Two Fantasy Premier League gameweeks are finished and one of the biggest surprises has been the performances of defenders. Five of the top 10 FPL points scorers are defenders or goalkeepers. The play of the quintet shows the importance of drafting in high-quality defenders to gain significant points. Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso and Manchester City’s Benjamin Mendy currently sit in the FPL’s top four points. The pair is thriving and enjoying the systems deployed by their respective managers.
Chelsea: Marcos Alonso
Marcos Alonso is second in FPL points with 24. The Chelsea full-back tallied 13 in the Blues’ 3-2 win over Arsenal. A goal and an assist helped managers in gameweek 2 as Alonso shone. He had already scored 11 points the week prior against Huddersfield. With a set of winnable matches on the horizon, Chelsea and Alonso should continue to play well.
Alonso performances have been outstanding thanks in part to Chelsea’s new manager Maurizio Sarri. The Italian has favoured a 4-3-3 formation rather than the three-man defence with wingbacks used by Antonio Conte. Although Alonso thrived in Conte’s first year with a season total of 177 points, he took a step backwards last term with 165. While the number wasn’t too far off, it helped show the regression of the Chelsea team.
Now with Sarri at the helm, Alonso and his teammates are enjoying the new manager’s tactics. Chelsea will benefit greatly from their upcoming fixtures and so should FPL managers. Alonso will set back managers just £6.6m.
Manchester City: Benjamin Mendy
FPL’s fourth-leading scorer is Manchester City full-back Benjamin Mendy. The full-back missed a large chunk of last season due to a knee injury. He only tallied 20 points in FPL while playing 360 Premier League minutes.
This season has seen Mendy play just half of last season’s total, yet he has already scored three more points. Four assists, one clean sheet, and four bonus points have been enjoyed by FPL managers who have selected Mendy. Making his performances even sweeter is the £6.2m they spent on the full-back.
Deployed on the left side of Manchester City’s formation, Mendy has been used high up the pitch. The long-legged defender can move quickly and join the attack. His support of the team’s attackers has allowed him to make key passes in both of Manchester City’s matches. Mendy averages 2.5 key passes per game, second-most in Manchester City’s star-studded team.
Guardiola’s team has an easy run of fixtures upcoming. Mendy should rack up more points as Manchester City score for fun.
