The Technical Area – City Return to 4-2-3-1

After back-to-back away draws in the league, Man City registered their first win on the road last Saturday with a 2-1 triumph at Craven Cottage. It wasn’t just the fact they defeated a Fulham side that had previously won both their home games without conceding a single goal, it was the manner in which they triumphed. Roberto Mancini’s side simply dominated the Cottagers; with an incredible 72.5% possession and 325 touches in the final third of the pitch, the final score looks kind on Martin Jol’s side:

What is particularly significant from a Fantasy perspective is that Saturday was the first away league game that either David Silva or Sergio Aguero has started this term. Indeed, this was the first time since Gameweek 1 where the pair joined Yaya Toure and Carlos Tevez in the City first XI, though Aguero’s early injury in that win against Southampton failed to afford the quartet a chance to make an impact.

While Mancini had opted for a 4-4-2 in the opener and has also rolled out a 3-5-2 on occasion, Saturday was the first occasion the champions had lined up in last season’s default 4-2-3-1 formation. Tellingly, though, it also coincided with Gareth Barry’s first start of the new campaign. Granted, Barry’s deep-lying role won’t pick up the Fantasy points but his stabilising influence in the middle of the park had a knock-on effect on the performances of those around him. Stationed alongside Javi Garcia, Barry had more touches per minute (0.8) than any of City’s starting XI and completed 75 of his 82 passes, which equates to 91.5% accuracy. Compared to the rest of City’s starters, only Garcia (94.9%) and Vincent Kompany (94%) were superior.

As City prepare themselves for a superb run of upcoming fixtures, Mancini acknowledged the midfielder’s return as significant to his side’s fortunes. With Garcia leading the way for pass completion in the final third for City this season (94.1%), the duo look set to afford those further up the field a platform to wreak havoc:

“When we have Gareth and Javi Garcia in the middle, as we had in the first half, it is better for the other players. Gareth knows the Premier League well, he has experience and good quality in his passing. He just needs to play well. He did better on Saturday but needs to play because for four months he was out. He played 120 minutes on Tuesday, so he did well on Saturday. You need that good attitude and concentration like we had on Saturday. We played well – it is important that we keep the ball, play good football, and don’t force.”

Yaya Toure

Looking at the average positions for the first six Gameweeks, it’s intriguing to see that, when in possession, Toure was actually further forward against Fulham than in any of his previous matches. While the number of touches he made was virtually identical, 40 of those came in the final third at the Cottage, compared to an average of 26.2 in his first five matches.

Toure received almost double the number of passes in the final third (30 to 17) than his previous average and also made 27 successful passes in this crucial attacking area; again, this is a significant hike on his 16.2 from Gameweeks 1-5. Surprisingly, though, the Ivorian’s distribution in the attacking zone took a dip – typically so strong here, Toure completed just 79.4% of his passes in the final third, down considerably from his usual 86.2%.

Critically, from a Fantasy perspective, he created more goalscoring opportunities (three to 2.4) and also managed six touches in the penalty area – almost double his previous average of 3.2. Although he failed to produce a single attempt from inside the box, last week’s stats certainly suggest that Barry’s return will allow Toure greater opportunity to influence matters further up the pitch in the weeks to come.

David Silva

The average positions from the Craven Cottage match (below left) highlights how City’s system is clearly defined. With Barry (18) and Garcia (14) content to sit, Pablo Zabaleta (5) and Gael Clichy (22) are afforded the chance to bomb on from the full-back positions, while Toure (42) foraged forward from the centre, with Silva (21) and Aguero (16) on either side of Tevez (32).

Silva was simply outstanding throughout, as he finally begins to approach match-fitness after a lack of pre-season preparation. The Spaniard led the way for touches in the final third, passes received in the final third and successful passes in the final third – indeed, the aforementioned City players were the top six for all those three categories.

City were somewhat criticised for a lack of width further up the pitch last season, with Silva’s tendency to move off the wing and dictate play from central areas perhaps a reason for Mancini’s flirtation with 3-5-2 and 4-4-2 but looking at his average position in the Fulham game, in comparison to his average positions in 2011/12 (above right), the little Spaniard stayed nearer the flank and had more space to dictate matters.

As a result, all five of Silva’s attempted dribbles on Saturday were successful – compare this to last season, where he attempted 2.1 per game, with 1.1 successful, and it’s obvious that he will be a far greater threat – and afford City a better balance – if he shrugs off his natural inclination to move into the middle to receive the ball.

Looking at the crucial attacking stats in terms of Fantasy potential, Aguero’s return is also key. He had more touches and shots in the box (11 and five respectively) than any City player and also created four goalscoring opportunities at the Cottage – the same number as Silva. Indeed, City’s four attacking starters managed 15 shots and provided 12 “key passes” between them on Saturday, with Silva creating a goalscoring opportunity every 23.5 minutes – up on last season’s average of 28.4 minutes.

After a tricky first five fixtures, it seems that City are finally starting to click. The return to 4-2-3-1, Silva’s improving fitness, Barry and Aguero coming back from injury and Toure in a more advanced role once again – it all bodes well for the champions and for Fantasy managers looking to invest in their attacking assets. With four home games in the next six (SUN, SWA, TOT, AVL) in addition to trips to West Brom and West Ham, it’s lining up to be a potentially prosperous time ahead.

*The Technical Area is put together using the statistics and maps available in our members area. For access to such data and tools on every player, team and match of the 2012/13 season, and for exclusive members articles like this, click here for details.