Seven goals in their last two pre-season matches – against Real Madrid and Spurs, no less – Man City look mighty impressive going forward.
But Pep Guardiola has already warned us of rotation and, let’s face it, he has plenty of previous for this sort of thing.
Do we ignore that and wade in regardless? And if so, where do we put our investment and why?
We canvas the opinion of some leading Fantasy Premier League managers and Fantasy Football Scout staff to ask for their verdict on the first of this season’s Burning Questions: Are we forced to ride out rotation and risk Man City attackers?
Ben Crabtree (Reigning FPL Champion) Says…
When it comes to attacking players, I either want the key man in an average team, or to have a decent option or two from a side that scores a lot.
Man City score a lot.
The dilemma involves picking an option who you expect to play eight or nine times out of 10 and them scoring enough points in those matches to cover an alternative who plays 10 out of 10 times.
This thinking immediately drops players like Bernardo Silva, Raheem Sterling and probably (also unfortunately) Leroy Sane, out of contention as they’ll likely start less than eight out of 10 matches.
Sergio Aguero will possibly fall into this category too. The last part of pre-season may clarify this, but I feel Gabriel Jesus is a more secure starter at the moment.
So now we’re left with the attacking options of Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva and Jesus – can they score the required points for it to be tolerable if they miss the odd match?
David Silva is likely to be the least explosive of the three, but if he’s playing and City are scoring, he’s probably justifying his 8.0 price tag.
Jesus could continue last season’s form and end up a bargain – even at 10.5.
But if the midfield budget can stretch, De Bruyne looks the safest overall bet.
Uwais Ahmed (FPL Runner-Up 2016/17) Says…
At the back end of last season, Man City really did look like their attack had real cohesion and chemistry to it.
They scored 15 league goals in their last four league matches, and have looked very good going forward for the most part in pre-season.
So to go without Man City attacking assets, given I feel they will finish as top scorers in the league come next May, could be highly detrimental.
City’s full-backs will have a lot of freedom to attack as much as possible. With Benjamin Mendy injured and out of the early matches, I feel Kyle Walker at £6.5m is worth the investment.
There has been a lot of chatter about defenders providing more value this season, and it is hard to look past Walker. He should be good to start for at least the first three weeks and, with Pep having so many options in midfield, it is prudent to have at least one defender as part of your Man City selections.
De Bruyne and Jesus may well be the way to go further up the pitch. De Bruyne’s general dominance over set-pieces and Pep’s preference for Jesus’ energy, mobility and versatility mean they are the safest options.
Given Man City’s potential for explosive returns, I feel Walker, De Bruyne and Jesus will lead their respective positions in the Man City squad for points by the end of the season.
In fact, they may well lead the entire Premier League.
Simon March (FPL Champion 2014/15) Says…
Maybe it’s just me, but I look City’s early fixtures and, particularly in the light of their rotation uncertainty, I can’t help thinking that this is a problem that can be deferred.
The once anxiety-inducing prospect of going without Sergio Aguero has, this season, been diluted by the multitude of viable, nailed-on alternatives such as Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku.
The ‘fear factor’ just doesn’t seem to be there this season. Not yet anyway.
That’s not to say there aren’t plenty of other attractive options within City’s ranks.
Jesus stands out, as does De Bruyne. The latter is, arguably, the surest starter, but his output under Pep seems to be more ‘sure and steady’ rather than the explosive scores you’d typically look for from a captain option. At 10.0, his inclusion would also inevitably require sacrifices elsewhere.
I might regret it, but I’m currently looking to start the season without any City players. I wouldn’t bet against them long term but, right now, I think there’s better value and more secure options out there to start the season with.
Peter Kouwenberg (Current Hall of Fame #1) Says…
Much of last season seems a blur of me screaming at the radio during City matches.
Whether I was smugly crowing my timely swerving of Aguero’s red against Chelsea, heaping curses and damnation upon Pep for failing to start the striker against Burnley or rejoicing over the Argentine’s winner as a second-half substitute, the one lesson I learned was that it wasn’t all about Aguero (in Pep’s eyes, at least).
Indeed, you’d have to be mad to trust Pep not to rotate the stars in his galaxy of riches.
The only arguments against this certainty are the facts that Pep himself has said he’ll rotate and that us bitter, old FPL managers never believe a word he says.
Yet you’d also have to be mad not to back a team that scored 80 league goals last season and that opens its campaign against one of the relegation favourites, away at Brighton. So which poison do we pick?
Like most on this website, for me it boils down to three names:
Aguero (high price, perhaps high rotation risk, but what an FPL pedigree!)
Jesus (incredible PPG last season and potentially the big dog if playing centre-forward)
The relative safety of (potentially deep-lying) assist king De Bruyne
Of course, once we’ve agonised, vacillated and, finally, made our choices (mine being De Bruyne, at present), an Alexis Sanchez-shaped spanner will probably be thrown into the Etihad works too…
Paul Says…
Only three Man City players started more than 30 league matches last season and, in light of this summer’s shopping spree, it seems likely that rotation will play a part once again.
De Bruyne was named in the first XI on more occasions (33) than any team-mate but, having scored just 13 Premier League goals in his two seasons at the club, a lack of cutting edge is a clear concern for a price of 10.0.
I reckon that Jesus’ versatility is vital here. Not only can he lead the line, the Brazilian can also play on the flanks – indeed, he produced a goal and assist from the right wing in each of the final two Gameweeks of 2016/17.
Clinical, adaptable and capable of adopting the high press, the winter signing seems the perfect fit for Guardiola’s tactical approach. He failed to produce points in just one of his eight starts last season, and that was against Bournemouth in Gameweek 25 when he limped off with a foot problem early in the first-half.
Steer clear of injury and that sort of consistency will be hard for us, and his manager, to overlook.
Jonty Says…
Rotation is something us Fantasy managers are just going to have to get used to as teams involved in the Champions League in particular look to fight on multiple fronts.
Granted, it’s a pain. But it shouldn’t mean we swerve excellent players who are likely to play most matches, such as De Bruyne and Jesus.
De Bruyne is firmly rooted in my Fantasy Premier League and Sky Sports teams because last season he racked up 21 assists, more than any other player, created 103 chances (second only to Christian Eriksen), scored six times and has already assisted on three occasions in pre-season.
Can I really ignore those eye-popping statistics because he missed just two matches and was a substitute three times last time out?
Since being introduced into the side last winter, Jesus has excelled and only missed out on selection through injury. He may sit out the odd game this season but is that really a reason to shun a player who, during 2016/17, had the second fastest shot in the box rate among regular Premier League starters?
Which leads me to mention the player with the fastest rate – Aguero.
With just 25 starts last campaign, I think the issue of rotation with the Argentine is just too great. But for those who are less risk-averse, the rewards of selecting him could be substantial – particularly as he made the most of his limited opportunities with a highly impressive goal tally of 20.
Mark Says…
I don’t think I can rest easy if I head into the season without some cover of Guardiola’s attack.
I know the risks. I realise that City are likely to be a shape-shifting beast, with their key and in-form assets difficult to define. But the goal output from this City attack could be unrivalled.
If we are to presume that Chelsea will stutter without Eden Hazard, that Arsenal will stall with Alexis Sanchez remaining unsettled and that Spurs will take time to adjust to Wembley, then where do I go for assured goals and assists?
City are the only team that – for me – look likely to deliver big goal returns from the off.
While I’m settled on that theory, the would-be targets are far more difficult to decipher.
It was always going to be Leroy Sane, but with Guardiola toying with a three-man defence, that has transformed his fortunes.
That system will limit Sane to a cameo role but, equally, it could feed Kevin De Bruyne’s attacking talents.
We need the Belgian high up the pitch, not dropping into central areas. If Pep gives him license to roam behind Gabriel Jesus, then De Bruyne can be devastating as a Fantasy asset. He could perhaps even challenge as the overall top points scorer.
Jesus is clearly the other target who – more than any City asset – looks least likely to suffer heavy rotation.
His versatility should guarantee him more starts than Aguero, and that means he has to be in my plans.
However, the way my squad is shaping up and with my fear of opting to go without Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku, it appears that De Bruyne is currently more likely to get the nod.
He’s not essential. Nor is any City asset, but I do feel that opting to ignore potentially the Premier League’s most efficient and ruthless attack is very dangerous.
I say we have to risk suffering from Pep’s teamsheet, in order to profit from the stream of goals his team will doubtless produce.
