Premier League fantasy football: It’s a new season but Pep Guardiola is still causing selection headaches for managers
The brand new Premier League season is underway, but fantasy football fans are faced with the same old problems.
As always, Game Week 1 gave us some indication to what the campaign ahead is going to entail, which players look like starters for their sides, how new signings might get on at their respective clubs and who’s looking like the best fantasy football bargains (we’re looking at you, Daniel James).
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But perhaps the biggest thing we’ve taken away from the weekend is that pesky Pep Guardiola is up to his usual tricks with his infuriating rotation policy.
Last season, Dream Team fans were infuriated by the handsome Catalan’s habit of constantly switching his players and leaving some of his biggest and most in-form stars on the bench.
I mean, we get it Pep, you’ve got a terrific squad and it’s a long season, but do you have to wreck our fantasy football hopes and dreams so early on?
On Saturday, in the early kick off between West Ham and Man City, the Spanish manager made the intriguing choice of starting with both Sergio Aguero and Bernardo Silva on the bench – two players that a lot of Dream Team gaffers have selected.
In fact, nearly 42% of you have opted for Aguero, who luckily came on as a substitute to score a goal and register 5 points on the game, while Bernardo – who’s been picked by 30% of managers – didn’t play at all.
That’s not on, is it?
It’s also made us look a little foolish, as we heavily tipped Bernardo to be one of the must-have players on Dream Team this season following his billboard 2018/19 campaign.
And sure, the Portuguese midfielder will likely be a mainstay in City’s side as the season progresses and he’s probably still quite a good player to have in your fantasy football line-up, but Pep’s unpredictable policy of chopping and changing his players continues to be a spanner in the works of our Dream Team success.
We felt sure Bernardo would start in the opening game of the campaign, or at least make an appearance.
There was better news for those of you who decided to pick Riyad Mahrez though.
A starting role at the London Stadium and THREE assists to his name in the 5-0 demolition of the Hammers is good news for the 1.7% of you that picked the midfielder, as he picked up a handy 9 points.
Mahrez struggled for game time last season, making just 27 starts as Bernardo and Leroy Sane were preferred on the right flank.
But with news that Sane will be out of action for the next few months, he might just be an inspired fantasy football choice.
That is until Pep decides to bench him for the next few weeks.