Scout Notes – City Clinch Wembley Berth

Manchester City reach the Carabao Cup final with a scare or two along the way as Pep Guardiola’s side eventually saw off Bristol City.

Goals from Leroy Sane, Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne saw City win 3-2 on the night, and 5-3 on aggregate.

More pertinently, from a Fantasy Premier League perspective, the league leaders will now participate in the Wembley final on Sunday February 25 – the same weekend as Gameweek 28.

However, the Premier League have confirmed this morning that City’s clash with Arsenal will currently remain in Gameweek 28 and be moved to Thursday March 1.

This could yet change, though, should Pep Guardiola’s side progress to the FA Cup fifth round and then be taken to a replay – essentially, that’s what the midweek after Gameweek 28 will be used for.

If Chelsea win tonight’s semi-final against the Gunners, then their Gameweek 28 match away at Man United will also have to be moved.

Judging by today’s announcement that could take place on Wednesday February 28 and also remain in Gameweek 28. Again, that would change if either side required an FA Cup fifth round replay further down the line.

Speaking post-match, the City coach made it abundantly clear that this season is all about trophies.

“I know we will be judged by the trophies we win. The important thing for me is to be there, keep going every game and Sunday we have a final against Cardiff. We want to keep going in FA Cup and try to keep going in the Premier League.”

That was reflected in the team he picked for last night’s trip to Ashton Gate – there were just the two changes from the weekend win over Newcastle, with only goalkeeper Ederson and Raheem Sterling given a rest.

That was great news for the 37% of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers who have made the England midfielder the side’s most owned player, particularly as Sterling had started 13 of the last 14 league matches as well as featuring in the FA Cup third round and the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final.

Not that others from Guardiola’s squad haven’t been busy, with De Bruyne a league ever-present this season, Aguero on a run of 10 consecutive starts in all competitions and Sane having started the last six straight matches.

However, the fact that all three scored – De Bruyne and Sane also supplied an assist, with Bernardo Silva laying on the other – suggests that fatigue isn’t an issue.

Yet while Guardiola’s rotation has been relatively limited of late, there’s no doubt that his side now faces an increasingly hectic schedule that may force him to shuffle his pack from time to time.

From this weekend, their upcoming calendar potentially looks like this:

28 January – FA Cup Fourth Round vs Cardiff
31 January – Gameweek 25 vs West Brom
3 February – Gameweek 26 vs Burnley
10 February – Gameweek 27 v Leicester City
13 February – Champions League Round of 16 v Basel
*17/18 February – Weekend of FA Cup fifth round
25 February – Carabao Cup Final
1 March – Gameweek 28 v Arsenal
4 March – Gameweek 29 v Chelsea
7 March – Champions League v Basel
12 March – Gameweek 30 away v Stoke City
*17/18 March – FA Cup Quarter Final

* Fixture not yet confirmed

Should they continue to progress in the FA Cup and also have their league match with Arsenal remain in Gameweek 28, City could essentially be facing a stretch of 12 matches in 49 days, or more or less one every four days.

Guardiola’s clear intent not to go a second season without a trophy has meant fringe players such as Yaya Toure, Ilkay Gundogan and Eliaquim Mangala have barely been used to take the strain off City’s key assets, with only the German midfielder brought on last night – in place of Aguero – after 82 minutes.

The Argentine forward has certainly prospered in recent weeks. He has eight goals in six January appearances across three competitions, but his 25.2% ownership will be bracing themselves for rotation once Gabriel Jesus returns from a knee injury in the near future.

As for the 12.5% who have stuck by Sane, there appears little doubt that their man is back to his best following a mini-slump in form – the German has now produced returns for four straight matches in all competitions.

Having been used relatively sparingly over recent weeks, Sane looks likely to feature heavily for the foreseeable future, although Guardiola might not see it that way.

It is at the back where issues are mounting up.

City have now played six matches in January and failed to keep a clean sheet in any of them.

Centre-halves Nicolas Otamendi (32.3%) and John Stones (4.4%) have started every match this year, with Kyle Walker (12.8%) starting four and featuring as a sub in the other two.

As the most owned defender in FPL, Otamendi in particular is starting to try his managers’ patience, with a mere three points to show from his last three league starts. Indeed, he is the most sold defender ahead of a plum home clash with West Brom, traded out by over 36,000 owners.

Unless City can get their defensive act together again – and their immediate schedule (WBA bur LEI) does at least offer some promise of that – sales in their key backline assets would not be a surprise.

Skipper Vincent Kompany was an un-used sub last night and is an obvious candidate for inclusion should Guardiola seek alternative options, with Otamendi’s first Premier League rest perhaps imminent.

For now, it’s all a lot of ifs and buts, with the first rotation hot spot likely to come around the Gameweek 27 visit of Leicester that precedes their Champions League trip to Basel just three days later.