We know now.
Roberto Mancini was the picture of innocence in his pre-match press interrogation. We suspected that he was due to pull Carlos Tevez from his exquisitely tailored sleeve for the home meet with Wigan. Hands up though, having pocketed the air miles and soaked up several in-flight movies, we were amongst those who pictured Sergio Aguero making way – like for like – it made sense. How wrong, how very wrong.
There was always mild concern, a twinge of doubt, that Edin Dzeko could be sacrificed following two Bosnian outings. Surely not though – surely the four goal blast at White Hart Lane had rendered Dzeko bomb proof?
Butter wouldn’t melt, Mancini appeared to scoff at the idea of changing a winning team in preparation for Wednesday’s date in Naples. Samir Nasri was fine – his troublesome hand injury wouldn’t keep him out. And yet, the Frenchman was preserved temporarily on the bench. More significantly, Mancini opted to hand him the potent Dzeko for company. The six-goal striker was left to shuffle uncomfortably while Aguero expertly stroked home City’s opener via the mesmeric David Silva. A hat-trick followed for the Argentine hitman, memories of Dezko’s White Hart Lane brilliance dissolved goal by goal.
There was of course mixed emotions in the Fantasy community. The despair of those who eagerly boarded the Bosnian’s bandwagon, matched only by the gleeful satisfaction of those who spurned the hot ticket. Fantasy Premier League Wildcards will have been fluttered to ride the wave of Dzeko’s rising stock but now, with rest and rotation already rearing it’s head, we’re left questioning the merits of Dzeko’s selection.
Mancini’s decision confirms that he is far from untouchable – regardless of form and performances on the pitch. City’s fluidity and goal power without him also demonstrates that Mancini can afford to tinker with the rich talent at his disposal and get results.
Four games in the next eleven days is indicative of City’s schedule and Fantasy investors are set to be left dreading the arrival of Mancini’s teamsheet for much of the season. Presumably we’ll see Dzeko take the field against Napoli on Wednesday; does that endanger his start at Fulham next Sunday? Gameweek six looks even more uncertain – Everton at home, Bayern Munich three days later. Where does Mancini shift Dzeko to fit into that puzzle?
His owners will be left asking the question week after week; can he deliver regularly enough to warrant such a level of anxiety?
Suddenly the dull security offered by the likes of Darren Bent looks attractive – an unglamorous ex, but while an unreliable Dzeko can gave us fireworks, Bent will never stand us up. Perhaps penny pinching up front is futile – Luis Suarez aside, perhaps we have to spend big to win big with our forwards?
So many questions remain, in truth we know very little from today’s events – the only thing that is certain is uncertainty. We suspected as much from Mancini – now we know for sure. Dzeko is at the mercy of the Italian’s tactical whims. He’s not the only one – it remains to be seen how many Fantasy managers are willing to play along.
