The Kolarov Myth

[LJ75]

Clichy is good at sucking c. Defensively he has become shit, and offensively he was always shit.

 

[davymcfc]

I think clichy offers very little going forward in comparison to kolarov but is supposedly stronger defensively. Clichy got rinsed at hull away and wasn't great last night so in reality we may well have been better off with kolarov.

Kolarov is a much improved player over the last 12 months I might add.

 

[Neville Kneville]

Just wondering can anyone name me a time when Kolarov became a bad defender. Speaking to a few lads after the game and I put it forward that we should of had an extra man in midfield with the one striker and played Kolarov to give us some quality down the left. My mates said that we can't play Kolarov in games like this because he can't defend. Well I've seen Clichy cock up a few times this season so what is the reason for this myth? Kolarov isn't the quickest I know but is Zabs quick who is just his opposite number? Sagna is surely faster yet he can't get a game at the moment? I've never understood why Kolarov isn't our preferred full back, his delivery is a thousand times better, he is someone who can actually take a proper free kick in the direction of the goal and I can't find a single example of his so called poor defensive side.

Well I'll give you an example to be going on with.

City v Stoke.

In case you can't remember it, Kolarov let's some no mark Utd reject run 60 yards & is so shit that he can't even foul him, let alone take the ball off him, & so we are two points further behind Chelsea, against whom, he swanned out of position whilst we were down to ten men & just reorganising, got skinned in the centre of the pitch, & the ball ends up in the back of the net where ? Why, in the very position you would expect Kolarov to be steadfastly defending, seeing as we have just gone down to ten men.

So there's two home games for a start.

And I agree he is sometimes a much better option than Clichy due to his attacking game, but his defensive game is often shit & we have seen it over & over, including in the Champions League where he has been taken to the cleaners on numerous occasions.

Hang on, look at the Stoke goal again and you see a player running right down the middle with 3 city players close to him. The only player back is Fernandinho who also got skinned, the next man is Kolarov. So where was Kompany and Demichelis or our midfield?? Are you telling me that had Clichy played that goal would never of been scored?

The perception that Clichy is a better defender is only because he can run fast and recover his position quicker but that is it. Aside from that his crossing and other aspects are nowhere near Kolarov's level. Last night we didn't draw because of a mistake by Clichy or bad defending on that side nor did we get saved because of good defending on that side. We drew because we couldn't score and that left side became vital for that to happen.

They were up for the fucking corner kick!

Kolarov was there pure & simply to stop exactly what happened and was utter shit.

Fernandinho was last man & had been booked but Kolarov could have rugby tackled the bloke 60 yards earlier and only got a yellow. Problem was he tried to foul him & missed, then couldn't get near enough even to kick him.

He was absolutely incompetent, as he was for Chelsea's goal.

 

[Neville Kneville]

Just wondering can anyone name me a time when Kolarov became a bad defender. Speaking to a few lads after the game and I put it forward that we should of had an extra man in midfield with the one striker and played Kolarov to give us some quality down the left. My mates said that we can't play Kolarov in games like this because he can't defend. Well I've seen Clichy cock up a few times this season so what is the reason for this myth? Kolarov isn't the quickest I know but is Zabs quick who is just his opposite number? Sagna is surely faster yet he can't get a game at the moment? I've never understood why Kolarov isn't our preferred full back, his delivery is a thousand times better, he is someone who can actually take a proper free kick in the direction of the goal and I can't find a single example of his so called poor defensive side.

Well I'll give you an example to be going on with.

City v Stoke.

In case you can't remember it, Kolarov let's some no mark Utd reject run 60 yards & is so shit that he can't even foul him, let alone take the ball off him, & so we are two points further behind Chelsea, against whom, he swanned out of position whilst we were down to ten men & just reorganising, got skinned in the centre of the pitch, & the ball ends up in the back of the net where ? Why, in the very position you would expect Kolarov to be steadfastly defending, seeing as we have just gone down to ten men.

So there's two home games for a start.

And I agree he is sometimes a much better option than Clichy due to his attacking game, but his defensive game is often shit & we have seen it over & over, including in the Champions League where he has been taken to the cleaners on numerous occasions.

Kolarov was up in their area for the corner as he always is, if Pellegrini hadn't wanted him there he should have told him - may as well ask why Sagna was stood in the inside left channel 30 yards from goal at the corner when he should have been on the halfway line covering the break.

He was stranded in the centre and Chelsea went through him.

 

[lancs blue]

Well I'll give you an example to be going on with.

City v Stoke.

In case you can't remember it, Kolarov let's some no mark Utd reject run 60 yards & is so shit that he can't even foul him, let alone take the ball off him, & so we are two points further behind Chelsea, against whom, he swanned out of position whilst we were down to ten men & just reorganising, got skinned in the centre of the pitch, & the ball ends up in the back of the net where ? Why, in the very position you would expect Kolarov to be steadfastly defending, seeing as we have just gone down to ten men.

So there's two home games for a start.

And I agree he is sometimes a much better option than Clichy due to his attacking game, but his defensive game is often shit & we have seen it over & over, including in the Champions League where he has been taken to the cleaners on numerous occasions.

Kolarov was up in their area for the corner as he always is, if Pellegrini hadn't wanted him there he should have told him - may as well ask why Sagna was stood in the inside left channel 30 yards from goal at the corner when he should have been on the halfway line covering the break.

He was stranded in the centre and Chelsea went through him.

If you have any footage watch it from our corner. Kolarov is in their area and then tracks back when Chelsea break, he wasn't "stranded" at all, he was in a def. midfield position when he was beaten by a decent piece of skill. he was hardly culpable for the goal.

 

[peter.evans]

Can't believe some fans going on about so called mistakes by kolarov which are highly debatable. Don't hear them mentioning kompanys mistake for the Roma goal last night ! Players do make mistakes now and again. Kolarov is the best left back in the premiership in my opinion. He is light years ahead of clichy who contributes very little going forward.

 

[Neville Kneville]

Kolarov was up in their area for the corner as he always is, if Pellegrini hadn't wanted him there he should have told him - may as well ask why Sagna was stood in the inside left channel 30 yards from goal at the corner when he should have been on the halfway line covering the break.

He was stranded in the centre and Chelsea went through him.

If you have any footage watch it from our corner. Kolarov is in their area and then tracks back when Chelsea break, he wasn't "stranded" at all, he was in a def. midfield position when he was beaten by a decent piece of skill. he was hardly culpable for the goal.

We'd just gone down to ten men, with a new player, not up to speed on the pitch. What would your priority be ?

 

[Lancet Fluke]

I don't think clichy played particularly well last night but at times he was so exposed it's no wonder he was struggling. I'm not sure kolarov would have dealt with some of those defensive situations any better. Would he have been a better choice last night due to his undoubted better quality going forward, who knows but this thread is about whether kolarov is as good or better defensively. Personally I think kolarov is still poor defensively. I thought the whole of our defence was poor last night tbh, I wouldn't particularly single out clichy. We just look disorganised and very easy to get behind.

 

[lancs blue]

He was stranded in the centre and Chelsea went through him.

If you have any footage watch it from our corner. Kolarov is in their area and then tracks back when Chelsea break, he wasn't "stranded" at all, he was in a def. midfield position when he was beaten by a decent piece of skill. he was hardly culpable for the goal.

We'd just gone down to ten men, with a new player, not up to speed on the pitch. What would your priority be ?

Was Kolarov the manager? No. Was Kolarov the captain? No.

I've no idea why you're having a go at Kolarov on this, if Pellegrini wanted him to stay back at the corner he's perfectly capable of telling him, only one man was left on the halfway line, that was obviously Pellegrini's decision. On the field Kompany is the manager's rep, he could have told Kolarov to stay back, he didn't.

 

[EllisMCFC]

Clichy to me is crap hasn't down anything offensively to make an impact and gets toast down the sideline with long balls and through balls has trouble reading nasri, sliva's, or milner's passes and he's just a average player in our team who doesn't really offer anything to the team. Kolarov make be suspect on defense but sure can swing in a good cross or make a good run outside the box. Come on Manuel you said it yourself the problem against Roma wasn't defense it was our offense so why not put roma in.