The days that City picked players because they were big has long gone. Our selection process is based on footballers who are good players & can control & pass a ball and have a quick thought process too.
This is what's been wrong with British football for far too long. Even at youth level, we tend to go for the larger boys to get a size advantage over the opposition, but in the process we overlook the smaller and sometimes more talented players. As far as I'm aware, when we buy players we don't take out the measuring tape to say 'If you're over 5 11" you're too big for City.... Not unless you know something I don't?
Not directed solely at you, but from the outset, guys have been missing the point. I'm absolutely not opposed to City buying the best players possible for every position, but there comes a time when you need horses for courses, and in the course of the Premier League, as well as in teams all across the top of Europe, there is a need for some size and strength. Not necessarily in your silky, creative players, but elsewhere on the field. I'm absolutely not suggesting that, because of their stature, Silva and Aguero are not world class players who could walk into any team in the world. What I am suggesting is that a team full of players of that stature is in for a difficult time in the Premier League and the CL.
I am very happy to see a few big lads being brought in in Walker and Mendy, and Danilo is not a titch, either. We need those kinds of players, a bit of size, strength and steel, to help both at set plays and to win those 45-55 balls we give up too frequently when we are without the ball.
I completely agree that Pep's teams are designed around possession, control and often the skill to find the tiniest of openings for world class players to operate in and score. We see it time and again with Silva's reverse passes, and even Nasri produced an outside of the right foot ball over the top for Gabriel Jesus against United that might have been the pass of the night. However, we do not control the game, or the ball, for 100% of the time and when fighting for the ball, be it on the ground or in the air, size and strength matter.
I'm not talking about needing a team of cloggers or long ball specialists for the Toshack/Keegan type game of yesteryear, but a need to have a team that is filled out with balance, with graft and finesse, with size and mobility, with skill and determination, with a bit of guile as well as guts. That balance is what we have been missing, both from back to front and especially in the middle of the park. Yaya is a behemoth, yet it is Fernandinho who is the one that normally gets stuck in. Both players need a replacement...or two! Danilo may well be one of them, and KDB played extensively in that position late last season, which I found very interesting.
Again, this is about finding a balance within the onfield XI that allows the magicians to do their thing, while stopping the opposition from doing theirs. That takes more than one kind of player, and, IMHO, more than one size of player. There is nothing that says small players are the most skillful or best players. Ronaldo is over 6', Zidane and Veira were masters of their time, yet all of the, were considerably bigger than the kinds of players we are attracting to our front six positions. I'm simply advocating for City to find a player or two that are technically top class, but also big and strong. Sadly, Pogba would have fit that mold perfectly for us, but that didn't happen. So, where is the next U-21 big, strong, technically proficient midfielder who Pep can turn into a world class DM? And, is there anything wrong with having someone with size upfront as a Plan B, or even Plan A for some games? I think Unal might be that kind of player, but we are going to have to wait for him, if he turns into that player as he matures.
Listen, given the talent at his disposal now, Pep will struggle for any sympathy if things go pear-shaped this season. We will be at about £500M since he got here by kick off at Brighton. From here, his job is to manage the talent and bring through a young player or three this season, so that next season isn't another £300M summer of bending over for Levy or Monaco. There is no reason that the last 20 minutes of at least half our games should not be "reserved" for a younger player, and that the Cup competitions should not be starting at least two of them. This is the future. However, even looking at that future, where is the size? Foden? Sancho? I'll grant you, the young keeper is a fucking giant, but with Ederson and Bravo(?) will he get a look in?
The future is Blue, and I am happy...I'd just like to see us bring through, or find, a six footer with some top technical ability every now and then! There's not many out there, but they are gold dust when you find them!