Dugout Discussion

Surprise benching for De Bruyne as Sterling and Aguero start

Amid fears of Pep Guardiola rotating members of his front-three for the Gameweek 5 trip to Norwich, he has gone to new levels of pulling the rug from under our feet.

While Sergio Aguero (£12.1m) and Raheem Sterling (£12.3m) both start for Saturday evening’s trip to Carrow Road, it was the presumed nailed-on Kevin de Bruyne (£9.8m) who has fallen foul of ‘Pep Roulette’.

After starting every Premier League match so far this season, the Belgian has dropped to the Manchester City bench, while Guardiola has chosen to deploy a central midfield trio of David Silva (£7.5m), Rodrigo (£5.5m) and Ilkay Gündogan (£5.3m).

While Sterling and Aguero both start this one, their owners may just have one eye on Riyad Mahrez (£8.5m) and Gabriel Jesus (£9.5m) among the substitutes with the Champions League group stages starting midweek.

With options relatively limited in defence, there were no surprises in the back-four named for this encounter.

Ederson (£6.1m) is supported at the back by Oleksandr Zinchenko (£5.6m), Nicolas Otamendi (£5.4m), John Stones (£5.4m) and Kyle Walker (£6.0m).

Just as predicted by manager Daniel Farke in his Friday press conference, Norwich do indeed look very short of options in their own defence.

Ben Godfrey (£4.5m) has come through his groin injury picked up on international duty to feature at centre-back alongside defensive midfielder Ibrahim Amadou (£4.5m).

Their inclusion in the side does mean that at the very least, their fit full-backs are not called into central defensive action.

Jamal Lewis (£4.5m) features on the left with Sam Byram (£4.4m) getting his first start for the Canaries on the right.

Meanwhile, both Teemu Pukki (£7.0m) and Todd Cantwell (£4.8m) retain their places in the first team.

Norwich City XI: Krul; Lewis, Godfrey, Amadou, Byram; McLean, Tettey; Cantwell, Stiepermann, Buendía; Pukki.

Manchester City XI: Ederson; Zinchenko, Otamendi, Stones, Walker; D Silva, Gundogan, Rodrigo; Sterling, Aguero, B Silva.

2,005 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Hybrid.power
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Kevin on

  2. HurriKane
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Kdb timee

  3. Ted Bovis
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Never bench Pukki
    Never bench KDB

  4. diesel001
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Gundogan and D.Silva off
    KDB and Jesus on

    1. diesel001
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Looks like Bernardo drops in to replace D.Silva and Jesus goes up front with Aguero.

    2. FPL Daniel
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Kdb in

  5. moment
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Phew Gundo and Dilva off

  6. Tsparkes10
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Let's go captain Sterl

  7. Botman and Robben
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Never give up on Chuck Norwich.

  8. Mumble Pie
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Be raging if he takes Kun off ...

    1. Hybrid.power
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Doesn't look like it

  9. Hybrid.power
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Let's go Kevin!

  10. The Red Devil
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Imagine if city come back from this

    1. Hybrid.power
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      They probably will

  11. Make Arrows Green Again
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Whatever happens this is going to go down as one of the great PL performances. Norwich are missing half their squad and they're doing this to the champions!

  12. jdp219
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Better WC squad?

    --- A ---
    Pope, Button
    Trent, Lundstram, Soyuncu, Mings, Kelly
    Salah, Sterling, DeBruyne, Cantwell, Son
    Tammy, Pukki, Greenwood

    --- B ---
    Pope, Button
    Trent, Lundstram, DIGNE, ZINCH, Kelly
    Salah, Sterling, DeBruyne, Cantwell, MOUNT
    Tammy, Pukki, AYEW

    1. Tsparkes10
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      If I was on a WC I'd want Son and Pepe tbh. Maybe even Vardy lol

      1. Tsparkes10
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 6 months ago

        Mane aswell, why not

        1. jdp219
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 7 Years
          4 years, 6 months ago

          Salah > Mane is certainly intriguing. And hard to ignore Son. Had him the past couple seasons and he's really buoyed my rankings.

          1. Tsparkes10
            • 5 Years
            4 years, 6 months ago

            Pope Button
            Chillwell Digne Tomori Lund TAA
            KDB Pepe Son Cantwell Mane
            Haller Pukki Mousset

            I played around quickly and I'm so tempted

            1. George Sillett
              • 8 Years
              4 years, 6 months ago

              Top 10 ?

              1. Tsparkes10
                • 5 Years
                4 years, 6 months ago

                Yup. Lol

                1. George Sillett
                  • 8 Years
                  4 years, 6 months ago

                  17th is absolutely fine !

  13. Drogba Legend
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Might be time to WC now.

    1. mixology
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Agree. But not to get rid of city attack

      1. Drogba Legend
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 6 months ago

        Definitely not, just to get some players I'm missing like Pukki/Cantwell, maybe Tammy if he's fit, Son maybe, downgrade Salah possibly, etc

  14. Bruce Lee
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    come on sterling mate... another clutch goal like you did against southampton... spurs in the cl etc

  15. sambyy
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Well that's Pukki staying on my bench

    1. Supersonic Marv'
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      And Cantwell on mine.

    2. Royal5
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Why did you bench him? He's fixtureproof

      1. sambyy
        • 13 Years
        4 years, 6 months ago

        Because I thought Lundstram would score more points

        1. Royal5
          • 12 Years
          4 years, 6 months ago

          Really? Strange choice.

  16. Make United Great Again
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Sterling & KDB masterclass due in the last 30 minutes.

    4-3 City.

    1. Bruce Lee
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      inshaallah

    2. 007 [RoboKlopp]
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      This

  17. The Ejiptian King
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Fernandinho is gonna be city's first choice CB at this rate.

  18. Skalla
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Poor KdB about to be booed everytime he gets the ball...

    1. VanDijksToWatchOutFor
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Just thinking this

    2. Make Arrows Green Again
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      For the Ipswich connection?

      1. Skalla
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 6 months ago

        For the Zinchenko lookalike 🙂

    3. potatoace
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Why's that? (Genuine question)

  19. SADIO SANÉ
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    did Martial -> Dilva (-4) this morning just in case KDB missed out; would have had Cantwell off the bench … hilarious idiocy

  20. VanDijksToWatchOutFor
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Can't believe David silva has come off.

    1. Royal5
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Is he playing?

    2. Make United Great Again
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Couldn’t be Bernado or Sterling!

      1. VanDijksToWatchOutFor
        • 6 Years
        4 years, 6 months ago

        I suppose. They need goals though.

        1. Make United Great Again
          • 11 Years
          4 years, 6 months ago

          Which is why D Silva coming off was most logical. Taking off Rodri would have left them light on the counter

  21. Nomar
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Liverpool defence not looking so bad now.

  22. Hybrid.power
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Why are the crowd booing zinchenko?

    1. Tsparkes10
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      'Dived' first half

    2. Make United Great Again
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Dived in the first half

    3. Dannyb
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      For diving earlier probably

      1. Hybrid.power
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        4 years, 6 months ago

        Aha, thanks

    4. JonBoy
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Theatrics first half.

  23. diesel001
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    KDB already making a difference with his set pieces.

  24. Four Hit Wonder
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    KDB is incredible.

  25. Supersonic Marv'
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Has a striker from a promoted team ever finished PL top scorer?

    1. thegame983
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Andy Cole

      1. Supersonic Marv'
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 6 months ago

        He did?

        1. thegame983
          • 7 Years
          4 years, 6 months ago

          Pretty sure Newcastle got promoted then he scored 30 odd goals

    2. Bartowski
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Kevin Philips?

    3. Bob_the_builder
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Kevin Phillips maybe

    4. Tasty Jerk
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Well Andrew Johnson came close for us as top scorer (came 2nd) in 2004-2005 with 21 goals. Would not bet against Pukki tbh, seems to be able to score against anyone at the moment 🙂

  26. Warbling Wendy
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Lets go Kevin!

  27. Ange Ball
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Think the reason Sterling not scoring is because I put a hatty bet on him I never win any of my bets. Silly me should swapped cap to Salah knowing this lol

    1. nxh84
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      The reason sterling not scoring is because of aguero

  28. windowview
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    So glad I played Pukki over Lundstram at the last minute

  29. El Matador
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    FPL works in strange ways. GW5 Sterling/Aguero obvious captain choices. I don't have Aguero so captained Sterling. Blank. This week again Sterling/Salah/Aguero obvious choices. And guess what. Sterling blank.

    1. diesel001
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 6 months ago

      Not over yet. And if there is one team in the PL that can get 3 goals in 30 mins it is City.

  30. Dannyb
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 6 months ago

    Zinchenko to Tomori is on the cards