Having helped steer City to the title the season before, David Silva’s displays ensured he was firmly ensconced in the premium price bracket when the player lists were rolled out across the Fantasy games last summer. The only midfielder to kick off the campaign with a double figure price tag, Silva cost 10.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) after registering six goals, 17 assists and 21 bonus points, for an overall total of 184 points in 2011/12:
By the end of Gameweek 10, however, a paltry return of two assists set the tone for the remainder of the season as Silva, like City, failed to replicate the form of the previous campaign. Granted, there was the occasional explosive performance – such as 16 point hauls against Arsenal and Fulham in Gameweeks 12 and 23 respectively – which served a reminder of his undoubted talents but this merely masked his lack of consistency from a Fantasy perspective.
Despite 29 starts and three sub appearances in Roberto Mancini’s final season in charge at the Etihad, the little Spaniard produced attacking returns on just 12 occasions and, while he served up four sets of double figures in front of his own fans, Silva delivered just four assists on the road all term. A total of four goals, 12 assists and 20 bonus points helped Silva to an overall score of 147 points – just twelfth best midfielder in FPL, on a par with mid-price options Robert Snodgrass (152) and Kevin Nolan (149), as City’s doomed attempt to defend their crown led to Mancini’s dismissal.
The Prospects
With Manuel Pellegrini now installed in the hotseat, a change in approach looks on the cards. The Chilean has promised to deliver a more attacking brand of football in his first term in charge and has been quick to cite Silva as “a player who makes a difference”. While Pellegrini has already snapped up Jesus Navas from Sevilla and is keen to acquire Isco from former club Malaga, he’s likely to remain firmly reliant on Silva, then.
Tactics may dictate the degree of his appeal, though, with a handful of strong prospects vying for our attention at the Etihad. If Pellegrini opts for a 4-2-3-1, Silva could be handed a role on the left, with Navas on the opposite flank, though the club’s possible failure to capture Isco may well see Silva line up in “the hole” behind a lone forward – thus boosting his prospects. Similarly, Pellegrini’s penchant for a 4-2-2-2 system would allow Silva to flourish from a central berth behind a front two, with Yaya Toure sitting deeper alongside Fernandinho.
City’s lack of a clinical edge cost them dearly last term – having racked up 93 goals in their title-winning season, Mancini’s men scored just 66 times in 2012/13, with their chief Fantasy assets frustrating time and again. Opposition sides seemed to have worked out how to frustrate the defending champions, with Mancini’s tactics proving largely ineffectual when it mattered most – an overhaul is sure to reinvigorate our faith in their chief protagonists.
After last term’s disappointment, a slight drop in cost seems inevitable across the Fantasy games. Silva is likely to slip to around the 9.5 mark in FPL and with the likes of Gareth Bale, Juan Mata, Santi Cazorla, Theo Walcott and Eden Hazard all looking set to rise in price after scoring 190 points or more last time out, he may ultimately prove better value if Pellegrini can revitalise City’s attack. Certainly, the opening three fixtures, which see City entertain Newcastle and Hull with a trip to Cardiff sandwiched in between, could hardly be any kinder and make a persuasive case for early investment in Pellegrini’s side.
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