Raheem Sterling starts the motors on another international break bandwagon, whilst Sergio Aguero may just have removed the wheels from his. Here’s the Stock Check following Sunday’s pair of matches.
On the Rise
Raheem Sterling
We cited Sterling’s rise as a key element of Gameweek 3 in our recent Scout Mission and the City flyer duly delivered.
The two goals against West Ham, off the back of his pair of assists in the opening two Gameweeks, has now ensured that Sterling will enjoy huge interest from FPL investors over the international break.
Eden Hazard’s form and his own transfer traffic may divert from Sterling’s appeal but we’d expect further price rises before the Gameweek 4 derby clash with United.
At just 8.1, it’s difficult to argue against Sterling’s potential to at least challenge Mesut Ozil, Dimitri Payet and Riyad Mahrez in the 9.5 bracket.
Whether he’ll hit the heights of Hazard’s output remains doubtful but there’s no question that Sterling’s prospects have been significantly boosted by Pep Guardiola’s arrival.
David Silva
The crafty Spaniard undoubtedly played second fiddle to Sterling’s headline grabbing performance but his display was no less impressive.
We’ve almost overlooked what Silva can bring us a Fantasy asset and, in such a crowded midfield market, he’s unlikely to earn too much recognition.
However, he’s still a key factor in City’s defence and today’s showing highlighted that we can’t write him off.
Michail Antonio
Shifted from wing-back to an attacking role once again in the second half at the Etihad, Antonio again delivered via a far-post header. He has now scored eight headed goals since arriving in the Premier League.
Antonio’s rather withdrawn celebration on scoring may well have been targeted at Slaven Bilic, who must surely be getting the message that he needs to keep Antonio’s substantial presence in the final third.
Following the winning header against Bournemouth in Gameweek 2, Bilic remarked that he still intended to deploy Antonio in a defensive role as required. However, again today it became clear once again that the Hammers need his threat in the box.
With West Ham’s injury list clearing, Antonio certainly faces fierce competition for starts in an attacking role, so we should temper our enthusiasm. However, the potential of Antonio as a 7.0 midfield option is obvious – to Sam Allardyce and FPL managers at least.
The West Brom Defence
Tony Pulis’ rearguard became the only other side other than Manchester United to move to two clean sheets following the drab 0-0 stalemate at the Hawthorns.
Moreover, their persistent pursuit of goals from set-pieces was there for all to see.
Gareth McAuley, Craig Dawson and Jonny Evans will surely profit from further goals over the course of the season based on Sunday’s evidence.
The Baggies attack looked toothless, with Salomon Rondon isolated but, via dead-ball deliveries, their defenders look set to earn handsomely over the campaign.
In Decline
Sergio Aguero
The Argentine again mimicked Zlatan Ibrahimovic – this time mirroring his frustrating 2-point blank.
However, Aguero’s day could, conceivably, take on far more significance in the next 48-hours.
An errant swing of the arm, apparently missed by referee Andre Marriner, appeared to be aimed at West Ham’s Winston Reid who was later replaced with an injury apparently sustained in the clash.
There is already much debate on the likely consequence of Aguero’s act, with plenty of uncertainty on whether the incident was seen and will be present in Mariner’s report.
If it’s not, the FA may choose to review the footage and could then follow this up by taking retrospective action.
There is a very real possibility that Aguero will face a charge of violent conduct that would see him receive a three-match ban.
That would rule him out of the Gameweek 4 Manchester derby and the Gameweek 5 trip to Bournemouth. Aguero would serve the third match in the EFL Cup tie with Swansea City.
This is all premature, however. We can only wait on news from the FA once the referee’s report is submitted on Monday.
Kevin De Bruyne
Despite delivering a second assist of the season, the Belgian’s undoubted Fantasy potential appears to be subdued by his new central role, reducing his ability to provide open play crosses and cut inside to shoot from range.
With Sterling flourishing today, it seems unfeasible to attempt to justify De Bruyne’s lofty 10.5 price tag compared to his 8.1 and even Silva’s 8.9.
The Man City Defence
Guardiola’s defence were breached for the third game running with the 34% owned John Stones again disappointing.
Stones was withdrawn after suffering an eye problem with the City boss reassuring us post-match that tiredness, rather than an injury was the factor behind his removal. Even so, given City’s lack of clean sheets to this point, Stones looks set to suffer significant sales over the international break.
Dimitri Payet
A prolonged absence will lead to further sales as the Frenchman falls well behind the race for a slot as our heavy-hitting midfielder.
That market has now become so competitive, Payet will surely have to produce some early brilliance, once fit, to enter the race.
Bilic has indicated that Payet should return after the international break but his remaining owners are unlikely to see that out given the in-form talent in his price bracket.
Salomon Rondon
A forlorn figure leading the line for West Brom today, the Venezuelan’s potential appears to be strangled by the Baggies’ current lack of attacking ambition.
Pulis is promising plenty of signings in the window. Rondon must hope that many of them inject some much needed attacking urgency.
Nacer Chadli appears to be the first through the door.
