Manchester City were by a long way the outstanding team in the premier league last season. Much of this was down to their fantastic attacking play, which was contributed towards from all areas of the pitch.
For this reason, FPL managers will understandably be flocking towards their players, and with their comparably straightforward fixtures early on, many will be looking to pick up some early points. But this season in particular with expensive players such as Salah and Kane taking up much of people’s budgets, many managers will be looking to cut costs and may not have the funds for the more expensive attacking options that City provide.
I have picked out two of City’s midfielders which I feel will be excellent picks this season: Leeroy Sane (£9.5) and new signing Riyad Mahrez (£9.0). But which is the better option? Let’s look more closely at this FPL Dilemma.
Leroy Sane (£9.5m, Manchester City)
Snubbed from Germany’s World Cup squad, Leroy Sane will be looking to prove himself once more. Last season Sane soon found a starting spot in Pep Guardiola’s title winning side, scoring 10 goals and picking up 15 assists. The 22 year old’s performances saw him land the PFA young player of the year award – beating the likes of Harry Kane and clubmate Raheem Sterling.
Sane picked up a total of 179 points last season which was a vast increase on his previous total of 105 points. He scored an average of 6.6 points per match, which has seen his price rise from £8.7 at the end of last season, to £9.5. But don’t let the increased price put you off – it is important to remember that at the age of 22 there is still plenty of room for improvement, even for a player of his quality.
Sane is very likely to keep his starting spot this season, with no real competition in the left wing position, and will look to keep up the form that helped City win the league last season.
Riyad Mahrez (£9.0m, Manchester City)
Bouncing back from an indifferent season of their title defence, Leicester City managed to find some of the quality in Riyad Mahrez that had been pivotal in their remarkable 2015/16 title winning season.
Mahrez bagged 12 goals and 13 assists, a tally not too dissimilar to that of Sane. Mahrez also picked up 19 bonus points across the season which slightly better’s Sane’s 17. In total Mahrez scored 195 points last season, a good 16 points more than Sane, which may seem like a good deal for a player that only costs £9.0. However, it is important to note that last season Mahrez had 34 apps, meaning that he scored only an average of 5.8 points per match – less than Sane’s 6.6.
This season there will be competition for places on the right-hand side of midfield for Manchester City, with Mahrez being up against Raheem Sterling for the spot in Pep’s XI. However, having featured heavily at the World Cup, Sterling may be rested for the opening fixtures which could allow Mahrez a chance to cement a place in the team. Unfortunately, this may all have been put into jeopardy as Mahrez picked up an ankle injury in their preseason friendly against Bayern Munich, which could rule him out for any period of time depending on the severity – which as of yet is unknown.
The Verdict
Mahrez is certainly an exciting prospect at the high-flying Manchester City team and, being the cheaper option, will be enticing to many FPL managers, especially for the first few gameweeks. However, Leroy Sane to me seems like the much better option. At only £0.5 more, Sane is an almost guaranteed starter, and looks to be a great attacking threat once again this upcoming season, whereas Mahrez may not be able to secure a consistent place in the team, especially if his injury keeps him out of the opening fixtures. That’s why Sane is my pick for City’s straightforward opening fixtures.
Written by FPL Havenaar (@FPLHavenaar)
