Season Preview: Manchester City

Overall Outlook - So here we go, the big wild card.  We'll assume for the sake of this analysis that Milner and Balotelli are in and that Ireland, Robinho, RSC, Jo, Bellamy, and SWP are either out or marginalized to the point of pretty much being out.  The first big myth of last season at Eastlands is that the attack was potent while the back line let them down in their quest to rise up to Champions League contender status in their first year of oil money.  The reality? Citeh just weren't clutch.  Their goals for and goals against numbers were about the same as the rest of the contenders for the final 2 Champions League spots the difference was the 13 draws.  If they can find a way to convert even a few of those to wins, then Arsenal and Spurs should be rightfully frightened as they look to challenge their 3 and 4 spots.  The question one has to ask is where Citeh actually improved in the off-season and if bringing in a bunch of Premier League newbies who, regardless of their eventual quality, may drop some points as they adapt.  I wouldn't bet against them but it's hard to forget Mancini's inability to break through in a meaningful way at Inter until Milan and Juve were eliminated from competition due to the match-fixing scandal.  Is he the guy to bring together a fairly random set of talent and reign in all the huge egos?  I honestly have no idea but the answer to that question will determine where Citeh end up the season.  The good news? There are a lot of new players in Silva, Kolarov, Boateng, Toure, and (maybe) Balotelli who will provide fantasy managers with early season value.


Projected Starters - Hart, Richards, Boateng, Kompany, Kolarov, YToure, de Jong, Milner, Silva, K2, Tevez

In the Rotation - de Jong, Zabaleta, SWP, RSC, Vieira, Barry, KToure, Robinho, Garrido (and I'm sure I missed one or two)

Kicks - An excellent question - the big worry is that Johnson loses out on some of his kicks to Milner and Silva which reduces the fantasy value of all three. 

Newcomers

• David Silva, M - His name has been floated out there by the big boys for a number of seasons but he's finally made his big money move.  The question is how does he fit in? and how often? and when does Mancini start working him in after a World Cup winning performance over the summer? It might be that his value really kicks in in September more so than in August;
• Yaya Toure, M - He's been talked about as "the Next Vieira" for a while now and been linked with Arsenal as is anyone who is given that label but that really isn't the right comparison.  Toure is more of the Carrick/Alonso/Barry line of central midfielders with a dash of the attacking side of Vieira or Diaby's game. The lesson? He's not going to be as bad a fantasy player as Masch or Makelele but he's not likely to be a fantasy stud either;
• Aleksandar Kolarov, D - a nice player going forward on the left could be this year's Bale but the big question is whether he can actually play and defense.  Since the guy he is replacing is decidedly average at both attacking and defending it probably won't hurt his chances of starting but two questions are still left - 1) will he participate in more goals than he allows; and 2) how will he and Silva collaborate on the left since both tend to be wide players.  I don't mean to imply that he's going to be a bust or even that I won't have him in my line-up but I just want to point out that there are a few warning signs;
• Jerome Boateng, D - One of the big questions of the season is where Boateng will line-up.  He is able to play anywhere across the back.  The left side is taken by Kolarov and Bridge but there are potentially spots at CB and RB.  Usually I'd favor a right back over a CB but I don't think he's quick enough or attacking-oriented enough to be a strong right back in the Premier League.  If he's at CB, I'd be more inclined to bite although I'd be worried that it would mean that clean sheets would be threatened by Zabaleta or Richards at right back;

Rising Youth

• Not much here as the roster is pretty well packed with established talent at this point.  If they go elsewhere where they'll be no-doubt-about-it first choice starters then youngsters like Onuoha, Richards, and Hart will be great value for fantasy managers;

Fantasy Breakdown

• Best - Hard to say how it's going to work out with all of the new acquisitions but Tevez was the man last season but I can't in good conscience even begin to figure out who is going to take this title in the upcoming campaign - if pressed I'd go with Tevez again;
• Best Value (non-newcomer) - Adam Johnson rode his mid-season jump from the Championship to the Premier League to a starring role on the right side of the Citeh attack.  The good news is that due to the brevity of his run as a starter, his price isn't too crazy and he represents the best value in the Citeh side to start the season.  Honorable mention goes to Tevez who is priced much more reasonably than most of the other premium strikers available;
• Best Projected Value - With so many high profile newbies available it's hard to predict but I'm going to go with Kolarov as having the best chance of making a major fantasy impact for a low price;
• Worth Considering With Good Match-ups -  Just about anyone who isn't a holding midfielder or Gareth Barry who has lost a ton of value since coming over to Citeh because he doesn't take kicks;
• Worth Knowing If He's Starting - Also about anyone on the list and especially Hart, Silva, and Robinho