The 2022/23 Premier League campaign commences this coming Friday and as the new season approaches, millions of Fantasy Premier League managers have been incessantly tinkering with their squad of stars to craft their ideal squad, and City Xtra are here to help.
At the season’s outset, Manchester City will embark on a rather favourable run of fixtures, most notably facing two newly-promoted sides at home across their opening five matches. City will also encounter just one of last season’s top six in their opening eight fixtures.
Last term, Pep Guardiola’s side scored the most goals in the Premier League (99) whilst also conceding the joint-fewest (26), and with this in mind along with their advantageous early fixtures, it is a rather straightforward decision to include a Manchester City player or two (or three!) in your Gameweek One squad.
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Having lifted the English title in four of the previous five seasons, whilst also being the bookies’ favourites to retain their crown, City players must be considered by every FPL manager selecting their squad for the forthcoming campaign, and in light of this, we have selected four players who you should strongly consider including in your side!
Erling Haaland (£11.5m)
Regarded as one of the most clinical finishers on the planet, Erling Haaland’s much-awaited arrival in the Premier League has been hotly anticipated by many of the club’s fans, and also, FPL managers.
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Haaland joins Pep Guardiola’s side from Borussia Dortmund, where he established himself as arguably the most feared striker in Europe due to a phenomenal return of 86 goals in 89 appearances for Der BVB.
Throughout his final Bundesliga campaign, Haaland staggeringly registered a direct goal contribution every 63.8 minutes - 22 goals and eight assists - and as the Norwegian international is expected to spearhead the attacking force that registered the most goals in Europe last term (150), it stands to reason that his evident proficiency in front of goal will translate to English football.
Across the 2021/22 campaign, Manchester City led the Premier League in terms of Goals (99), Key Passes (537) and Shots in the Box (498), and owing to this, it can be surmised that Haaland will be provided with ample service to demonstrate his goalscoring prowess.
Erling Haaland is expected to feature as the team’s focal point next season, and with the Norwegian set to be serviced by a slew of creative players such as Kevin De Bruyne and Joao Cancelo, amongst many others, it is difficult to foresee the club's new number nine not thriving.
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It would be a brave move to go without Erling Haaland from the season’s outset.
Kevin De Bruyne (£12.0m)
Having effectively dragged Manchester City to the Premier League title last term courtesy of his inherent brilliance, Kevin De Bruyne is a playmaker who must be seriously considered by FPL managers when constructing their Gameweek One squad.
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Since the turn of the year, only Spurs duo Son Heung-Min (156) and Harry Kane (141) have recorded more FPL points than the Belgian midfielder (131), and with De Bruyne having enjoyed some excellent showings in pre-season, managers should be confident that the Belgian maestro will continue this formidable form into the new campaign.
Adept at both scoring and assisting his teammates, KDB enjoyed the most prolific season of his career last term with 15 goals across 30 appearances, and it is worth noting that the Belgian achieved this despite only being afforded five ‘Big Chances’ in front of goal.
Often referred to as the ‘Assist King’, Kevin De Bruyne has twice received the Premier League Playmaker of the Year award and has impressively averaged 14.3 FPL assists across the previous three campaigns.
Despite recording just eight assists last season, amongst midfielders, only Mohamed Salah (17) created more ‘Big Chances’ than De Bruyne (16), suggesting that a striker-less Manchester City side was often wasteful.
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Furthermore, De Bruyne also averaged a key pass every 25.4 minutes (3.54 per game) and following the addition of the prolific Erling Haaland to the squad, it can be believed that De Bruyne would be able to reward his owners with an abundance of points courtesy of both his finishing ability, along with his renowned assisting prowess.
Regarded by many to be the best player in the Premier League as well as the finest central midfielder in the world, Kevin De Bruyne is undoubtedly worth your consideration.
Joao Cancelo (£7.0m)
With a total of 201 points throughout the last campaign, Joao Cancelo was bested by only Trent Alexander-Arnold (208) amongst Premier League defenders and owing to this, in conjunction with Manchester City’s favourable opening fixtures, there is a strong case for the Portuguese to begin the new season in your team’s backline.
Alike many modern-day full-backs, Cancelo’s adeptness at the attacking aspects of the game has led to him becoming a crucial figure in City’s attacking phases, and his total of 11 FPL assists last term - a stat bettered by just four players - demonstrates this.
A defender who is heavily involved in City’s attacking play, Cancelo recorded a whopping 845 accurate passes in the final third last term (185 more than next-best Bernardo Silva), and is again expected to play an integral role in the champions’ build-up play next season.
Along with his skill in helping City manoeuvre the ball in the opposing half, Joao Cancelo also possesses excellent crossing ability and ranked seventh amongst defenders for overall crosses attempted (3.47 per game) despite Manchester City’s lack of aerial threat throughout the previous campaign. Following the signing of a certain 6'4" Norwegian, it is conceivable that this figure will soon rise substantially.
Whilst Cancelo possesses the ability to create excellent goalscoring opportunities, Manchester City’s new number seven found the back of the net on just one occasion last season. However, his xG of 5.74 - the highest amongst defenders - for the 2021/22 campaign suggests that he was unfortunate not to have celebrated more than a single goal.
Although, his xG indicates that it is possible, if not probable, that he will be more successful in front of goal next term.
In addition to Joao Cancelo’s evident attacking excellence, he will also benefit from being a mainstay in the defence that have conceded the fewest goals in each of the previous two Premier League campaigns, whilst also recording the most clean sheets in both seasons (joint with Liverpool in 2021/22).
Owing to his vast contributions to Manchester City’s attacking play and defensive solidity, and with the squad not due to face any of last season’s top six until Gameweek Seven, Joao Cancelo’s inclusion in your initial FPL squad appears to be somewhat of a no-brainer.
Jack Grealish (£7.0m)
Whilst the aforementioned players are amongst the most attractive Manchester City assets to own for the upcoming campaign, Jack Grealish is a player with a high ceiling who has seemingly not entered the thoughts of many FPL managers.
Currently selected in just 5.2% of FPL squads and priced at a very reasonable £7.0m - £1.0m cheaper than teammates Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez - the former Aston Villa captain’s price tag and low ownership has the potential to provide managers with an affordable and differential route into the most prolific side in Europe’s frontline.
Throughout his first season in Manchester, Grealish recorded three goals and three assists, and was limited to just 22 Premier League starts, as he was often a victim of the infamous ‘Pep Roulette’. However, there are very good reasons to believe that the England star will be a far better FPL asset in the upcoming campaign.
First and foremost, as wingers Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus departed the club this summer, it is plausible that Grealish will benefit greatly from Manchester City’s newfound lack of depth out wide as it is likely that he will be in line for more game time next season.
Along with this, it has become a trend throughout the reign of Pep Guardiola that many top-quality players struggle somewhat in their first year under the Catalan coach, but later establish themselves as key players.
To name a few, Riyad Mahrez, Joao Cancelo and Rodri all notably struggled in their first year under Guardiola, before establishing themselves as key figures in their second campaign.
If history is anything to go by - and it is, Grealish could be the next player to establish himself as a crucial player following an adaptational first season.
That being said, however, many Manchester City fans have observed that Jack Grealish’s performances in his first campaign with the club were not as underwhelming as his direct goal contributions suggest, particularly towards the back end of the season - and the data reflects this.
Throughout his first year at the club, Grealish averaged two Key Passes per game - a stat bettered amongst midfielders by only Kevin De Bruyne (2.9), Bruno Fernandes (2.5), Martin Odegaard and Son Heung-Min (both 2.1), whilst his xA of 5.67 suggests that he was unfortunate to register a paltry three assists.
Throughout City’s pre-season tour of the United States, Grealish was arguably Manchester City’s stand-out performer and notably linked up particularly well with Erling Haaland when the Sky Blues defeated Bayern Munich at Lambeau Field - perhaps a sign of things to come?
Jack Grealish has the potential to provide excellent value for money throughout the opening weeks of the forthcoming FPL campaign, and it would be wise to at least consider finding a place for the England international in your Gameweek One squad.
Topics: Manchester City, Fantasy Premier League, Premier League, Football
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Brandon Evans