8 | Mateo Kovačić - 2024/25

Kovacic was in the top 3 (or maybe the top one) in the burst speed list in La liga in one year. He just doesn’t do long burst much due to position.

I’m used with posts criticising Kova with all kinds of excuses but saying him ran forward too much and hurting defensive structure is the new shocking one. It is only after when Kova is back that the team started to have a defensive structure and really can hold off high press from opponents. Kova’s break throughs in the middle yesterday was the long missing element in city’s game recently. Maybe someone noticed that City’s possession yesterday was lower than Leicester. That actually allows city to fast break through the midfield and allows space for penetrating passes in counter attacks. Both goals were from fast break through. We could do this only because we are having a functioning midfield backboned by Kova. Non of the Leicester’s treat was through the mild field but rather the crosses to the far post with just Rico marking two players…Kova should have been there? mate, you might have forgot that the team have 11 players.

Some people here keep restating that Kova is a squad player. I reckon the term “squad player” must be a very high praise here. When Kova was injured, the team was obviously not a squad but just a bunch of struggling individuals. From Everton to Leicester game it was very obvious hiw a gradually match-fit Kova stabilised the defence and and supported the attack. One can argue that the two teams are bad sides or the whole team is getting better form but to me, the form won’t improve quickly on individual level and he team were losing to literally any team without Kova. If Kova is a squad player, the rest of the team must not be squad players. The only other players that were equally crucial in recent games were Ake and Dias.
 
Just watching the game back. I think it’s safe to say he doesn’t enjoy playing as the defensive midfielder.

If you get chance to watch the game back, have a look at the contrasting efforts in intensity between any time he drives forward with the ball at his feet (created some brilliant attacking situations) in contrast to his efforts defensively in moments in the game like before Leicester hit the post in the first half (utterly pathetic jogging back and walking around in our box not picking anyone up).
 
Just watching the game back. I think it’s safe to say he doesn’t enjoy playing as the defensive midfielder.

If you get chance to watch the game back, have a look at the contrasting efforts in intensity between any time he drives forward with the ball at his feet (created some brilliant attacking situations) in contrast to his efforts defensively in moments in the game like before Leicester hit the post in the first half (utterly pathetic jogging back and walking around in our box not picking anyone up).
It’s funny because that’s exactly the position he played for Inter. They turned him from a #10 to a #6 and that’s how he got to Madrid.
 
It’s funny because that’s exactly the position he played for Inter. They turned him from a #10 to a #6 and that’s how he got to Madrid.
Did Inter play with a single pivot DM? He seems to struggle with the role for us so it might be worth looking at how he played the role for Inter and which players supported him. I'm grateful for the job he is doing but agree with Casual about contrasting intensities.
 
Did Inter play with a single pivot DM? He seems to struggle with the role for us so it might be worth looking at how he played the role for Inter and which players supported him. I'm grateful for the job he is doing but agree with Casual about contrasting intensities.
They played a 3-5-2. I am not sure but he had at least 1 CM next to him who was good on the defense side too. I sadly don’t know if it was Brozovic during that time too.
 
He played AM for Inter but he was moved deeper because it became evident he doesn't have shooting ability to be a big threat in the final third and by playing him in an advanced position you lose his best quality which is his slalom runs from deep which unzip the opposition's lines.

The problem is now that he lost speed his usefulness is mostly his passing but he has never been great at organizing the play and dictating tempo. And while his shooting slightly improved in the last years, hes still a very small goalscoring threat.
 

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