Negredo, Navas, Fernandinho and now Jovetic. City have been very busy.
All decent players, nothing more.
Balotelli, Tevez...are better
Negredo, Navas, Fernandinho and now Jovetic. City have been very busy.
All decent players, nothing more.
Balotelli, Tevez...are better
The two that left were head cases. Having more talent doesn't necessarily mean you are a better player.
I don't know much about Negredo but the other three will provide City more depth and stability. IMO, they have made some good moves in this years transfer market and have improved from last season. They should provide better challenge to us in the coming season then they did last season.
This is the one signing which I'm worried about, he's a very good player and could be their standout player next season. Very Rooney-esque player (Rooney on a good day). The other signings are not anything to write home about and I reckon they've overpaid for a fair few.
Balotelli I can see the point but Tevez was class for City, regardless of him being a bellend he probably was their best player most the time he played (maybe with the exception of Toure. His off field problems never really affected him on the pitch like it did with Balotelli. I'd imagine if you really gave most realistic City fans a choice of Tevez, a proven premier league striker, or Jovetic or Negredo they'd take Tevez as it's a much safer bet and he really did improve as a player at City.
What I do find interesting about City is that they don't really go for the very top players and whenever they do they seem to lose out. Cavani was heavily linked with them, they bid for Van Persie and Kaka and lost out on all 3 of them. That's not to say they don't have a good team and they've definitely improved it but it seems the top drawer still don't have the desire to play for them.
His performances last season were nothing to write home about. He is an exceptional talent, whose head was never in the right place. I thought he was poor last season. City did well to get rid of wages and get a transfer fee out of his sale.
I don't think City's management is as crazy as the one at PSG. Over the past two seasons, they have looked to control the spending and not go completely overboard.
In fairness a lot of people under performed at City last season, Silva was pretty useless, Toure looked knackered by January, Aguero never seemed to recover from his injury at the start of the season and even the likes of Hart and Kompany dropped the ball a bit. Tevez struggled but I'd say he was one of the only players who tried every week to make something happen. He has always been a frustrating player because off form he is a bit of a headless chicken but at City, last season even when he wasn't at his best, he did seem the 1 player who would always at least look to make things happen.
I think City have some kind of structure in place but again I don't know if it's forced upon them by the fact they just can't attract top names. I'd say they are overpaying for all these players at the moment really. I think the business side away from transfers is good but they will always overpay because everyone knows they have the funds.
All decent players, nothing more.
Balotelli, Tevez...are better
You are right. A few did under perform, and I feel Tevez was part of that club. To me, it never felt like he gave a 100%. He is a, I'll perform when I want to, kind of a player.
These sugar daddy clubs have inflated the market at the top end. Otherwise, no way should Falcao, Cavani or James Rodriguez go at their crazy release clauses. Surely, like everyone, City have been affected by a monster of their own creation.
You underestimate Jovetic. Very complete player.
Toure FernandinhoNavas Jovetic SilvaAgueroNot a bad lineup but I just feel as if there's not a natural position there for David Silva. Perhaps 4-3-3 with Jovetic out on the left but that kills both his game and Silva's. Interesting to see how Pellegrini picks his preferred lineup.
I still feel if we make the transfers we're believed to be targeting, we're still in pole position but with Chelsea and City fighting all the way. With our squad as it stands currently I'd put City and Chelsea as joint favourites (if they get Rooney), so this transfer window is important.
Chelsea still seem overly reliant on Mata for me. You would think, and hope, he doesn't improve on his exceptional one last year. If they buy a quality striker such as Higuain definite title contenders imo. With their current strikers no.
Think it'l be Silva through the middle and Jovetic coming in from the left.
I see Jovetic playing in the middle, Silva might have to watch himself. City will be able to cope with Silva's inevitable drop in form which happens every season. They are building a very strong and solid side. Some are underrating Dzeko he is a 20 goal a season striker, Negredo will be interesting a couple levels below the best but he has had a few prolific years in Spain. I can see him scoring goals as well, he and Navas will have each other to ease their transition.
I agree with Jaffy here, think Jovetic will usurp Silva and become the key playmaker. He's alot more direct and less likely to go missing in my opinion.
I suspect something like this: Fernaninho/Rodwell/Garcia as the holder, Toure/Milner and Silva/Nasri as the attacking midfielders Aguero/Navas, Dzeko/Negredo, Jovetic up frontIf City go 4-3-3 next season where do Silva and Nasri fit in? Genuine question as I imagine the front 3 will be Aguero+Jovetic+Another and the middle 3 you'd expect to be central midfielders.
Silva would have to be on the left then, bad way to use him. I think quality competition is what Silva needs. Seemed complacent last season.
It's interesting the kind of players City have bought. They seem to have quickly ruled themselves out of trying for the top tier, and gone after the better players at second tier clubs with some zeal, and deep pockets - makes sense for them I suppose, though a little surprised at the age profile of Navas and Fernandinho.
The players all look at least decent and they have at least bought in the positions they needed to. Navas and Silva should work well together, and Fernandinho seems to be at least very solid, maybe very good indeed. Not quite so sure about the strikers - Jovetic looks a good player but not one with tons of goals in him. Dzeko, Negredo and Aguero are no mugs I guess.
A little surprised they haven't looked for more squad depth in defence as yet though. They look thin there. There's also a concern over squad togetherness & what will really make them a team.
He might start on the right and Navas comes on if they're struggling to break down a defence. Either way they've got more options tactically than last year and there's not many ego's being signed which is a plus point to be fair. They're signing very stable personalities.
They've bought quality players to address the problem areas in my opinion. Those two are not young up and coming players and have a fair amount of experience to step straight in and do a job.
Aguerro will wbe the main man for me with Jovetic out wide?
I really do think that as of right now they've got the best squad in the league.
I really do think that as of right now they've got the best squad in the league.
In terms of overall talent, City had the best team in the league last season and they still couldn't replicate the consistency of the season before that. Buying a bunch of players doesn't mean shit until you can develop a proper system and they play together so you can find a proper starting 11. At the end of the day, Utd are Champions are I would never underestimate the willingness of the Utd players to go all out and retain their title again. The old saying of "Never underestimate the heart of a champion" holds true here. And always remember that it's always an advantage to be playing AS the champions...it's a mental one-up on the opponents.
In terms of overall talent, City had the best team in the league last season and they still couldn't replicate the consistency of the season before that. Buying a bunch of players doesn't mean shit until you can develop a proper system and they play together so you can find a proper starting 11. At the end of the day, Utd are Champions are I would never underestimate the willingness of the Utd players to go all out and retain their title again. The old saying of "Never underestimate the heart of a champion" holds true here. And always remember that it's always an advantage to be playing AS the champions...it's a mental one-up on the opponents.
He's been my muppet dream since 2009. Shame to see him go to City.
Bit of an underwhelming muppet dream