THIS international break offers Dream Team managers a chance to evaluate the season’s progress.

Motivated by the fact that no player has more assists than Florian Wirtz (£4.8m), we’ve uncovered five surprising statistics to help inform your strategy moving forward.

Rayan On Target

If you were told that a Bournemouth player ranked fourth overall in shots on target this season, most Dream Team managers might guess Evanilson (£4.6m) or Marcus Tavernier (£3.6m).

However, it’s Rayan (£3.9m) who has put 16 shots on target, with five of them resulting in goals.

The Brazilian international is currently the top midfielder in terms of shots on target.

Given the Cherries’ outstanding form recently, Dream Team managers might want to explore the possibility of adding another regular starter from Marco Rose’s squad.

Rayan is currently part of 5.6% of teams.

Busy Suzuki

Zion Suzuki (£4.1m) leads all goalkeepers in saves this season by a substantial margin.

Japan’s No. 1 has recorded 52 saves, which is 10 more than his nearest competitor, Senne Lammens (£3.6m).

This achievement is particularly impressive considering he was an unused substitute in the season’s opening game.

While Suzuki’s high save count may not reflect positively on the Villains’ defense, his busy schedule helps him rack up points.

Despite Aston Villa’s poor defensive record—being among the four teams with the most goals conceded—Suzuki ranks fifth among goalkeepers, outperforming players like Gigi Donnarumma (£4.3m) and Alisson (£4.4m).

Boscagli Keeps Things Clean

It’s expected that Gabriel (£5.7m) leads defenders with nine clean sheets across all competitions.

As Arsenal’s strong center-back, he is a premier asset that comes at a premium price.

What might surprise you is that he is not the sole leader in this metric; Olivier Boscagli (£3.6m) also boasts nine clean sheets.

The French defender is among several Brighton players who have surpassed expectations during the first 10 Gameweeks.

Given he has matched Gabriel’s clean sheet record, Boscagli’s ownership percentage of 2.2% seems unjustifiably low. However, it’s understandable when considering he is currently Brighton’s third-best defender, trailing Maxim De Cuyper (£4.1m) and Luka Vuskovic (£4m).

Nevertheless, the former PSV player is one to watch.

Devils Advocate

This season, Manchester United has been a frequent target for criticism on social media.

After 10 matches, these 20-time champions of England find themselves in 18th place in the standings.

Instinctively, many Dream Team managers may want to steer clear of the Red Devils until they can get back on track.

However, the Stats Centre presents a contradictory view.

Despite some dismal performances, Bruno Fernandes (£6.6m) ranks fourth among midfielders, with Matheus Cunha (£4.9m) closely trailing in seventh, and Bryan Mbeumo (£4.6m) just two points shy of the top 10 in 11th.

Cunha is, in fact, the most in-form player in his position at this time, accumulating 33 points over his last three matches with two goals and two assists.

While Manchester United’s domestic form is troublesome, their commitments in the Champions League provide their attacking midfielders ample opportunities to score points for their fantasy managers.

Barry Bonanza

Thierno Barry’s (£3.6m) rise to prominence is no longer a shock, as he has been a focal point for several weeks now.

Nonetheless, it would be remiss not to include the Everton forward on this list following his game-changing performances.

Only Erling Haaland (£9m) tops him in points (120), goals (10), and points-per-game average (9.2).

After scoring 19 points against Coventry last Friday, Barry stands as the most in-form Dream Team player overall.

Who could have predicted such a turnaround from the forward who netted just eight times in 41 appearances last season?