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Manchester City 1-0 Sheff Utd
- Goals: Gabriel Jesus (£ 9.1 million)
- Attend: Ferran Torres (£ 6.3m)
- Extra points: Jesús x3, Rúben Dias x2 (£ 5.9m), Fernandinho x2 (£ 5.4m)
PEP RUDE-LETTE
Pep Guardiola’s rotation policy was a key factor as Manchester City’s Fantasy Premier League assets disappointed at Gameweek 21.
For an attractive home game against Sheffield United, his selection decisions not only limited the players he benched, but also those who started the game.
Raheem Sterling (£ 11.6 million), João Cancelo (£ 6.0 million), John stones (£ 5.2 million) and Riyad mahrez (£ 8.1 million) were all unused substitutes while Rodri (£ 5.3m) featured only as a 90 minute replacement for Ferran torres (£ 6.9 million).
Naturally, the owners of those players were frustrated by their Gameweek 21 blanks. But it seems their absence also ensured a disappointing afternoon for Ilkay Gündogan (£ 5.8 million) and Phil Foden (£ 6.3 million) who worked for 90 minutes on a largely second-row team against a 3-5-2 system that Guardiola has always struggled to play against.
“It is not easy to play with the (Sheffield United) system. The first season we won 2-0 here, after 0-1 there, this season 0-1 there, now 1-0 here. We fight because they are a really good team. It is a surprise that they are down there, but their team is alive, they scream, they talk, they stick together until the end. We knew it and we performed very well. “- Pep Guardiola
Either way, Gündogan produced 8.5 points per game between Gameweeks 13 and 20, recording his first score since Gameweek 18 against the worst team in the Premier League.
So the question on the lips of many Fantasy managers is: what went wrong?
ON THE THIRD DAY
The return of Gabriel Jesus (£ 9.1 million) for the Manchester City team appeared to be a negative influence on Gündogan’s goal threat against Sheffield United.
The new forward role of the German international in recent matches has worked best when combined with Bernardo silva (£ 7.4 million), Kevin De Bruyne (£ 11.8m), Mahrez or Foden fulfilling a false nine detail.
This combination allows the designated center forward to drop deep and allow his teammates to slide into the space they previously occupied, something Gündogan did to devastating effect against West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa and Chelsea.
However, with a renowned center forward coming off the line, there were fewer opportunities for the former Borussia Dortmund midfielder to make dangerous runs into exposed spaces.
As a result, Gündogan was completely stripped of any goal threat and did not register a single effort on goal against Sheffield United on Saturday afternoon.
And without Cancelo, Stones and Rodri on the team, Gündogan had more responsibility to focus on recycling possession and creating opportunities as well, which detracts from his ability to get into threatening areas.
Since Gameweek 13, Rodri (656), Stones (605) and Cancelo (563) are in Manchester City’s top four in passing attempts.
During that same period, Cancelo (346) and Rodri (305) rank second and third among their peers for successful passes within half of the opponents.
So facing an increasingly confident Sheffield United without those key players certainly limited the Citizens’ ability to chain enough passes to really stretch the defenders while increasing Gündogan’s workload in this area.
Meanwhile, with Mahrez and De Bruyne out of the squad, the German was also forced to provide a set piece delivery that took him further away from key action areas.
It is true that he was close to winning an aid for Aymeric laporte(£ 6.0 million) headed in the second half, only to see him hit the crossbar.
But in a game in which the center-back received the same number of passes in the opposite half as Gündogan (43), it was simply not going to be his day.
ROLLING ROCKS
Manchester City scored its twelfth clean sheet in the Premier League of the season against Sheffield United, the twentieth in all competitions, at least five more than any other team in the top five European leagues.
However, such an achievement was not as encouraging to as many Fantasy managers as it normally would have been.
Not only did Cancello stay on the bench and failed to score points on a clean sheet, but Stones was also an unused substitute for the first time in a Premier League match since Gameweek 13.
Laporte’s recent return to fitness had already cast an ominous shadow over the Manchester City team’s selection in recent weeks and those fears came true as the Frenchman made his first league start since Gameweek 9.
As things stand, it’s hard to say whether left-handed center-back Laporte is close to regaining his place or whether his start should be seen in the larger context of rotation and rest for the entire team with a trip to Liverpool on the horizon.
We suspect the latter to be the case considering the partnership between Dias and Stones has been firmly established and helped Manchester City concede just one goal in 12 starts together in all competitions. Breaking it, even against Sheffield United, was certainly a surprising decision.
Guardiola’s comments in recent weeks have suggested that Laporte’s route back to the first team would involve him working hard and getting back to the form he has shown in recent seasons.
And it must be said that while he enjoyed a mostly routine afternoon against a toothless Blades team, Dias had to step in and clean up for Laporte when his clearance went directly to Oliver Burke (£ 4.2 million). Guardiola is known for attacking players even after momentary lapses of judgment like this, so it must be said that Laporte still has work to do, especially considering how well Dias and Stones have done together this season.
“I am happy for Ayme (ric Laporte), today he is back and he has played very well. It’s not just about John (Stones) and Ruben, but about everyone. Today when Nathan (Ake) was here and the wings with Joao (Cancelo), Aleks (Zinchenko), Kyle (Walker), everyone. It is a commitment of all ”. – Pep Guardiola
Manchester City XI (4-3-3): Ederson; Zinchenko, Laporte, Dias, Walker; B Silva, Fernandinho, Gündogan; Torres (Rodri 90 ′), Jesús, Foden.
Sheffield United XI (3-5-2): Ramsdale; Ampadu, Egan, Basham (McBurnie 78 ‘); Bogle, Fleck, Norwood, Lundstram, Baldock; Burke (Sharp 78 ′), Brewster (McGoldrick 62 ′).
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