Fantasy Premier League

Formation unleashes De Bruyne's FPL threat

By The Scout 31 Jul 2017

Man City midfielder has been handed new freedom to damage opponents and produce Fantasy points, says The Scout

The Scout has spotted a number of trends in tactics and selections during pre-season.

The four-part series begins with a Manchester City playmaker given freedom to attack.

Kevin De Bruyne (Man City) £10.0m

Kevin De Bruyne (£10.0m) has been the star of the summer for Man City, with Fantasy Premier League managers now flocking to sign the midfielder.

The Belgian has sparkled in pre-season, supplying three assists in successive wins over Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur.

That has prompted his FPL ownership to climb to 21.6%.

Head coach Pep Guardiola has played his part in De Bruyne’s displays.

With new full-backs Benjamin Mendy, Kyle Walker (both £6.5m) and Danilo (£5.5m) on board, the Spaniard has set his side up with a three-man defence and fielded wing-backs to provide width.

That has given De Bruyne the freedom to patrol central areas and join the attack, lending support to Gabriel Jesus (£10.5m) and Sergio Aguero (£11.5m).

Jesus started as the lone striker in Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Spurs, with Aguero introduced from the bench.

Gabriel Jesus, Manchester City — Gabriel Jesus (£10.5m) is Manchester City's other prime FPL target

Although he is yet to score in pre-season, the Brazilian ranks alongside De Bruyne as Man City’s key target for FPL managers.

But Raheem Sterling (£8.0m) should also be considered.

Goals against both Real Madrid and Spurs suggest that he may well be favoured by Guardiola.

In contrast, the shift to a wing-back system has left Leroy Sane (£8.5m) struggling for pitch time.

The German started 16 of the final 17 Gameweek fixtures last season but has been limited to 24 minutes from the bench in the previous two friendlies.

With Bernardo Silva (£8.0m) yet to make an appearance over the summer, Guardiola has a wealth of attacking talent at his disposal.

FPL managers will be braced for frequent rotation, though both De Bruyne and Jesus seem the most likely to cement regular starts.

With impressive pre-season form and favourable early fixtures, it looks wise to recruit one or both ahead of the Gameweek 1 visit to Brighton & Hove Albion.