Sun Dream Team – 4 September 2012 transfer window approaches

The first Sun Dream Team transfer window opens on Tuesday 4 September 2012 so if you need some advice and tips, lets take a look at what’s happened so far in Sun Dream Team and where we should look in the transfer window.  Article was written prior to Sunday 2nd September games

We’ll look at

1.  A bit of background

2.  Best performers to date

3.  Key Injured players  (to transfer or not to transfer)

3.  Best picks  in all the positions

Background

First of all remember there are 4 transfer windows in Sun Dream Team with 3 transfers each only and the Sun covers all forms of the game Prem league, FA Cup, League cup champs league and Europa league.  At the bottom of the page I’ve included a link to my previous article giving a rule summary

Here’s the transfer window information from the site:

You can make unlimited changes to your team up until 23:59:59 on Friday 17th August and, from then, there are four Transfer Windows where, at each one, you can make up to three changes to your side.

The first Transfer Window will open at 09:00.00 BST Tuesday 4 September and close at 11:59.59 BST on Saturday 15 September 2012 or 15 minutes prior to the first kick-off if earlier with transfers scoring starting with Eligible Matches after this time.
The second Transfer Window will open at 09:00.00 BST Tuesday 9 October 2012 and close at 11.59.59 BST on Saturday 20 October 2012 or 15 minutes prior to the first kick-off if earlier with transfers scoring starting with Eligible Matches after this time.

So after this transfer window there less than  a month before the next transfer window.  There’s also an international break so no premier league games again until the 15th September.  In this window though the Europa league and the champions league and the league cup play.

Here’s some key points to the sun dream team game:

(i)   With only 12 transfers you need to pick for the whole season unlike the other formats where you have enough transfers to pick players for clumps of good fixtures.

(ii)   Obviously the players who play in the most comeptitions and games are at an advantage.  however that has to be balanced out against the rotation that these players will endure

A few points on this

Relegation threatened teams historically dont filed strong teams in the cups and dont participate in europe so       should be avoided

Teams in the Europa league have historically fielded second string teams

Champions league teams either rotate for the champions league especially the group stages or in games prior

Teams not in Europe or relegation threatened eg Sunderland take the FA and league cups the most seriously and   have historically fielded the strongest teams  No assists, the focus will be on goal scoring midfielders and strikers.

(iii)    To get the bonus points you will need those players who contribute overall to the game.

(iv)   The emphasis on goals scored and lack of differentiation in points between goals for positions will mean an emphasis on elite attackers.

(v)   Defenders will see a focus on clean sheets

(vi)  You should pick on a teams marquee player who dominates the team in all ways

Best performers to date in Sun Dream Team

Heres a cut and paste of the best performers in Sun Dream Team over the first 2 rounds

Although its very early days heres some points of interest out of the 13 top performers

1.  5   are attacking midfielders. The top 4 are attacking midfielders.

2.  Surprisingly 5 are defenders but these are where attacking stats have followed.

3.  Only 3 are strikers.

4.  Nearly half are from teams that wont compete for europe or the title (although distorted by Swanseas great start)

Here’s a few more stats after analysing some games

1.  Out of 35 Sun Dream team star man awards 21 went to Midfielders.  20 of those attacking mids.

2.  9 went to strikers

3.  2 to GK and 3 to defenders

4.  Of the 7 marks this is weighted to midfielders and strikers no chance for GK’s

At the end of the season I could imagine Michu Hazard Tevez Fellaini Baines and Suarez to be in that top 13 list  injuries permitting

Injured players

Should you waste a precious Sun Dream team transfer on an injured player.  There are only 12 in a season.

Heres my rundown on the key injuries (data from Physio room that excellent site):

Rooney – Apparently physio room says the 23rd September but I would transfer him out as that seems optimistic for Tevez or RVP

Zabaleta – no return date so monitor but I would tend to keep him.

Aguero – 15 september.  dont transfer him out.  Tevez will perform better as he contributes more to the game but not worth a transfer

Bardsley – 15 september dont transfer out

Carrol – No return date but dont transfer out its only a knock

Kaboul – Dec 12 transfer out

Best Picks

GK

 Alhabsi – Foster (both £1.5m)

Im not convinced of the wisdom now of spending alot of money here and with Man City and Utd struggling for Clean sheets all of these are value picks that are in teams with improvng defences.  If any GK’s can get 7 ratings its these guys who are good shot stoppers.  WBA will compete for the cups.

DEF

 Ivanovic  (5.0m)  Vermaelen (£6.0m)  Baines (£5.5m)

The 3 Rolls Royce defensive options with the leading attacking potential.  I’ve left out Kompany £7.0m) and Vidic (£6.5m) as they seem a step too far in price.  Ivanovic and Vermaelen play champs league and Everton will compete to win the cups.  Unfortunately for the first time Baines has got cover from the transfer window.

Jagielka (£4.0m) Agger (£4.0m)  Zabaleta (£4.0m)  Rafael(£4.0m)

With Jagielka and  Agger youre gambling on Clan sheets and cups at the expense of attacking stats and with zabaleta and rafael youre gambling on game time.  With Utd and City such is the list of competition they will compete in that  game time for value players seems worthwhile.  Jagielka and Agger will attract the 7’s and clean sheets plus cup time as essential defensive components.  Both have some attacking potential.

Ridgewell (£2.0m)  Huth (£2.0m) STaylor(£2.5m) Bardsley(£2.5m) Rangel (£2.5m) Figueroa (£2.0m)

Here’s the next tier of players that all have attacking potential and in my view will not be relegation threatened (eyebrows raised for Figueroa I can see)  therefore they will all be in teams competing for the cups although stoke going out of the league cup and difficult draws for WBA and Newcastle hasn’t helped

Richardson(£1.5m)  W Reid (1.0m)  R Martin (£1.0m)

A few gambles here if you want fillers.  Richardson will play as an attacking midfielder although his game time hasn’t been established to date.  Reid has a real eye for goal and West Ham have started more solid than expected.  R Martin is the most eye catching of all the norwich defenders and with the new purchases of Bassong Turner and Garrido have the potential to be more solid than initially expected

Midfield

Michu (£2.0m) Hazard (£4.0m) Fellaini/Pienaar (£3.5/3.0m) YYT (£4.5m) Kagawa(£4.5m) Morrison £2.5)

Heres the first tier in my mind.

Michu – carrying on from 15 goals in La Liga last year

Hazard – an eye catching a must have for bonus points alone

Fellaini/Pienaar – pick one.  both are in great form

YYT and Kagawa – the most certain picks in the midfield and oth highly involved in posession for bonus

Morrison – great value for the attacking fulcrum and starof this underrated team

Cazorla (£4.0m)  Ben Arfa (£3.5m)and Dembele £3.0m)

3 eye catching players who aren’t to the fore like the players above but have European games and explosive return and bonus potential.  None are cheap though apart from Dembele and in that way are more of a risk than some others

Guthrie (1.5m) Granero (£2.0m) and Do Prado (£2.0m)

I don’t really think that apart from Michu that if you only have 3/4 places for a midfielder given how they are a magnet for star man awards and get there fair share that you should use 2 many budget but if you dont believe in michu heres a few roughies that you can look at

Guthrie – cheap creative and has played centrally behind the striker.  Has some set piece duties too

Granero – classy central ball playing midfeilder, only question is how far up the ptch he plays

Do Prado – the main midfield attacking force for southampton.

and lastly

Bale (£5.5m)  Dempsey (£5.0m)

Hmmm is this going to be another AVB disaster? 2 goals total to Norwich and WBA at home.?!  I’m the biggest fans of these 2 players but so far it hasn’t been good.  However before the next transfer window they play:

Reading A

QPR H

Man u A

Villa H

Thats 3 pretty good games so I’m deferring getting rid of Bale until after these games

Strikers

RVP (£8.0m) Tevez (£6.5m) Aguero (£7.0m)

the 3 elite strikers all of which will score aton of goals and get star man awards.  main question over RVP is if he can hog the star man awards when he’s not carrying the team like he did at Arsenal.  Tevez and Aguero will suffer rotation but there will e enough games for the returns to come through.

Suarez (£6.0m)

Such a focus of the attack apart from Gerrard that he’s bound to get his share of star man awards even if he looks like he cant hit a barn door most of the time.

Ba Jelavic Carrol (All £3.5m) 

The 2nd tier both of which will compete in the cups.  Ba seems to be back in 4-4-2and looks great value compared to P Cisse at £5.0m.  Jelavic is total quality and Carrol although may be in a relegation fight i think will dominate starman awards in this team

Graham Fletcher Walters (All £2.5m)  

3 options slightly cheaper but with a bit more risk.  Graham hasnt got the returns you would have thought given Swanseas start,  Fletcher is only 1 game old and Walters is in a defensive orientated team. However all 3 teams will compete for the cups (shame stoke are out) and are proven goal scorers

Di Santo (£1.5m)

A filler if funds require it.  Wigan will be improved this year and Di Santo has started well.

OK hope that gives some food for thought.  Remember thers no fixtures until the 15th so leave your transfers to as late as possible to avoid international break friendlies.

There’s more articles under the Sun Dream team category of the site and if you want to ask any questions leave them in the comments section under this article and I will come back as soon a I can