Our third selection guide for The Sun Dream Team has us digging deep into our pockets to fund some big money moves. Whether you’re opting for a 4-3-3 or a four-man midfield, there’s little doubt that only the bravest Dream Team manager will overlook the big names in the middle of the park.

As always, we plunder last season’s data for some clues on the strategies involved, assess the impact of the cup competitions, analyse how best to use the Transfer Windows and line up the top candidates on offer to fit any budget.

Dip in and then sign-up for the Fantasy Football Scout League, with a £1000 prize on offer to the winner.

The Sun Dream Team – Top Ten Midfielders – 2012/13

It only takes a single glance at the table above, in comparison to the numbers we’ve seen in our previous selection guides, to confirm that midfield is a priority when it comes to our Sun Dream Team budget.

As we can see by the number of Star Man and 7+ ratings accrued by the top midfielders, there are huge points to be earned from the engine room.

Significantly, it’s also worth noting that, amongst the top ten above, only Michu and Marouane Fellaini (who both enjoyed outstanding seasons for goals) were amongst the ranks of a team outside of the top six.

That’s perhaps not surprising. With Star Man and ratings points often favouring winning sides, plus with two additional points on offer from clean sheets, it’s midfielders amongst the title contenders who should be our prime targets.

As we’ll see, this is compounded by the fact that those teams involved in European competition have a guarantee of more fixtures to help boost their players’ appeal.

Juan Mata’s statistics are staggering and it’s hard to believe that, in a season where Gareth Bale emerged as a true world-class talent, the Chelsea man still ranked above him thanks to a schedule that afforded him 54 Dream Team starts. That again emphasises the importance of those extra European fixtures.

Goals clearly remain a key factor, with all of the top ten reaching double figures over the campaign – Theo Walcott’s tally of 21 strikes in just 31 starts is particularly impressive – significantly, that included five goals scored in the Capital One Cup, underlining how the domestic competitions can play their part.

In addition, it’s worth noting that all aside from Michu achieved 7+ ratings in well over 50% of their starts. Again, Mata’s numbers are impressive here, amassing 7+ ratings on 44 of his 54 starts.

Our criteria is pretty clear, then – we need midfield mainstays, goalscorers, ideally amongst teams with the promise of European fixtures. If we don’t target prolific scorers, we should instead look to heavily influential figures such as Mata Steven Gerrard and Santi Cazorla, who will regularly fetch high ratings and Star Man awards.

To pursue such treasured assets, we’ll need to spend big, as it’s obvious that midfield is not an area of our Dream Team lineup where we can often afford to take a punt and save cash.

Cup Campaigns

European campaigns were clearly a factor behind the ranking of Chelsea’s midfield – both Mata and Oscar benefited greatly from the Champions League, with the Spaniard earning 34 points, while Oscar collected no less than 58 points from the Blues’ European exploits. Eden Hazard and Frank Lampard also benefitted, mainly in the Europa League, earning 35 and 39 extra points respectively.

Favouring those sides with European football (United, City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Swansea and Tottenham) is an obvious strategy. Having made it to the play-off stage, Swansea’s players are boosted with two more matches in August (prior to Transfer Window 1), with a potential six group stage matches to come, four of which will be played out before Transfer Window 2 is open. The same applies to Tottenham, who must also navigate through their play-off tie to earn passage to the group stages.

In the Champions League, Arsenal have a two-legged play-off prior to Transfer Window 1 to bolster the appeal of their squad and could then have six group stage matches, along with United, City and Chelsea. Again, four of these fixtures are played prior to Transfer Window 2, which should offer us a good idea of who is most likely to progress.

While the number of European appearances can be somewhat guaranteed, that isn’t the case on the domestic front. Rest and rotation in the Capital One Cup amongst those sides in Europe looks inevitable so, again, it might be best to consider those teams with only domestic distractions. Having said that, with money lavished freely in this area, there’s no real reason to look beyond the title contenders to fill our three or four man midfields, unless you’re drawn to a punt in a “lesser” side.

Window Watching

Given that the midfield area is so crucial, we’ll need to exploit the transfer windows to tweak our lineups.

As mentioned in our guide to defenders, Transfer Window 1 opens with just three Premier League fixtures played out, on September 3. You’ll have three trades to use before Gameweek 4 on September 14 and it’s likely that at least one will be required to address a change in midfield.

Injuries and suspensions aside, security of starts and form will be major factors here, with perhaps a new arrival convincing from the off, or a clear pattern of rotation emerging that looks set to damage the output of an established player. Last season we saw Michu explode as a prospect, leading to a scramble of investment across the games; the same scenario could transpire this term.

Fixtures are, of course, another factor that will steer our tactics for the first two Transfer Windows. Our Season Ticker is available to help you assess not only those teams who open the season strongly, but also those who have obliging spells leading up to Transfer Window 2. Members can use the “Attacking” filter to view those teams tipped to score the most goals over a given Gameweek range.

The full Members Ticker can also be restricted to show Gameweeks 3-11, allowing the analysis of fixtures between the Transfer Window 1 and 2. As an example, this reveals that Liverpool face a run of favourable Anfield encounters in that spell, with Southampton, Palace, West Brom and Fulham all due on Merseyside prior to the Transfer Window 2. This may encourage investment in a certain Brazilian schemer; more on that to come.

The European and domestic cup competitions also have to be considered. The Capital One Cup reaches the fourth round by October 28, so, by the time Transfer Window 2 swings open, you can begin to tailor your lineup accordingly.

The European schedule is more of a concern. As mentioned, the Europa League and Champions League are both still in the group stages by November’s Transfer Window, although, by then, the qualifiers for the knockout stages may be obvious.

The FA Cup Third Round does not take place until January 4, so progress here only becomes a factor for Transfer Window 3, which opens on January 21.

The Players

Given City’s kind start to the campaign, David Silva has to be on our radars. The Spaniard has a rich Dream Team pedigree, having topped the midfielder rankings in 2011/12 (190 points) and 2010/11 (221 points). Silva is a player who has previously harvested 7+ ratings and Star Man awards to compliment a steady, if unspectacular, supply of goals.

There are many factors in his favour from the off: much is expected of Manuel Pellegrini’s side in attacking terms and Silva is set to be a the fulcrum, perhaps deployed behind the striker where he can influence matches and inflict damage. Secondly, City’s opening fixtures are nothing short of superb in terms of their schedule of opponents. Thirdly, City have European football and Silva should be integral to the campaign – that should see him profit from further starts, even if it’s likely to mean rest periods for the domestic cups.

Finally, there is Silva’s price. After a disappointing Dream Team campaign, the playmaker has dropped to just £5.5 million this term – a kind valuation given his previous exploits in the game. With doubts over starters up front, Silva’s case for a place in our initial midfields looks exceptionally strong.

Jesus Navas is perhaps the one caveat to investment in Silva. Available for just £4 million, the winger looks keenly priced and will again benefit from City’s obliging opening schedule. Perhaps less secure than Silva in Pellegrini’s midfield and unproven in Premier League terms, he’s nonetheless a serious consideration at that price. Doubling on the City pair even looks a credible option.

The Chelsea midfield is a rich source of Fantasy points across the games, not least in The Sun Dream Team. Mata is again well fancied, although investment is also going in the direction of Eden Hazard, who is perhaps expected to earn more starts than his Spanish team-mate. The situation is difficult to call: Jose Mourinho has given various hints that he will rotate heavily and, in Hazard’s position he has the likes of Victor Moses, Andre Schurrle and Kevin De Bruyne to call upon. Hazard has stood up well in pre-season, however, and will push Mata close this term.

Right now, Mata has proved more popular, attracting more investment than any other midfielder (32.5%) – much of that could be down to his total from last season, and, with Hazard available for half a million less (£7.0m vs £6.5m) and perhaps more likely to figure in both of Chelsea’s opening fixtures due to Mata’s summer campaign with Spain, there’s a clear differential on offer here.

However, we have to consider that Chelsea were huge beneficiaries of a successful Europa League campaign and we shouldn’t necessarily be swayed by last season’s burgeoning points totals. Given the threat of rotation in Mourinho’s ranks, there is perhaps a case to avoid recruitment from the Chelsea midfield.

Arsenal’s top guns – namely Theo Walcott (£5.5m) and Santi Cazorla (£6.0m) – are perhaps stronger options. The Gunners have to navigate a Champions League qualifying round, boosting the short-term appeal of their players, who will enjoy two additional fixtures prior to Transfer Window 1. That brings both Walcott and Cazorla to the table, with the smart money on the former to offer the best value. Walcott outscored Cazorla last term (230 vs 209) despite starting 16 fewer matches and is the cheaper Dream Team option this time around. Arguably, however, with both set to be key figures in Arsenal’s opening fixtures and the qualifier with Fenerbahce, there is a case to go into Transfer Window 1 with the pair.

While European football isn’t on offer at Anfield, Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho is a player earning a lot of pre-season attention. Ranked second to Mata in term of Dream Team investment (26.6%), he’s not only been outstanding over the summer, he ended the last campaign in sparkling form.

Indeed, only two midfielders – Gareth Bale and Shaun Maloney – earned more Dream Team points that Coutinho over the final 12 matches (56). In just 12 starts, Coutinho featched 7+ ratings on nine occasions and, if Luis Suarez departs, he would seem set to improve on his two Star Man awards by some margin this season. Priced at just £2.0 million in the last campaign, he’s been hiked to £4.0m but, even with that inflated price and without the promise of European fixtures, the Brazilian looks well worthy of inclusion in our initial lineups – particularly given that Liverpool start the campaign with a favourable schedule up to Transfer Window 2.

Classed as a striker last season, Everton’s Kevin Mirallas is now in the mix for midfield selection and looks a prospect. Widely expected to earn starts on the right of a front three under Roberto Martinez, the Belgian seems set to have the platform to build on his impressive debut season in which he struck nine goals in 28 Dream Team starts. Everton are another side who look primed for an impressive opening to their season, having been handed a decent array of early fixtures. Mirallas, at £3.5 million, stands out in the mid-price bracket as cover for the attacking brand of football expected to come out of Goodison.

Norwich City’s Robert Snodgrass also looks kindly priced at just £3 million. A protagonist in his debut season at Carrow Road, the Scot should be a key figure again and with Chris Hughton boosting his fire power with the signings of Ricky Van Wolfswinkel and Gary Hooper, we’re expecting more end product from Snodgrass’ deliveries. A domestic cup run would add further value, making the Canaries man a canny acquisition for those requiring to dip down through the price brackets to fund a four-man midfield.

In truth, this is one position where raiding the budget bracket is unlikely to be on the agenda. Even when deploying a 4-4-2, there’s a strong argument to say that you should avoid sinking below the £3 million mark, unless you’ve good reason to back a punt.

United’s Wilfried Zaha is one such gamble. The former Palace man has attracted an impressive level of ownership (5.8%), no doubt buoyed by some strong pre-season showings. At just £1.5 million, there’s a clear case for Zaha, who is likely to get plenty of opportunity for starts across the competitions given United’s schedule.

Domestic cups could be Zaha’s main platform but David Moyes is yet to show his true hand in terms of formation and likely starting XI. As we’ve mentioned in our previous guides, given their tough opening schedule, Sun Dream Team managers can wait until after Transfer Window 1 before upping their interest in Old Trafford assets and that looks the best strategy with Zaha.

The Sun Dream Team Scout League

The Sun Dream Team is long established as one of the biggest players in the UK Fantasy Football market, attracting a huge audience wowed by the most substantial prizes on offer. Once again, this season, there’s a huge £500,000 prize pool to be divided up. Registration for teams and leagues opens on August 1 but you can select your lineups right now.

We also have our own Fantasy Football Scout League with a £1000 top prize on offer to the winner.

Once you register and create your team or teams, simply use the following PIN and password to enter.

League Name: Fantasy Football Scout
Password: ReWOZhn1T1
PIN: 8061654