Liverpool have three defenders in the top five for the first time this season
JUST as the year passes from season to season, the Dream Team campaign revolves in cycles of defensive dominance.
At the start of the term, Chelsea assets led the way with the likes of Reece James (£5.9m), Thiago Silva (£4.9m) and Antonio Rudiger (£4.6m) racking up huge points.
When the Blues suffered a mid-season slump, Manchester City defenders rose to the top with Ruben Dias (£4.2m) and Aymeric Laporte (£4.7m) joining Joao Cancelo (£6.6m) in the elite crop.
Now we have seemingly entered the Liverpool phase of the season as Virgil van Dijk (£6.3m) and Andy Robertson (£4.8m) have joined Trent Alexander-Arnold (£6.7m) in the top five defenders for the first time in 2021/22.
And Joel Matip (£4.1m) isn’t far off in eighth with 120 points.
Dream Team’s top five defenders currently:
- Trent Alexander-Arnold (£6.7m) – 191 points
- Joao Cancelo (£6.6m) – 178 points
- Virgil van Dijk (£6.3m) – 156 points
- Reece James (£5.9m) – 142 points
- Andy Robertson (£4.8m) – 129 points
The imperious Dutchman registered 16 points this Game Week thanks to a pair of clean sheets each supplemented with a 7+ rating.
While Scotland’s captain banked 20 points at the expense of Burnley and Inter after scooping the Star Man award in Milan on Wednesday night.
That huge haul caps an extremely profitable spell for Robertson – he’s amassed 60 points in his last seven outings.
Alexander-Arnold remains the leader in his field having provided 14 assists in all competitions.
Robertson’s tally of ten assists looks average when measured against his team-mate but it’s a mightily impressive figure in the wider context of all defenders.
Incredibly, Liverpool’s left-back is somehow still less popular (11.2% ownership) than Harry Maguire (£3.3m, 13.5% ownership), who has just 45 points to his name.
Now is the perfect time to back Jurgen Klopp’s tried-and-tested defenders.
Liverpool play Norwich and Leeds in Game Week 25 before taking on Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final at the end of the month.
Fortunately, they start March with a home fixture against the Canaries but the premier defenders may be rested as it’s an FA Cup fixture.
