Harry Kane

Marvin said:
Maybe. It's a system that's grown on me though. To be able to score goals and have an extra man in midfield means you control every game.

If Pep feels he can get such a system to work again, then I would be very tempted to put our £100m transfer arsenal towards a player who fits that system.

If we drop a midfielder we will lose some defensive solidity and control.

Of course I wont complain if City sign Kane, or Haaland but if you ask me at this moment what type of player I hope City bring in then I would reply one that complements our current set-up.
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What dont you guys get harry kane
Was top of assists charts the reason being he drops deep like a false 9 he will be a perfect fit for this city team its going to be great to see.
 
Marvin said:
Jesus plays 1 games in 2. I feel he's always under pressure. Look what pressure and uncertainty has done to Sterling's game now that Foden tends to play on the left. KDB, Foden, Mahrez, Grealish, Bernardo would give you a squad that can rotate and play class players every week in a false 9 system that would guarantee 80% possession. Any team that chose to defend their penalty area in response would eventually inevitably concede.

I like this system a lot even if I think that it probably started as a pragmatic response to injury.
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The system has served us incredibly but next season will be different.

The return of supporters will make a huge difference, playing in empty stadiums must have had a serious effect on some players, those players that feed off the supporters passion.

Sterling is a class act but just looks burnt out, I would be more than happy if he pulled out of the Euro's, he needs a complete break from the game.
 
BillyShears said:
Eggzactly. People are mistaking Pep's genius in winning the title this season as something that can just be repeated without improvement. That's wrong. We were massively limited in our options this season. People forget how toothless we looked in the early parts of it. Pep is desperate for a number 9, the club are desperate for a number 9, they've made this abundantly clear. It will add not just goals, but a whole other dimension to our play.
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it just gives us options? we can swap to the false nine if required for certain games, christ even in games as Kane can drop deeper as well and someone else goes up top? We need a big traditional number 9 and Kane is brilliant with his feet, head and link up play! Kev will have a field day with him.
 
Marvin said:
Maybe. It's a system that's grown on me though. To be able to score goals and have an extra man in midfield means you control every game.

If Pep feels he can get such a system to work again, then I would be very tempted to put our £100m transfer arsenal towards a player who fits that system.

If we drop a midfielder we will lose some defensive solidity and control.

Of course I wont complain if City sign Kane, or Haaland but if you ask me at this moment what type of player I hope City bring in then I would reply one that complements our current set-up.
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Do you not think Kane would complement our system? Do players come with labels?
As far as I can see Kane has played a fair bit this season from a deeper position often providing ammunition for Son running on from deep.
I think he could do a great job as a 'false 9 ' with added finishing ability over those we currently use.
My source of concern is his ankles rather than his disrupting our system.
 
Marvin said:
Maybe. It's a system that's grown on me though. To be able to score goals and have an extra man in midfield means you control every game.

If Pep feels he can get such a system to work again, then I would be very tempted to put our £100m transfer arsenal towards a player who fits that system.

If we drop a midfielder we will lose some defensive solidity and control.

Of course I wont complain if City sign Kane, or Haaland but if you ask me at this moment what type of player I hope City bring in then I would reply one that complements our current set-up.
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That system also makes it easier to rotate players on the pitch, so there’s greater fluidity and movement, which in turn confuses defenders and inevitably creates more space; almost every opposing manager has bemoaned ‘their movement’ in the post mortem. Playing a traditional centre forward makes the pitch longer and reduces that movement.
 
Marvin said:
Except Aguero is no longer essential to Pep's City.

Is Pep's adoption of a false 9 temporary or a model he would like to improve?

If you can score goals without a central striker then that's huge. It makes you almost invincible. If I were City I'd be looking at buying players like Grealish or a Saint-Maximin because I like the false 9 system.

I don't think there are any reliable indicators as to City's intentions.
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I think the adoption of a false 9 is temporary and is an answer to circumstance rather than anything else and I don't think Pep would claim that it has been an unqualified success. Sergio has not been fit for much of the season and Jesus is not a genuine box number 9. The midfielders did step up admirably but it remains true that the 83 PL goals we scored to win the title is considerably down on our totals in our other title winning seasons and only twice have we scored fewer goals since our first title in 2012. It has been defensive improvement which has seen us through this season and Pep s on record as saying he would love having someone in his squad who could score 50 (!) goals a season.
 
Don’t know if this plays into it but Tottenham need money as they want Bale, Madrid want a deal done quickly
 
This season (due to Maureens negativity) has given everyone a glimpse into the future role of Harry Kane, maybe well into his thirties, injuries aside we could get 6/7 very good years. I’m sure Pep will have his own ideas on how to operate with him, Our forward line needs a leader, somebody ruthless & clinical, Sterling Jesus & more importantly Torres & Delap will all learn bucket loads out of Kane, We’re on top domestically & maybe even Europe too, now is the time to improve, not next year entering into the Haaland lottery
 
Kane is great player...., but his recent injury record isn’t good. Plus we won’t pay £100 million. Unless we offer eg Sterling plus £30 million ....or Mendy plus £60 million.
 
Do some fans genuinely think Pep has played the false 9 because that's his plan for the team? No chance. It works perfectly in certain games and one of the main reasons we're in a Champions League final but it relies on other players getting silly goal numbers for it to work.

I'd prefer to rely on one proven, unbelievable striker (Kane) to get us goals than a load of other players to push the bar up. They'll contribute still but the reliance won't be there.

Gundo's numbers are an anomaly but that's what pushed us to the top of the league at the beginning of the year. He won't have another season like that.
 
skillman said:
Do some fans genuinely think Pep has played the false 9 because that's his plan for the team? No chance. It works perfectly in certain games and one of the main reasons we're in a Champions League final but it relies on other players getting silly goal numbers for it to work.

I'd prefer to rely on one proven, unbelievable striker (Kane) to get us goals than a load of other players to push the bar up. They'll contribute still but the reliance won't be there.

Gundo's numbers are an anomaly but that's what pushed us to the top of the league at the beginning of the year. He won't have another season like that.
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It's never been possible at City until this season. The only midfield scorers I can remember at City in modern times were Yaya and KDB.

David Silva got a handful but he was more of a creator / controller of play than a reliable goalscorer. Then suddenly Foden came along and he has 9 league goals despite limited starts. And Gundogan has added goals. Now the false 9 is the system we all expect City to play in big games.

I would like to see City go the total football route. We can do it. I don't see FOden, KDB, Mahrez, Bernardo etc not scoring. One of them will click, and it gives us total control of games. If we can score playing with this system, then it makes us very difficult to play against.

I think it started out as a response to injury but Pep kept using it because it worked.

I am not sure which way City go now, and that obviously informs the transfers.
 
Marvin said:
It's never been possible at City until this season. The only midfield scorers I can remember at City in modern times were Yaya and KDB.

David Silva got a handful but he was more of a creator / controller of play than a reliable goalscorer. Then suddenly Foden came along and he has 9 league goals despite limited starts. And Gundogan has added goals. Now the false 9 is the system we all expect City to play in big games.

I would like to see City go the total football route. We can do it. I don't see FOden, KDB, Mahrez, Bernardo etc not scoring. One of them will click, and it gives us total control of games. If we can score playing with this system, then it makes us very difficult to play against.

I think it started out as a response to injury but Pep kept using it because it worked.

I am not sure which way City go now, and that obviously informs the transfers.
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Like you said, Pep was forced into it and luckily it's worked. The thing is, though, if Jesus (who's been left out mostly despite being fit) was a striker who was guaranteed goals rather than what he actually is then we'd have sacked the false 9 tactic off as soon as he was back available. In my opinion anyway.

The good thing with Kane is that he's proven this season that he's not purely a goalscorer and is a creator too which means the other contributors - KDB, Foden, Mahrez, Sterling - will get chances too. We attack in numbers no matter what but having an elite striker up there will only help even more.

I'd love Kane purely so we can get somebody on the end of crosses when we get into the 'let's just fling it into the box for 85 minutes because we're out of ideas' stage that we see often enough. I remember reading an article saying we do that purely so we can pick up scraps and second balls (Walker at home against Southampton in 2019/20 rings a bell) but with Kane, it's likely the odd chance of a second ball is needed.
 
skillman said:
Like you said, Pep was forced into it and luckily it's worked. The thing is, though, if Jesus (who's been left out mostly despite being fit) was a striker who was guaranteed goals rather than what he actually is then we'd have sacked the false 9 tactic off as soon as he was back available. In my opinion anyway.

The good thing with Kane is that he's proven this season that he's not purely a goalscorer and is a creator too which means the other contributors - KDB, Foden, Mahrez, Sterling - will get chances too. We attack in numbers no matter what but having an elite striker up there will only help even more.

I'd love Kane purely so we can get somebody on the end of crosses when we get into the 'let's just fling it into the box for 85 minutes because we're out of ideas' stage that we see often enough. I remember reading an article saying we do that purely so we can pick up scraps and second balls (Walker at home against Southampton in 2019/20 rings a bell) but with Kane, it's likely the odd chance of a second ball is needed.
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I’m very hopeful Torres will do well as a Striker. He has a natural ability to find space in the box and convert. We need a main Striker like Kane or Halland with Torres as backup.
I’m quite hopeful Torres will come good next season
 
Keeper! said:
The system has served us incredibly but next season will be different.

The return of supporters will make a huge difference, playing in empty stadiums must have had a serious effect on some players, those players that feed off the supporters passion.

Sterling is a class act but just looks burnt out, I would be more than happy if he pulled out of the Euro's, he needs a complete break from the game.
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I agree with you about Raheem.
He’s only going to be a scapegoat at the Euros along with our other players.
 
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