The recent performances of Micah Richards have seen an upturn in Fantasy ownership, with the Man City right-back now second only to Ryan Taylor for top-scoring defenders. A return of 54 points, compared to Vincent Kompanyβs 42, has suggested he may well be the defender of choice for those considering investment in the Man City back-four.
Roberto Manciniβs team selection for Cityβs league games has clearly helped Richardsβ prospects. As Fabio Capello continues to ignore Richards as a viable defensive alternative for the England set-up, Manciniβs thinking seems similar- only once has he selected the player for European competition, preferring Pablo Zabaleta as his first-choice right-back for Champions League affairs.
While most of the City squad is prone to rotation, Richards has played eleven of their twelve games to date, with ten of those appearances coming from the start. A look at the other City full-backs shows Gael Clichy on 8 starts, Aleksandar Kolarov on 4, with Zabaleta selected only twice for domestic matters. Itβs becoming obvious as the season unfolds that Richardsβ power down the flank is certainly perceived as more beneficial to Cityβs league campaign by his manager.
We take a look at his season to date, compared with last time round, to ascertain just why thereβs been such an improvement in Richards as a Fantasy proposition:
