Captain and booster options for GW23: Erling Haaland default skipper again?

THE spotlight is firmly on Manchester City in the Dream Team world at the moment.

The defending champions are the only team that have two games to play in matchweek 23, so players will have to stock up on Pep Guardiola's favourites.

Everton visit the Etihad on Saturday in the first Premier League match of the weekend before the treble winners travel to Copenhagen in midweek for the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie.

With that in mind, let's discuss the captaincy options.

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Dream Team bosses have had to think carefully in recent weeks about which players to pick for double points Erling Haaland (£7.6m) was sidelined with a foot injury, but the return of the prolific poacher could ease the conversation.

The Norwegian number 9 was the default captain for the vast majority of gaffers brought on for the first half of the campaign, and with good reason.

Haaland averaged 9.2 points per game in 2023/24 – a figure matched only by the injury-prone Michael Olise (£4.1m) – and no player could surpass his tally of 19 goals in all competitions while not was available.

He has looked a bit rusty in the last two games, but with City on a roll (nine straight wins in all competitions) it won't be long before he is back among the goals.

Some gaffers may be tempted to take Haaland on the captaincy in Gameweek 23 by attaching the armband to the in-form Phil Foden (£5 million).

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The England international scored a hat-trick against Brentford on Monday evening, moving him level with Bukayo Saka (£5.5m) at the top of the overall standings.

With thirteen goals and ten assists to his name this season, Foden is certainly an attractive option.

Any concerns that Haaland's return would dampen the midfielder's eye for goal were thoroughly expressed at the Gtech Community Stadium and he looks well positioned for a double-digit return this coming Gameweek.

Then there is Kevin De Bruyne (£6m).

The Belgian's return from injury has contributed to a sense of inevitability about City's future form.

He has scored 27 points in the past three weeks via a goal and four assists.

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In terms of playmaking, De Bruyne is second to none, but his ruthless chance creation only makes Haaland a more attractive captaincy option as it is the latter who usually benefits.

It must surely be one of City's superstars to lift the title in matchweek 23 and despite Foden's impressive form, it's hard to look past Haaland.

BOOSTER STRATEGIES

Many players will see City's double header as an opportunity to reap the rewards Park the bus.

On paper it's a nice idea, but Guardiola's rotation policy carries a certain risk.

Setting up an XI with Kyle Walker (£3.1m), Josko Gvardiol (£3.3m), Ruben Dias (£3.1m) and Nathan Ake (£3.2m) – plus either Trent Alexander -Arnold (£5.5m) or Kieran Trippier (£4.8m) – has huge potential, but it wouldn't be too surprising if key minutes for John Stones (£3.3m), Manuel Akanji (£ 3.6 million) and/or Rico Lewis (£2.9 million) would prevent such problems. a plan.

Moreover, City have found it relatively difficult to keep a clean sheet this season.

Looking ahead, there are more double Gameweeks in the pipeline that look ripe for less risky Park the Bus combinations.

Unless you're very confident that you can get the right balance between City defenders, it's probably best to keep the strongest Booster in the holster.

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12th human is definitely a viable Booster to activate before the deadline.

If your standard XI seems a little light for City players ahead of what should be a high-scoring Gameweek, just play 12th Man and select one of the aforementioned superstars as your secret weapon.

Even those who already have Haaland, De Bruyne and Foden in their squad could consider selecting Julian Alvarez (£4.3m) as their 12th man given the fixture list.

Finally, if you're helplessly hesitating among the heavy hitters, activate Max Captain guarantees the optimal choice.

Be warned, however, that if you go this route and Haaland (the default option) goes big, you may end up wasting one of your precious Boosters.

Commit your strategy before Saturday's 11:30 AM deadline!

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