The temptation is to analyze Pep Guardiola's team's domination exclusively in terms of Erling Haaland's (10.1m) record-breaking performances.
And that makes sense given the Norwegian poacher's staggering total of 432 Dream Team points and 52 goals across all tournaments.
Although City's season has definitely been led by the Premier League Golden Boot winner, the degree of their midfield dominance cannot be overstated.
With 283 points and a salary of 7.2 million, Bruno Fernandes is undoubtedly the best asset in his position, in large part because of a dozen Star Man honors.
But with six players among the top 16 midfielders, City dominates in terms of raw quantity.
It's amazing that City's sixth-best midfielder has more points than James Maddison (5.5m), Alexis Mac Allister (3.8m), Eberechi Eze (4.4m), and James Ward-Prowse (3.6m), a brilliant group of competitive choices.
The fact that Gundogan, who has been in genuinely superb form at the conclusion of the season, is just the fifth-best midfield asset at the Etihad in 20222023 is another indication of the depth of the double winners.
Within 15 seconds of the FA Cup final's start on Saturday, the German techie stunned Wembley with an instantly recognizable volley.
The cup-winning left-footed volley by the 32-year-old in the second half, though not quite as cleanly delivered, further solidified his stature.
Gundogan, of course, won the Star Man award in north-west London to score 18 points in one go.
He has scored 56 points in his previous six games and has made a real impact throughout the remaining Game Weeks of the season.
Haaland is almost in every top Dream Team manager's starting lineup, but in practice, the striker's stats haven't changed mini-league standings in months. However, Gundogan only makes up 8.2% of teams, and his owners have reaped the benefits in recent weeks.
In general, managers who have successfully rotated City's many midfielders have reaped the benefits, but those who stood by Foden and Mahrez during their largely inactive phases will have been extremely unhappy.
The Dream Team managers will likely have to address this issue once more in the future.
blogpay
Total Comments: 0