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Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal
- Objective: Raheem Sterling (£ 11.5 million)
- Help: Phil Foden (£ 6.6 million)
- Cousin: Sterling, Joao Cancelo (£ 5.4 million) x3, Kyle Walker (£ 6.0 million) x1
Sergio Aguero (£ 10.4m) made his long-awaited return from injury when Manchester City edged Arsenal at the Etihad on Saturday.
The Argentinian was included from the start and was given 65 minutes of the game week 5 clash with the Gunners, not achieving a return attack but gaining valuable playing time anyway.
He no longer led the attack on the city due to the return of Agüero, he was Raheem Sterling (£ 11.5m) who appeared with the winner of the match when he pounced on the rebound from Phil Foden(6.6 million pounds sterling).
Aguero, Jesus gone any longer?
Agüero’s debut in 2020/21 was relatively uneventful, with the Argentine international registering just one effort on goal, a sixth-minute header that flashed over the bar, in his hour-long performance.
However, the fact that he was even on the field from kick-off was an advantage, given that he only returned to full team training last week after a long break.
Pep Guardiola said of the 32-year-old forward after full time:
We are incredibly happy that he is back, for him and for us. It was four months. Is still far from her [best] condition, but got 60 minutes. On Wednesday we have another game. It is important to have it. We need your goals.
His return further increases the Fantasy Premier League group of forwards, in which so many forwards are providing regular returns.
Owned by only 1.7% of Fantasy managers and now available at its lowest price always, Agüero is a tempting differential given what he has produced in the past.
FPL’s powers that be had a reduced price Harry Kane (£ 10.7m) in front of us at the start of the season, perhaps in an attempt to steer us away from the bloated midfield pond, and Aguero is equally underrated.
Your action can increase even more if Gabriel Jesus (£ 9.4 million) is definitely out for a long period of time.
Unless he was wrong after the win over the Gunners, Guardiola seemed to suggest that the Brazilian forward would be out for the next several months:
Adding in his press conference, Guardiola said:
Gabriel [Jesus]… He has had major problems with his quadriceps. We have to be calm and cautious. He’s not training on the field yet.
Week 10 is when City’s games get really good, with home games against Burnley, Fulham and West Bromwich Albion following in quick succession.
Given the absence of Jesús and Agüero’s record against the so-called “bigger” clubs, some Fantasy coaches might be tempted even sooner.
THE DEFENSE OF THE CITY ANOTHER OPTION?
Quietly impressive for the past two weeks it has been Ruben Dias (£ 5.5 million), which followed a positive Leeds debut with another composite performance against Arsenal.
City managed to rack up 17 clean sheets last season despite widespread criticism of its bottom line, with its focus on keeping the ball as a defensive weapon like anything else.
Should Dias prove to be the answer to your right side problem in the middle half, and Aymeric laporte (£ 6.0m) to be fit enough to string together a string of starts, then the omens look even more positive this season.
Leadership is something the city’s bottom line has overlooked since Vincent Kompany’s departure, and Dias seems to fit the bill in that regard, as he noted. Nathan Ake (£ 5.5 million) and the remainder of his defense until Saturday’s win.
Guardiola said after the game:
I think both Nathan and Ruben… they don’t make mistakes and we suffered a lot last season, the amount of mistakes that we made.
We still have to improve them a bit, but I have the feeling that they are true defenders, so now I have to help them prepare and create the spaces where we want to play, but for that, we need time, time to train. . But today, in an important and difficult match, he was there.
The most important thing for Rubén is that he is a kind of leader. In a short time he will lead the team, the pressure, with only 23 years. We cannot forget that he is a central defender of Portugal and when that happens it is because it is something special. We are delighted so far with what we have seen.
Laporte and Benjamin mendy (£ 6.0m) both were lost over the weekend, although the latter is expected to return much sooner, according to his manager:
Mendy will be three or four weeks old. Laporte we wait for you before. I do not know how much time. Maybe a week, 10 days.
With Laporte having suffered a succession of problems and Ake able to substitute in his place, perhaps Dias will become the rotation-proof route to the City baseline that Fantasy coaches crave.
CENTRAL STERLING
While no longer leading the line for City, Sterling was still centrally positioned Saturday.
The hosts appeared to be in a fluid 3-3-1-3, Bielsa-style, for much of the game, with the England winger playing right behind (and sometimes alongside) Mahrez’s three right-to-left forwards. . Agüero and Phil Foden (6.6 million pounds sterling).
Sterling’s versatility is a huge advantage when it comes to FPL, as his ability to play and shine anywhere on the front line puts him in a good position when it comes to regular starts.
This was by no means a classic attacking display by any player or team: Kevin De BruyneThe absence (£ 11.5m) was felt perhaps strongly, but Sterling’s ability to appear in the right areas led to the only goal of the game, with Foden’s save shot that landed kindly at his feet at 12 yards.
WILLIAN FALSE NINE
Mikel Arteta also gave a tactical surprise at the Etihad, deploying Willian (£ 7.9 million) as a false nine and omitting both Alexandre Lacazette (£ 8.5 million) and Eddie nketiah (£ 5.7 million).
The Arsenal manager continues to resist playing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£ 11.8 million) in the middle and the Gabon international was back on the periphery, registering fewer touches of the ball than any other starter in this match, although he did set up the impressive Bukayo Saka (£ 5.3m) for the great opportunity the Gunners of the match have.
While their current streak of matches is difficult, and with the obvious acceptance that Arsenal are moving forward (particularly defensively) under their current boss, a lack of creativity remains a concern and only two Premier League clubs are averaging. fewer chances per game in 2020/21.
Arteta even acknowledged the problem himself, saying:
We need to have the versatility to play in different formations, occupying different spaces. I thought it was a game for [Willian], the way City plays and the way it tracks opponents and the spaces that can be used. He was also really convinced.
Obviously, it was very difficult to leave two forwards on the bench, but it was a tactical decision.
In the first half, there were moments when we had to defend in depth and they were putting a lot of players behind the ball, playing with fake attacking midfielders, fake nines, everyone very close to the ball without creating much. It’s annoying to see your team so deep.
In the second half we were very aggressive, we played in the opponent’s half, they had a lot of trouble getting out of our pressure. I think we could have created more in the last third.
In other parts of the Arsenal news, Rob Holding (£ 4.5m) suffered a hamstring problem in Saturday’s pregame warm-up and will require further evaluation.
New defensive midfielder Thomas Partey (£ 5.0m), which is probably not a huge FPL asset, but still someone who could have an impact on those around him, was just a stand-in at Etihad, and Arteta said:
We’ll see how fast we can do it with him. I think we have to respect that process and that moment for him because he really only trained for one day and there is a lot of new information and different models of play for him to understand, and we have to respect that. But I think when he came in he looked good.
Manchester City XI: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Ake, Joao Cancelo, Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Foden (Fernandinho 89 ′), Mahrez, Agüero (Gundogan 65 ′), Sterling.
Arsenal XI: Leno, Luiz, Gabriel, Tierney, Bellerin, Ceballos, Xhaka (Partey 83 ′), Saka, Pepe (Nketiah 83 ′), Aubameyang, Willian (Lacazette 69 ′).
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LESSONS LEARNED FROM FPL GAMEWEEK 5
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