Andrea Cambiaso

[Dribble]

Pep and top football clubs will need bigger squads with a Club World Cup, extended Champions League, increased World Cup etc. if you are an international football player then it’s basically a 12 month programme.

No doubt, but we'll need a bigger squad with better than Nunes. We need players who can actually challenge the best in their position. That's never been Matheus Nunes. We're playing him anywhere & everywhere apart from where we bought him for.

He's merely a squad filler. The guy we rely on now because we've no other choices. Every position he's played, City have either strengthened already, or intend to do so this window or next. What does that say about Nunes?

City need new recruits. We've been linked with Musiala, Wirtz, Tchouameni etc... How can anyone consider Matheus Nunes in the same thought process as players of this ilk?

 

[Mancityphilfo2000]

Seen a few juventus fans calling cambiasso out they now want him sold city preparing g a bid as we speak!:))

 

[eyalluvitt]

anyway I hope this one gets done. Actual fullbacks in pep’s system is an exciting thought.

Me, after Cambiaso’s first bad game

 

[TonyM]

Mate, Pep would rather play 3 players with a combined age of 97, than play Nunes in his supposed specialist position. Even worse, we're chronically short of players & Matheus is literally a squad filler. LB, RB, LW, RW... Anywhere but central midfield it seems.

Our squad planning has been atrocious hence why we've had to rely so heavily on 34 year old Gundog, 30 year old Kovacic & prime 26 year old Nunes.

If we're being honest & we think about our recent history of central midfielders, neither should be anywhere near our squad. If Pep likes small squads, we can't afford to be carrying expensive passengers.

If we did win on Wednesday & had to face Real in the CL knockout stages, can you just imagine the carnage of Vini Jnr & Kylian Mbappé up against Matheus Nunes? Exactly!

I still don't think Nunes is that bad. OK he's not a seasoned rb but even a seasoned rb would have a tough challenge against a good team.

Pep and all the management and players together have been terrible as evidenced against PSG. Nunes is far from the problem.

Whatever the fault I'm hopeful that we'll get better by end of season. It'd be awesome to finish 4th at this stage.

 

[Dizbuster]

I still don't think Nunes is that bad. OK he's not a seasoned rb but even a seasoned rb would have a tough challenge against a good team.

Pep and all the management and players together have been terrible as evidenced against PSG. Nunes is far from the problem.

Whatever the fault I'm hopeful that we'll get better by end of season. It'd be awesome to finish 4th at this stage.

He's been better than most of our regular starters this season.

 

[alexmcity]

No doubt, but we'll need a bigger squad with better than Nunes. We need players who can actually challenge the best in their position. That's never been Matheus Nunes. We're playing him anywhere & everywhere apart from where we bought him for.

He's merely a squad filler. The guy we rely on now because we've no other choices. Every position he's played, City have either strengthened already, or intend to do so this window or next. What does that say about Nunes?

City need new recruits. We've been linked with Musiala, Wirtz, Tchouameni etc... How can anyone consider Matheus Nunes in the same thought process as players of this ilk?

You keep conflating star players and squad players. Even the smallest squad can't have only outstanding players. When we won 100 and 98 pts we needed the likes of Delph, Zinch, Otamendi (who wasn't great 17/18 aside), Danilo, Jesus, etc. to do it. The myth that we had two world class players fighting for every position was nourished by our rivals to explain our success by money and take away from Pep's and club's achievements.

Even after his 2nd season, in which Rodri helped us win the league, he was underestimated by many fans, especially after the CL final in Porto where Pep benched him. It was seen as a proof that he wasn't good enough and we needed a better player to succeed Ferna. 3 years later he won Ballon d'Or. No City fan was expecting it back then.

Nunes is in the middle of his 2nd season. He ain't Rodri, but he is way better than many on here give him credit for. Let's see how he performs this season. The ability is there. For starters, he has assisted more Haaland goals this season than any of the star players while filling gaps from LW to RB.

 

[Keeper!]

I still don't think Nunes is that bad. OK he's not a seasoned rb but even a seasoned rb would have a tough challenge against a good team.

Pep and all the management and players together have been terrible as evidenced against PSG. Nunes is far from the problem.

Whatever the fault I'm hopeful that we'll get better by end of season. It'd be awesome to finish 4th at this stage.

Nunes has done superbly, played many positions, gets on with it and gives his all.

Is he good enough? Maybe not, but total respect for his efforts and his desire to succeed at our club.

Even next season a great player to have in the squad.

 

[supercity88]

You keep conflating star players and squad players. Even the smallest squad can't have only outstanding players. When we won 100 and 98 pts we needed the likes of Delph, Zinch, Otamendi (who wasn't great 17/18 aside), Danilo, Jesus, etc. to do it. The myth that we had two world class players fighting for every position was nourished by our rivals to explain our success by money and take away from Pep's and club's achievements.

Even after his 2nd season, in which Rodri helped us win the league, he was underestimated by many fans, especially after the CL final in Porto where Pep benched him. It was seen as a proof that he wasn't good enough and we needed a better player to succeed Ferna. 3 years later he won Ballon d'Or. No City fan was expecting it back then.

Nunes is in the middle of his 2nd season. He ain't Rodri, but he is way better than many on here give him credit for. Let's see how he performs this season. The ability is there. For starters, he has assisted more Haaland goals this season than any of the star players while filling gaps from LW to RB.

The critical thing for me, is he could have thrown his toys out of the pram or looked to leave but he's stayed and fought for a place in the team. He could have been pissed off having to play RB when he would prefer to be in the middle or further forwards yet he's knuckled down and tried his best to do a job for us. It's not easy coming into a full back role, especially when the midfield is lacking energy and there's a general nervousness and lack of confidence at the back.

Any player who is willing to play out of position for the club deserves a huge amount of credit and whilst there are defensive lapses, which you'd expect when it's not his natural position, he's getting better and some of his driving runs from full back are really helping create space for others. Plenty of room for improvement and we most certainly could do with a RB but we should appreciate the fact he's doing what Pep's asking of him and you can be sure the rest of the squad appreciate it.

 

[Dax777]

Nunes has done superbly, played many positions, gets on with it and gives his all.

Is he good enough? Maybe not, but total respect for his efforts and his desire to succeed at our club.

Even next season a great player to have in the squad.

For me, at this point he is looking like the present starting Right back and potential future one.

 

[Keeper!]

For me, at this point he is looking like the present starting Right back and potential future one.

100% he does, why would Pep replace Gvaridol unless he has another position in mind, he already said he's too good a footballer to be an out and out defender (CB)

 

[CC1]

The critical thing for me, is he could have thrown his toys out of the pram or looked to leave but he's stayed and fought for a place in the team. He could have been pissed off having to play RB when he would prefer to be in the middle or further forwards yet he's knuckled down and tried his best to do a job for us. It's not easy coming into a full back role, especially when the midfield is lacking energy and there's a general nervousness and lack of confidence at the back.

Any player who is willing to play out of position for the club deserves a huge amount of credit and whilst there are defensive lapses, which you'd expect when it's not his natural position, he's getting better and some of his driving runs from full back are really helping create space for others. Plenty of room for improvement and we most certainly could do with a RB but we should appreciate the fact he's doing what Pep's asking of him and you can be sure the rest of the squad appreciate it.

He’s been the fall guy for some uninformed fans. His efforts should be appreciated. He clearly cares

 

[Shazza458]

“Coming days”

 

[yeah whatever !!]

100% he does, why would Pep replace Gvaridol unless he has another position in mind, he already said he's too good a footballer to be an out and out defender (CB)

Gvardiol should be attacking midfielder.

 

[wolviedinho]

The critical thing for me, is he could have thrown his toys out of the pram or looked to leave but he's stayed and fought for a place in the team. He could have been pissed off having to play RB when he would prefer to be in the middle or further forwards yet he's knuckled down and tried his best to do a job for us. It's not easy coming into a full back role, especially when the midfield is lacking energy and there's a general nervousness and lack of confidence at the back.

Any player who is willing to play out of position for the club deserves a huge amount of credit and whilst there are defensive lapses, which you'd expect when it's not his natural position, he's getting better and some of his driving runs from full back are really helping create space for others. Plenty of room for improvement and we most certainly could do with a RB but we should appreciate the fact he's doing what Pep's asking of him and you can be sure the rest of the squad appreciate it.

I like nunes more now because of what you have layed out. The squad really do try to help each other. That’s the real secret to our success. We build an environment that is both competitive but also humble.

I hope he keeps that role for the foreseeable. It will be up to someone better to dislodge him.

What we gonna do with Rico tho?

 

[TonyColemansbagofapples]

Give him that break he has needed for months

 

[rossmoss]

It's funny that we have heard "City will send their first bid in the next 48 hours" every day for the last 2 weeks.

 

[eastlandsblue]

Sorry I disagree. Pep's stated many times he prefers a small squad to work with, so by that measure we can't afford to be carrying passengers. Don't get me wrong, Nunes is a good player, he's just not one up to the small elite squad standard of Manchester City.

Nunes is in his prime, & Kovacic is entering the final 2 years of his physical prime. Neither are anywhere near prime Yaya, Fernandinho, Silva, KDB, Gundog, Bernardo or Foden. That's the level City have been at during our recent history, which has brought us unprecedented success.

I'm sorry, but on what planet can Matheus Nunes & Mateo Kovacic be mentioned in the same breath as these City legends?

IMHO, we lowered the quality of our squad's gene pool by buying those two & Philips, which has led to our big ambition this season being a top 4 finish. It wasn't meant to be like this. We've seen where this level of player acquisition has left ManUre, & it's not a route I ever want to see City go down.

As for Delph & Zinchenko, both were gladly sold by City & it seems their careers fizzled away. If we were to sell Matheus, I doubt we'd get half what we paid for him. But that's a loss I'd swallow if it meant is getting in players who could challenge for a start every game, & step in seemlessly to rotate with a Rodri, KDB or Haaland.

And before anyone says anything, I don't subscribe to the notion of top players not wanting to come to City for fear of not getting game time. Top players bavk themselves & Rodri spent 12 months begging for a break. His pleas weren't taken seriously enough, & now look what's happened to us...

Nunes has 10 ass in 20+ games this season and thi means Jack shit

 

[supercity88]

I like nunes more now because of what you have layed out. The squad really do try to help each other. That’s the real secret to our success. We build an environment that is both competitive but also humble.

I hope he keeps that role for the foreseeable. It will be up to someone better to dislodge him.

What we gonna do with Rico tho?

Rico's a 20 year old lad with 5 England caps and almost 80 appearances for City. That's a brilliant start to his career and quite an emergence. He came in and mixed things up when senior players weren't performing. He's another who is happy to play wherever Pep wants him to and will do his best. But he's been played too often and with the other issues we've had he's struggled to perform. He needs the rest and to come in as and when we need him but into a better situation. He's had way too much criticism considering his age. He's a City fan who's doing his best and who has plenty of time to develop and deserves our patience. He's already made more appearances this season than he did last season. I would have thought Pep would have wanted him to step up but not to have to rely on him the way he did.

 

[richards30]

It's funny that we have heard "City will send their first bid in the next 48 hours" every day for the last 2 weeks.

I personally think the price etc is agreed and Juve are just finishing their shopping first

 

[Dribble]

You keep conflating star players and squad players. Even the smallest squad can't have only outstanding players. When we won 100 and 98 pts we needed the likes of Delph, Zinch, Otamendi (who wasn't great 17/18 aside), Danilo, Jesus, etc. to do it. The myth that we had two world class players fighting for every position was nourished by our rivals to explain our success by money and take away from Pep's and club's achievements.

Even after his 2nd season, in which Rodri helped us win the league, he was underestimated by many fans, especially after the CL final in Porto where Pep benched him. It was seen as a proof that he wasn't good enough and we needed a better player to succeed Ferna. 3 years later he won Ballon d'Or. No City fan was expecting it back then.

Nunes is in the middle of his 2nd season. He ain't Rodri, but he is way better than many on here give him credit for. Let's see how he performs this season. The ability is there. For starters, he has assisted more Haaland goals this season than any of the star players while filling gaps from LW to RB.

First I'll get the CL Final out the way. Pep's admitted he over-thought it & had a brain-fart by having a starting line-up that didn't feature Fernandinho or Rodri for the first time that season. This in no way reflected on the form of the players who didn't start.

Secondly, we'll have to agree to disagree. We're having such a strange season, a defender is in the top 3 scorers for City. Decimated by injuries, we've had to be playing untested academy kids in big matches, as we're desperate for bodies. With a fully fit squad, those kids nor Nunes were likely to start, but needs must.

You mentioned Delph & Zinchenko. Again, both filled in at LB instead of their preferred positions. City were happy to allow both players to leave, with Zin technically coming into his prime. How did their careers pan out afterwards?

During the periods of Yaya, Fernandinho, Silva, KDB, Gundog, Bernardo & Foden, who were our midfield squad fillers? Are you claiming that after the collapse of the £85m deal for Paqueta, that we spent £53 on Matheus the squad filler?

So were Nunes, Kovacic & Philips bought just to fill in where & when necessary, or to challenge for a first team spot? Once our rebuild is complete, does Nunes continue to be our Delph, Zinchenko etc utility man?

The main point you're not getting from me is Nunes is this season's sticking plaster. Pep would rather a midfield of players, whose combined age is nearly 100, than rely on Matheus.

We see things differently which is part of the rich tapestry of football. I merely want better for City & Pep's small squad than Nunes & Philips. I'm also tired of defending Jack & I think it best for all parties that those three get gone.

Nunes found his level at Wolves, where he wasn't exactly ripping up trees. Philips is apparently turning things around at Ipswich. Again he's finding his level. With the players we're reputedly targeting, I find it hard to see where Jack fits in either.

Kovacic is all the squad player we need going forward. The rest need to have the quality to be challenging to start every match, taking into consideration rest & rotatation. All IMHO of course...