Our Rivals' squads next year - Manchester City (2016/2017)

How will we deal with the threat of Citeh next season when they inevitably sign Messi?
 
City's defence needs a complete revamp. Their fullbacks are all old and past it. Stones is an accident waiting to happen every game and Kompany is always injured. I cannot see anyone other than Otamendi keeping his spot.
 
Alex Styles said:
How will we deal with the threat of Citeh next season when they inevitably sign Messi?
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I don't think Messi would countenance playing for a small club, even for the reported £800k a week. It would be seen as ok going back to Argentina. It would look quite sad ending a glittering career by going to play in a half empty stadium, surrounded by mercenaries.
 
namco said:
I don't think Messi would countenance playing for a small club, even for the reported £800k a week. It would be seen as ok going back to Argentina. It would look quite sad ending a glittering career by going to play in a half empty stadium, surrounded by mercenaries.
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At last we agree on something - I can't see him signing for United either.
 
Some what glad our fixture with them isn't occurring next week when it was planned, they seem tonne hitting form just at the moment
 
Finding some decent form now but we really need to win away at Sunderland and home to Stoke before the triple header, if we can win both those and take 7 or even 5 points from the following games I think we'll be top 4 comfortably. Its hugely important we beat Liverpool at our place and don't lose to Arsenal.

If Chelsea do slip up again and we can get within 6 points of them before SB, I think we could put pressure on them though I still don't think we've reached the level where we can win at Stamford Bridge but they might bottle it if we scored early there.

Also well done Willy, we've been much better since you've got in and were much better early season with you as well.

The gk issue being fixed and playing two actual wideplayers out wide has seen us get our act together. Good to see Aguero find the net again even if the dubious goals panel shafted him, might give him back a bit of confidence.
 
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Adisa said:
Aguero's form could bite them in the arse.
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He looks completely lost of confidence, I think he really, really needs a goal against Monaco or at Sunderland. He's almost afraid when he gets in. If he doesn't get a couple before the Liverpool game we could well be in big trouble at the Emirates and Stamford Bridge.
 
padr81 said:
He looks completely lost of confidence, I think he really, really needs a goal against Monaco or at Sunderland. He's almost afraid when he gets in. If he doesn't get a couple before the Liverpool game we could well be in big trouble at the Emirates and Stamford Bridge.
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Wasn't so much an issue while Jesus was still around. With games coming thick and fast, it's imperative he finds his shooting boots. Hopefully he continues his dreadful form.
 
Adisa said:
Wasn't so much an issue while Jesus was still around. With games coming thick and fast, it's imperative he finds his shooting boots. Hopefully he continues his dreadful form.
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Big time as Nacho looks like he's not near ready despite his impressive goal tally, this season he looks like he has an atrocious first touch and his movement is weirdly a yard off. We're 100% relying on Kun which in fairness we have been since Dzeko. The interesting thing is even on his bad runs before Serg never looked this lost for confidence and we always had someone else to dig us out when he did. In the season we pipped you on goal difference Tevez carried us during Kuns bad phases, in the "this does not slip" season, Dzeko jumped in when Serg dropped off (he scored bucketloads in the run in).

Weirdly we've went from striking options of Aguero, Dzeko, Tevez and Balotelli (who at least scored for us when he could get his shirt on.) under our most defensive manager to just Aguero with Nacho for cover, with flops in between in Bony, Negredo (who admittedly was good for half a season) under more attacking coaches Pep and Pellers. We've been a little unlucky with injuries this season Jesus, Gundo (who chips in with a few) and Sane for parts but one of the biggest issues has been the recruitment of the Spafia since Mancini left, in both central attack and defence.

Savic was let go at CB, as was Boateng (well he forced his way out, unhappy he wasn't playing). One is now a regular for Simone, one for Bayern while we have Otamendi and Stones who are far worse than both at actual defending.

We've still got a good squad but its based around 3-4 undroppable players now as opposed to Mancini's which had actual squad depth. No doubt we've regressed.
Comparing stating XI's

GK - peak Hart vs Bravo
RB - peak Zabaleta & Richards vs what we have now.
CB - peak Kompany, Kolo, Lescott and Savic vs Otamendi, Stones, injured Komps and a random full back.
LB - Bridge, younger Kolarov & Clichy vs older Clichy and Kolarov.
DM - De Jong, Hargreaves vs Fernandinho and Fernando
CM/AM - Peak Yaya, Silva, Barry vs Silva, KDB, Delph
Wings - Johnson, Milner, Nasri vs Sane, Sterling, Navas, Nolito (the only position we genuinely are better and have more depth atm)
FC - Aguero, Tevez, Dzeko, Balotelli vs Aguero, Iheanacho.

Granted adding Gundo and Jesus back in even things up a bit but on the whole that 2011-12 squad was much more balanced albeit not near as easy on the eye. the only position we're stronger now is attacking mids and the wings.
 
@padr81 its not weird at all. Defensive minded coaches build around the defence but normally to win you need to score goals. Thats why they always bring some world class strikers who can finish clinically. So if their team create only few chances during the game they will transfer them into goals. On the other hand proactive coaches make the whole team (incl. defenders) to attack as a whole and their teams are not so dependent on the quality and number of strikers.
 
PepG said:
@padr81 its not weird at all. Defensive minded coaches build around the defence but normally to winn you need to score goals. Thats why they always bring some world class strikers who can finish clinically. So if their team create only few chances during the game they will be goals. On the othet hand proactive coaches make the whole team incl defenders to attack as a whole and their teams are not so dependent on the quality and number of strikers.
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That's probably why City are so shite in front of goal then eh? If they ain't gonna bother defending then they sure as hell need to finish their chances.
 
PepG said:
@padr81 its not weird at all. Defensive minded coaches build around the defence but normally to winn you need to score goals. Thats why they always bring some world class strikers who can finish clinically. So if their team create only few chances during the game they will be goals. On the othet hand proactive coaches make the whole team incl defenders to attack as a whole and their teams are not so dependent on the quality and number of strikers.
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In fairness Pep has been working to correct that with Jesus, and our squad is stronger than when we beat Liverpool to the title atm but I think its plain to see Mancini's squad was the strongest and most balanced we've ever had.
 
Ban said:
Lack of effort or generally bad?
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Probably did enough to win but poorish. A midfield and attack of Navas, Fernando, nolito, Delph and Fernandinho offered aguero very little and he bottled what they did. Poor team selection with pep totally underestimating Huddersfield.
 
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