Aguero back for Manchester City – Done

Sep 23

Written by @CraigHazell – Blame Him

DEFENDER: JOHN STONES, MANCHESTER CITY

It’s been difficult to say the least, picking out clean sheets this season. Then, out of nowhere, 4 turn up in gameweek 5 and make us all look ridiculous. That doesn’t mean it is going to get any easier picking them of course but Man City facing Swansea seems as good a pick as any. Swansea left their record signing striker on the bench last week for an inexplicable 80 minutes and Llorente hasn’t exactly looked ‘up for goals’ shall we say. The real lottery comes in picking City’s back 4, given Guardiola’s selection history. JOHN STONES was rested for the majority of the comfortable 4-0 win over Bournemouth and at 5.0m he seems to represent the most value, if we take his cameo as a rest rather than a drop. He also must go down as the cheapest FPL players with a real life £50m plus price tag. Craziness.

MIDFIELDER: SAIDO MANE, LIVERPOOL

Something deep inside me is telling me the pick Sadio Mane. It’s the same part of me that thinks it’s acceptable to cling film a plate before you eat off it to avoid washing up and to boil pasta in a kettle. I’m not saying that part of me is right, I am not even saying that part of me is medically safe but I’m curious to hear him out. Mane might not have scored on the same level as his fellow Liverpool midfielders, but he has looked far better than any of them in terms of consistent performances. Those glimpses he showed inconsistently at Southampton now seem to be weekly turns at Anfield and although Hull provide a real opportunity for Liverpool to go an Liverpool it right up…..that art of me is telling me they will win comfortably. Maybe he’s a scouser.

FORWARD: ROMELU LUKAKU, EVERTON

Bournemouth are currently having the second season blues and it is starting to become apparent Eddie Howe might be up against his toughest year in football. That’s not to say The Cherries aren’t still a good side but people become less inclined to fawn over your ‘positive approach’ to football when you are getting done 4-0. There’s one man you don’t want to face when you have a confidence of crisis. Big Romelu Lukaku. He’s gone ‘yellow’ with a toe injury but have you seen his toes? He’s playing. Behave yourself FPL. I whole heartedly back Big Rom to continue his scoring ‘streak’ if only to see an added incentive to #LukakuWatch

CAPTAIN: SERGIO AGUERO, MANCHESTER CITY

It’s obvious isn’t it? What’s worse than Sergio Aguero on a four game scoring run? A Sergio Aguero who has had some time off, a bit of rest and chipped in with a hat trck during his holiday. Amat and Fernandez seem to employ a gung ho defending from 0 minutes strategy and quite frankly they just aren’t on the same level of Kun. You don’t need me to tell you he is this week’s prized asset but at the same time, you will berate me if I do a preview without mentioning him. You’re difficult like that.

OUTSIDER: Charlie Austin, Southampton

This really is an outside pick at only 1.2% but I will be opting for Charlie Austin, to round off a trio of strikers. He has only totalled 142 minutes all season but his cup form is going ot be increasingly hard to ignore for the Southampton Management. Austin bagged two in the Europa League and added another in the EFL cup, and given his proven Premier League track record, I don’t think it will be long before he is starting league games and making his way into Sam Allardyce’s dossier. Add to that their opponents, West Ham seem incapable of playing a game without conceding multiple goals, and there’s potential for so much Charlie even Jack Wilshere might ask his agent for a move.