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Are Dream Team bosses making a mistake selecting the most-popular goalkeeper in the game?

Are Dream Team bosses making a mistake selecting the most-popular goalkeeper in the game?

The Sun19 hours ago
THE last thing we want to do is cause a panic among Dream Team managers before a ball has been kicked.
But it's our duty to highlight any discrepancies worthy of discussion as the Gameweek 1 deadline draws near and so we feel compelled to discuss Caoimhin Kelleher (£3m).
As it stands, the Republic or Ireland international is set to start the 2025/26 season as the most popular goalkeeper in Dream Team.
MOST POPULAR GOALKEEPERS IN DREAM TEAM AHEAD OF GAMEWEEK 1 (% OWNERSHIP)
11.6% Caoimhin Kelleher
9.7% Robert Sanchez
9.2% Matz Sels
9% David Raya
8.7% Alisson
Before we get cynical, let's be clear that Kelleher is a very fine keeper.
Last season, he performed superbly for Liverpool while Alisson was sidelined with injury for a sustained period from mid-October until Christmas.
Most notably, he saved two penalties in the space of four days against Southampton and Real Madrid to grab the headlines.
During this time, Kelleher was something of a Dream Team cheat code as he was a cheap starter for the best team in the country and gaffers who took advantage of this situation were rewarded with plentiful points.
In fact, his average of 5.3 points-per-game was among the highest in his position for 2024/25.
This summer, the 26-year-old has transferred from Liverpool to Brentford in a move that will make him No1 for the first time in his career.
Kelleher's historical record and the promise of increased minutes are the reasons he's a popular choice among Dream Team bosses, not to mention his affordable price.
However, at the risk of coming across all doom and gloom, there are some issues to be addressed.
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Firstly, a simple truth must be stated: Brentford are not Liverpool.
Clean sheets are the primary currency for keepers in Dream Team but it generally takes a team effort to repel the opposition.
You could have Lev Yashin, Gigi Buffon and Manuel Neuer all between the sticks at once but if they aren't given suitable protection then it is inevitable they will concede goals.
Last season, Brentford conceded 57 league goals, 16 more than champions Liverpool.
But even that doesn't tell the full story of the disparity between Kelleher's old club and his new employers.
The Bees conceded a whopping 646 shots in total, only Southampton gave up more opportunities.
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The xG stats are kinder to the West London outfit, suggesting that six teams defended worse, but Dream Team managers should realise that clean sheets will be much harder for Kelleher to come by at the Gtech.
His predecessor, Mark Flekken, made more saves (159) than any other Dream Team goalkeeper last season, another indication of Brentford's defensive vulnerabilities.
Of course, racking up lots of saves is another way to earn points - perhaps Kelleher's best avenue going forward - but it's difficult to make waves without clean sheets and let's not forget that conceding goals can lead to minus points.
Another big concern is that Brentford might find life harder in the top flight this campaign.
They have lost Thomas Frank, Christian Norgaard and Bryan Mbeumo, with Yoane Wissa also linked to other clubs.
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Keith Andrews has been appointed head coach and has a huge task ahead of him.
Pre-season predictions are often foolish in hindsight but many pundits are envisaging a taxing season for the Bees.
We're not saying that Kelleher is a horrible selection but, given all the factors, it seems unusual that he's more popular than all his rivals.
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