January
12

The Watchlist…Martin Petrov

Filed under: Injury News - Posted by: Sir Paulos

The recent sacking of Mark Hughes meant, amongst other things, the slate was wiped clean for many a player‘s first team chances at Eastlands. Initially, it was impossible to second-guess the selection policies of Roberto Mancini, but as the games go by, some of his Man City favourites are becoming more obvious.

For four games straight now, Martin Petrov has been a starter for the Italian, and as more established stars such as Robinho have dropped to the bench due to insipid displays, the Bulgarian has had no such problems.

Already under Mancini, Petrov has been used on both his natural left wing, and as last night’s home romp against Blackburn showed, the right flank. With the right-footed Craig Bellamy on the left, Mancini had both wingers cutting inside with his front men, Tevez and Benjani, showed industry in giving width ahead of the midfield.

Of the three league games under Mancini, Petrov has missed a mere 10 mins so far, as his performances for the in-form side have seen him grab 14 points in FPL.

Doubters may suggest that the likes of Wright-Phillips will see Petrov warm the bench once again, but on the evidence so far Mancini, keen on a four-four-two formation, seems to like what he sees in the case of the Bulgarian. With so many manager’s priorities fixed on the upcoming double gameweek, Petrov will undoubtedly be under the radar. Understandable, as City’s next game see them visit Everton, followed by a blank gameweek 23.

However, the following fixtures are definitely worth consideration, as City play Portsmouth (home) Hull (away), then a fantastic double gameweek 26 sees them host Bolton at Eastlands before travelling to Stoke.

At 6.5m on FPL, Martin Petrov could be well worth a punt, given the performances so far under the new manager. With just 2.2% of managers as owners, a nice little “differential” too.

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“Is certain he won't make the same mistakes next season.”

Sir Paulos @ffscout_paulos

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The Watchlist

Goalkeepers

Player Club Factors
No Change Krul NEW A, Vs
No Change Hart MCI B, Vs
No Change Kenny QPR C, Vs, Rest, £
Up Al-Habsi WIG B, Vs, £
Up Schwarzer FUL C, Vs, Inj
No Change Mignolet SUN B, £
Up Vorm SWA B, £
No Change Foster WBA B
Up Robinson BLA C, Vs
Down Hennessey WOL B, Vs
No Change Sørensen STO B, Vs, Rest, £
No Change Bogdan BOL C, Rest, £

Defenders

Player Club Factors
No Change Richards MCI B, Vs, Inj
No Change Simpson NEW B, Vs, £
Up Senderos FUL B, Vs, Rest, £
Up Evans MUN B, VsX, £
Up Rangel SWA B, VsX, £
No Change Bardsley SUN B, £
Up Taiwo QPR C, Vs, £
Up Cole CHE C, Vs
No Change Vermaelen ARS C
Down Assou-Ekotto TOT A, VsX
No Change Clark AVL B, Vs, OoP, £
Down Riise FUL C, Vs, Rest
No Change McAuley WBA C, £
Down Johnson WOL C, £
Up Figueroa WIG C, Vs, £

Midfielders

Player Club Factors
No Change Bale TOT A, VsX
No Change Dempsey FUL A, Vs, OoP
No Change Silva MCI B, Vs
No Change Sessegnon SUN A, £
Up McClean SUN A, £
No Change Valencia MUN A, VsX
Up Sigurdsson SWA B, VsX, £
No Change Mata CHE B
Up Taarabt QPR C, Vs
Up Sinclair SWA B, VsX, £
Up Moses WIG C, Vs, OoP, £
Down Ben Arfa NEW C, Vs, Rest, OoP
Down Walters STO C, Vs, OoP, £
Up Barton QPR C, Vs
No Change Ireland AVL C, Vs, Rest, £

Forwards

Player Club Factors
No Change van Persie ARS A
No Change Agüero MCI B, Vs
Up Ba NEW B, Vs
No Change Zamora QPR B, Vs
Up Dzeko MCI B, Vs, Rest
Up Bent AVL A, Vs
Up Yakubu BLA C, Vs
Up Cisse NEW B, Vs
No Change Rooney MUN B, VsX, Inj
No Change Sturridge CHE C
Down Fletcher WOL B, £
Up Graham SWA B, VsX, £

Selection Factors

A, B, C Current Form
Vs Favourable Fixtures
VsX Unfavourable Fixtures
Rest Rotation Risk
Inj Injured/Returning from Injury
OoP Out of Position
£ Potential Bargain
Sus Suspended/Near Suspension

Suspension Tightrope

Player Team YC
Lowe BLA 9
Terry CHE 8
Barton QPR 8
Cattermole SUN 8
Song ARS 7
N'Zonzi BLA 7
Meireles CHE 7
Fellaini EVE 7
Huth STO 7
Shawcross STO 7
Caldwell WIG 7
Henry WOL 7

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