Man City are one of the best teams in the world, making it no surprise they have some of the best FPL assets.
City set up in a 4-3-3 with inverted full-backs who take up space in midfield, allowing for two advanced central midfielders.
This gives them numerical superiority in midfield which makes them the best possession-based team in the league. The wingers stay wide to hold the width and are supported by underlapping runs from the likes of De Bruyne.
Additionally, the signing of Erling Haaland means City will operate with a proper 9 for the first time, which has been absent for a few seasons.
Their assets will be good value early on, with Man City facing just one top-half team from last season.
Given that information, here are their best FPL options.
Kevin De Bruyne
De Bruyne struck 15 goals last term (6th most in the league), making him the club’s top scorer and their most expensive too (£12.0m). The Belgian also got 8 assists, averaging 0.9 attacking returns per 90 (third most).
As well as their top scorer but he’s also their most creative. KDB had the highest xA per 90 last campaign (0.46), making 67 passes into the box (fourth most) and 5.7 shot-creating actions per 90 (most).
Playing as an advanced 8 in the 4-3-3, he picks up the ball between the lines whilst also making runs beyond the striker. Attacking the box in a high-scoring team makes him an excellent asset.
With his irreplaceable quality, he should start most matches at least until their important Champions League games come around.
Erling Haaland
Haaland is City’s most owned player (59% ownership) and his signing means City will play a recognised striker.
His strengths are running in behind and elite box movement, which will help when facing teams defending deep, as they will do often.
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Behind him, he has world-class playmakers, the likes of KDB, Grealish, Bernardo, and Cancelo, who can find his runs.
Given chances, he will put them in the net, hitting 1.5 shots on target per 90 for Dortmund last term (fourth most).
Hopefully, he stays injury-free, which he didn’t for Dortmund last season, missing three months of football overall.
Phil Foden
Foden got 9 goals and 5 assists in the 21/22 campaign, achieving the 5th highest xA per 90 (0.3).
Those 9 strikes make him the club’s second highest player on the FPL threat index.
He mainly plays on the left wing or as a false 9 but is also outstanding as an advanced 8 too.
The midfielder is more of a budget option at £8.0m due to not being the most nailed player in the team.
Riyad Mahrez
Another budget pick for the same price is Riyad Mahrez. The Algerian scored 11 last season, averaging 0.7 per 90 (fourth most).
In addition, he had the second highest xG per 90 too (0.6), taking 3.4 shots per 90 (7th most).
Also, he got 5 assists, making that 0.96 returns per 90 (second most).
He’s a penalty taker too, scoring four last term. However, it would be a surprise to not see Haaland take them going forward.
The downside to his FPL appeal is he was preferred in the Champions League during its latter stages. Therefore, he may not start consistently in the league.
He played the fewest minutes of players on this list, starting just 15 league matches.
However, apart from Julian Alvarez, there is no direct competition for him on the right-wing anymore and his experience there is vital.
Consequently, he may play a more prominent role in the Premier League this season.
Joao Cancelo
Cancelo has the second highest ownership of City assets (45%) and for good reason.
He had 11 assists last season, as well as the most passes into the opposition box (95) plus 16 goal-creating actions (8th most)
Playing as an inverted full-back he occupies positions in central midfield and can play passes to the forward players easily. He did register the second most passes into the final third (266).
With Haaland playing off the shoulder he has a world-class goalscorer to pick out each time.
Another bonus is that he started 36 games last term, the most of an outfielder in the squad.
Jack Grealish
Grealish is a creative force, boasting the fourth highest xA per 90 last term (0.3) and providing 5.2 shot-creating actions per 90.
He is a great ball carrier, having the fourth most progressive carries (287) and the most carries into the box last season (88).
It took him time to adapt to Guardiola’s system but he did so better than some believe. Pep likes to employ a high press, which Grealish is very good at.
39% of his pressures were successful, the second highest rate in the league. This type of tactical intelligence is likely to keep him in the team a lot this campaign.
Last season he only started 22 times, but with the departure of both Sterling and Jesus this summer that number will surely increase.
Check out our ‘Should You Pick Jack Grealish’ article for a detailed view as to whether he’s worth adding to your FPL team.
Aymeric Laporte
Update: Laporte has been ruled out of GW1. He is expected to return in September.
Laporte is a key part of the Champions’ build-up play, having the highest pass completion in the league (94.7%) and making the most passes into the final third (316).
He’s comfortable carrying the ball too, as shown by his 352 progressive carries (second most) and carrying distance of 9,587 yards (most).
Furthermore, he’s a goal threat, scoring four last term, and is a left-footed centre-back, making him invaluable to this team.
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The Frenchman, at £6.0m, is a more affordable City defender than Cancelo, with their defence being essential. They had the most clean sheets (21) and the lowest xGA last season (27.2).
As a defender, he is less prone to rotation playing over 2,800 minutes in 33 appearances, the second most on this list.
There are whispers he may not start the season, though, due to a minor injury. An alternative, in that case, is Ruben Dias who is also £6.0m.
Elsewhere, Kyle Walker at £5.0m is gaining attention. If Man City don’t sign a left-back to replace Zinchenko, then Walker becomes a certain starter.
And a £5.0m starting defender for City cannot be ignored!
| Name | Price | Pick % | 21/22 Minutes Played | 21/22 Points | Points per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin De Bruyne | £12.0m | 15% | 2,201 | 196 | 6.5 |
| Erling Haaland | £11.5m | 45% | 1,911 | N/A | N/A |
| Phil Foden | £8.0m | 6% | 2,128 | 137 | 4.9 |
| Riyad Mahrez | £8.0m | 6% | 1,498 | 135 | 4.8 |
| Joao Cancelo | £7.0m | 45% | 3,227 | 201 | 5.6 |
| Jack Grealish | £7.0m | 4% | 1,914 | 86 | 3.3 |
| Aymeric Laporte | £6.0m | 1% | 2,828 | 160 | 4.8 |
What are the chances of each Man City player starting in GW1?
Our Fantasy Premier League team news page answers that question, along with every other Premier League team’s predicted lineups.