Transfer strategy for Matchday 3 – Dream Team Euros bosses must walk rotation tightrope
DREAM TEAM EUROS managers need to be aware that the deadline for Matchday is 7pm on Sunday (June 23rd).
You must confirm your transfers, captain and any Boosters you wish to play before the cut-off time.
One thing you should consider when devising your strategy for Matchday 3 is the potential for rotation.
Games come thick and fast in major tournaments at the end of a gruelling domestic campaign and so managers afforded the luxury of a stress-free final group fixture may opt to rest key players before the knockout stages.
Take for example, Germany and Spain, both sitting pretty at the top of their respective groups after back-to-back wins.
Both the hosts and Luis de la Fuente’s side have impressed and gaffers will naturally be keen to recruit their in-form assets but it wouldn’t be all that surprising if their top performers were held back to some extent in Matchday 3.
Naturally, Germany and Spain will want to keep their momentum going and earn favourable round of 16 fixtures by topping their respective groups, so several key players will probably get substantial minutes while others are rested.
This is the tightrope you will have to walk in Matchday 3.
Depending on your Sunday plans, you may be able to partially negotiate this conundrum by waiting for the Group A starting line-ups, which should be announced a few minutes before the 7pm deadline.
Germany are set to take on Switzerland and a glimpse at Julian Nagelsmann’s line-up could be very helpful.
If Niclas Fullkrug (£4m) is selected to lead the line over Kai Havertz (£4.5m), for example, then the Borussia Dortmund target man would suddenly look like a strong option for Matchday 3.
Havertz, Jamal Musiala (£4.5m), Florian Wirtz (£4.5m), Antonio Rudiger (£4.5m), Ilkay Gundogan (£4m), Max Mittelstadt (£3.5m), Joshua Kimmich (£5m) and Manuel Neuer (£4.5m) all feature in more than 10% of teams at present and so confirmation of Die Mannschaft’s starters against Switzerland should prove useful just before the deadline.
Of course, this little trick only applies to the teams playing on Sunday night (Scotland v Hungary kicks off at the same time) and so you’ll have to predict the line-ups for Spain, France, Portugal, etc.
England currently lead Group C but their lacklustre draw against Denmark means they’ll have to beat Slovenia to guarantee top spot.
If Gareth Southgate makes changes it will be in an attempt to get a better tune out of the Three Lions, not to rest his most-important players.
However, based on their two performances at the tournament to date, are you suitably confident in England’s ability to provide healthy returns?
It remains to be seen whether Kylian Mbappe (£7.5m) will feature against Netherlands this evening but, either way, there should be a clearer indication of his availability for Matchday 3.
But again, if France have six points to their name then Didier Deschamps is unlikely to take an unnecessary risk with his star player ahead of the round of 16.
Elsewhere, Joao Cancelo’s (£4.5m) role in Portugal’s opening fixture was particularly intriguing.
Categorised as a defender in Dream Team Euros, the 30-year-old essentially played as an additional midfielder against Czechia, sometimes even occupying similar spaces to Bruno Fernandes (£6m) and Bernardo Silva (£4.5m).
Pundits and fans alike were divided on whether Roberto Martinez’s interesting tactical approach helped or hindered his talented players and Cancelo only returned two points in Matchday 1 but defenders with the capacity to provide attacking returns can be worth their weight in gold in Dream Team Euros.
Helpfully, you’ll be able to scout him out when Portugal take on Turkey on Saturday before making a decision on his Matchday 3 viability, when Cristiano Ronaldo (£6m) and company will take on Georgia.
You will have a clearer picture of Matchday 3 once Matchday 2 is complete so be patient (transfers can be reversed if needed) but make sure you don’t get caught out by the Sunday night deadline.
And remember, you will be able to make unlimited transfers before Matchday 4 so there’s no need to worry about long-term viability when deciding upon your latest recruits – their Matchday 3 prospects should be your only concern.