Sun Dream Team – “ones to watch” midfielders for transfer window 1

Sun Dream Team

Here’s my pick of the Sun Dream Team midfieders  for your transfer window 1 decisions. 

I’ve given you the following information to assist you in the decision:

1.  The additional European competition

2.  Sun Dream Team cost

3.  The points in Sun Dream Team to date

4.  The amount of 7+ ratings compared to games

5.  The amount of Sun Dream Team Star Man awards

6.  The fixture ease ranking from my recent Sun Dream Team fixture article (link at bottom of page)

Elite midfielders

Walcott – Champions League

  • cost:  £5.5m.  Points:  18.    7+Star man rating.  4/5.     Star man awards:  0     fixture ranking:  4

Good premier league fixtures although the champions league fixtures are tricky.  Should benefit from extra creativity from Ozil.  Will play most games as integral part of the attacking play.  The Ox is injured who is one of the cover options as well

Silva – Champions League

  • cost:  £5.5m.  Points:  15.    7+Star man rating.  2/3.     Star man awards:  0     fixture ranking:  6

Main creative attacking midfield force and therefore should play the vast majority of games.  Challenging Champions league group but this should at least mean rotation minimised

 Eriksen – Europa league (£4.0m)

Good value compared to some of the other attacking midfield assets.  10 goals and 17 assists for Ajax last year.  He’s a player of real quality.  It seems likely that AVB will use him behind Soldado and Sun Dream Team managers who own Soldado and have seen him surviving on scraps within a team devoid of real creative quality will be celebrating.     Difficult to see Eriksen lasting in a 4-3-3 but given the struggles that this formation has seen in opening up  Swansea and Crystal Palace that would seem a risk worth taking to me.

Ozil – Champions league (£5.5m)

Quite expensive.  Ozil is one of the worlds premier creative attacking midfielders.  Last season in 23 starts plus 9 as sub he scored 9 goals and 16 assists in La Liga.  That’s a return every 81 minutes which is nothing short of phenomenal.  The previous season he was even more assist based getting 4 goals and 30 starts and 5 as sub.  In my mind he will be a huge success for Arsenal.  It is likely he will play directly behind the striker  in Wengers 4-2-3-1.     Ozil will give that ability to open up teams who sit deep at the Emirates  and help to unlock those frustrating games when it looks like Arsenal could play all day without scoring.  He has the ability to find the killer pass but also go past someone in tight situations and is a great decision maker seemingly always taking the right option.   The Sun Dream Team managers who really should be celebrating are the owners of Giroud especially and Walcott to a lesser degree. They will be the main beneficiaries of Ozils ability to open up teams.

His quality and good fixtures should see him earn a number of 7+ ratings.  Assists don’t directly score in Sun Dream Team is the only negative but historically players who control games like Ozil have scored well in Sun Dream Team.  This year has started a little different but he’s worth the gamble in my mind

Willian – Champions league (£4.5m)

The number of attacking midfielders in the Chelsea team is why Willian seems reasonably good value.  Rotation will be a definite risk.  Willian is a 25 year old Brazilian attacking midfielder who can play on the left of an attacking 3 or behind the striker. He has transferred from Russian club Anzhi for £32m to Chelsea.  He is more of a creative player than a goal scorer which is why Spurs wanted him as they need a number 10 as 4-2-3-1 doesn’t work with Siggy behind the striker. His creative emphasis  is evidenced by his stats below which are biased towards assists rather than goals.

Playing for Anzhi and Shaktar in 2012/13 he played 21 games with 3 goals and 7 assists.

The previous season with Shaktar in 2011/12 it was 27 games with 5 goals and 16 assists.

Gametime and an assist based player are the main risks for Willian.  Again his creativity should see a number of 7+ ratings.  He’s a definite risk but good value for it.

Mid and budget midfielders

NZonzi

  • cost:  £2.0m.  Points:  17.    7+Star man rating.  2/4.     Star man awards:  2     fixture ranking:  16

The Sun Dream Team Starman rating assessors seem to love him.  He’s one of 3 midfielders to have received more than 1 Star man rating despite difficult fixtures. It’s a risk at this stage but deep lying midfielders seem to have got off to a good start in Sun Dream Team

De Bruyne – Champions league

  • cost:  £1.5m.  Points:  11.    7+Star man rating.  1/1.     Star man awards:  1     fixture ranking:  5

Not for faint hearted Sun Dream Team managers as he’s not high up on the rotation pile for Chelsea.  However, very talented and  the price is very cheap when you consider Chelsea could play 14 games compared t others 8/9.   Even with rotation he could get good returns as part of a likely successful Chelsea run

Brady 

  • cost:  £1.0m.  Points:  26.    7+Star man rating.  3/4.     Star man awards:  1     fixture ranking:  9

Interesting one this.  Sun Dream Team seem to love him that’s for sure.  Has the advantage of pens and set piece involvement which is where the points will come from.  Hull wont score many goals but this is the route a good percentage of goals are likely to come from.

Delph 

  • cost:  £1.0mm.  Points:  22.    7+Star man rating.  4/4.     Star man awards:  1     fixture ranking:  12

A very talented young box to box midfielder who again Sun Dream Team have taken a shining to.  Will score very little, if any,  goals this year so you’ll be relying on these ratings but good for the price.  Will start virtually every game.

Barkley

  • cost:  £1.5m.  Points:  29.    7+Star man rating.  4/4.     Star man awards:  2   fixture ranking:  13

Another favourite of Sun Dream Team.  Playing behind the striker and leading the creativity for Everton. Main issue is gametime risk as while Fellaini is gone, Barry and McCarthy have been bought and Gibson is about to return to the team. I think Barkley will hold his place as it is and there will be just 2 CDMs with Osman dropping out for Barkley.  It is a gamble still though and with 8 weeks tied up its not for the faint hearted.  The positives though is that Martinez continues to talk him up.

That’s it hope that gave you some options for this transfer window.

Here’s the link for the fixture article

http://www.fantasyfootballgeek.co.uk/sun-dream-team-teams-best-fixtures-transfer-window-2/

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