Toni Kroos

[Neville Kneville]

who's fault is it that Yaya's fat? Yaya. He doesn't want it anymore, he doesn't want to try.

We don't know that is the case now.

If it is, then of course, fuck him off.

 

[Dax777]

You failed to miss out the part where he's seven years older and would now struggle to get a full 90 mins out of him in the Prem

Hard to say it because he's been a true legend in our rise but all good things come to an end.....

To be fair I loved Yaya and all his effort less Ness. So I'd love Kroos too. Just don't think lots of our fans will after about 2 months when the honeymoon is over.

 

[01cravend]

Kroos was comfortably Germany's best player in this tournament. Pogba probably 5th/6th so far for France

With Kroos you know he's going to come in dictate the game, majority of play will come through him and he will allow you to adhere to your gameplan. Whilst popping up with moments of quality.

With Pogba you don't know what you are going to get ranging from sublime to just awful. This tournament has highlighted how inconsistent he is and I for one wouldnt be fuused if he ended up playing for that lot.

 

[Sir peace frog]

I think YaYa

But he has been overweight & overworked. We have not seen Yaya, trim, & hanging back in space knocking the ball around like Kroos does.

Souness said two seasons ago that we needed to do this with Yaya as he is not going to be able to continue as he was.

YaYa or should I say a motivated YaYa would be a world class defensive mid. Passing and vision right up there with the best in the world strong and aggressive however I'm not sure he's got it in him anymore hope I'm wrong

 

[Danamy]

But he has been overweight & overworked. We have not seen Yaya, trim, & hanging back in space knocking the ball around like Kroos does.

Souness said two seasons ago that we needed to do this with Yaya as he is not going to be able to continue as he was.

You need to let go, unfortunately the truth is Yaya is in decline and Kroos is in his pomp.

I would like nothing more than to have a Yaya in his pomp working under Pep but it's not going to happen, the same with Zaba

 

[Neville Kneville]

You need to let go, unfortunately the truth is Yaya is in decline and Kroos is in his pomp.

I would like nothing more than to have a Yaya in his pomp working under Pep but it's not going to happen, the same with Zaba

I recon Juve got quite a few years out of Pirlo past his 'pomp' & imo he was also way better than Kroos.

 

[Danamy]

To be fair I loved Yaya and all his effort less Ness. So I'd love Kroos too. Just don't think lots of our fans will after about 2 months when the honeymoon is over.

I beg to differ, he never hides and always makes himself available for the ball, his link up play with Silva/KDB/Aguero/Gudogan to name a few would be the best football you'd ever seen in City shirts, I have no doubt in saying that.

 

[Jonsilfab]

I recon Juve got quite a few years out of Pirlo past his 'pomp' & imo he was also way better than Kroos.

Different league's, different team's, different styles of play.

 

[Neville Kneville]

Different league's, different team's, different styles of play.

Same thing imo. Kroos will need looking after, same as Pirlo, Yaya.

Otherwise this league would eat him, like it did Yaya.

 

[Tron Coltrane]

I beg to differ, he never hides and always makes himself available for the ball, his link up play with Silva/KDB/Aguero/Gudogan to name a few would be the best football you'd ever seen in City shirts, I have no doubt in saying that.

Ahh, come on now... I think there's more overlap between Kroos & Yaya than most here would admit (on either side of the argument), but I think we're getting carried away if we start attributing "always makes himself available for the ball" as one of Yaya's strong suits.

EDIT: original comment left intact, but let me be perfectly clear that I completely misunderstood your post, and I'm an assface for posting in haste.

 

[domalino]

Ahh, come on now... I think there's more overlap between Kroos & Yaya than most here would admit (on either side of the argument), but I think we're getting carried away if we start attributing "always makes himself available for the ball" as one of Yaya's strong suits.

I would say it is.

I imagine yaya has more passes than any other city player in 90%+ of all games he plays in and that's because everything does go through him - hence the entire teams performance has so often hinged on his own for the last few years.

 

[Dax777]

I beg to differ, he never hides and always makes himself available for the ball, his link up play with Silva/KDB/Aguero/Gudogan to name a few would be the best football you'd ever seen in City shirts, I have no doubt in saying that.

No no, I don't think he hides from the ball. He is permanently open. Kinda like Yaya used to be a few years ago. I agree with how we'd look and play with the ball. Germany is a good example. I'm saying without the ball, he is... How do I put it? Not as into it :)

 

[Dax777]

Wow. Someone should tell Low that Kroos wasn't playing as a number 10 because here on the official teamsheet he's submitted to UEFA, he's got him down as a 10 in a 4231.

Arhh! 'Check the heat map' you show me team sheet. Talk about red herrings. :(

 

[Danamy]

I recon Juve got quite a few years out of Pirlo past his 'pomp' & imo he was also way better than Kroos.

You could say Pirlo is in the same mould as Kroos, both of their range of passing and vision are second to none. Yaya is a different animal as he's well known for his power, strength and lung busting runs which unfortunately are few and far between now.

He's not in the same league as Pirlo or Kroos to sit, dictate possession and pace of the game.

 

[domalino]

Arhh! 'Check the heat map' you show me team sheet. Talk about red herrings. :(

I have checked* the heatmap, and it bears out the same results. Kroos' average position is definitely further forward.

https://www.whoscored.com/Matches/1...nal-European-Championship-2016-Germany-France

Also you don't know what the phrase red herring means - pointing out you're wrong to say Kroos was one of three central midfieldes, or suggesting Guardiola would stick with Yaya instead of buying Kroos if* the former was a better option - not red herrings.

Edit - typo

 

[Tron Coltrane]

My two cents: I think a motivated & fit Yaya could in theory do what we're asking Kroos to do, but I have no idea how we could ever know that we're getting that Yaya. I'm not particularly worried about the ground Yaya would have to cover under Pep, and I'm likewise not terribly bothered by the lack of ground Kroos covers. It's more the urgency Kroos has (and that Yaya doesn't these days)... when Kroos gets the ball, he immediately has his head high and looks for the most advanced safe harbor up the pitch. That process happens very quickly. Doesn't matter if Kroos isn't quick in a foot race, the ball is quick up the pitch when it goes through him. I think Yaya has those passes and that ability in his locker, but I don't see him making himself constantly available, and I feel like our play occasionally slows when he gets it (compared to Kroos). If the ball went from backline, through Yaya, to an attacking midfielder in only a few seconds, with regularity, then sure... I'd hear the case. Just doesn't feel like that's always his natural tempo.

 

[Neville Kneville]

You could say Pirlo is in the same mould as Kroos, both of their range of passing and vision are second to none. Yaya is a different animal as he's well known for his power, strength and lung busting runs which unfortunately are few and far between now.

He's not in the same league as Pirlo or Kroos to sit, dictate possession and pace of the game.

I don't think we have seen Yaya in that role to make the comparison.

Considering how Pellegrini played him, with no protection in an haphazard team, imo his passing stats are astonishing.

Edit: just to add, I thought Kroos was poor when Sane came on & shouod have been on the ball quickly feeding him.

 

[B\connellblue]

yaya was a one off. He set the bar so high in the early years with us even he can no longer get near that level. 3 goals in 68 for real tells me kroos won't come close either, to be honest i don't think anyone playing midfield for us will.

 

[Tron Coltrane]

I would say it is.

I imagine yaya has more passes than any other city player in 90%+ of all games he plays in and that's because everything does go through him - hence the entire teams performance has so often hinged on his own for the last few years.

I don't think this is a particularly quantifiable trait, despite any passing statistics. If you watch Yaya and see a player doing an above average job getting around and making himself available for passes, great. It's not something I see in him, but to each his own.

 

[Danamy]

My two cents: I think a motivated & fit Yaya could in theory do what we're asking Kroos to do, but I have no idea how we could ever know that we're getting that Yaya. I'm not particularly worried about the ground Yaya would have to cover under Pep, and I'm likewise not terribly bothered by the lack of ground Kroos covers. It's more the urgency Kroos has (and that Yaya doesn't these days)... when Kroos gets the ball, he immediately has his head high and looks for the most advanced safe harbor up the pitch. That process happens very quickly. Doesn't matter if Kroos isn't quick in a foot race, the ball is quick up the pitch when it goes through him. I think Yaya has those passes and that ability in his locker, but I don't see him making himself constantly available, and I feel like our play occasionally slows when he gets it (compared to Kroos). If the ball went from backline, through Yaya, to an attacking midfielder in only a few seconds, with regularity, then sure... I'd hear the case. Just doesn't feel like that's always his natural tempo.

That's exactly what I mean about him dictating the possession and pace of our play, how many times did we see it last season where we had possession of the ball and we "slowed" the play down to nigh on walking pace through Yaya side to side, back, middle, side to side?

When Kroos gets the ball his first thought is forward, same as KDB, both Pep style players