8 | Mateo Kovačić - 2024/25

[Belgian Flash]

Really good on transition and press-resistant. Lacks the legs. Shouldn’t be a starter long-term but we’ve been better since he’s been back from injury.

This is on the money. Kovacic has always been a very good central midfielder, just not a great one. He is a complementary player in midfield because he is pretty much only a specialist of progressing the ball and playing it out of trouble. This is quite useful at times but not always and on the long term is only a small part of the entire necessary contribution of a midfielder. Kovacic doesn't dictate play, he doesn't think one move ahead like great midfielders like Rodri do. Kovacic is good at reacting but his positional instincts are also average so it leads to dead ends in passing lanes often, which nullifies the benefit from his progressing.

And on defense its the same story tbh. He doesn't shy from getting stuck in, and is a hard worker in general, but some of it is huffing and puffing and wouldn't need to happen if he doesn't make positional errors because hes not a DM. And then once the gap happens (often his fault), as others stated he doesn't have the pace beyond 20 meters or so to get back in time and recover the ball.

Indeed hes an interesting player who was always almost there but never quite make it because he just lacks some extra abilities. That is why he was actually released from Madrid. He was never good enough to compete with Modric or Kroos. But hes never a bad option to have in midfield and depending on the partners he has there he can really add something. Not a building block by any means though.

 

[Txiki Txiki Bang Bang]

@vanchi about to go to war when he sees the last 3 pages here

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

Kovacic is so isolated in our current system, which is set up for the best player in the world.

He does his best, but he needs help.

 

[Goater101]

He’s doing his best. He’s much better further forward

 

[waspish]

Kovacic is so isolated in our current system, which is set up for the best player in the world.

He does his best, but he needs help.

We ain't got anyone else at the moment he is slightly better than Gundo but Kovacic does not see danger he holds the ball for far to long he is slow positionally he is not great!

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

We ain't got anyone else at the moment he is slightly better than Gundo but Kovacic does not see danger he holds the ball for far to long he is slow positionally he is not great!

So play a double pivot or 3 at the back to screen their attackers more.

Hardly any player can play a single pivot. They’re like unicorns.

 

[waspish]

So play a double pivot or 3 at the back to screen their attackers more.

Hardly any player can play a single pivot. They’re like unicorns.

If kovacic didn't get distracted by his roaming just keep it simple as in pas the ball and Stay just in front of our centre backs to see any danger he would do a better job when we out of possession?! What do I know though? Pep must see what he brings and happy with it..

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

If kovacic didn't get distracted by his roaming just keep it simple as in pas the ball and Stay just in front of our centre backs to see any danger he would do a better job when we out of possession?! What do I know though? Pep must see what he brings and happy with it..

He isn’t, just listen to his press conferences!

 

[waspish]

He isn’t, just listen to his press conferences!

Why doesn't he tell him then? Or is it you can't teach an old dog new tricks

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

Why doesn't he tell him then? Or is it you can't teach an old dog new tricks

He’s not good enough to be the single pivot. He’s not naturally a 6.

 

[WallyA]

The problem with comments like "he isnt a 6" are while I agree thats true in our system he isnt quite a 6, is that our system utilizes 8/10s ahead of the 6 like Foden, KdB, and even Bernie to a lesser extent, and he hasnt shown enough attacking qualities there either.

He is at best a backup to both the 6 and 8 role (that Bernie played yesterday), but doesnt excel at either.

His best position would probably as like a box to box in a Inter style 352. But we dont play that.

 

[kaz7]

Kovacic is the only player in this current team that is able to stabilise the team with basically 100% shitty teammates. I’m surprised that some fans keep saying Kova is a squad player or below City’s standard. Which city player is more important than Kovacic in this team? I don’t think a healthy Rodri can do better for the current team than Kova.
Kova is the only player in this team that can make it ticking, make it like a functioning team. It was very visually obvious that He stabilises the system single-handily if one watched all the matches this season with and without him. Without him the backline looked like in shell shock and cannot keep the ball with pressure at all. That is not the performance of a squad player. Squad players cannot stabilise the team or bring on a structure that works with shitty teammates.

Being a fanboy is a bad thing to be , you can support the rest of them sometimes you know and what you said about the best player in the world and our team is laughable

 

[Yue Wollongong]

Being a fanboy is a bad thing to be , you can support the rest of them sometimes you know and what you said about the best player in the world and our team is laughable

You can call me out for being a fanboy. I was defensive toward some of Kova's criticisms that i think was unjustified. meanwhile keeping eyes closed to unjustified criticism and abuses to players doesn’t make one a team supporter or make the forum read more respectfully.

 

[chiswick blue]

Kovacic will continue to be a very important player for city this season but I do hope it’s as an 8 with a 6 joining us in Jan. This would play to his strengths

 

[Jonas.shaffer]

He looked pretty rough out there.

 

[Thaksinssoldier]

People will point to the scoreline when he came off but Christ he was pathetic tonight. Literally every chance they had saw him slowly jogging 4 yards away and not even trying.

Nowhere near our level.

 

[Ajm1985]

He was awful for me. Terrible on the ball, non-existent in providing a shield in front of the defence

 

[EL APACHE TEVEZ]

Went down hill when pep fucked up and took him off

 

[Eric Hitchmough]

Looks a bit overweight to me.

 

[shemnel]

Zero football intelligence, absolutely none. But he ran his bollocks off to be fair.