Man City Defenders Analysis & Ratings for 2022/23 FPL Season

Man City have one of the best initial fixture runs, but the difficulty with City is always this question: which FPL assets can we rely on?

Over the course of the season, City fantasy assets go through phases of involvement—changing due to fixture congestion, opponents, form, team system, competitions, etc. Dependent on these phases, Pep manages the squad differently, which has implications on FPL. Due to the nature of FPL this year, where we need to use one Wildcard between Gameweeks 1 and 16, the post-GW8 International Break will be a logical and popular Wildcard time.

In my preseason articles, I’ll look at Gameweeks 1-8 in a bubble, developing an understanding of Pep’s management in the initial phase of the season to better understand which City assets we should be thinking about selecting. In this article, I take a look at our defenders.

Link to all our 2022/23 Pre Season articles including a transfer tracker of all new signings, all team pre-season friendly updates, team previews, fixture analysis, position-wise analysis, and more. Completely free to access as well!

Man City Defenders: Elite Defense, Elite FPL Assets

Man City are perennially the elite defense in the Prem (17 Clean Sheets in 19-20, 19 in 20-21, and 21 in 21-22). Last season, 14 FPL defenders/goalkeepers scored >140 pts and 4 of those players were from City: Cancelo with 201 pts, Laporte with 160 pts, Ederson with 155 points, and Dias with 141 pts. This season, it is expected that City maintain their defensive consistency, resulting in several great FPL assets.

*It is still up in the air as to whether City will sign any other defenders, namely Brighton defender Marc Cucurella (5.0 m), so I’ll try to take that into account as I analyze.*

Optimize your squad, check for player stats, and heatmaps on **FFFix**, signup with a 15% exclusive discount!

Overview – Team Strength (GWs 1-8)

Pros: In the first 8 Gameweeks, City only face two teams in the top half last season’s xG table: Spurs (#4, 65.1 xG) and West Ham (#8, 49.9 xG). Their other opponents include four mid to low table attacks (Palace, Villa, Newcastle, Wolves) and two promoted sides (Bournemouth and Forest). This lands City as a top 3 team on most FDRs. Last season, City started very strongly, keeping 5 out of 7 clean sheets before the Int’l Break.

Cons: While the initial fixture run looks good on paper, the opposition City face can be bogey teams for our defense. Against the 6 non-promoted sides City face in the first 8 Gameweeks, we conceded 11 goals in those 12 games last season, only keeping 4 clean sheets. With the likes of Palace, Villa, Newcastle, and Wolves potentially improving offensively, this fixture run may not be as strong as it initially appears. While City started strong last season, the previous two seasons they only kept 5 out of 15 possible clean sheets before the Int’l Break (3/8 in 19-20 and 2/7 in 20-21).

Conclusion: I would expect the City defense to come out of this period with 4-5 clean sheets. I expect clean sheets against both promoted sides and a minimum of 2 against the remaining 6 clubs, even though they have been difficult opposition in the past. With Dias, Laporte, and Stones all fit, I would expect a strong start, just maybe not as strong as last season. I don’t think any potential signings change this expectation drastically. With an expectation of at least 4/8 clean sheets and a higher ceiling, the City defense should be in everyone’s thinking for the initial phase of the season.

Can we expect defensive rotation?

The biggest issue with any Pep Guardiola side is rotation, it can be very difficult to guess which players will play at a given time. While this is the primary issue in picking City assets, defenders offer more consistency compared to the midfielders and forwards. Last season, 4 out of City’s 6 most played players were defenders (Ederson, Cancelo, Laporte, and Dias); this includes a month-long injury to Dias, as well. Even with slight rotation, the consistent and elite output from City defenders makes them some of the best defensive assets in the game.

In the first 8 Gameweeks of the season, with only 2 UCL games before the International Break, we can expect Pep to start his first-choice defense in most games. Let’s look at how Pep managed this period of the season in the past 3 years to see if this hunch is justified:

19-20 Season (GWs 1-8):

*Fernandinho started 2 games at CB during this period*
Ederson: 720 mins, 3 CSs, 2 yellow cards
Walker: 640 mins, 2 CSs, 1 assist, 2 yellow cards
Otamendi: 603 mins, 2 CSs, 1 goal, 2 yellow cards
Zinchenko: 540 mins, 2 CSs
Laporte: 307 mins, 1 CS, 1 yellow card
Stones: 180 mins, 1 CS
Cancelo: 125 mins, 1 yellow card
Mendy: 45 mins

Analysis: In 19-20, the City defense was weakened due to the departure of Vincent Kompany. The defensive core consisted of Walker, Otamendi, and Zinchenko, with one of three center backs filling the fourth slot. There was limited rotation for these three, although the defense overall was not performing at an elite level.

20-21 Season (GWs 2-8):

*City’s GW1 fixture was postponed until later in the season*
Ederson: 630 mins, 2 CSs
Walker: 618 mins, 2 CSs, 1 goal, 1 yellow card
Dias: 450 mins, 2 CSs, 1 yellow card
Cancelo: 360 mins, 2 CSs, 1 assist, 1 yellow card
Ake: 290 mins, 1 CS, 1 goal, 2 yellow cards
Laporte: 270 mins, 1 CS, 1 yellow card
Mendy: 250 mins, 2 yellow cards
Garcia: 180 mins
Stones: 90 mins
Zinchenko: 12 mins

Analysis: In 20-21, the defense was getting stronger, but less stable. Walker and Dias were the two mainstays, with Cancelo breaking into the squad slowly. There was a heavy share of minutes between Laporte, Ake, Mendy, and Garcia. Primarily due to this instability, the defense struggled to perform out the gate overall.

21-22 Season (GWs 1-7):

*This season came just after the Euros, so Walker was rested in GW1*
Ederson: 630 mins, 5 CSs
Cancelo: 630 mins, 5 CSs, 1 assist, 1 yellow card
Dias: 630 mins, 5 CSs, 1 assist, 2 yellow cards
Walker: 495 mins, 4 CSs
Laporte: 450 mins, 4 CSs, 1 goal, 2 yellow cards
Ake: 180 mins, 1 CS
Mendy: 90 mins
Zinchenko: 45 mins (sub)
Stones: 0 mins

Analysis: In 21-22, the City defense finally found the right combination of stability and quality to start the season. There was a clear first-choice back four of Cancelo, Dias, Laporte, and Walker. Each of these assets, especially Cancelo and Dias, performed exceptionally well in FPL.

Expectation: At the start of the 22-23 season, we can expect a similar output from City defenders compared to the 21-22 season. Starting at the back, Ederson is a no-brainer when it comes to consistency. While Ortega may offer him competition in the future, there is no doubt that Ederson will enter the season as City’s #1. He will play all 720 minutes, unless injured. From this data, we can expect 2 outfield defenders to log >600 minutes before the IB, with 2 others coming in close around 500-550 minutes. In my opinion, Dias and Cancelo are most likely to play >600 minutes, making them the most nailed options. I would expect Laporte and Walker to come in slightly behind those two for minutes. If Laporte is first-choice (which I assume he is, although Pep has flipped between him and Stones in the past), then there is a chance that Laporte also eclipses the 600 minutes mark before the IB.

*In the case that Cucurella is signed, I would expect Cancelo to start 6 or 7 out of the initial 7 games, with Cucurella and Walker splitting games for the other fullback spot. If Cucurella is not signed, Walker at 5.0 million could be a bargain to start the season with.*

Will Pep substitute defenders more with 5 subs?

The short answer is we won’t know until it happens. There is a chance that Pep uses the extra subs to switch out fullbacks. However, that seems relatively unlikely given how little he used extra subs during Project Restart, when he only used all 5 subs 4/10 times (figure from @JohnDoeFPL on twitter).

Last season, Cancelo, Laporte, and Walker were never subbed on. Dias and Stones were both subbed on twice. Generally, it should not be much of a worry for a City defender to be subbed on and off. In FPL, that is one quality you look for in a defensive asset because you do not want early subs or cameo appearances blocking a bench substitution when your player doesn’t get a full 90 minutes.

Further Read: How Will Five Substitutions Per Game Impact 2022/23 FPL Season?

Verdict & Ratings on Man City FPL Defenders

Everyone should have at least one City defender in their squad to begin the season, ideally two. City’s elite defense, coupled with a good run of fixtures and a settled defensive line should bode well for FPL points. Assessing how minutes were distributed in the past few seasons, I would rank the City defenders as follows:

1. Joao Cancelo (7.0 m)

Man City Defenders ~ Cancelo a good FPL option

Unsurprisingly, Cancelo is my preferred City defensive asset. Even in the case that Cucurella signs, I would expect Cancelo to start about 7 out of the 8 games in this period. He provides excellent value and consistency, even at his new price of 7.0 million.

2. Ruben Dias (6.0 m)

Man City Defenders ~ Ruben Dias a good FPL option

While he may not be as flashy as the other defensive options at 6.0 million and below (i.e. Chilwell, James, and Perisic), he offers a consistency that the others lack. As long as he is fit, you can expect the City captain to start all 8 games, whilst potentially offering an attacking return as well. If you are struggling to find the funds for Cancelo, Dias is a viable alternative; I expect him to match Cancelo’s value over this period (pts/million).

3. Ederson (5.5 m)

Man City Defenders ~ Ederson a good option at 5.5 Million

This year, the 5.5 million goalkeepers are great value, all that matters is having enough budget to fit them in. Many will not want to go for Alisson, as they will use the three Liverpool slots elsewhere, so it becomes a choice between Ederson or Lloris. If you are someone who wants 2 City defenders or is not too keen on City’s other defensive options, then picking Ederson as a keeper will provide consistent and reliable value.

Wildcard: Kyle Walker (5.0 m)

When the prices came out, I was surprised to see Walker priced at 5.0 m and not 5.5 m like Stones. If we do sign Cucurella, I would not be going near Walker as I think the risk of rotation is just too high. However, if Cucurella stays at Brighton and City’s only fullback options are Cancelo, Walker, and Zinchenko, then Walker will offer exceptional value.

Laporte and Stones:

Laporte and Stones don’t make my list simply because I am not sure of their minutes to start the season. I expect Laporte to be the first choice alongside Dias, and if I had to guess, I would say that he starts at least 6 of the initial 8 games. However, at 6.0 million each, there is no justifiable reason to pick Laporte over Dias to start the season. Unless you really want three City defenders, I would stay away from Laporte early on. Stones will be a good pick if he ever becomes first-choice, however, I don’t see that happening early on and for that reason, he is an easy avoid.

Thank you for reading! Next on the way: Manchester City Mid/Fwd Analysis (GWs 1-8), coming out on July 20!

If you like our content do consider supporting us by contributing to the website. ALLABOUTFPL is run by the community and for the community. All our content is and will always remain free.

Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of the 2022/23 FPL Season

Link to all our 2022/23 Pre Season articles including transfer tracker of all new signings, all team pre-season friendly updates, team previews, fixture analysis, position-wise analysis, and more. Completely free to access as well!

Link to all our FPL Forwards, FPL Midfielders, FPL Defenders, and FPL Goalkeepers series of blogs including the best 4.0 million defenders, and 4.5 Million midfielders.

Link to all Our FPL Team Analysis Series for all 20 PL Teams from our team correspondents

If you’re new to FPL, here is a link to all our FPL Beginners Guide including FPL Beginner’s Guide- How to play?, Bench boost, Team value, Triple captain, Effective ownership, Price Changes, Free Hit, Bonus Points, and more.

All our Best Pre Season Reads:

Team Previews:

FPL GW1 Content:

FPL GW 1 Fixtures & Players to Target | Best Matchups | FPL Paz
Set-Piece & Penalty Takers of All Premier League Clubs
FPL GW1 Scout Picks | FPLDaggaFC & AllAboutFPL
FPL GW1 Preview: Breaking Down FPL Dilemmas for Gameweek 1
FPL GW1 Differential Picks to Consider Ahead of GW 1 Deadline
FPL GW1 Team Reveal and Tips | FPL GOAT
2022/23 Season: Predicted GW1 Lineups of All 20 PL Teams
2022/23 Pre-Season Summary of All 20 Premier League Teams
One FPL Differential Pick From Each Team Ahead of GW1
Best Differential FPL Team for the 2022-2023 Season
Must Own FPL Players For GW1 Of 2022/23 Season

FPL Player in Focus:

FPL Player in Focus: Mason Mount | Perhaps The Best 8M Asset?
FPL Player in Focus: Jack Grealish | Time to Back Grealish in FPL?
Best Value FPL Players to Consider for the 2022/23 FPL Season
Raheem Sterling to Chelsea – The FPL Prospects | 2022/23 Season

Fixture Analysis

FPL Fixture Swing Analysis & Best Player Rotation for 22/23 FPL Season
All Teams FPL Fixture Analysis for The 2022/23 FPL Season | PL Fixtures
FPL Rotational Pairs & Combinations For The 2022/23 FPL Season

Pre-Season Reads:

A Guide to FPL Team Structure | 2022/23 FPL Season
Rotation Free FPL Assets Based on Previous Season Minutes
FPL Player Analysis- Based on Home and Away Data | Fanalytics
What is BPS in FPL? | Which Players Benefit More from BPS?
Talisman Theory – 2021/22 Report | Who Got The Assist(WGTA)
How I landed up my first ever Top 500 finish | Sankalp’s column | FPL Tips
8 Simple & Effective FPL Tips For A Good FPL Overall Rank | FPL Paz

Other Reads:
Best FPL Budget Enablers for the 2022-23 FPL Season | FPL Paz
Exploring the Best Liverpool FPL Triple Up for the 2022/23 Season
FPL Draft with Haaland, Salah, Kane, Jesus, TAA, James
2022/23 FPL Chip Strategy: Guide on What to do with FPL Chips
Best FPL Picks Outside Top 6 Teams To Consider For 2022/23 Season
One Underpriced FPL Asset at Each ‘Big Six’ Club | 22/23 Season
Initial GW1 Drafts for the 2022/23 FPL Season with Pros & Cons
Three time Top 10k finisher FPL GOAT’s Three Best Drafts for GW1
How Will Five Substitutions Per Game Impact 2022/23 FPL Season?
2022/23 FPL Season Launch | New Rules, Prices, Positions, Chips in FPL
List Of Free To Join Prize FPL Mini Leagues | Mini League | 22/23 Season
FPL Players to Target From The Top Six Till GW16 | 22/23 Player Watchlist
Initial Reaction to FPL Player Price Reveals for the 2022/23 FPL Season
FPL Ultimate Pre-season guide for 2022/23 season: Tips, Previews & more
List of Good FPL Team Names for the 2022/23 FPL Season
2022/23 FPL Pre Season: All Clubs Friendlies Fixtures, Updates & Results
2022/23 Premier League Transfer Updates | FPL Impact of New Signings
2022/23 FPL Season: Key Dates, Information, and Timeline
List of Premier League Players Who’ll Not be Going to the 2022 World Cup

Thanks for reading the “22/23 Man City FPL defenders” blog. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for regular blogs. Also, follow our 60000+community on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to stay updated on regular Posts and FPL updates.

What’s next from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL Gameweek 1 of the 2022/23 FPL Season?

We’ll be covering team previews for all 20 teams, FPL team structures, must-own players, player comparisons, differential picks, fixture analysis, captaincy metrics, multiple FPL drafts with pros and cons, chip strategy, rules guide, beginners guide, FPL tips, and more. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for all our blogs and subscribe to our free newsletter through the link below. We’ll also be posting regularly about the same on our social media accounts so follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook keep our notification ON.

Our content is always free and if you like our content do drop a comment, follow, subscribe, and support us. Your love is what keeps us going:)

Bio
Latest Posts

Alex Michel

AllAboutFPL's Manchester City Correspondent Twitter: @4lex_mcfc

Latest posts by Alex Michel (see all)

FPL DGW37 Man City Preview | Player-Wise Analysis & Thoughts - May 18, 2023
How to Approach Man City FPL Assets for FPL GW33-38 - April 24, 2023
UCL Fantasy Tips & Players to Target- Matchday 7 - February 14, 2023

Follow us on

Man City Defenders Analysis & Ratings for 2022/23 FPL Season