A knee injury to Micah Richards afforded Pablo Zabaleta the chance to stake a claim as a regular in many Fantasy squads last time out. With the former rested at the start of the season due to his exertions at the summer Olympics, Zabaleta was installed as City’s number one right-back from the outset as Roberto Mancini’s side looked to build on their previous title-winning campaign:

The Statistics

With Vincent Kompany leaping in price to 7.5 in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, the Argentine’s more kindly 6.0 price afforded us a route into a backline that had previously registered 17 clean sheets on their way to winning the league. It was a slow start for Zabaleta, though. Conceding in each of their first six fixtures, City were sluggish in the first few weeks and with Richards returning to the side in Gameweek 7, Zabaleta’s security of starts suddenly came into question.

Richards’ run of three back-to-back starts was curtailed in the Gameweek 9 home win over Swansea, though, as a knee injury forced him off on a stretcher towards the end of the 1-0. With Maicon taking up permanent residence in the City treatment room, Zabaleta suddenly became nailed-on for Mancini’s side and began to pick up in popularity across the Fantasy games.

As City approach Gameweek 13, Zabaleta had just a single clean sheet to his name but, as the season unfolded, his foraging runs down the flank proved crucial to his side’s cause. Indeed, from the turn of the year his consistent displays saw him produce either attacking returns, a clean sheet or bonus points in 11 of his final 15 appearances in the league. With two goals, a pair of assists, 12 clean sheets and 24 bonus points accrued over his 30 matches, the Argentine ended the campaign on 124 points – 11 ahead of any City backline option and tenth overall amongst defenders.

The Prospects

With Mancini now gone, Fantasy managers will be somewhat apprehensive over investing in City’s defence for the season ahead. While they finished the previous season trophy-less and 11 points behind United at the top, they did, however, record the least number of goals conceded, with Joe Hart beaten just 34 times – a sign that, in the main, their prices across the Fantasy games will remain at a premium level.

A new manager, new tactics and no doubt a handful of summer recruits could mean that last season’s runners-up may need time to gel but, on the other hand, we may not have to contend with the full-back rotation that Mancini favoured in the 2011/12 campaign, in particular. With no other contenders for the role, Zabaleta played 2,649 minutes last term –that’s 1,100 more than he managed in City’s title-winning season, for example. As a result of his upturn in game time, a rise in across the Fantasy games can be anticipated – an increase to 6.5 or even 7.0, looks likely but with Richards surely set to come in at a cheaper cost, it’s likely to be more beneficial for Fantasy managers if the latter edged the Argentine out of the first XI.

With more established goal-getters such as Jan Vertonghen, Leighton Baines and Branislav Ivanovic all vying for our attention in the premium bracket, Zabaleta may find it difficult to remain such a popular pick in 2013/14. He ended the season in over 13% of FPL squads but, as we look to balance our budgets at the back, a hike in price may well be enough to topple him off most Fantasy radars.