We round up the key Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points from Manchester City v Manchester United in our latest Scout Notes.
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DE BRUYNE INSPIRES CITY
Man City defeated rivals Man Utd 4-1 in the derby on Sunday afternoon, with Kevin De Bruyne (£11.8m) producing a whopping 18-point haul courtesy of two goals, an assist and maximum bonus.
The Belgian’s brace means that he has now scored eight Premier League goals on home turf in 2021/22, a tally only Mohamed Salah (£13.2m) and Sadio Mane (£11.7m) can beat.
His underlying numbers at the Etihad were particularly eye-catching, too, as he registered six goal attempts, five shots in the box and five created chances.
Following the match, Pep Guardiola was quick to praise his captain, whilst also playing down a possible injury problem:
“A little bit there but I think it is not a problem. He makes an incredible effort and he is playing the minutes very well. He is back at his best. He played with pain at the beginning of the season but Kevin is at his best. He is strong. I spoke with him and he was focused on assists, but I said you have to score goals and win games. Hopefully he can continue being fit and scoring these goals.”
Riyad Mahrez (£8.7m), meanwhile, has now racked up five double-figure hauls in his last nine Premier League appearances, and actually trumped De Bruyne on the day for goal attempts (eight) and shots in the box (seven).
“I don’t know if I’m a great goalscorer; I’m trying to help the team as much as I can every game. This season, I’m more efficient because of the work we do in training. I’m trying to get in the box, I’m trying to be involved everywhere, to score goals and to help the team.” – Riyad Mahrez
Elsewhere, Jack Grealish (£7.5m) put in one of his best performances in a City shirt to date, as he vindicated Guardiola’s call to select him in front of Raheem Sterling (£10.7m).
In fact, he did everything but score, which his manager touched on after the match.
“He was excellent. (At one) moment he will understand in the final third, ‘this ball is for me’. He is very generous. When you see Phil (Foden) and Riyad (Mahrez) in that moment, it is their ball. This is the next step for Jack, but in terms of decision making, and using players in space, he was exceptional.” – Pep Guardiola on Jack Grealish
Following today’s win, City have now won 16 of their last 18 Premier League games, although their lack of ‘doubles’ and Gameweek 30 fixture suggests most Fantasy managers transfers will be focused elsewhere, at least for now.
UNITED COLLAPSE
With Raphael Varane (£5.5m) and Luke Shaw (£5.0m) both absent after testing positive for Covid-19, United unsurprisingly struggled at the back, as they allowed 24 goal attempts, 20 shots in the box and three big chances.
Notably, eight chances were allowed from their right-flank, as they struggled to contain the impressive Grealish and Joao Cancelo (£7.0m).
Setting up in a 4-4-2/4-2-4 system, the idea according to Ralf Rangnick was “to be as compact as possible” and “when we have possession, to be dangerous on the counter-attack.”
That meant Bruno Fernandes (£11.6m) and Paul Pogba (£7.4m) both played central roles high up the pitch, with Anthony Elanga (£4.8m) and Jadon Sancho (£8.9m) on the flanks.
Sancho’s strike, meanwhile, means that he has now been directly involved in four goals in his last five Premier League appearances.
Above: Manchester United’s average position map v Manchester City in Gameweek 28, featuring front four Anthony Elanga (36), Paul Pogba (6), Bruno Fernandes (18) and Jadon Sancho (25)
The strikerless system, of sorts, was partly due to Cristiano Ronaldo (£12.3m) and Edinson Cavani (£8.4m) both missing out through injury, which Rangnick discussed after full-time:
“We had two Covid cases midweek with Rafa Varane and Luke Shaw. Cristiano (Ronaldo) had some problems with his hip flexor again on Friday. That is why they are not available.” – Ralf Rangnick on his absentees
“I don’t know. I was hoping to have them available for this game. We have two important games coming up against Spurs and Atletico and we have to put our full focus on that.” – Ralf Rangnick on when Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani will return
The defeat, whilst hugely disappointing, is just the second United have suffered in 14 games under Rangnick, with some big fixtures coming up for the Red Devils, which includes Tottenham Hotspur in Gameweek 29.
Manchester City XI: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Laporte, Cancelo, Rodri, De Bruyne (Gundogan 80), Bernardo, Mahrez, Grealish, Foden
Manchester United XI: de Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Telles, McTominay, Fred, Elanga (Lingard 64), Pogba (Rashford 64), Sancho, Fernandes
