City grind out a victory, with Carlos Tevez providing the vital strike and the City back four keeping a struggling Villa at bay for another clean sheet. Here’s the Stock Check from Monday’s events…
On the Up
Carlos Tevez
Drafted into the side with Sergio Aguero missing out with a training ground injury, Tevez took his opportunity once again, adding to his goal last time out against Chelsea with tonight’s winner. Despite such form, Tevez could still find himself back on the bench when City are next in league action at Everton in Gameweek 30 with Roberto Mancini perhaps destined to continue with the 4-5-1 formation.
The City Defence
A second consecutive clean sheet made it six shutouts in the last eight league outings – clearly Mancini’s side are having little trouble defending of late, with creativity and goalscoring their main issue. Pablo Zabaleta remains the mainstay and key Fantasy target in the Citizen’s rearguard – the Argentine has started the last 16 league matches, earning two goals and two assists to accompany nine clean sheets in that spell. Matija Nastasic has also returned to fray to keep consecutive clean sheets, providing a cheaper route into a City defence which has now kept 13 shutouts in total.
Going Down
Sergio Aguero
The Argentine was set to go into tonight’s game without a goal in his last two but with his owners expecting a turn of fortunes, given the opposition. A training ground injury, confirmed by City and the player himself as a knee problem, scuppered his night, however. It’s not clear just how serious the setback is, although local press claims on Twitter state that he will also miss the FA Cup tie with Barnsley. With a two week break, however, Aguero will perhaps be expected to be in the frame for a return when City resume at Everton in Gameweek 30. That’s unlikely to prevent heavy sales given the forthcoming blank this weekend.
David Silva
It’s now five league matches without a goal for the Spanish playmaker, having scored in just one game out of the last 16 starts. That kind of record has seen Silva plummet in the midfield pecking order as the likes of Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale and Juan Mata have enjoyed consistent periods of scoring. While his 11 assists are impressive, it’s difficult to think of Silva as a heavy-hitter with a price drop beckoning next season.
Charles N’Zogbia
Having fetched return in four of his last four matches, N’Zogbia was ineffective this evening and was eventually hauled off on the hour-mark. His start at Reading next weekend could now be in question.
