[ad_1]
Southampton 0-1 Man City
- Goals: Raheem Sterling (£ 11.4 million)
- Attend: Kevin De Bruyne (£ 11.9 million)
- Extra points: Rúben Dias x3 (£ 5.6 million), Kyle Walker x2 (£ 6.2 million), John Stones x2 (£ 4.8 million), João Cancelo x2 (£ 5.5 million)
WHAT YOU CAN DO …
Manchester City’s scoring problems persisted in their 1-0 win over Southampton in the 14th week of the game.
Despite throwing 25 shots at the Saints, Pep Guardiola’s men found the net only once, a result that made the Citizens all the more frustrating for Liverpool’s 7-0 crush on Crystal Palace.
You can be sure that the managers of the Fantasy Premier League were also aware of this disparity, especially in the case of Raheem Sterling (£ 11.4 million) and Kevin De Bruyne (£ 11.9 million).
The pair scored eight and five points respectively while Mohamed salah (£ 12.4 million) and Sadio mané (£ 11.9 million) pocketed 16 and nine drag points.
It has been a constant problem for City, of course, especially compared to Liverpool.
The latest results mean that, in their last four games, the Reds have scored 14 goals against the four for the Citizens.
Consequently, while Salah averaged 10.8 points per game in that span, De Bruyne has scored 6.5 points per game.
In addition, it could be said that the Egyptian also has more attractive accessories in the short term. After hosting Newcastle next time, Manchester City will travel to face Everton and Chelsea. But during that time Liverpool host West Bromwich Albion, travel to Newcastle and then Southampton.
NO TEETH ATTACK
Manchester City were certainly not helped in terms of their offensive capabilities at Southampton by the latest injury news.
Gabriel Jesus (£ 9.2 million) he missed the trip south due to a problem with his teeth, while Sergio Aguero (£ 10.3 million) was still ready enough for a place in the bank.
“He had a tooth disease in the last game and he’s not available.” – Pep Guardiola
Guardiola’s solution to his center-forward problem was to call the winger Ferran torres (£ 6.9 million) for a first Premier League start since Gameweek 10.
Despite showing some decent form in October and November, especially in European matches and for his country, the Spaniard couldn’t find the space to add much to Manchester City’s attack on Saturday.
The same happened with Riyad mahrez (8.4 million pounds), who replaced Torres in the 71st minute.
The center-forward role is one that has hampered Manchester City significantly this season and, against Southampton, certainly caused problems for De Bruyne’s points potential.
Denied the space to run and stretch rival defenses against West Bromwich Albion and Manchester United, the Belgian had plenty at St Mary’s.
He finished this game on top of the chances created (four), but only Sterling was able to convert.
The most painful moment of the game for De Bruyne’s owners came in the 53rd minute when he put an excellent pass at the plate to Bernardo silva (£ 7.4 million), which spoiled the shot.
ROLLING ROCKS
John stones (£ 4.8m) continues to slip under Fantasy’s radar, returning to the starting lineup against Southampton and posting his fourth clean sheet in four appearances. For the second straight outing, the former Everton player also secured two extra points.
The shutout itself is made even more impressive considering that this was the first time Southampton had a blank at home this season, scoring at least twice in every game at St. Mary’s so far, although they lost. Danny Ings (£ 8.4 million) to a hamstring injury in the first half.
“It is a hamstring problem. I’m not sure how much, but it’s clear that we took a chance with another game for 90 minutes when he’s played twice in the week after the long injury, so we hope it’s not too bad. – Ralph Hasenhüttl
Either way, it should be a credit to the Stones that the matchday 13 draw with West Bromwich Albion, which was lost, was the only game since Matchday 10 (their first start since Matchday 2) that Manchester City conceded.
The reason behind this is that Stones is rapidly forming an excellent understanding with Rúben Days (£ 5.6 million), getting the ball back and allowing his fellow central defender to carry it forward.
Manchester City have yet to concede when the two have started a match together and, with what could be seen as a break at Gameweek 13, the Stones have to work hard to participate throughout Christmas.
Until recently, Dias has been the only City defender worth considering for reliable starts, in light of Guardiola’s periodic rotation from João Cancelo (£ 5.5 million), Kyle walker (£ 6.2 million) and Benjamin mendy (£ 5.9 million) in the left and right positions.
Still, four starts in five, plus an admirable record in those outings, has earned the Stones some serious Fantasy consideration, especially with a Blank Gameweek 18 at the back of our minds.
Southampton XI (4-4-2): A McCarthy; Bertrand, Vestergaard, Bednarek, Walker-Peters; Djenepo (Redmond 59 ′), Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Walcott; Adams (Nlundulu 82 ′), Ings (Tella 41 ′).
Manchester City XI (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Cancello, Dias, Stones, Walker; Rodri, Gündogan; Sterling, De Bruyne, B Silva; Torres (Mahrez 72 ′).
Lessons Learned from FPL Gameweek 14
Become a member and get unrestricted access to our data and articles
Full year memberships are now available for the price of £ 19.99. Monthly subscriptions cost only £ 2.99. A FREE trial is now available during December.
Join now to get the following:
- Chart your transfer strategies using the fully interactive Season Ticker.
- Get projections for each Premier League player provided by the Rate My Team statistical model.
- Use Rate My Team throughout the season to guide your selections and transfers.
- Get access to more than 150 exclusive member items throughout the season.
- Take a look at our OPTA-based stat tables designed specifically for Fantasy Football managers.
- Use our exclusive tool to create custom stat tables from over 100 OPTA player and team stats.
- Enjoy our NEW Flat-Track Bully feature that introduces an opposition filter to your tables.
- View heat maps and expected goal data for each player.
- Use our powerful comparison tool to analyze players head-to-head.
ALREADY A USER? CLICK HERE TO UPDATE YOUR ACCOUNT FOR FREE
NEW TO SCOUT? CLICK HERE TO START A MEMBERSHIP ACCOUNT
