28. not many punters seem interested in Everton players this season.
    looking at there fixtures they look quite attractive.

    1. It’s a fair point Don. They’ll have an extra fixture in August too with the Carabao second round. It’s a lottery when it comes to team selection for that competition mind you.

    2. I think of the Everton picks I’d be looking at maybe Pickford, Digne, James and DCL as the main contenders. Also if Everton sign Dumfries he could also be a great option depending on price. Reckon Everton could play with three central defenders and wing-backs pushing up this season under Rafa. Like he did at Newcastle.

       Makes the full-backs/wing-backs more desirable as clean sheet chances probably improves along with potential attacking returns from them too.

       1. I like Digne as an option, if he definitely fit though? I thought he went off injured at some point for France.

          1. Digne started Everton’s preseason game yesterday so he must be ok now. 👌🏼

             1. Ahh that’s good to know, he was a bit disappointing last season compared to previous years but could get off to a good start.

       2. I no we cant have every one but a Digne and Kal lew
          look so attractive .
          my brain at the moment is working overtime. 🤖

29. Just heard that Justin won’t make the early part of the season through injury. Bertrand an option now?

    1. looks like every player picked is going right to kick of.
       lots of injury’s.

    2. Only 2m as well isn’t he? Could be a good one as a short term option

30. New episode now out from the Dream Team Tonic boys. Great podcast from the lads. 👌🏼

    1. I was subscribed to 3x different FPL podcasts last few seasons and I’ve just unsubscribed from them all and replaced them with this one alone covering DT. Will give it a listen this week to see if worth keeping. Cheers for the prompt Chris.

       1. Ben (aka Malaga Fox) has told me they are looking to run a DTTonic cash league as well for anyone interested.

          Always applaud anyone with the balls to make their own podcast as it can’t be easy. It’s just really nice to finally have one purely dedicated to SDT at last. They are getting last season’s overall winner (Fergie) on once a month to contribute as they are now also affiliated with FFHub. 👌🏼

31. still looking to see the price of Bryan gill
    spurs new signing will be. Sancho was up the next day.

    1. Added at £2m Don. 👍🏻

32. blimey big money signing for spurs.
    think he will go straight into the team.
    got to look at him for 2ml surely.

    1. It will be a wait and see for me, might not hit the ground running

       1. Yeah, looks a great price to be fair but I’ve been stung so many times with players new to the PL. Pepe, Werner etc. Worth a punt in an experimental team though maybe?

          Where are people with Sancho? Should he be classed as a newbie who may need time to adjust to the PL or with him being English, should he be up to speed from the off? I can’t make my mind up where I sit with him. He’ll be in a couple of my teams though I reckon.

          1. I’m tempted to put him in my main team but I’ll probably hold fire. He can’t be that good given the lack of game time he got in the Euros 😂

33. Henderson
    konate
    v.b.s
    T Alex
    Gill or Moura
    De Bruyne if he starts
    Fernandes
    Barnes
    Cavani
    Kane
    Saha

    I think this is very close to my team.do

    1. Do you think Kane will start? I’ve got him in as well but hearing he’s going to miss the first game

       1. Really hope we get more clarity before the season starts as this could be a huge decision, especially if we get it wrong. Kane potentially has the Europa Conference (play-off) game GW 1 also.

          1. Yeah I was thinking that. They might give him the first game off then start him in that game as a warm up and he hits a hat trick. Tempting to go with Son instead though.

             1. Yeah I’ve currently got Salah, Son and Mane as my front three in my main team. I do have a feeling that Watkins could get off to a flyer in that first month though. On pens and being two great supply chains in Grealish and Buendia. I’ll probably put him in a couple of other teams.

                I’m determined to improve my spread of players this season with the ten teams. Ive normally fallen into the trap of making them look too similar so I want to make sure all the main contenders for big points are in there somewhere.

                1. *having two great supply chains.

                2. It’s a tough one, I’ll do the 10 teams but the others always drop off because I forget about them. I couldn’t write about 10 either so I always end up focusing on one. Might do what I do last season and have 4-5 versions of the same team.

    2. Where’s Buendia Don? Looking at a few of his stats from his season in the PL with Norwich and last season in the championship and they are pretty impressive tbh.

       Increases the appeal not only to Buendia himself but Watkins too for an early punt with those three PL fixtures and the Carabao. Watkins stats were very good when Grealish played last season so could be even better with an extra avenue of service too.

34. Varane to United confirmed (subject to medical). Could he be that missing link in that defensive line? I certainly think he could be and that moves United defensive assets up a notch in terms of desirability.

    Both Maguire and Shaw doubts for the first game but I’d be surprised if both don’t start tbh.

    1. If we could pick their first choice keeper I think they are good value at 3m compared to all the other keepers. But who starts?

       1. I reckon Hendo will play the PL games with De Gea dropping in for the cup games. Although good value on paper I think that’s the fly in the ointment potentially.

          1. Maybe Hendo plays CL though.

          2. It’s a tough one, could be a good option to start with as Man Utd have good fixtures. But I agree De Gea will certainly get game time. If Henderson gets the nod for the PL and CL I’d be fairly happy.

35. “Phil Foden has been captured wearing a protective boot, as concerns over his fitness and injury status ahead of the new Premier League campaign grow.”

    Increases the chances of Sterling, Mahrez, Torres starting?

    1. I think if Torres gets increased game time this season he’s a great pick, but he didn’t play enough last season for me. Tough call. Sterling looks good at 4.5m though

       1. Son, Ali and Moura all scored tonight , plus an assist for Son and Moura, definitely worth consideration for first few weeks at least.

          1. Does Gil play the side which Moura tends to play? I’m not sure Moura will necessarily be nailed, although for £2.5m maybe a gamble worth taking with the extra fixtures short-term?

             1. I was just going to take a punt on Moura for the first two weeks where they’ve got those extra fixtures. He could end up playing in one of those games, potentially against an easy opposition.

          2. I’m tempted to go with Moura and Son, starting with Kane?

36. Was listening to the Football Daily podcast last night and Spurs are confident in keeping Kane unless crazy money comes in for him. I guess it all depends on how badly Kane wants to move now and if he wants to act out some shithousery to force a move.

37. some of my family went to MK dons last night
    said Ali played really well, think he will be a definite starter.

38. Anyone know of any decent cash Mini-Leagues this season? Not being on Twitter any longer makes it tricky to get into them.

    Cheers guys.

    1. I know DreamTeamRating (Twitter)runs one but I could do with his email address if anyone has it?

       1. What kind of thing you looking for Chris?
          I know of three different big mini leagues that I generally consider joining. Dreamteamratings is one of them but it tends to be a huge league with a massive pot – meaning I know I probably won’t win anything. But if it’s the bigger the better for you, then I could put you in touch with Gary who runs that one.

          1. I’m joining one called the DT Costa ML (played in it last season) which some ex-pats play in along with Ben and Tony from the DTTONIC podcast. They are trialing a max three players from any one team rule. I like the idea on paper but marshalling it in practice is another matter I reckon. We’ll see how it goes though. I still wake up in a cold sweat from thinking about that “non-Euro” ML I trialled last season! 😂

             I’m also going to join the one that DTTonic are running themselves (£10 for one team, £15 two, £20 three – max three teams).

             Would quite fancy a stab at the one Gary runs as well though tbh if you do have a way I can contact him mate?

             1. Yeah, I expect these leagues will be very difficult to win given the quality and quantity of people involved. You got to finish within the top 100 overall (something I am aiming for again this season) to have a chance. I did suggest extra (advanced) help needed on FB section but got criticised for being too ambitious. People are just happy winning local leagues. Another mini league is the Elite League on Fiso website where I am the reigning champion and you are only allowed to enter one team. Difficult one to win, took me 5 years. Nice trophy on display in my study.

                A Fiso member used to run a small head to head comp in the champions league format which I enjoyed. Fond memories of winning that one as my final opponent went big on City but must be pissed when his players were left on the bench in a league game vs Sunderland. Although best moment was meeting one of my online friends (shared a lot of banter with and he always got the better of me in the mini league) in the quarters. He sent a nice message after my win saying I got my tactics spot on.

                I think the satisfaction in winning these difficult mini leagues will be far greater than the prize money won as you are beating the best of the best.

                1. Whilst there is nothing wrong with being ambitious, I don’t think having an “elite” section on this site would be a good idea in all honesty mate.

                   What I love about this site is that nobody has a chip on their shoulder and all are welcome, no matter what level we might be at. To create an “elite” section would remind me of the famous line from Orwell’s Animal Farm “we are all equal………but some are more equal than others”.

                   I still class myself as a rookie (4th season) and if I had comes across this site on my first season and seen an “elite” section it would have put me right off in all honesty.

                   In terms of targets I’d love to aim for a top 100 spot this season as well and I’ll be trying my best to get there. 💪

                   1. I just saying because you talking about joining these big mini leagues which can be very difficult to win and it may require some extra help. It’s good the community is there to bounce ideas.

                      While we wish we are equal, the reality is sadly not true. We are judged in society by our success and other factors and similarly in fantasy football. For example, I got a poor chance of being signed as a writer for a big company if my FPL record is poor (highest pos is 250k). No matter how well I present myself, they won’t offer me the job as my poor FPL is unlikely to attract further followers on social media or subscribers to their website. Like in school grades, we are judged by our success and failures. Right now I reading an FPL book on how to finish 1k – I doubt it will sell well if it where to tell you how to finish 10k or in my case 100k. Similarly we are told to target players from the big clubs for success and ignore the players from the smaller clubs who can be valuable assets in own way. I don’t see equality there. I gained more knowledge this summer from reading about Norwich and Brentford than Chelsea or Man City and while I might not get any of their players in my team, I will certainly look to incorporate their strategies into my thinking.

                      Rookie? I expected you to graduate with first class honours after 3 years

                      1. I agree, to win these leagues will be hugely difficult without good judgment and the inevitable slice of luck here and there along the way. The extra help for me comes from this site, FF podcasts and FFHub. The best way to learn in this game is to listen and understand the thinking and strategy of other successful DT managers. Really looking forward to hearing Fergi (last season’s overall winner) on the Tonic podcast this season.

             2. I’ve just asked him if he’s got an email address I can give you. I normally speak to him on Facebook and I know you’re not on there. Will come back to you once I’ve got the details.

                1. Thanks Paul. Much appreciated. 👌🏼

39. Morning all, anyone signing up to the Dream Team coach this year? I signed up for it year mainly for the price changes hoping that i’d be able to predict the price changes better but not too much avail, the system is defo flawed.

    1. was in last year thought it was poor to be honest
       not bothered this year.

       1. I’m the same Don, the ratings never worked out how i expected so think i’m going to fuck if off. Anyone else have a better understanding of the alrgoithm?

       2. Yeah, it was a complete waste of money for me.

          1. All in agreement then that it’s absoloute bollocks ha

40. Had a few requests for the WhatsApp group link so I’m just pasting it in here:
    https://chat.whatsapp.com/KnoM7kTOyq3IdancnIuMZq

41. Hi DTT is there a mini league to join this year?

    1. Hi Tom, I’ve just set this up, the PIN is SGTPKWY5

42. Any changes to the above ? Getting quite close to the start of the season?

    1. There will be changes, Doherty will probably come out. Still some way to go yet, just under 2 weeks so plenty of time for things to change. I could easily change it every day but we would just end up back where we started.

       1. Yeah, I’m trying not to waste too much brain energy tinkering every day just yet. A lot can still change from now until the season starts, even though it’s not too far away. It can be frustrating to agonise over your team for weeks, finally get to a place you’re happy with and then have the rug pulled from under you with injuries, transfers etc at the last moment.

          At the moment it’s all about keeping your ear to the ground with injuries, pre-season form, transfer gossip etc.

          I noticed Ziyech bagged himself a hat-trick for Chelsea a few days ago. 🧐

          1. A good example might be Henderson, I was going to put him in but I’m hearing he’s absent from the squad after not recovering from Covid yet. Ziyech should be on the radar, he’s a good price considering the expectation everyone had of him last season.

             1. I didn’t think Henderson was a good choice before yesterday knowing he is suffering from long Covid as I wrote this on your Twitter page a few days ago. “Only interested if one of them (De Gea or Henderson) leaves as they can easily get dropped if make a mistake or confidence is low. The likes of Ederson or Alisson might be worth paying extra as likely to keep their place in Europe and so more clean sheets and points.” Having two good goalkeepers at one club is not good for fantasy football.

43. looks like another big defender signing for spurs
    makes Doherty chance of starting dwindling away.

    1. Romero plays centre-back though Don so it shouldn’t impact Doherty’s chances I wouldn’t have thought? Spurs are definitely in need of centre-backs imo with Alderweireld off to Qatar.

       I wouldn’t at all be surprised if Nuno started off with three at the back with wing-backs pushing forward. This would only increase my interest in Doherty (and Reguilon also) as I only see Aurier as his only real competition presently for that right-sided role and I’m sure I read somewhere he’s on the transfer list.

       1. I’m going to leave Doherty out to start with I think. See what happens in the first game week and then maybe bring him in. Can’t see them keeping a clean sheet against City.

44. Noticed a price change already as Dele Alli gone up from 2.5m to 3.0m. Not happy as he is in my current draft and probably because Kane has gone on strike.

    1. I am pretty sure Cavani was at 4.0 now 4.5m or I am going mad today. Another one in draft.

       1. It gets worse for me with Dias at 4.5m (I was thinking 4.0 was a bargain) and noticed Cresswell and Greenwood both on my shortlist at 3.5m each, previously at 3.0m.

          Looks like there is a review of player prices and maybe they may change for a lot of players.

       2. I’m not sure what they are thinking doing that. I don’t think anyone would have complained had they left it how it was but so many people are going to be annoyed by the change.

45. Yeah, there always seems to be some kind of fly in the ointment at the start of the season when it comes to SDT. Carl the work experience kid is in charge of Dream Team again this season it seems.

    Damn it Carl!

46. how can dream team justify this its outrageous .
    there has not been a game yet.

47. Yeah cavani gone up to 4.5m team over 50m dtt

    1. Yeah I’ll have to reshape my team over the next couple of days. It’s probably due an update anyway.

48. As I mentioned on the fb group tonight. Doing a bit of scouting. As I remembered him from the 2nd half of last season. A Leicester player. A Young kid by the name Luke Thomas. He’s 22. Plays midfield. But classed as a defender at 1.5 M He could a right good bargain. He was phenomenal in the FA Cup final. I think he’ll get the shout again this year. Rodgers likes him a lot 👍🏻

    1. It’s a good shout Mick, I think he’s Bertrand’s cloest rival the place down the left. Not easy knowing who to pick at the moment.

49. Is no one looking at Aston Villa players? Great first 3 games they keep clean sheets and Watkins can score goals ?

    1. Definitely sticking Watkins and Buendia in one or two more experimental teams. Even without Grealish, I still think those Villa front players could be a good supply line for Watkins early doors.

       Defensively I reckon Matty Cash could be an nice early season bargain at £2m for that first month.

       1. Did Cash only break into the team last season? I noticed he didn’t have a huge number of minutes under his belt and scored less than 100 points

          1. Yeah he did, replacing Elmohamady who is leaving Villa now. There is no real competition for the right-back berth now from what I can see as I think Young will be pushing Targett for the left-back spot.

             1. Interesting, good value at 2m. Will have to check out their fixtures

    2. Not sure about Villa, especially without Grealish

50. Hasn’t Kane been isolating? Read somewhere that because he went to an Amber listed place he has to stay in for 10 days.

    1. That’s the first I’ve heard of it in all honesty Dan. Do you have a source to suggest otherwise? Most reports suggesting Kane has effectively gone on strike to force a move.

51. Great update Paul and solid team selection there. Seems like a good time to reveal my main team too.

    Just to note, I’ve heard reports De Bruyne has been seen limping in training so I’m going to omit him for now. With the Kane saga rumbling on I’m doing the same with him too. I have positioned my team so that I can hopefully switch them in with one move if required.

    Sanchez – good fixtures early doors

    TAA – points machine on his day and good fixtures
    Robbo – assist potential and good fixtures
    Digne – good fixtures and set-piece duties
    AWB – good fixtures and good price

    Bruno – pick and stick
    Mahrez – City coverage. Rested, good preseason form, can score big on his day. Can upgrade to De-Bruyne if needed.
    Alli – Shame about the price rise but could make a mockery of the price tag still if he rediscovers the form he’s capable of. Extra fixtures potentially for first month too.

    Salah – pick and stick most likely
    Son – Extra fixtures and the main man if Kane isn’t playing. Most likely on pens too.
    Mane – Struggling to decide between Mane and Cavani tbh. I slightly prefer Liverpool’s fixtures than Man U for the first month, but it’s pretty much a coin toss. Can upgrade to Kane hopefully when required.

    As I’ve said before, I’ll be attacking the ten team allowance this season much more than previous seasons to cast my net further and hopefully snag a few of those players who hit the ground running.

    1. I’m liking that team Chris, food for thought having a cheaper keeper as you’ve strengthened elsewhere. Not sure I’ve quite got mine right yet.

       1. Cheers Paul. 👍🏻

          £1.5m for a first choice keeper in a team that had a decent defensive record last season just seems too good to ignore. It may ultimately come back to haunt me but with decent fixtures at the start, it’s a calculated risk that will hopefully come off. By the time the fixtures turn, I’m hoping his value will have risen and I can upgrade.

52. With Rashford being out for a couple of month, do we think there is a possibility of Pogba playing on that left hand side? Sancho and Greenwood tend to play right and maybe Martial rotates with Cavani centrally with perhaps Greenwood playing central sometimes too?

    I remember Pogba being really effective the last time he played left and if he does so until Rashford returns, maybe he could be a great option at £4.5m? A wait and see obviously but one to bear in mind.

53. As expected, Grealish to City a done deal, for a 100 million, he has to play every week, doesn’t he, quite frightening the player’s they have at their disposal, can he demand as many minutes on the pitch as De- bruyne, for 1.5 million cheaper, similar team to yours at present Chris, but with Ieanacho in & one more midfield position to fill.

    1. So difficult to predict what will be in Pep’s mind but I’d be very surprised if he played every week given the quality they have in those wider positions. Mahrez, Sterling, Foden, Torres, Silva and now Grealish. That’s just an embarrassment of riches. Add to the fact that Grealish probably prefers to play left which both Sterling and Foden tend to do as well…….and you’re left scratching your head predicting City starting line-ups.

       Torres interests me if they fail to sign a striker as he could play false 9 sometimes (along with Jesus obviously). I’ve not heard anyone mention Jesus as an option. Is he the new Firmino?

       1. I’ve had Jesus a few times and to be fair he did well for me with a hat trick in the Champions League. Surely they need to sign a striker though. I’d pick Torres if I thought he would get a decent amount of game time.

54. Danny Ings has signed for Villa! That one came out of nowhere as I hadn’t heard it as a rumour even!

    Would kind of put me off Watkins now as I can see him being pushed into that left hand side. Maybe Ings is an option now? Keeping fit is sometimes the problem with him but I guess with 5 transfers it could be a decent short-term punt?

    1. This has made me rethink Watkins massively. Will Ings even be on penalties now. Avbsolute head fuck Chris

55. Fofana suspected broken ankle. Injuries mounting up for the Foxes defence…

    1. Bad break too, won’t be seeing him for a fair while.

       1. Saw that one on Twitter, not sure why he’s making a tackle like that in a friendly. Put doubts over picking Leicester defenders now?

          1. Yeah I really liked the Bertrand pick as well so another injury is a shame.

             1. I think Bertrand pick is good, two assists last night and on set pieces – free kicks and corners. Plus played in every pre season game.

56. Would anyone consider Lukaku, on his way to Chelsea?

    1. I’d definitely consider him, hard to leave out as I could see him scoring a lot of goals.

       1. Kane, Salah and Lukaku up front next season then, not much change left from them 3.

          1. Yeah that’s going to be very tough as I’ll want all three

    2. Would be in a few if my teams that’s for sure. Very little competition. He unplayable when he’s on it.

57. with Grealish now in. picking any of peps
    players is a nightmare now. has anyone thought of
    disregarding there players all together other than De bruyne.

    1. Considering it myself as it’s going to be more of a lottery than ever

58. What about Harvey Barnes anyone? Scored couple goals already in the friendlies, was doing well last season before the injury. Could be a good pick with Leicesters first few games looking decent on paper

    1. I’m considering him as well but wish he was a bit cheaper. He was a bargain last season but this time around he’s probably priced fairly, which is annoying.

59. Just a quick side note, I’ve decided to introduce a small cash prize (£200) for the winner of the Dream Team Tips mini league. This should give it more meaning without making it too competitive that people won’t share advice. If you were keen to join, the PIN is on this thread https://www.dreamteamtips.co.uk/dream-team-tips-mini-league-whatsapp-group-link/

60. Love all the comments and ideas. Question for DTT….fully appreciate draft teams need updating prior to the season, but notice you have changed formation from 433 to 343. Any thoughts on historically which formation is best?. I’m leaning more to 343 as think ( but have no facts to back it up) that the best midfielders normally ‘out point” the best defenders. Cheers steve

    1. Good question, I think most of the previous winners have gone for 343, I tend to play it based on who I want in that last position. So I’ll look at money left over and decide who I’ll go for based on who is left at that value.

61. Ziyech scored both of Chelsea’s goals against Spurs the other night. He’s having some preseason and is working his way into my thoughts. My main concern is that he’ll face rotation with Werner, Havertz, Mount etc.

    1. Not forgetting the likes of Pulisic and CHO also.

    2. He’s tempting at 3m but do we see him getting a regular game?

       1. Yeah, his surety of starts is too off-putting I think.

62. just read Chelsea have agreed a 5year deal with
    Lukaku. if true surly he is a must have striker.

    1. I’d say so but having Kane and Salah as well won’t leave much change

       1. What price would Lukaku come in at do we think? I’d say about £6m?

          1. I was thinking 6m as well, would cause a problem with getting a well balanced team

             1. One of the dream team Twitter pages said he’d be £6M

63. just had a pop up Grealish will be 4.5 mL

64. Looking at a few early line-up predictions and a few for Spurs don’t have Alli in so I might go for the safer option in Moura. I do still think Alli will start myself but Moura has little competition for the right side position (Bergwijn and Gil being left wingers) so as much as having Moura doesn’t excite me so much, he’s probably pretty nailed for that first month.

    I’ll stick Alli in a couple of more experimental teams.

    1. FF Scout have him in, I’d be very surprised if he didn’t start as he’s had a great pre season

       1. I just have that nagging doubt that if he plays with Son centrally then say Moura and Bergwijn either side of him, will he then also play Alli as a number ten against the PL champions in GW1?

          I wonder if Nuno will play a little bit more conservative and have two central midfielders who will just sit deeper. Even if Alli does start, will he be getting into forward positions so much?

          I know we have to also look beyond GW1 with Spurs assets but it’s just nagging me.

          1. FF Scout have the line up as 4-3-3, with Ali as the left of the 3 mids, but now they’ve signed Romero, they may go wing-backs, either way I’m sure Ali will play, lots of good reviews about him.
             Moura should start too.

    2. I’ll be going Moura myself, that’s one player I’m set on. Even if he doesn’t start in the league he might play in those qualifying games.

       1. Moura has been very involved preseason so I fully expect him to start against City. There is very little competition for the right-wing spot from what I can see (unless he opts for wing-backs, which he hasn’t shown evidence of playing preseason).

65. just took son out and put mane in.
    cant see son doing much in the first game.
    Liv first six game look to good to ignore.
    still have money in the bank if and when Kane starts.
    you never no in football anything can happen though.

    1. Mane is definitely one to consider, he’s had a great preseason and he was recently interviewed saying; he’s determined to improve after a poor season last year.

       Mane surely is a better pick than Cavani, who isn’t a certain starter

       1. Over the course of a full season I’m inclined to agree with that final statement SteveB. For those first half a dozen games though it could easily be a coin toss with great fixtures for both clubs and likely more minutes for Cavani with Rash being out.

          I’m on Mane myself right now but Cavani is still a great option early doors imo.

          1. Cavani hasn’t played a minute of pre season, and isn’t anywhere to be seen today vs Everton, I won’t be going near Cavani to start with.
             If I was going for a Utd forward it would be Greenwood.

             1. How come he’s not been playing in preseason? That’s putting me off picking him as well now to be honest. Might go for Greenwood instead

                1. He’s had an extended break after the copa America. Pictures today showing him in the gym, so back training, but still not match fit.
                   Got a good feeling for Greenwood this season.

                   1. I might go Greenwood then just because he’s good value and they’ve got decent fixtures.

                      1. Greenwood is a great shout to start with now.

                         1. I’m definitely swaying todays him now. Bertrand started today as well

             2. Yeah noticed that today. Maybe sway away from Cavani now then. Well spotted SteveB.

                DCL missing today with an injury also puts me off Digne a little. Those two link up really well with Digne’s delivery.

    2. Don’t forget that Spurs have four games in the first two game weeks and all the other big clubs have two. Son may not play in those additional games but it’s worth considering.

       1. Son and Moura are definitely for me for start of season.

          1. Same for me, there’s a few I’m certain I’ll start with at this stage that includes Son, Moura, Fernandes, Wan-Bissaka, Robertson, Salah. Still debating the rest though

66. I have all but one of your definites….. I’m swaying towards Luke Shaw – who had the best minutes-per-chance-created average of any defender in the Prem League last season.

    I also think TAA could be a pick and stick.

    1. I’ve moved over to Shaw as well from AWB. Think the fact that he’s on indirect free-kicks and corners make the extra £0.5m worth it. AWB still great value though. 👌🏼

       1. It’s a tough one because those corners and free kicks didn’t help Shaw much last season when Wan-Bissaka outscored him but he was absolutely flying in the Euros. Tough call.

    2. I’m hoping Roberton and TAA will be similar on points and Robertson saves that 0.5m. Same with Wan-Bissaka and Shaw. Might not play out that way though. Seeing Bertrand start today has increased the likelihood of me starting with him as well.

       1. On corners as well Paul so I’m liking him as an option the more I think about it. As long as Leicester avoid anymore injuries to the defence they should do ok.

67. to of the best clubs in the premiership.
    BUT. man city top defence top midfield nothing up front.
    Liverpool top defence top strikers midfield nothing to shout about.

    1. It’s a strange one, surely Man City need to buy a 20 goals per season striker

68. With Johnny Evans being out until after the international break and Fofana out for the foreseeable, I see a decent opportunity to get a real bargain enabler early doors in Amartey. At £1.5m he’s as cheap as chips and should be nailed until September at least. Along with the bargain Bertrand at £2m (who again was taking corners I believe) there are two great cheap options there to really enable the ability to strengthen the rest of your team.

    As long as Leicester don’t suffer any further defensive injuries, I think they could start well as they have in seasons gone by.

    1. good shout Chris problem with cheap players
       is being able to upgrade them if things don’t work out.
       as long as you have plenty in the tank its OK.
       I must say I have Bertrand in both teams though. 👍

69. Strange not to see Varane in the game yet? What do we reckon, £4m?

    1. £4.5m I reckon

    2. I think they’ve said he will be 4.5m but isn’t he having problems getting over to have a medical? I’m not sure he’s officially signed yet.

70. Maguire is 4.5ml
    wan bissaka 3.5ml
    think he will be 3.5ml same as VB.

71. After watching Man United yesterday with Shaw and Maguire fit getting the assist and goal I think it’s worth swapping AWB for one of them, don’t you? Shaw will get a lot of assists and Maguire is a star man machine without banging headers like that in.

    1. I’m tempted to start with Wan-Bissaka and Maguire. Wan-Bissaka is slightly cheaper and outscored both of them last season. He’s also had a longer rest.

72. Tottenham are ready to pay inter £60ml for forward Martinez.
    is that a hint goodbye Harry.

73. It doesn’t look like the Europa conference Playoff games will count. Might have to ditch the spuds players and Arsenal have a relatively tough start so not sure about Pepe

    1. Where did you read that? Everywhere I’ve read says they do count. I saw it on the rules pages. Pepe only in for the game against Bretford and a potential additional game in the Carabao Cup then he’s gone.

       1. https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.thesun.co.uk/dream-team/15499143/premier-league-fantasy-football-season-2021/amp/

          It says it on this link that qualifying rounds don’t count and those games aren’t on spurs fixtures within dream team

          1. They aren’t on the list because they haven’t been drawn yet. It’s technically a playoff round not a qualifying round so my understanding is that they still count

             1. Ok great, let’s wait and see

                1. I’d be fairly annoyed if they didn’t count. On the rules page it says playoff games count for the Europa Conference League

                   1. I just read the rules and it does look like you are right. It says that Europa conference qualifiers don’t count (excluding playoffs)

                      1. Yeah it’s massively buried to be honest but they count most years for the Europa League as well

74. Quick heads up. Watching the Liverpool game and Robertson has gone off injured, ankle injury so yeah have to monitor that situation.

    1. Yeah I’d just seen that as well. Nightmare, might switch to Alexander-Arnold just in case

       1. looking likely that D Bruyne wont be starting.
          DDT have you got anyone else in mind.

          1. I’m tempted to go back to 433 and bring in Maguire because of those good early fixtures.

75. I know DTT is very good on his stats, so I was wondering if he or anyone can help me to find out how many points did West Ham’s Coufal got last season?

    1. He’s not on my spreadsheet. I’ve got a suspicion that he was never added to the game last season

       1. That’s very strange as he played 34 games last season. So do reckon he is any good for SDT as very popular in other formats as eying him up as my Robertson replacement. One to ponder. I did like Cresswell’s original price of 3.0m before the Sun changed it.

          1. It is strange but I can’t find any mention of him last season. West Ham players could be dark horses this season with the Europa League and a smaller squad.

             1. Yeah, according to DreamTeamTonic Podcast he was never added to the game strangely. Great option though when the European games kick-in as is Cresswell. Moyes will have them all well drilled.

    2. I had Coufal in my FPL draft but got a little nervy when I heard that contract talks were a little shaky. Maybe this is always the case with contract talks, and no doubt there will be news media exaggeration in there as well.

       https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12364763/vladimir-coufal-west-ham-still-in-talks-with-czech-republic-defender-over-new-contract

76. If it’s to be Kane, Lukaku & Salah, that’s 19 million + Bruno & 6.5 million & a Man city midfielder, going to have to be very selective & street wise regarding the rest of the team, wanted to double up on Liverpool & Man utd defensive assets early on, just not going to be possible, haven’t heard Pickford mentioned at 2.5 million, August & September fixtures really good, &, with Benitez at the helm can only improve defensive record, Martinez at Villa August fixtures good chances for clean sheets 3 million, 5 transfers for August short month, further 5 for September on a short month, the timing of transfers as always going to be key to getting off to good start.

    1. It’s going to be tough this season. I’m hoping Lukaku doesn’t end up going back to Chelsea because I don’t think Salah, Kane and Lukaku is viable.

77. Might not be able to post much this week boys due to a family holiday in the Welsh valleys. I don’t think our lodge in the woods will have much of a phone signal and definitely no Wi-fi! 😂

    We come home Friday so it might be a mad dash home to make those final tweaks! Just wanted to wish you all good luck for the start of the season guys! Keep your ears to the ground with any injury, transfer news and post on the forum if you could guys. I’ll try and check in if/when my phone signal allows.

    1. Cheers Chris – hope you have a good week away

    2. And girls, if you don’t mind 😉

       1. Ha ha, apologies Jessie and you’re absolutely correct to pull me up on it! I didn’t realise we had any female Dream Team managers on here so forgive my ignorance. 🙏🏻 😊

78. my thinking is 2 top players in defence.
    2 top players in midfield
    and 2 top strikers.
    that leaves 2 cheep o
    and 3 reasonable priced players.
    most of us will have the same six,so it will be one who can find
    those good bargains.

    ps have a nice break Chris.

    1. Could be a good approach, certainly going to need some bargains this season

79. Hi lads, quick one what are the rule changes this year?

    Is it true that you can now transfer out a player who’s team has played but that player wasnt involved?

    Thanks

    1. That’s right, a player will only be locked if they have come onto the pitch.

       Although, as before, if you bring in a player who has already played, the transfer will still be mark as “pending”.

       1. That’s exactly it. Good for taking out injured players but being able to see who is starting in other games first.

          1. Cheers for the confirmation lads

80. Great stuff Paul as always! Quick one, I’m not sure the europa conference qualis count this year,
    from the link below a few paragraphs down, “the qualifying rounds of European competition don’t count”, not even sure the europa conference league counts as it’s not listed.
    https://www.dreamteamfc.com/c/fantasy-football/472159/premier-league-fantasy-football-season-2021/

    1. Cheers mate, I’ve read that as well and I think it’s a bit misleading. The games for Spurs are “playoff” games not qualifying games so my understanding is that they will still count.

       1. Ah great stuff, cheers Paul! Just seen this definitely later found this confirming europa conference league too

          http://www.thesun.co.uk/dream-team/fantasy-football/15507925/fantasy-football-premier-league-dream-team-pick-prize/amp/

          1. They don’t make it easy to find sometimes, hopefully plenty of people don’t realise the fixtures count.

81. Like the Team a lot! Basically copied it but using a 4-3-3 with Alexander Arnold, Maguire replacing Robertson and KDB.

    1. Thanks Matt, I’ll be swapping Roberton for TAA as he’s injured. Not sure De Bruyne is fit to start the season but I can see why you’d just go with him early on as it saves a transfer later down the line.

82. So I’ve been quite quiet of late and as per my previous post but am definitely feeling happy about not doing FPL this year and just focusing on DT. I’m now onto my draft 3.0 team, which is pre considering Lukaku who has just been announced at £6.5m. Whilst I’m very tempted for him long term I don’t know if he’ll play the first game and then has Arsenal and Liverpool up next so may hold fire. Other notable absentees from my side are KDB and Kane but I’ve left sufficient funds in the bank to easily bring them in as soon as I know they are fit and starting…

    GK – Sánchez – Cheapest guaranteed starting keeper @ £1.5m with Burnley, Watford & Everton plus a Carabao Cup fixture in August. Will upgrade him in September when things are clearer and maybe one of the 3 premium keepers has dropped slightly in value. Utd keepers or Fabianksi with West Hams’ Europa fixtures are also possible replacements all at £3m.

    DF – TAA – No explanation needed at £4.5m with attacking potential even if Liverpool do concede.
    DF – Maguire – Again no explanation needed at £4.5m with goals, clean sheets, and being a star man magnet.
    DF – AWB – Man U have great fixtures over both August and September so happy to double up there especially with Liverpool’s injury situation still not ideal with Robertson now out and offers super value at £3.5m. Henderson and DDG could rotate all year so AWB is the next best option IMO to double up with even if Shaw has slightly more attacking potential but costs £0.5m more.

    MF – Bruno – 45% of managers without him need a serious rethink with their teams!
    MF – Mahrez – I think he’s pretty nailed to start with for City after his long break. Cheaper than Foden who could be rotated with Grealish (whom I kidding they could all be rotated!) but hoping he starts well and is my route to upgrade to KDB.
    MF – Alli – Cheap @ £3m and with 5 fixtures to attack in August.
    MF – Moura – Cheap @ £2.5m and with 5 fixtures to attack in August.

    FW – Salah – Nuff siad!!!
    FW – Son – Great value at £5m with 5 fixtures to attack in August. Will be the main man if Kane leaves or is not ready.
    FW – Cavani – Great value at £4m for the season and could score a lot of goals. Sounds like he’s only just returning to Utd now but awaiting quarantine requirements so not sure he starts this weekend. He could easily become Greenwood by the weekend and free up further funds if needed.

    Other conscious considerations with my team are that I’m well aware I have 3 Spurs players which could be asking for trouble but I’m planning to attack their extra August fixtures to try and get ahead early. We’ve got plenty of transfers available in Aug/Sept with the shorter starting month so I don’t really mind this but there is a chance I could switch to a 4-3-3 with Alli becoming Bertrand (£2m certain starter for Leicester with their injuries!) or Creswell (who is on all set plays and has Europa fixtures as well). Also if I do have to bring in KDB and Kane in August I won’t have enough to go straight from Sánchez to a premium £4m keeper so again Alli to Betrand would allow for this in addition to KDB and Kane upgrades.

    Two other players I think could do well but I just can’t fit them in are Mane who has lovely opening fixtures against Norwich and Burnley, and then Torres at only £3.5m if City don’t sign Kane or another striker.

    Pretty sure my team will change by Friday but thought I’d let you guys know where my head is at for anyone that is interested or if it helps out at all.

    Good luck all!!

    1. nicely put together brad has made me thing about a cheaper
       goalkeeper.

    2. Like this team……Cavani is now £4.5M by the way.

    3. Looks good to me Brad. I’ve followed very similar logic and have a similar team. What’s your longer term plan for the keeper position? I must admit I did look at Sanchez as well but couldn’t see him being a long term pick. Alli would have been my next choice in midfield but I’m also considering the same players you are in Mahrez and Torres. Barnes is also on my radar but feels less of a bargain than last season. I’m also concerned about Lukaku coming in, I don’t know how we fit Lukaku, Kane, Salah, De Bruyne and Fernandes in one team.

       1. Longer term I’ll want Ederson as my set an forget keeper. If I were picking a premium keeper for August however it would be Allison with a switch to Ederson after September due to both clubs respective fixtures. If I downgrade Alli to Bertrand and/or Cavani to Greenwood (I may still do both!) I would have enough ITB to go for a premium off the bat but I feel pretty happy with Sanchez for Brighton’s August 4 fixtures inc Cup. A Utd keeper if one gets injured/dropped would be super at £3m and I also like Fabianksi with West Ham’s European fixtures at that price too. Martinez was the third highest scoring keeper last year without European fixtures so he’s also another £3m keeper to consider as well.

          1. It’s a tough one, I almost wish City had good fixtures to start with and I’d go straight for Ederson. I’m slightly put off Alisson with Robertson now being out injured.

83. Yeah, some excellent logic there Brad, certainly for August, then as you say upgrade the keeper, & then I’d be looking to integrate, Kane, Lukaku, Dias, Chilwell, & a settled Man city midfielder. 👍.

84. Not many seem to be going for Ederson as a pick n stick, could quite easily get 3 clean sheets in August plus a nice price rise?

    1. I’m debating this one now. I don’t like their fixtures and currently have Alisson but I’m also not liking Liverpool’s depleted backline.

85. So guys…..this is my team so far: Thoughts appreciated:

    GK:L Allisson
    Def:
    McGuire
    TTA
    AWB
    Bertrand

    Mid:
    Fernando
    Pepe
    Moura

    Str:
    Son
    Salah
    Cavani

    Only ones I’m a bit concerned about are Pepe (I feel there are better Midfielders for the money). and Cavani -purely down to lack of pre-season game time!
    What d’yall think?

    1. I’d go Mahrez for Pepe personally and Greenwood or Mané for Cavani

       1. Pepe did score a lot of points last season however a large portion of those were in the Europa League which Arsenal do not have this year so I won’t be touching him unless he explodes in the PL.

          1. For me it’s just for the opening game and the potential of an extra Carabao Cup game in game week 2. He’s almost certainly gone after that.

    2. Looks good to me, very similar to what I’ll be starting with. My concerns are the same as yours but I’ve only picked Pepe for the opening fixture and a potential Carabao Cup game, which is probably what you’re doing as well. I had Cavani in but when I realised he’s not long been back in training I swapped for Greenwood. I’ve also now got a question mark against Alisson with Robertson being out injured.

       1. Yeh…me too! Got McGuire in now instead of Robertson…just the GK headache now!

86. personally cant see the point of son.
    don’t think he will score against man city.
    there are 2 or 3 other players to use with really
    good fix, so after the first game use one transfer to put son or Kane in your team.

    1. It’s mainly about the extra fixtures in August. You can’t seem them on the match centre yet but Spurs play 4 times over game week 1 and 2. Whereas the other big teams play twice. They might not start their big guns in those games but for me it’s worth the risk.

87. Tsimikas now added, £2.5m, straight swap for Robbo surely

    1. Is he likely to play over Milner? He only played twice all season last year… I don’t like uncertainty.

       1. No no fair comment, tough one and there is slight uncertainty, but surely Klopp goes the natural left back?

          1. Who knows, you could be right!

             1. Stop second guessing me Brad haha. Defo a worry only them 2 games though

    2. I’d rather switch to Alexander-Arnold, certain long term starter

88. Japhet Tanganga (£1.5M) has started Spurs’ last 3 friendlies playing 86 mins v Arsenal, 90 mins v Chelsea & 87 mins v MK Dons, plus he got the assist v Arsenal the other night… Is he the secret weapon that will help squeeze in all the big guns!?? 👀

    1. Shout, my opinion, he starts V city and concedes then doesn’t play the qualifier. 1.5m though, wow its very very tempting

    2. I thought the same, staggered that he’s not starting Doherty considering the form he got out of him at Wolves.

89. Can you tell me for 100% that Tottenham and arsenal euro qualifiers count in the dreamteam please

    1. Whilst no one can be 100% certain when it comes to what DT do, the rules state:

       ELIGIBLE MATCH means a football fixture commencing on or after 13 August 2021 and continuing throughout the Season that any English Premier League club plays in, including the English Premier League, FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Europa Conference League and the Carabao Cup (also known as the EFL Cup). International competition matches are not Eligible Matches. Qualifying matches of the Champions League, the Europa League and the Europa Conference League (excluding play-off rounds) do not count as Eligible matches.

       Spurs are competing in the Europa Conference League “PLAY-OFF’S” which appear excluded as non eligible ‘QUALIFYING’ matches.

       P.s. Arsenal did not qualify for anything.

       1. Ha yeah my bad I got mixed up , I know last year the last qualifying match for Tottenham counted cos kane scored an hatrick and I got caught out,but the one or ones before were not eligible, and it clearly states in the sun dreamteam rules for 21/22 season that qualifying matches don’t count.

          1. Sorry I’m realising it’s not a qualifying game so scrap what I’ve said previous

          2. I’m with Brad on this one. It’s a bit of a technicality. Although the games for Spurs are pretty much qualifying games, they are actually called playoff games and would count for Dream Team.

90. Keepers…..? 🤔 Bit worried about Alisson right now. Thinking either Mende of Ederson??

    1. I’m in the same position, question mark against Alisson with Robertson being injured but I don’t like Mendy or Ederson’s fixtures. Tempted to just stick with Alisson.

91. Gk sanchez
    Def Thomas
    Def taa
    Def wan Bissau
    Mid pepe
    Mid Barnes
    Mid Fernández
    Mid moura
    St mane
    St salah
    St son
    6million spare change,pepe for de bruyne later on son for kane and mane for lukaku.
    Thx ev1 for the input really helpful.

    1. I like it Alun, only issues I see is that Sanchez might not be a long term pick. Will Thomas start as well?

       1. Yeah you right I’ll prob leave sanchez in for 2months in the hopes his price shoots up and go from there, im down to 4 for my value defender, Cash Doherty thomas Bertrand, i think it’s out of cash and Bertrand I am liking villa’s fixtures this month especially against barrow, I think you right too regarding the balance of the team if u was to have salah lukaku and kane , once kane and lukaku find their stride id be tempted to drop salah for a value striker.

          1. That’s going to be a tough one, Lukaku looks like he’s signed. Going to be tough to accommodate all three and Fernandes and De Bruyne

    2. Thomas?

92. Decision made up for me regarding Ziyech

    1. he is injured.

       1. Exactly mate

93. As I strolled through the beautiful little seaside village of Abaraeron today, the shop frontage sign of a little food place caught my eye………………….the name of the business?

    “Deli Alli”………..I kid you not! 😂

    Is it trying to tell me something or is it a warning?

    1. 😂 could easily be either, wish we knew a bit more about who was going to play in those Europa Conference League qualifier

94. Nice one Paul. Any interest in Barnes or Maddison for a midfield spot?

    1. Not at the moment but potentially at some point. I think Barnes is more fairly priced this season, whereas last season he stood out as a bargain.

95. Going for Fantasy Football Gold

    After watching the Olympic Games, I was thinking these athletes have aspirations to win Gold and then I was thinking what my targets for this season to get a gold, silver or bronze medal. These are my personal targets, it may differ for other people – for some winning their local or friends or family mini league is their only aim and thus their gold medal – totally understandable. In my first season of fantasy football, I just wanted to beat my brother who was better than me. The winner actually got a medal brought by me in the end for 10 quid (more bronze like than gold). Now sitting in the bottom of my study room drawer after my brother didn’t want it anymore. Writing up aspirations and making them public can be daunting and open to some ridicule and maybe some added pressure (usually I keep such thoughts private but I think I am an open and honest person – not many people give their secrets and methods away). Anyways here goes:

    Gold medal 🥇- Obviously winning the whole competition is the ultimate prize for everyone but for me I got put some reality into a fantasy world. Gold for me is getting into the top 100 not by 10 teams but through one main team – my blog team where I write all thoughts and transfers in real time. It finished 61st overall last season so it would be great to repeat it. Another route to gold is finishing in the cash positions of elite leagues – those mentioned on Twitter and other websites. Finally, a gold medal can be achieved by winning DTT mini league which obviously has some good (but relatively silent) players in it. In other formats, getting top 100 in TFF game (a top priority for me) and top 1k in my first season of playing the Sky Sports version. Winning Gold will be very hard but it’s not meant to be easy.

    Silver medal 🥈- A position of 250th overall for my main team, a top 100 for any of my other teams (I won’t be entering 10 probably looking at max of 6). Top 10 in elite leagues and in DTT mini league.

    Bronze medal 🥉- A top 500th for my main team, top 20 in elite leagues (they will 100s of them in them). Winning my work and friends and family mini leagues (they don’t take fantasy football seriously as me). Giving 100% per cent to a blog can be satisfactory and maybe worthy of a bronze (haven’t really decided on that one – it can be very difficult to write a weekly report especially if you have a poor game week). A real test of mental health as we make difficult decisions considering a wide range of factors that ultimately decide our success or failure. So many times I read blogs that just stop after going through a bad patch or just swapping to another team that is by chance doing better.

    Those are my goals for the season. It’s going to require a lot of hard work, skill and luck. It could be that I leave the season empty handed but like some sportsperson once said ‘the more I practice, the luckier I get’.

    Good luck to all and I hope you all have gold medals at the end.

    1. Nice one RR, the medal angle is an interesting way to look at it and has got me thinking what would a gold look like for me? For me a finish in the 100s (999th would do) and a win in my mini league (about 60 people, I have finished 3rd the last 2 seasons) would do it.

       Lots of people say ‘my main team’ what does that mean? You start the season with a handful of teams and the one that starts best becomes the main team? Or there is a main team from the very start and then other more experimental sides? Interested to hear more 👍🏻👍🏻

       1. Nice goal, JD. I really hope you get there.

          I just wrote this to motivate me especially in the tough times. No matter how good you are, you will make mistakes, get unlucky and your team will suffer a dip. One thing I look into a good manager is how they react in the bad times, do they simply give up and blame it all on luck or do they pick themselves up and try harder. Fantasy football is a mental game, every decision good or bad has a big impact on our thought process. When I am doing well the game looks easy, like a football player I have a lot of confidence in my strategy at these times. I have got momentum (me not the only saying this as I heard FPL managers on a podcast saying exactly the same thing), momentum is a big thing for me as I always want more green arrows than red.   

          My main team is one I select at the very start of the season and similarly to DTT you write about every selection, strategy and thoughts. It is then entered in a mini league(s) as yes you can have 10 teams but I think you can enter 5 teams into one mini league. Plus most mini leagues I enter allow you to enter one mini league or a max of three (at a higher entrance fee). Even with an allowance of 10 teams, some people prefer playing with one team or ten (I usually have 5-6 or even less). Your main team might not be your successful team as last season my highest team finished 24th and my main team finished 61st. Naturally my expectations are higher following this but people have their own goals in fantasy football.

          1. Thanks RR… good luck! It’s nice to hear of slightly different approaches and ways of doing things!

          2. Can you put your main team in the DTT mini league 😂 I want to compete against what you see as your best team

    2. I admire your ambition, everyone should be aiming to do the best they can. I’d love to finish as high as possible but at the same time I’m fairly realistic about my own game. The highest I’ve been is around 500th, last two season’s around 1,000th so I’m not sure I can aim to finish as high as you. I play a more reserved game as I’d rather help guide people to safely win their mini leagues than worry too much about finishing too high. Gold for me, would be a top 1,000 finish which would be slightly better than the past two years and the satisfaction of knowing the blog/community has helped others win their mini leagues. I can’t see me being happy with anything other than that. Beyond that I’d be delighted to finish in the top 500 and place in any of the mini leagues I’m in – the problem is the friends and family one is no longer running for me locally so I’m only in big mini leagues with 100’s of teams, making them difficult to win.

96. Nice one DTT Good team to start the season with. Fingers crossed pepe has a blinder, the extra transfers allows us to make these kind of chances.

    1. Cheers JD, still subject to change. I’m stressing over Kane or not now, in case he plays in that Europa Conference League playoff game as a warm up for his fitness.

97. I’m thinking buendia is a serious option for this month, I think villa got the easiest carabao cup fixture

    1. He’s in mine

98. Pepe to Sancho is you are not sure on him dtt?

    1. I don’t think Sancho is fit to start the season. I’d swap him for Mahrez if it was for anyone.

99. My team
    Martinez ( upgrade in time)
    Taa
    Cash
    Wb
    Barnes
    Fernández
    Buendia
    Rodriguez (swap when kdb is back)
    Mane
    Salah
    Calvert lewin (kane goes in later in month)
    I think Everton and villa there’s value to be had with their players this month I might stick tottenham players in the 2nd or 3rd week of August just before 2nd europa playoff match.

    1. Looks good but I believe Calvert-Lewin is a doubt for the start of the season. Bit risky for me doubling up on Villa at the back. Like Mane and Salah up front though.

100. *if

101. I am starting to seriously worry about not going with Kane from the off… Even if he doesn’t play at the weekend against City he could easily score a hatty in 60min Europa play-off game. 43% of managers have him in!! 🙁

     1. Same here Brad it’s a proper headfk we got very highstakes mini league in work and I’m keen to get off to a flyer lol can I afford to leave him out idk.

        1. Yer my high stakes private mini league will be flooded with him as half won’t even realise he may not play this weekend!

     2. I’m thinking the same thing. I could swap Greenwood for Kane. If Greenwood does well it won’t matter that much as he’s not highly owned. Whereas if Kane does some serious damage with a run out in that Europa Conference League playoff I’d be in trouble.

102. Honestly don’t remember a season with so many uncertainties 1 day before the game kicks off!! Lukaku being the latest now he’s officially signed… will he go straight into the starting line up? Decision decisions

     1. I agree, it’s tough this season. Lukaku looks like he’s signed but I won’t be putting him straight in. Can’t decide about Kane now either. Too many decisions to make

103. What’s peoples’ thoughts of going with Tsimikas instead of Bertrand now that Roberson is out for at least a month?

     About the same money and has looked decent pre season.

     1. Think i’m going to go him. Although i think it was Brad on here said Milner may start, tough one !

     2. I can see why some people would but I’d rather have some who’s got a long term chance of being a regular starter

104. Arsenal don’t play in carabao cup until 24th, not sure it’s worth a 1 week punt on Pepe.

     1. I’d keep him for two weeks for that extra cup game

105. If Tottenham’s extra games definitely count, why not Ali & Moura.

     1. They may play a really weak team so happy to just risk it with one of them

106. My final team

     Martinez
     Shaw
     Taa
     Digne
     Fernandes
     Barnes
     Alli
     Bailey
     Lukaku
     Salah
     Kane

     1. Looks fairly strong considering that you’ve got the big three up front. Not sure if Kane and Lukaku will start at the weekend but solid long term choices

107. Taken from the Echo online, make of it what you will.

     And it would be a major surprise if Kostas Tsimikas is not entrusted with the left-back berth in place of the stricken Andy Robertson having impressed throughout pre-season, with James Milner the only senior alternative available to Klopp.

     https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/liverpool-jurgen-klopp-norwich-decision-21273344

108. Nobody fancies Virgil instead of Maguire?

     1. I’ve gone Shaw instead of Maguire. Not sure on Van Dijk yet after such a long injury spell

109. Have we posted a starting team yet Paul, think I’ll have to put Kane in.

     1. I am finding it hard to select Kane, too many question marks tells me to avoid. He might not play until the future is resolveda= as the situation is not good for him or spurs.

     2. I’ve just published my starting team. Kane is in

110. I’ve made two moves since my last team post putting me on draft team 4.0 dropping Alli to Bertrand as the Spurs triple up is just a bridge too far and Cavani down to Greenwood as sounds like he won’t feature this weekend. Current line up with £5.5m ITB for upgrades:

     GK – Sánchez (Very tempted to upgrade to Martinez today and then Ederson S&F for Oct)
     DF – TAA
     DF – Maguire
     DF – AWB
     DF – Bertrand
     MF – Bruno
     MF – Mahrez (will become KDB when fit)
     MF – Moura
     FW – Salah
     FW – Son (will become Kane when playing)
     FW – Greenwood (equally tempted by Ings, Mane or a Leicester striker)

     Tanganga, Bednarek or Torres all options to free up further funds for Lukaku 3 premiums up top in a few weeks.

     1. All viable options. Kane is doing my head in have to see what nuno says this afternoon. Vestergaard gone Leicester, £2.5m could be a shout

        1. Whoops I meant Vestergaard not Bednarek… Final day brain LOL!!

        2. I’ve just put him in. Too risky not having him for me.

           1. I’ve bottled it as well! 40% getting a brace or hatty midweek would put me on the back foot for weeks/months. I’m off out now for our 5yr wedding anniversary so sticking with my last few changes inc upgrading Sanchez to Allison and then needed to do Maguire to Shaw to get Kane in too. Switching off until tomorrow. Good luck all!

              1. Good luck Brad, enjoy your evening. Hoping for a Brentford win myself

     2. I like this a lot! Just can’t decide about Greenwood! Definitely tempted by Mane! Giving me a headache! lol

     3. Looks good Brad, very similar to my team but I’ve just swapped Greenwood and Maguire for Shaw and Kane. Just got a horrible feeling about Kane midweek

111. Dtt have you ever thought of doing a pay to enter mini league for your members, I think it would be very popular .

     1. I’ve considered it but it gets complicated. I have to declare all my earnings so collecting money and then giving it back out might have to go through my accountant and not sure they would be keen. Might consider it for next season though if I can make it work.

112. Auba and lacazette reported ruled out for tonight’s game, Pepe will need to be on it. Interesting to see who plays up top for arsenal false 9 ESR Martinelli or Balogun.

     1. I’ve taken Pepe out for Mahrez

        1. What about Liverpool’s Tsimikas? a certain starter for the first few games at only £2.5M….

           Seems like a lot have gone for him.

           1. I’ve gone for longer term options, not keen on him in case Robertson is back soon

              1. I meant as a short term option, Robertson will be out for a fair while though. I think he’s a bargain at £2.5M.
                 Soon as Robertson returns he will be replaced.

        2. Mahrez coming up injured on the app

           1. As far as I know he’s not injured, a few odd things have been happening on the app recently

113. Hi guys Tottenham games I ECL are not listed in dream team are you sure they definitely will be added?

     1. I’m as sure as I can be. It says in the rules that they count and people have checked with Dream Team who also say they count. But you never know with them, we can only go on what we know and that is that they will count

114. Europa Conference League..im not sure if these games are going to be included in dream team

     1. It says in the rules that they count and people have checked with Dream Team who also say they count. But you never know with them, we can only go on what we know and that is that they will count

115. It’s been confirmed on the dream team Twitter page that the Spurs games will count

     1. Yeah I’m sure they will count

        1. Hi Chaps,

           Been a member last couple of seasons but decided to be active this seasons instead sitting on the sidelines!

           According to dreamteamfc twitter page playoffs WILL COUNT.

           Link below

           https://twitter.com/dreamteamfc/status/1426197169523023876

           Get the spurs lad in whilst you can!

           PS Paul, I joined the mini league too – good luck everyone!

           1. Thanks Shane, glad to see some new people involved in the comments. Good luck over the weekend.

           2. Brilliant Shane! Always love seeing more contributors to the forum. Thanks for the confirmation too!

     2. Nice one Lee.

116. Is Fernandez injured?

     1. Not as far as I know

117. Good luck over the weekend everyone 👍

     1. Yep, good luck all! Really looking forward to the season. I’ve also stuck Kane into one of my ML teams as well as insurance, though not in my main team (the one in DTT mini-league). Such a difficult decision either way with so little information to go on.

        Just back from Wales and watching the Brentford game. Brentford good for their lead at half-time. Arsenal showing very little with regards to creating chances. Expecting some kind of reaction second half though. Wouldn’t be surprised to see Saka come on second half.

        1. From that Arsenal team, only two players really emerging with any credit from the game.

           Tierney – got forward well but being in such a fragile defence, doesn’t really make him an option imo right now.

           Smith-Rowe – worth adding to the watch list. A bright spark in an abject team. Could come into consideration when Arsenal get the bodies back and fixtures improve.

           Brentford fully deserved their victory as they simply wanted it more than Arsenal.

           1. Glad I didn’t bother with Pepe, not massively gone my way today though

118. still mystifys me on dream team scoring.
     people with Brentford defenders will be disappointed
     that not one got a 7 score. they defended under lots of pressure
     in my book.

119. Nobody in my mini league 23 entries got any tottenham players,im loving that 😁

     1. I’m forgetting kanes still a spurs player 😑

        1. I’m still not sure he will play this week, we will see though

120. Bertrand not in squad! So at least we can switch him out even after the game has done right with the new rules?

     1. Tempted to go Tsimikas if he starts.

121. No Bertrand in squad might be worth making a transfer guys Leicester not playing carabao Cup this month.

     1. I think we just lucked out on that one, 8 points missed because of something out of our control. I may consider Doherty if he starts in that Europa Conference League playoff game

122. Cash and thomas are playing.

     1. Yeah, second thoughts I’m going Cash with the extra fixture potentially. Bertrand must be injured?

        1. Well that worked out well. Villa one down already….😂

           1. Should have gone Tsimikas, I mentioned this loads on FB, not many listened though. Why would anyone choose a Vile defender over a Liverpool one, seriously 😂

              1. Villa face Newcastle and Brentford at home next in their next two PL fixtures plus the Carabao game. They were pretty decent from a defensive stand point last season, especially with Martinez between the sticks so the logic was there.

                 Cash also very nearly managed a 7 rating yesterday too despite conceding 3 goals so I think that could bode well for those next 3 games.

                 All that being said though, if Villa don’t keep a CS in 1 or 2 of those games, then yes, I’ll hold my hands up. Seeing them concede 3 to Watford is a concern though I’ll admit.

              2. I’d have put him in had it been a straight swap for Bertrand.

123. Young playing midfield….🧐

     1. Only thing with Young, I’m not 100% confident he’d start that Carabao game. I’m a bit more confident with Cash so I’m gonna go with him I think still (impending haul from Young incoming….) 😂

124. Hearing Bertrand has Covid

     1. 🤦🏻‍♀️ Typical

     2. It is Covid I think, worst luck but what can you do. It was the right player to pick at the time. Would have probably been a nice 8 points to start from a 2m player

125. Interested in people’s thoughts. Based on the new rules, if Doherty doesn’t step onto the pitch tomorrow. My assumption is that I could bring him in if he starts in the Europa Conference League.
     Is that how everyone else would interpret the rules as well?

     1. This is my assumption to based on the rules.

     2. Has anyone actually asked dream team the question about the spurs games?

        1. The question has been asked and they’ve confirmed that it counts. They also tweeted that it counts

           1. Great stuff, I asked yesterday but had no response yet

     3. Yes I believe so.

126. Aurier, also 2 million along with Cash, we were unlucky with Bertrand, it was a smart pick.

     1. Just the way it goes sometimes. I’d have been fairly happy with the start otherwise

127. Just been looking at some of the teams at the top, wondering how they “knew” that Alonso would be starting for Chelsea (he managed an 18 point haul). Then I realised that they must have actually entered their team into the game after learning the team news for those 3pm games on Saturday. Feels kinda disingenuous tbh but I guess it’s a little “hack” to remember for next season.

     Another one of those “if you can’t beat them, join them”. Obviously they didn’t know Alonso was going to bring in an 18 point haul so fair play to them for selecting him, but I didn’t see one predicted line-up suggesting he’d start so they simply must have entered the game after that team news.

     1. Actually my point is flawed as I’ve not included the lunch time kick-off into my thought process. I guess the Chelsea line-up may have been leaked on social media or something or they just gambled on Alonso?

        1. I think they just took a random punt. Very early days and some people make the most random choices and start high up on the leaderboard but they normally drift away

128. No Kane in Squad. Definitely can’t see him starting on Thursday.

     1. They could still give him minutes to build up his fitness but it is certainly a difficult one to judge.

        Spurs giving City a game and it’s been pretty entertaining. City keeping possession and Spurs looking to hit on the counter. Makes for a good game.

        1. That’s why I held onto him. A lot of people thinking he won’t play for Spurs again. Will review if he doesn’t travel for the midweek game but I’m thinking he won’t now. Either way, I’ve only lost 8 points as I would have gone Greenwood if I hadn’t put Kane in.

     2. Yeah bit annoying. I could see the case for both sides (leaving him in or taking him out) but decided to keep him for now. I didn’t think it was easy to pick out who grabs the points today. Could have easily swapped Kane for a player who gets 0 points so you’d be no better off. I held onto the transfer, if Kane doesn’t travel in the week then I’ll probably bring in a Man City player for their game against Norwich at the weekend. Nothing is going to be lost in game week 1, it’s a marathon not a sprint. No need to panic

129. Got to be happy with a goal from Son and Moura Star Man from that fixture. Lovely stuff as I honestly saw any points from this game as a bonus.

     Spurs looked so solid in defence (never thought I’d say that!) 😂 and Tanganga was different class. Had Sterling in his pocket all game. He’s definitely on my watch list now if he can make that slot his own. Even if Doherty comes in he could be in a back three and for £1.5m he could be a steal this season.

     1. Couldn’t agree more, very happy with returns from Son and Moura. Anything in the week would be a great bonus as well. Tempted to switch Bertrand for Tanganga before the prices change on Friday

     2. he only got a six ratting. 😡

130. Not to shabby a start all in all, Kane saga to continue, Bertrand unlucky, not sure now with Doherty coming on, what the rules state, I think with 5 transfers on a short month, start & target one off fixtures, next week Man city backlash home to Norwich springs to mind straight away.

     1. KDB and most of the other City assets should drop in price too which is always nice. KDB in for GW 2 I’m thinking?

        1. What’s the plan to bring KDB in?
           For me it’ll be a straight swap for Mahrez, but would like to bring in another City player, but who????

           1. It’s a tough one. I’d need to shift things around too much to swap for Mahrez. Tempted by 442 and swapping Kane for De Bruyne, just for the week

        2. I’m half tempted to swap Bertrand and Kane for Tanganga and De Bruyne for next weekend. Did you notice Traore got star man despite losing the game? I think if he plays every week he will massively repay the 2.5m he costs

     2. For sure. I expect a cricket score

        1. I think they will hammer Norwich but who gets the goals

           1. For sure, one mistake I’m not making this time is replacing Mahrez just yet as last season I paid for it, however I do need to get De Bruyne in somehow

              1. Yeah Mahrez to De Bruyne is the obvious move but as you say Mahrez could equally do well. I’ll wait and see what the line up is I think.

131. Anyone looking at Antonio for Westham, shame he missed a pen he might be taken off them. I understand Westham are in Europe to?

     Maybe one to watch?

     1. Could be one to watch. Thought they were going to lose at one point though and it’s going to be hard to overlook the likes of Kane/Salah/Lukaku

132. Anyone notice Traore picked up star man despite losing to Leicester? I remember he had a big season from picking up loads of star man awards a couple of years ago. If he gets a lot of game time, I can see him picking it up alot. Only 2.5m but very early days to be predicting anything like that

     1. Yep a strange one I thought but his style always catches the eye. The one I thought was strange was Cancello! He got a 7.6 and was starman until the last 5 mins when moura went on another mazy run and went ahead. The game loves Cancelo!

        1. Yeah I noticed that as well. Looks like he’s going to be rated every game he plays so could score big again. Not entirely sure what he does every time he plays to get that though

     2. Yes dream team favourite. Guaranteed 7 even if he comes off the bench. Thinking im sticking with Kane. Ok he may not play midweek or the 2 conference games, (which are a bonus anyway and have son and moura cover) or this weeks league game, but after that he’ll be playing whoever that may be for. As for Tanganga i think he’s a must to free up money for the big boys

        1. I’m hearing Kane might be in the squad for midweek. Still not sure he will play but I’d love it if he did

     3. He’s on my radar and from what the new manager has said Traore will be a big part of his system at Wolves. I reckon he will pick up more than a few star man awards this season

        1. Just no europe the killer.

        2. I think he could pick up loads if he plays every week. But that’s a big if

133. just had a pop up gundogan
     is being assessed for a shoulder injury.

134. ***KANE INCLUDED IN THURSDAY SQUADDDDDDDDD !!!***

     1. Yeah fingers crossed he plays some part and gets some points on the board for us owners!

     2. I’d still be surprised if he plays but I’d love it if he did

        1. Why include him in the squad and make him travel to Portugal for a first leg though?

           1. It could be that I’m trying not to get my hopes up, based on his lowish ownership I’d love it if he started and scored good points.

135. Think Tsimikas & Luke Thomas, need some consideration, both set to rise on Friday, & Liverpool are home to Burnley next game, possibly another 0.3 rise, building team value.

     1. I’m not sure I’ll go for either. Both short term options for me. Tanganga interests me at the moment.

136. Nicely spotted with the Luke Thomas shout. After watching the highlights he’s on my watch list and apparently dubbed the next Ben Chilwell? at 1.5m he’s top of my bargain list.

     Just a heads up, Liverpool will be losing Alison, Firmino and Fabinho after the internal break due to rule change where the premiership cant stop the players playing for Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and Uruguay. Other players like Cavani and Raphina could also be effected. Its worth looking in this now as they could have to isolate for 10 days which could mean even longer after the break! AND they would be off again come OCTOBER for the second internal break so that means isolating again!

     I already have Tsimikas with Robbo not returning until after the international break. I will also have to review this move based on the above as Adrian leaked goals almost every game last season filling in for Alison (albeit without VVD). Adrian for 1m is tempting but not worth the hassle and i would have to keep funds to scale-up once Alisson is back. Possibly looking at Kasper during this spell with the nice fixtures?

     PS its good to be back!
     #inchriswetrust

     1. I hadn’t even considered any of this tbh Cefnstar with the internationals. I’ll be honest I’m not up to date with the quarantine procedure now.

        Normally I’d be all over the Luke Thomas suggestion as well, but will Bertrand not take his slot in the team once he’s back from Covid? Unless it takes Bertrand a while to recover as it did with Saint-Max?

     2. Good to see you back Cefnstar, I must admit I hadn’t considered the isolation period for those players. Will definitely be worth keeping in mind after that first break. Might be tempted to move Alisson on before then anyway.

137. Unpopular opinion but if we potentially see Fernandes, Kane (when he’s playing, Salah and Lukaku as essential. Is De Bruyne really as essential? Here’s his point scoring record over the past few seasons, with the highest score for the season in brackets:
     2020/21 – 209 (357)
     2019/20 – 269 (279)
     2018/19 – 132 (360)
     2017/18 – 284 (412)
     2016/17 – 214 (348)
     He’s consistent but he’s unlikely to have a massive massive season. I can’t see him doing what Fernandes did at the weekend for example. There must be other, cheaper, midfielders who could run close to his points total?

     1. Did injuries play a part in some of those seasons though? It’s an interesting point of view though I have to admit and definitely food for thought.

        Also, will he hit the ground running straight away after injury? To bring KDB in I’d probably be making it a straight swap for Mahrez. If Mahrez does start again though I might just leave it as it is.

        I guess he’s pretty expensive when you consider that he’s the same price as Salah.

        1. I’m agreeing with DTT on this one.

           I’m not looking to bring KDB in until at least early OCT. I think City have some tricky fixtures coming up and besides Norwich and Southampton the rest look tight. You could say Arsenal but you can never tell which team is going to turn up! City are missing a striker. I’m hoping that Torres plays more forward and finds his shooting boots as he does for Spain but its still early days.

           I think Sterling, Mahrez and Torres will run the show against Norwich personally. Gundogan looks like he injured his shoulder, Silva looks like he’s been offered to Spurs and Grealish has yet to find his feet due to playing with a team of stars (No offence Villa fans) but will come good eventually. Foden out until the mid Sept but will be eased in with the injury he had.

           Its a short month this month for transfers so sticking with Spurs for extra cup games could pay off nicely for you. They have a nice run of 6 games or something that are winnable and they’ve have started off in the best possible way.

           Chelsea have some tricky games as well coming up until early October. Lukaku will be a player I look to bring in but when the time is right. The Premier league is one of the most physical in the world. Yes, he’s played premiership before but i personally think it’ll take time to find his feet playing after playing in Italy. When the easier run of games come in October ill be looking to add him to my team.

           These are just some of my ideas looking forward.
           Food for Thoughts?

           1. I agree with Lukaku, will be looking to bring him in but not really in a rush with Chelsea’s fixtures. With De Bruyne, I may well bring him in for Norwich at the weekend but mainly because we’ve got loads of transfers at this point. I may well ditch him again after and then come back to him later in the season. Really tough call trying to get them all in though.

        2. Yeah they absolutely would have done Chris. Don’t get me wrong I’m not ruling out bringing him in but he’s probably not my biggest priority out of Kane, Salah, Lukaku and Fernandes but might end up bringing him in at the weekend anyway

138. I have a feeling lukaku will hit the ground running and will need to be considered coming in. So much emphasis on him being the target man, especially with Werner, Havertz, Mount playing behind him. Chelsea have been missing that forward piece and now they have it.

     1. Come October we should all be loading up on Chelsea. Their fixtures become incredible.

     2. I agree, but it’s a tough one with their fixtures.

139. I have ings up front I am tempted to swap
     him for Lukaku this week end.but with villas fixtures
     I may hold fire. if Lukaku price rises ings probably rise also .

     1. I’d stick with Ings now Don until the international break with the fixtures.

        NEW
        barrow
        BRE

        Don’t come much better than that mate.

        In that same time period Chelsea have one less fixture with one of them being very tricky potentially;

        ars
        liv

        1. cheers Chris think you are right.
           still thinking what to do about Bertrand.
           the player needs to be cheap so I will still have funds
           for Lukaku Kane and D Bruyne.

           1. If I still had Bertrand I’d be extremely tempted by Tanganga, especially if he plays midweek too.

              As it was I made the switch to Cash before the Leicester game so I think I’m going to see it through till the end of the month with Cash and decent fixtures. I’d avoid Amartey now though Leicester have signed Vestergaard. Evans back after the break too now.

              1. He’s the one I’m tempted by at the moment.

           2. Any interest in Traore Don?

              1. he is a good shout Paul the only one
                 I could transfer out is Barnes.
                 its a difficult one to call, owing to wolves not in Europe.

                 1. I think I might be inclined to go for Traore as and when fixtures improve. Against Spurs and United next up he’ll have a lot of competition for that Star Man award. Next month looks pretty solid though but then the European teams begin their campaigns then also. The Spurs and United games are at home though and they do have the Carabao fixture so it could be worth a punt?

                 2. No I agree but if he gets rated every game he could do well

     2. I’m holding fire on Lukaku for the time being but it won’t be too long before I bring him in unless he starts incredibly well.

140. If Lukaku hits the ground running before you know it he’ll be 7+ million, I presume Son will have to make way for him, Son should move up to 5.3 on Friday, but already 1.2 million to find to attain the services of Mr Lukaku, I watched Spurs Vs Man city, let’s be honest Man city should of been a couple up in the 1st 15 mins, when the final whistle went, spurs were worthy winners, they were galvanised for several reasons, & yes Tanganga dominated Stirling, but to suggest they will be a force defensively i’m not convinced, as Don said he didn’t even get a rating of 7, their next 3 fixtures are all winnable, but any defence with Dier in is not going to be impenetrable, as mentioned above a good run for Thomas could be a better option even in a weakened but better drilled defence in Leicester, or to boost team value a short term fix Tisimikas, after international break would like a Chelsea or Man city defensive asset, so Paul rightly asks is their a midfielder out their who can match De bruynes pts total for a fraction of the price, & thus save on funds.

     1. my front three are mane Salah Ings.
        have just enough in the pot to put Kane Lukaku and D bruyne in.
        before any rises.

     2. It’ll be interesting to see how Romero impacts that Spurs central defence. Completely agree they are lightweight in that area David with Sanchez and Dier. One thing they do have going for them though is a good, well-organised manager. He will get that team working hard for each other and if the deep lying midfielders can offer enough protection in those central areas, then clean sheets are a possibility. As we all know though, Spurs can very often pull the rug from under your feet so I think it’s prudent to be cautious as David says.

        At £1.5m for Tanganga though it’s damn tempting.

     3. Lukaku is a tough one, will want him at some point but will see how he gets on first. Agree that Spurs aren’t going to be a defensive force, thought they would get battered at the weekend to be honest. Tanganga still looks good value though but it’s not straightforward. I think Bertrand will come back in for Thomas fairly quickly which makes that move tricky for me. Traore is one I’ve got my eye on.

141. 3 league fixtures + Europa conference, so yes 5 winnable fixtures, but clean sheets, duty out for me.

142. Dury.

143. Still no conference fixture showing on the match centre.

     1. It’s strange but they keep saying it counts and that it will be in the match centre before Thursday

144. Kane trains with the rest of the team today for the first time!

     Also… “As per UEFA rules, if Kane plays for Tottenham in Thursday’s Europa Conference League game, he will still be able to play for any team in the Champions League from the group stage onwards this season.”

     I think there’s now a good 50/50 chance he could feature on Thursday against Pacos de Ferreira, who I see lost 3-0 yesterday to Boavista!

     1. I’d absolutely love it if he plays. A lot of people jumped ship too early for me. He might well blank or not play but I think it was still worth the calculated risk either way.

145. sitting hear thinking 100milion for a player
     when you have an abundance of midfielders in my opinion
     are just as good. with that money plus a bit extra they probably could have bought
     2 decent forwards . don’t get me wrong grealish is a class player,
     so is 4 of there midfielders .who have they up front no one.

     1. I’d have just paid whatever Spurs wanted for Kane and got it done and dusted ahead of Grealish

        1. exactly.

146. Don’t think Europa qualifiers count for points …checked the rules says champs league and Europa qualifiers not eligible matches

     1. It’s not a qualification match technically. It’s a playoff fixture and they’ve confirmed it 100% counts. If they go back on it that’s another thing but they’ve said up until this point that it will count.

147. To accommodate the enevitable front 3, trying to find a midfielder to come close to Debruyne’s pts total, firstly Bruno is a given for the season other than injury, if Spurs have a good run in all cup comps, Moura could also be a keeper, history shows Paul will not easily be convinced by Pogba, but I think he likes the new acquisitions at the club, 4 assists to start the season a’int to bad, & will always play barring injury, Sancho is a goals & assists machine, he could be special, this Man utd team has goals galore in them, the double up with Kane & Son has worked before, why not Bruno with Sancho or Pogba, Grealish may need time to settle, but like Cancelo guaranteed to get a 7 rating most games, has stiff competition for starman now, the assists will come, just needs to add a few more goals, all players mentioned I believe are capable of 160-200 pts.

     1. It’s going to be a tough one David, for me do we have to consider going for Kane, Lukaku, Salah, De Bruyne and Fernandes plus cheaper mids and defenders?

        1. that’s my plan.
           go for a cheap keeper as cheap as you dare.
           there are bargains for defenders and mids this season to be had.

     2. I think Pogba is a great option whilst Rashford is out too David. If you want to get on him I’d suggest doing it now whilst he’s playing further up the pitch on the left side. When Rashford returns and Pogba drops deeper again, his appeal may subside somewhat.

148. Paul any planes for Bertrand transfer this week end.

     1. I’m considering Gil if he starts tomorrow night as a short term punt. Other than that, not sure yet

149. KANE HASN’T TRAVELLED – GUTTED !!!

     1. It is gutting, only a handful of people have him in a mini league I’m in. Would have been nice to gain an advantage over them

150. If you fancy a bit of light reading surrounding potential chaos for our SDT assets after the international break(s), get stuck into this folks:

     https://www.fantasyfootballscout.co.uk/2021/08/18/the-fpl-players-who-could-miss-out-in-gameweeks-4-5/

     Be warned, you may need a lie down afterwards…😉

     1. That could be an absolute minefield but worth knowing in advance if we want to plan around it

     2. Wow thanks for the share Chris definitely something to be on the ball with. Thanks

151. Thinking outside the box a little, if Kane is transferred out for someone in that Spurs team on Thursday who hasn’t played yet (like Kane), maybe that could be a decent short term punt to offset the lack of points from Kane?

     I’m thinking primarily about Bryan Gil who’s expected to start tomorrow. He might also then have some involvement next GW in both the PL and the 2nd leg of the play-off game?

     I know zilch about the guy and it feels punty, but with the short month and five transfers, could it be worth rolling the dice?

     1. Was thinking the same, Scarlett predicted to start upfront also. I was stuck between Kane and Mane so at the min i only feel 3 points worth off so not the end of the world. Still thinking he could play weekend then next Thursday at home, its a tough one again, i really dont want to take him out though.

        1. I can see Nuno playing a reasonably strong team tbh as it would be highly embarrassing to get knocked out at this stage. I know some predictions have Scarlett starting but I’d be mildly surprised if he did.

           I’d have a guess at:
           Gollini
           Doherty
           Davies
           Rodon
           Romero
           Lo Celso
           Winks
           Sissoko
           Moura
           Gil
           Son

           …At least that’s a line-up I’d be fairly happy with for my team(s).😂

           1. It could only be a rumour but someone mentioned in the Facebook group that Spurs won’t be starting with anyone who started at the weekend. Hope it’s not true as I’d love some more points from Son and Moura.

              1. Yes Nuno said in his presser anyone who started Sunday wont start today. Hopefully Moura still get a 30 min run out, problem is if they dont produce it will affect their variable pricing tomorrow.

                 1. My apologies. I didn’t realise Nuno had actually come out with it himself if his presser. Id be happy with a 20-30 minute cameo from any of my assets then in that case.

                    1. I think we are in a fortunate position anyway. Both picking up points against City has taken the pressure off so even if they don’t play I’m happy with their returns for the week

                       1. Absolutely. Considering the opposition, 15 points from those two is a great return. Anything else from tonight is a bonus now.

                          1. Typical, I don’t think either are even on the bench

     2. Having the exact same thought – Bertrand out for Gil if he starts. Know nothing about him either but thinking it might be a half decent punt at this stage

152. if vestergaard who has signed for Leicester
     but is not named in the dream team defence list.
     if you where to put him in would any points he got count, anyone have an idea.

     1. Morning mate, Vestergaard is showing, think he’s £2.5m he may still be showing for Southampton though

        1. that’s my point he is still in Southampton team
           cant understand why.
           he will play this weekend for Leicester I am quite sure.
           if his name does not go over to leicesters side will any points he may get count.

           1. Yeah, they’ll count Don. I’ve seen others players’ team club status take a while to update in the last bit the points always count.

              One thing that is annoying me is that the Spurs game tonight is STILL not showing in the match centre.

153. @dream team tips, are we going to be making any subs this week?

     1. I’ll review once I’ve seen who’s starting for Spurs tonight. Might swap Kane for De Bruyne for the weekend as well

        1. What’s your view on lukaku? Have a feeling he will do well against arsenal, and well think he will score well over the season tbh.

           1. I was going to hold off but one to review tonight for me

154. Hi chaps,

     Team news in for spurs and looks like mainly youngsters: gollini, doherty, romero, carter-vickers, davies, sessegnon, winks, lo celso, byran, scarlett…

     I think Bryan is Gil – anyone thinking of transfering him in?

     Unfortunately, Ive already got 4 in midfield and theyve all played so I can only replace bertrand with another defender or Kane for another striker 🙁

     1. I’m gonna do Kane for Gil and then probably him for De Bruyne weekend. The fact we have 5 transfers has made my mind up

        1. Same here. Kane to Gil in one of my teams and also Chilwell to Gil in another.

        2. I was tempted by the same but didn’t fancy a transfer for just one game

     2. I was tempted but it will block my Kane to De Bruyne move at the weekend so going to give it a miss

155. I’m half tempted by sessengnon, he’s 1.5m defender and he is playing on the wing tonight.

     Might swap him for betrand just as a punt

156. so what if Gil doesn’t score any points tonight? could he lose potentially drop in value tomorrow which leaves you with less money when transferring out?

     1. I’m giving him a miss personally

        1. Hi mate, I still can’t get in the whatsaap group or find the fb page, can you help me thanks?

           1. Hi mate, the Facebook group is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dreamteamtips
              And the WhatsApp group is: https://chat.whatsapp.com/HJ39jIIuUZo7NswCGM4eRo

     2. Yes Jermaine you’re correct that’s the risk. But if he gets points then you get the benefit of points snd the price rise.

        I stayed out of it in the end as I couldn’t transfer Gil in even if i wanted to. If I am making a change tonight, it’s to take advantage of the price changes and change that player again potentially to get some more premium players in

157. No ratings etc showing on WhoScored for the Spurs game. This could be interesting….🤨😂

     Pacos taking the lead just before the break.

     1. Glad they ended up winning, should have had the big guns on the bench so hopefully he plays a stronger team next week.

        1. Yeah, surely he has to now. It would be highly embarrassing to exit at this stage.

           1. It would make their players much less appealing in the longer term as well. I’m wondering if they won’t take the competition very seriously at all now though

158. I think best case scenario spurs lose tonight so the 2nd leg becomes more interesting in nunos team selection. Surely he will play a few big guns then, hopefully Moura and Kane if he’s still there, can’t see it though personally

     1. I agree, not sure why they didn’t play a stronger team to get off to a better start.

159. Well what a shit punt haa

     1. It was mate but with so many transfers for the short month it could have been a decent one. To be fair it sounded like he played half decent and showed some nice touches. Sadly not enough to amass any points however. Onwards and upwards. 💪

        1. Agreed on the plus that maybe means son and moura play Thursday. Just seen he got booked aswell 🙁

           1. You’d think so now, which influenced my decision to shift him back out again after last nights game. He could potentially find himself on the bench for both games next week now.

              1. I’d agree with this also. Think im gonna swap him for De Bruyne just annoying how city play first.

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