This Much We Know – Gameweek Three

Rotation season is declared open at the Etihad. United and Spurs are in need of craft as they huff and puff in a bid to feed expert marksman, while two leading contenders in the sack race enjoy contrasting starts to the campaign. Here’s some lesson’s learned from Gameweek 3…

Pellegrini’s rotation is about to kick-in…
Alvaro Negredo’s second-half goal was a major blow to both Hull City and Edin Dzeko, sat on the City bench. Replaced at half-time by the prolific Spaniard, Dzeko will realise that, despite impressing in pre-season and the opening matches of the campaign, his role at City is about to revert to the familiar. It seems likely we’ll see Negredo start in the Gameweek 4 trip to Stoke and, while Pellegrini has insisted that he needs both his “big strikers”, the popular thinking is that Negredo will eventually emerge as first choice. Dzeko’s knack for finding the net will always be a factor though – enough to perturb any switch of allegiance to Negredo amongst the ranks of Fantasy managers. With Stevan Jovetic also fit and taking his place on the bench, owners of Sergio Aguero will also be pondering how the Argentine will be affected by the influx of options available to Pellegrini in attacking areas. Jovetic clearly has a role to play – it remains to be seen if that impacts on Aguero, David Silva or Jesus Navas. We don’t have all the answers yet, but we do certainly have question marks hanging over every City teamsheet from now on – Pellegrini’s post-match confirmation of his intentions to rotate compounds the quandary many City owners are set to face.

Yaya is a confirmed free-kick expert…
A superb, but almost academic strike in the 4-0 drubbing of Newcastle raise a few eyebrows. This was followed on Saturday but a similar deadball conversion that finally killed off a determined Hull performance and confirmed Yaya Toure as a free-kick specialist. He has never been considered when it comes to City deadball’s until now but, clearly, on his showings so far, we need to reassess. It’s brought him two goals in the opening three league outings, put him at the top of the FPL midfielder rankings and sparked a revival of interest in the Ivorian that has fetched him a host of new suitors. Owners of David Silva, meanwhile, will be somewhat frustrated not only that their man appears to have dropped on the pecking order when it comes to direct free-kicks. Toure has seen almost 55,000 new owners in the Gameweek, while Silva is currently suffering a deficit of over 8000 following his 66 minute blank against the Tigers.

Sunderland are already troubled…
Paolo Di Canio’s targeted outbursts will surely have done little for morale in the Black Cats’ camp following the 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace. While the criticism was perhaps justified, we can only speculate on the impact of the public airing of his views on players such as John O’Shea, the skipper and a figure who is surely pivotal in their campaign. A point at Southampton in Gameweek 2 perhaps papered over the cracks that were already appearing. At Selhurst Park, those faults began to widen and with a fixture list that shows Arsenal, Liverpool and United all paying visit to the Stadium of Light in the next four Gameweeks, Di Canio has a huge task ahead of him in front of his own fans. Steven Fletcher’s return to fitness and the scoresheet was a bright spot but if Sunderland are not in the bottom three by the time October ends, Di Canio would have defied the odds and his critics.

Stoke are a different animal…
Mark Hughes was another manager fighting off an array of pre-season critics ready to declare him a leading contender in the “sack race”. Three games in and the performances of his Stoke side have so far drowned out those views and instead allowed others to declare that Hughes is transforming the Potters, little by little.

The numbers certainly support a shift in strategy. Stoke have made 968 passes so far, completing 79%. At that same stage last season, they had made 732 under Tony Pulis with a woeful completion rate of 66%. It’s perhaps going to far to declare a “transformation” but there’s little doubt that Hughes has worked to instill new methods. While the change will surely be welcomed by the Stoke faithful, there were perhaps doubts that it would translate into results. Saturday’s win at Upton Park offered reassurance that, under Hughes, Stoke could find a way of being at ease with the ball whilst relying on their muscular resolve at the back to win matches. While Fantasy managers are unlikely to generate any major bandwagons running out of the Britannia anytime soon, it seems we do need to scrap our previous perception of Stoke and be ready to adapt our thinking to the changes taking place under Hughes.

United are lacking ideas…
Wayne Rooney’s absence from Sunday’s Anfield encounter was made all the more obvious by United’s inability to create and carve out opportunities against a resolute Liverpool backline. Having fed on scraps in Monday’s war of attrition with Chelsea, Robin van Persie again had little service and was forced to drop deep and create or try his luck with half chances. While both Chelsea and Liverpool were likely to limit United’s goal output, the alarm bells must be ringing, not just amongst van Persie’s Fantasy owners but also in the United camp as they struggle to find a spark. David Moyes needs Rooney back on the pitch. Regardless, with just hours remaining before the transfer window closes, United will surely be in a frenzied state of activity as they look to acquire some new midfield talent.

Tottenham are a work in progress…
With Gareth Bale’s departure now confirmed and the millions spent on the likes of Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen, it’s fair to say that this is a time of transition down at the Lane. While there is understandable excitement, it’s clear from Sunday’s performance that Andre Villas-Boas has work to do before his side can be expected to perform as an efficient unit, capable of challenging the top four. Fantasy managers saw Spurs struggle to create against the Gunners, relying on a desperate climax to the North London derby to rattle Arsene Wenger’s defence. Robeto Soldado was largely isolated throughout, like Van Persie for United, his supply is not forthcoming and it’s stifling the opportunities that come his way. With both Lamela and Eriksen brimming with creativity, Soldado and Spurs fans will be anticipating that a change is on its way in the coming weeks. Fantasy managers will be watching and waiting.