Dugout Discussion

Aguero benched as Sterling returns to starting line-up

Sergio Aguero (£12.2m) has finally fallen foul of Pep Guardiola’s rotation policy once again as he finds himself on the bench in Gameweek 7, for the first time since the opening weekend.

Following a midweek rest, the Manchester City manager has chosen not to use the Argentinian striker in the starting XI for the second match in a row in all competitions.

That will come as a deep frustration to the 1,000,000+ managers who handed Aguero the captaincy for Gameweek 7.

Only Mohamed Salah (£12.5m), who blanked in Liverpool’s win over Sheffield United was captained by more this weekend.

Taking Aguero’s place up-front is Gabriel Jesus (£9.5m) who played against Preston on Wednesday night.

The decision to bench Aguero after a midweek rest is perhaps a sobring reminder of the fact that Guardiola remains a manager who FPL bosses cannot always apply logic too.

Meanwhile, Raheem Sterling (£12.1m) returns to the Manchester City starting line-up after missing the 8-0 demolition of Watford last week.

He flanks Jesus with Riyad Mahrez (£8.5m) who, despite playing just 308 minutes in the league this season, still has one goal and five assists to his name.

Bernardo Silva (£7.8m) drops out of the starting XI to make way for the Algerian but Kevin de Bruyne (£9.9m) retains his starting berth.

The defence lines up as predicted with Oleksandr Zinchenko (£5.5m) and Kyle Walker (£6.0m) flanking Nicolas Otamendi (£5.5m) and Fernandinho (£5.3m).

Marco Silva makes two changes to the team that lost 2-0 at home to Sheffield United in Gameweek 6.

Theo Walcott (£6.3m) comes in for Bernard (£6.5m), who is absent with illness, on the flanks of attacking midfield while Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.8m) replaces Moise Kean (£6.6m) up-front.

Everton XI: Pickford; Digne, Mina, Keane, Coleman; Delph, Schneiderlin; Richarlison, Sigurdsson, Walcott; Calvert-Lewin.

Manchester City XI: Ederson; Zinchenko, Fernandinho, Otamendi, Walker; Gündogan, Rodri, De Bruyne; Sterling, Jesus, Mahrez.

2,069 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Whats the Huth
    • 8 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Is Alonso on set pieces?

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

      Sometimes. Not always.

    2. some witty pun
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Only Direct FK

  2. tucaoneo
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Raheem do something!

  3. SB007
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Took -4 to get Aguero on bench! Don’t say Sterling Hattie !

    1. L'Aeroplanino
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      inevitable.

  4. SB007
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Players frantically checking who they vc !

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

      High chance Aguero gets 10-15 mins

      1. have you seen cyan
        • 4 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        Is Aguero benches? Hate to say I told u guys, well not really

  5. TheDragon
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Sterling Hattie!

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

    C’mon Everton 😀

    1. Murder On Zidanesfloor
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      C'mon Aurier

  7. De Gea Van Dijk. 10
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Pep roulette is legit.

    Glad I never took the hit. Lol

    1. Murder On Zidanesfloor
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      No harm done

      1. De Gea Van Dijk. 10
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        One up the bum.

  8. Hazz
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Otamendi set-piece header incoming.

    1. De Gea Van Dijk. 10
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Noicely.

    2. g40steve
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Yes please two for good luck

  9. Rolls-Royce
    • 10 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Jesus starting after playing 90mins in midweek means Kun dropped surely?

    1. Qaiss
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Why are you asking that question like Guardiola is on this site minutes before the match to give you an answer? Owning all City players apart from the keeper are a risk, but when they play they are lethal...

    2. FPL.team
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      That's not how this works.

    3. Albrightondknight
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Wants Kun for CL during the week would be my assumption.

    4. Reeker
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Pep plays certain players depending on the opposition

  10. Eat my goal!
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Sterling hat trick please!

    1. Murder On Zidanesfloor
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Oh man I'm gonna have a field day reading through my comment history this week if Sterling bags a hatty hahah

    2. Hazz
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      I'll love it. Just unfortunate the captaincy is on Tammy.

      1. Murder On Zidanesfloor
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        Sterling c here

        1. De Gea Van Dijk. 10
          • 5 Years
          4 years, 7 months ago

          Good luck.

  11. F4L
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Some Aguero owners on here really underestimate Jesus

  12. HollywoodXI
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Feels like the City v Everton match is a game changer given the Aguero benching and Sterling starting. If Sterling goes big the OR’s will see big movements tonight.

  13. hueycho
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 7 months ago

    Sometimes i wanna slap pep in da face lol

    1. Ginkapo FPL
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      What would that achieve?

      1. hueycho
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        So that he stops benching my cap every week!

    2. Party time
        4 years, 7 months ago

        More like punch to me

        1. hueycho
          • 5 Years
          4 years, 7 months ago

          Yeah fosho!

    3. Yome
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      McGinn double rise? Thinking of doing Cantwell to him.

      1. tucaoneo
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        I have exact money... lol

    4. gryffsonofarthur
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      for the next 5 fixtures, would you rather have:

      A) King/Salah

      or

      B) Aubameyang/Yarmolenko

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

        B

    5. Tsparkes10
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      Loool. Fell asleep after the pool game. Woke up to check scores... Damn that is an awful week so far. KDB captain, Sterling, Greenwood and Soy to go :/.

      As if Barnes wasn't involved again.

      1. SADIO SANÉ
        • 8 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        at least your dreams haven't been crushed into a million pieces already

      2. have you seen cyan
        • 4 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        Are you Tom? On planet fpl

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

        Greenwood on the pitch?

        1. Tsparkes10
          • 5 Years
          4 years, 7 months ago

          Indeed

    6. Demí
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 7 months ago

      So any difference in the benchings for Sterling before and Aguero now? Both for same reasons, or is the latter benching more worrying?

      1. Rolls-Royce
        • 10 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        Sterling benching was due to fatigue. Aguero one is purely due to tactical reasons.

        1. have you seen cyan
          • 4 Years
          4 years, 7 months ago

          That’s exactly what I said last week, will dig the comment out maybe

      2. F4L
        • 9 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        id say Jesus is closer to overtaking Kun as Cities no.1 striker, rather than either Bernardo Silva or Mahrez overtaking Sterling

        1. Demí
          • 13 Years
          4 years, 7 months ago

          Yeah i agree with that

      3. FPL.team
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        Think Pep explained it already with his comments.

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

      Really hope Everton do a Norwich and score 1 or 2 goals in first 20 minutes so kun c cones to the rescue.

      1. Party time
          4 years, 7 months ago

          Would prefer Everton 5-1 City. Pep sacked

      2. OldBenKenobi
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        Not a good week and Pep potentially just made it worse. Need a 0-1 with Otamendi goal and KDB assist. Not wanting much....

      3. Champ
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 13 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        Aguero can score double digits in 10-15 mins....Stay calm...
        *Tries to reassure self

        1. Epic Fail
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 13 Years
          4 years, 7 months ago

          In fact he's more likely to score a hat trick coming on for 15 minutes vs tired legs. As a Kun captainer I'm happy he is benched.

          1. SB8
            • 5 Years
            4 years, 7 months ago

            I am just happy I don`t have this logic.

        2. Alan Watts
          • 5 Years
          4 years, 7 months ago

          Scenario A - City take a large lead; Aguero gets 20-30 minutes, can easily return

          Scenario B - City struggle, Aguero gets more time from bench

          Scenario C - Aguero stays on bench; KDB VC

          He can still outscore other popular captain picks

      4. Railwayman
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        Almost always when Pep talks sweet about a player, you can assume he will bench him. He has done it a few times.

      5. KDB4PREZ
        • 4 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        I actually hate pep and FPL

        1. OldBenKenobi
          • 7 Years
          4 years, 7 months ago

          Just Pep

      6. Limbo
        • 13 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        Walcott masterclass today. Run past 2 players then kick it somewhere.

      7. VAR United
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        Gonna leave the armband on KDB going forward.

        That fraud would never bench him again after Norwich

        1. Epic Fail
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 13 Years
          4 years, 7 months ago

          Pep benches who and when he wants.

        2. SB8
          • 5 Years
          4 years, 7 months ago

          Actually KDB is the next. Leave the armband on Aguero next week.

      8. have you seen cyan
        • 4 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        You guys ready for the Ota fail? I mean u know that’s coming right, was the most obvious prediction of the whole week

      9. Ozzy smith
        • 9 Years
        4 years, 7 months ago

        Salah(c) blank, Tammy, Pukki & Barnes have killed my gw. So tempted to WC to get Auba in somehow.

      10. Party time
          4 years, 7 months ago

          Where is foo fighter?

        • R.C
          • 6 Years
          4 years, 7 months ago

          Lol this poster xD

        • Ha.
          • 8 Years
          4 years, 7 months ago

          Chances of Zinchenko and Otamendi reds, Digne brace and Sterling goal?

          1. Limbo
            • 13 Years
            4 years, 7 months ago

            Very likely. Just put it in an acca.

          2. Regin
            • 6 Years
            4 years, 7 months ago

            Negative 10%

        • Rains of Castamere
          • 9 Years
          4 years, 7 months ago

          Any chance of Kane max baps? Would be nice as my captain.

          1. Epic Fail
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 13 Years
            4 years, 7 months ago

            No