It may not be the most authoritative sample to glean an indication of Sergio Aguero’s current form, but the fact the Argentine was one of the most transferred out players in Fantasy Football this week, hints that something is not quite right with the Manchester City striker.
While it’s important to remember that the internet perpetually peddles out reactionary statements which are often premature and negligible, there is some logic in thinking Pep Guardiola may actually follow in the footsteps of 60,000 fantasy managers and jettison the 28-year-old. And perhaps not just from the starting XI.
Indeed, under the Catalan’s regime, Aguero appears to have become the problem when for so long his goal-scoring exploits have been the solution for City. It’s been a bumpy ride for him under Guardiola because the City boss is resolute in his desire to get a lot more out of him defensively.
Since the start of the campaign, Guardiola has talked about Aguero’s need to contribute more in the build-up play and likewise in reverse.
Agonising over Aguero? 😬
— FPL (@OfficialFPL) October 26, 2016
Over 40,000 have transferred him out but the The Scout says keep the faith: https://t.co/hAWEOH8Evo pic.twitter.com/4dxXSi2ABs
“It’s not enough to receive the ball from his team-mates, he has to help us in the first pressure and run a lot and help us a lot with movement,” Guardiola said of Aguero after the win over Stoke.
At the moment, it seems the former Barcelona boss considers the front man as a bit of a luxury. If you take the 4-0 Champions League defeat at the Nou Camp as an example – a game which Aguero was surprisingly dropped for – Kevin De Bruyne, Nolito and Raheem Sterling incessantly pressed the ball in a packed midfield.
Now, that’s not all that surprising given a prerequisite of any Guardiola side is that his players work hard off the ball. But before the red card for Claudio Bravo, the decision to drop Aguero looked like the right one because the tactic was effective and the Argentinian would not have pressed nearly as well.
For a manager focused on what players can do to make the team greater than the sum of its parts, is that decision not to pick Aguero an indication that his untouchable status has slipped? Without a goal in his last six games, his barren spell has coincided with City failing to get a win in the same period.
Of course, that’s no coincidence because when Aguero scores, City win and his importance to them is therefore obvious. With 11 goals in 11 games it would also seem remarkably bold, even for Guardiola, to begin phasing him out, especially so early in the season.
And we’ve been here before with Aguero. Fantasy managers will no doubt remember the painful lesson of last season when many dropped him after he went five Premier League games without a goal only to then smash five past Newcastle.
Pep on Aguero: "I want him to stay and play with us. He’s a special player." pic.twitter.com/q7bXtHtDX5
— City Watch (@City_Watch) October 25, 2016
But it’s hard to ignore the fact that he barely influenced the game against Tottenham, struggled from the bench against Everton and Barcelona – missing a penalty in the league clash, his third from the spot for City this season – and was then uncharacteristically quiet when Southampton visited the Etihad.
Guardiola wants more from Aguero and is not afraid to make difficult decisions regarding individuals for the good of the collective.
He’s shown in the past he has no issue moving on established stars if he feels they don’t warrant a place with Ronaldinho, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Yaya Toure all phased out of his Barcelona teams.
It seems unlikely Aguero will fall to a similar fate but he evidently needs to improve as he must surely be aware Guardiola is ruthless, even more so than the bosses who operate in the world of fantasy.
