An ankle ligament injury on opening day may have slowed Aleksandar Kolarov’s breakout for Manchester City, but the Serb is now fit and has eased his way back into City’s lineup with starts the last two Gameweeks. Sunday’s outing at Fulham ended up being a mere two-pointer, but it could have easily been the eye-opening double digit Fantasy haul anticipated from the £19 million signing.
For those needing more time to ponder his potential, Kolarov’s wouldas, couldas, and shouldas last weekend presented an ideal outcome – a strong performance which lacked the end product to alert the masses. However, further delay looks a risk, with the Craven Cottage showing undoubtedly hinting at good things to come…
Kolarov’s number 13 has been regularly spotted pushed high up the pitch (think Ashley Cole), and he struck numerous driven crosses from the left flank (think Gareth Bale). He grabbed corner-kick duties on both sides of the field, and continues to be expected to be involved in set pieces. However, the defining moment on Sunday was the scoring opportunity that he failed to convert. With a quick counter-attack developing following a Fulham corner, Kolarov took off on a long run straight up the middle of the park, collecting a pass and beating his man. Kolarov probably would have scored had he struck the ball more cleanly, but it still required a fine Mark Schwarzer save to keep it out.
Separate from the excitement fuelled by his attacking jaunts, Roberto Mancini’s style and City’s two holding midfielders have created a defence that has proved to be a tough nut to crack this season, claiming 7 clean sheets in 14 games. With City’s schedule now softening up considerably (stk BOL whm EVE new AVL BLP), and with the tougher opponents all being at home, Kolarov emerges as a viable selection if he proves, as expected, to have locked himself in at left-back in City’s lineup.
Of course, rotation amongst City’s illustrious squad always remains a potential risk. No doubt, Pablo Zabaleta’s cracker of a goal this past weekend while filling in for Jerome Boateng will leave him in the mix amongst City’s three primary full-backs. However, Kolarov and Boateng look to be the clear favourites to round out the back four (with Kolo Toure and Vincent Kompany in the middle). The alternatives, prominent early in the season – Micah Richards and Wayne Bridge, now look destined for cameo roles.
Kolarov is owned by just 1.0% of the Fantasy Premier League teams and has seen his price fall to 5.7 as would-be prospectors moved on after his injury. At 5.8, Boateng is a comparably priced option, but perhaps without the same attacking potential as Kolarov. Judging by Sunday’s performance, it may now be time to get him in your team before he fulfils that promise and bandwagons start to roll at pace.
