Our rival's squads next year - Man City
- Thread starter Wumminator
- Start date
I think City are going to have a few games like yesterday and it was their defence that let them down last season, not their attack. You can't outscore every team some will neutralise you and score on the counter.
Kolarov's been excellent this season, as has Fernandinho, while Toure's presence in the side continues to be vital to our team.
I see Kolarov as bit of a flat track bully, okay when things are going well but against the better teams and in difficult situations like yesterday he's found wanting. We need an upgrade in my opinion.
Toure is a conundrum, he brings a lot to the team when we are in possession but is a liability when we don't have the ball. As he ages and his energy levels continue to decline this problem will only get worse.
Agree on Fernandinho. He is excellent but is often being asked to cover too much ground.
When Sam made this post, they scored their last minute winner against Palace and were 8 points ahead of us.
We beat Liverpool, Southampton away and Sunderland. They've lost to WHU and Spuds.
In football, everything can turn around so quick. No one would have had us a point ahead just two weeks later. It's why we can't take our place at the top for granted, need to keep winning/grinding out victories in the next month.
Thought a couple of these were pretty funny, the last one to Kompany is the best. Fair play to whoever sent that one in.
@BobbyManc watched you lots game yesterday, too tensed to watch our own. I've seen a lot of City in the past few weeks and I've noticed that the defensive organization has deteriorated. It was very good at the beginning of the season. What do up you think is to blame?
At the Moment they are the only English Team coming anywhere Close to the world`s top. And they have not even played to their full potential yet. Otherwise they could lead the league by 5-10 Points.
Sad times.
Sad times.
Kompany's absence is certainly the most responsible factor. When he's played we've only conceded one goal, when he hasn't we've yet to keep a clean sheet in 14 attempts. Stats can be misleading but not this one, the defence is so much more organised with a fit and in-form Kompany in there. However, that does not account for last season where Kompany was poor yet the defence was not as bad as it is now. For one Demichelis has been our best defender the previous two seasons in Kompany's absence and struggling with form following injuries. This season Demichelis has been awful to put it mildly. Mangala started really good but struggled to maintain his form alongside Otamendi. Otamendi has had hit and miss games as he settles in but I'm confident he and Kompany will make a good partnership. Then there's the fullbacks. Again, Kolarov and Sagna both started excellently but with Zabaleta and Clichy been out virtually all season they've had no rest and hence now the cup and European games have arrived their form has dipped. So in sum, a combination of misfortune and inadequate individual performances, but I do not feel this is a long-term concern for the club.
We need to seriously upgrade both full back positions next season. All 4 regulars are knocking on and are limited in their play.
Demichelis is in his last season and his legs have patently gone but with Vinny a regular sicknote and the promising Denayer loaned out we have to use him more than we'd like.
Had quite a few DM injuries with Delph and Fernando missing a lot of games and knackering Fernandinho out.
Demichelis is in his last season and his legs have patently gone but with Vinny a regular sicknote and the promising Denayer loaned out we have to use him more than we'd like.
Had quite a few DM injuries with Delph and Fernando missing a lot of games and knackering Fernandinho out.
Congratulations to City on the potential league title win
Here in the real world the only potential Citys defence has is for more feck ups, their team is potentially nowhere near the worlds best
TBH mate, I don't know any Blues who put us on the same level as Barca and Bayern but the omens are good for us to bridge the gap in the foreseeable future which is more than any other English team look like doing anytime soon.
We have actually beaten Bayern 3 times our out of the 6 times we've faced them in CL but that's just a stat. They are a better team than us and no argument about that.
I just think this is the last summer you can reach the elite level before the likes of Aguero / Silva and Kompany succumb to their injury problems and start to regress.
Sort that defense out and get a bit more protection in midfield and there's nothing in it when comparing yourselves to the best of the best
He's done, better off getting rid now.
They've downed tools massively in the league and let a good man (Pellegrini) down in that competition.
Interestingly, if they come 4th this season then their finishes from 2011-2016 will be identical to Arsenal's from 2001-2006.
Found it weird how so many were going on about them having such a great squad apparently. Aguero, when he isn't injured is world class. De Bruyne is an excellent player as well. Silva was, but is old and often ineffective now. Hart is also good. The rest? Shite to average at best. And all old and well on the decline. Can't see Pep wanting to keep any of them apart from Hart and Aguero really. He's got a huge rebuilding job to do as the state of their squad is horrendously unbalanced and aging right now.
Pep has a massive job to do, it's not as cushy as he may have thought.
Like half the team is over 30!
Like half the team is over 30!
Very weird.
Makes sense though, their squad is basically Arsenal from a few years ago + Aguero & Kompany.
I was spouting all summer their team was too old but as soon as they started the season with a bang people thought I was mad. They have about 100+ million worth of absolute shite CBs, a lazy prick in Toure who decides to get a winner when he wants, a decling Silva, a 50million worth of shite in Sterling and a forever injured Aguero and Kompany. De Bruynes very good but the rest of their squad isn't worth mentioning in terms of comparing them to a quality squad that has won this league over the years.
Yeah I got some abuse for saying the same thing last summer. They have top class in Kompany, Toure (when he can be arsed), Silva, De Bruyne and Aguero. The rest is very, very average.
They have 4 points from their last 6 games. If they maintain that form over the next 8 games they'll finish 10th.
I called it at the start of the season when everyone was lauding their attack and saying they would walk the league. i Had many an argument with BobbyManc about this.
All those..
Sterling.........Aguero ........ KDB
.........Silva ...............Toure
unstoppable, Bayern-esque nonsense posts that were rife. City could do no wrong on here until January odd.
Their midfield do not work hard enough and their attack only has one genuine goalscorer. They are still relying on Toure to pull the non Aguero slack and it's killing them.
Good to see people are finally waking up to how weak they actually are.
All those..
Sterling.........Aguero ........ KDB
.........Silva ...............Toure
unstoppable, Bayern-esque nonsense posts that were rife. City could do no wrong on here until January odd.
Their midfield do not work hard enough and their attack only has one genuine goalscorer. They are still relying on Toure to pull the non Aguero slack and it's killing them.
Good to see people are finally waking up to how weak they actually are.
What do they need to replace, all 4 fullbacks, 2-3 cm, 2 cb(maybe give Denayer a shot), 2+ widemen?
De Bruyne was magic, but who knows how he'll recover from having his knee fecked.
De Bruyne was magic, but who knows how he'll recover from having his knee fecked.
Not to mention that in the two seasons they came 2nd, both sides lost to United (03/13) and Chelsea (05/15) respectively, with their best CL outing coming in the 06/16 season.
You can't even say Kompany and Toure are top class though. Kompany has been poor for years now. This season he's been fit for a handful of games so it's way too small a sample to say he is quality again. And when he misses half a season, does it matter if he's good? Same with Toure. He has like 3 good games a season these days, and just walks around every other game. Was the same last season. He's way past it now. Silva is on the decline and has barely done a thing this season. De Bruyne and Aguero are the only 2, and one tore knee ligaments I think, while the other always misses a third of every season basically.
I agree. I meant more from how we were looking at it back in the summer. Everyone was taking it as given that City had this amazing squad but I just couldn't see it, even if you gave them those few names.
It's not even like I can claim to be any good at calling these things. I thought Chelsea would absolutely piss the league again this year.
Yeah, same, it just seemed obvious. So many average and old players, not even considering their best players are crocks. People just saw them spend a ton on De Bruyne and Sterling, as if their midfield and defence was never a problem that needed fixing.
I think almost everyone decided that they would win the title after their summer and first 5 games of the season. Funny how things work out, because they've been somewhere between meh to poor after that and are fighting to finish top four, behind Leicester, Spurs and Arsenal.
As per f365
Raheen Sterling..
While the injury is evidently not Sterling’s fault, his recent slump in form reminds you just how young he is. He has not created a chance in his last four league appearances, and has created more than two in a game on one occasion since October.
Raheen Sterling..
While the injury is evidently not Sterling’s fault, his recent slump in form reminds you just how young he is. He has not created a chance in his last four league appearances, and has created more than two in a game on one occasion since October.
It was kind of funny seeing their team after sterling went off.
It was more or less the same team we were playing against 5 or so years ago.
Aguerro, Silva, Toure and Hart with a bunch of journeymen. Even before aguerro, tevez was a simlar player
And after all these years its hard to think of a single good defensive signing other than Kompany.
De Bruyne and Sterling are a good start on the rebuild i guess though. Ihenachoo looks promising too (sorry, gave up trying to get his name right half way through)
They'll need a busy enough summer i'd say
It was more or less the same team we were playing against 5 or so years ago.
Aguerro, Silva, Toure and Hart with a bunch of journeymen. Even before aguerro, tevez was a simlar player
And after all these years its hard to think of a single good defensive signing other than Kompany.
De Bruyne and Sterling are a good start on the rebuild i guess though. Ihenachoo looks promising too (sorry, gave up trying to get his name right half way through)
They'll need a busy enough summer i'd say
That's an amazing set of coincidences
Nicely spottedA billion pound squad vs a quarter billion pound squad...fighting for 4th. And will probably get usurped by a tupenny team. Lots of teams with a lot of rebuilding needed and out of them City are probably in the worst condition right now.
The only players they can really count on (Aguero, Kompany and KDB) are probably some of the most injury prone in their history. What a mess.
The only players they can really count on (Aguero, Kompany and KDB) are probably some of the most injury prone in their history. What a mess.
I don't think they will finish Top4 now, they are just awful. I don't know why Pellegrini has such an easy ride in the media in comparison to van Gaal, it's an awful season for them and even if we ignore the years before they outspend us this summer too. They still have a lot of away games and still playing Chelsea and Arsenal, which I expect them to lose with their "big games" record. Paris will probably smash them too, I hope we can take the chance, but right now it looks likely that West Ham will get 4th.
They haven't won back to back games since October and have collected less points than us in that time. We didn't win in the league form end of November to mid January. They have been garbage for a long time and can thank LVG for taking the spotlight from them.
The big mistake I feel Pellegrini has made this season is in not giving their youngsters a chance. For all the talk of their spending, City have some really good prospects on the fringes of the first team - Iheanacho has looked really good this season and there is no doubt to me that he could have had a similar impact to Martial if he was given the chance. Jason Denayer looked like he was going to be in the first team squad as a CB this season but got farmed out to Turkey on loan instead. Then there are the likes of Man Utd Garcia who simply dont get given a chance because Pellegrini sticks with donkeys like Demichelis and and Bony.
The cynical argument of course is that he doesnt care about bedding in youngsters since he will be leaving in the summer. This is fair enough, but still, I suspect he would have gathered a lot more goodwill this season had he at least been able to promote some youngsters into the first team and integrate them in preparation for Pep.
The cynical argument of course is that he doesnt care about bedding in youngsters since he will be leaving in the summer. This is fair enough, but still, I suspect he would have gathered a lot more goodwill this season had he at least been able to promote some youngsters into the first team and integrate them in preparation for Pep.