THE first international break of the season allows Dream Team managers time to reflect upon the first four Gameweeks.
Goals have flowed freely and several players have already taken advantage of the new scoring system to register plentiful returns.
Let’s run through an XI of the highest-scoring assets at this stage.
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Leading the wayCredit: Getty
GOALKEEPER: Guglielmo Vicario (£3.3m)
Hugo Lloris’ replacement leads the way among custodians with 22 points from his first four outings.
Clean sheets against Manchester United and Bournemouth make up the bulk of the Italian keeper’s returns and he earned his wage against the former in particular with six saves – a tally that earned him three additional points.
Whether Vicario can retain his crown in the long run amid Ange Postecoglou’s ambitious tactics remains to be seen but he’s certainly made a strong start.
Familiar favourites Alisson (£4.2m) and Ederson (£4.4m) make up the podium.
DEFENDERS: Cristian Romero (£3.9m), Willy Boly (£1.7m), Destiny Udogie (£2.9m)
Evidence of Spurs’ two clean sheets are present in defence too but Romero and Udogie are flying high because they’ve added attacking returns on top.
The World Cup winning centre-back’s pinpoint finish against Burnley was his second goal of the season and his combative style has resulted in three points from tackles.
Romero is the reigning king among defenders with 34 points.
Romero has more points than any other defenderCredit: Getty
As for Udogie, the 20-year-old is an early candidate for breakout star of the campaign.
The ex-Udinese left-back has provided two assists in four league games and looks likely to grow that tally steadily with his willingness to bomb forward.
He has 28 points in total, as does Boly – truly an unexpected inclusion in this list.
The Nottingham Forest centre-back’s goal and noble effort at Old Trafford earned him nine points in Gameweek 3 and he repeated that haul in Gameweek 4 as he held firm to help his side beat Chelsea 1-0.
The experienced defender has offered superb value for money for the slim minority of gaffers who have backed him.
MIDFIELDERS: James Maddison (£4.1m), Eberechi Eze (£3.4m), Bukayo Saka (£6.3m), Bryan Mbeumo (£3.7m)
The fourth and final Spurs representative in this XI comes in the form of their new No10, who has racked up 46 points in no time at all.
Maddison has two goals and two assists to his name and no midfielder has registered more shots on target (nine) to date.
The England international has hit the ground running in north London and the influential nature of his performances is reflected in the fact he’s earned 12 bonus points – only one player has more.
Collector of bonus pointsCredit: Alamy
And that player is Eze, who ranks first for successful dribbles among all players and third among midfielders for accurate crosses.
As well as all the fancy stuff, the Crystal Palace talisman has three concrete goal involvements – he’s been magnificent for his 44 points.
Arsenal’s No7 is among Dream Team’s most reliable performers, which remarkable considering he’s still just 22 years old.
Saka has scored two goals and provided one assist without breaking sweat – he’s got plenty more to give.
England’s Player of the Year (38 points) has supplemented his attacking returns with five points from tackles – is there anything he can’t do?
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Mbeumo completes the four-man midfield having amassed 37 well-deserved points.
The Frenchman’s beautiful stoppage-time equaliser against Bournemouth on Saturday was his fourth goal in as many league games.
Much of the Brentford-related talk prior to Gameweek 1 revolved around whether the Bees could cope without the suspended Ivan Toney but they’ve had no problems in attack so far.
In fact, Thomas Frank’s side have generated the most xG (expected goal) in the top flight – a massively encouraging statistic for Mbeumo owners.
Best in classCredit: DREAM TEAM
STRIKERS: Erling Haaland (£8.1m), Odsonne Edouard (£2.6m), Evan Ferguson (£3m)
Six goals after four Gameweeks? It’s standard practice for Manchester City’s No9.
Haaland gave his rivals a sniff when he followed up a quiet showing against Newcastle with a wasteful performance versus Sheffield United (missed penalty included) but a hat-trick at Fulham’s expense restored normal order.
A 23-point haul moved the Norwegian cyborg onto 48 overall – no player has more at this stage.
If Haaland’s presence at the top of the rankings is taken for granted then Edouard’s is a total surprise.
With the aforementioned Eze in support, the ex-Celtic striker has scored four goals already in all competitions this season – he mustered seven throughout the whole of 2022/23.
The 25-year-old appears in just 1.8% of teams at the time of writing but will likely be a popular recruit during the international break having notched 41 points.
Last but by no means least, it’s the golden boy of the moment, Ferguson.
Brighton’s starlet enhanced his flowering reputation with a hat-trick against Newcastle in Gameweek 4, a special effort that landed him 22 points.
The fact the 18-year-old is Dream Team’s third-best forward right now is impressive given he was limited to just 35 minutes across the first two Gameweeks.
Ferguson has withdrawn from the Republic of Ireland squad this week because of an injury concern so Dream Team bosses would be advised to seek updates before committing fully to a transfer ahead of Gameweek 5.
It’s early days but Spurs appear to be the team to back extensively in Dream Team this season – they face Sheffield United after the international break.
