Adam Johnson to dippers

[Mad 4 It]

Why sell Weiss and buy Albrighton (unless Weiss is in the Sanchez deal, then I could understand)? There isn't that much between them, only difference is Villa have had faith in Albrighton and let him develop around Premier League caliber players. Weiss has played at a World Cup and didn't do badly at all, around good players I'm fairly convinced he'd be a good impact player who would continue to improve.

Albrighton has played in the prem and is English. We need 8 and with SWP Bridge Onouha and maybe MJ all going we could end up short. TBH I think albrighton looks a better player to me.

 

[Citizen Green]

Why sell Weiss and buy Albrighton (unless Weiss is in the Sanchez deal, then I could understand)? There isn't that much between them, only difference is Villa have had faith in Albrighton and let him develop around Premier League caliber players. Weiss has played at a World Cup and didn't do badly at all, around good players I'm fairly convinced he'd be a good impact player who would continue to improve.

Would he be happy to be one though considering he's just been a first teamer at Rangers for a season?.

 

[LoveCity]

Why sell Weiss and buy Albrighton (unless Weiss is in the Sanchez deal, then I could understand)? There isn't that much between them, only difference is Villa have had faith in Albrighton and let him develop around Premier League caliber players. Weiss has played at a World Cup and didn't do badly at all, around good players I'm fairly convinced he'd be a good impact player who would continue to improve.

Albrighton has played in the prem and is English. We need 8 and with SWP Bridge Onouha and maybe MJ all going we could end up short. TBH I think albrighton looks a better player to me.

The "8 homegrown" include foreign lads who were in the academy, etc.

3) The 'home-grown' players do not have to be English. According to the Premier League: "A home grown player is defined as one who, irrespective of his nationality or age, has been registered with any club affiliated to the Football Association or the Welsh Football Association for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons or 36 months prior to his 21st birthday (or the end of the season during which he turns 21)." In practice this means that Cesc Fabregas, who joined Arsenal when he was 16, counts as one of the Gunners' home-grown quota.

 

[persvenality cult]

Actually I can just about see how it might work on paper, if we could get Mata for the same price. We'd have to bolster the English contingent in other areas but maybe that's where Baines and Cahill (who I'm really warming too) come in.

It just seems a move that doesn't have to be made. He's 24, still ripe for improvement. He's settled. Whilst Mata will quite probably turn out to be the better player, the whole point of the last year has been getting a group of settled players who've won something together. Take away too many of the group and you're back at square one. We'd also run the risk of Mata or whoever turning out to lack commitment to the club, struggling to adapt to life in this country. At the very least there is a real chance the new guy might struggle to come to terms with the English game in the short term. AJ absolutely can provide the width on the right, even when he's not playing well it still has the desired effect. More than that, he sometimes plays very well indeed and has shown he can be the one to make the break through.

So much is expected next year, I'd be shocked if they got rid of such a useful and versatile English player. They'll take as few chances as possible. Sentiment doesn't come into it.

 

[Dax777]

No Dax I have to disagree. He still has great potential to improve but is a very good player anyway, plus we need English players in the Squad to comply with new rules. He is an integral part of the dressing room by the looks of things and really loves playing for the club. Selling him would be a massive mistake. Wiess is more of an understudy to AJ. Gervihno, Shaqiri, Elia, Bryan Ruiz, Gaitan are not leagues ahead of AJ, AJ is actually better than most of these its just because they play in inferior leagues and have a cool sounding name you think they are better. They would also probably require higher wages. Mata and Hulk are great players but very different players to AJ. Liverpool would start to look very strong with Johnson in their line up.

JB, herein is the mistake in your assumption. None of the players I mentioned have to even be as good as AJ, even though a good number of them are better. Gervihno is a better player. Shaqiri will become a better player, all you have to do is watch him once to see it. That kid is going to be a handful both physically, technically and because of the intangibles he brings. The English National team couldn't handle him.

As for Elia, Ruiz, Gaitan and Wiess, they are all adequately comparable to AJ. All Potentials! But assuming City buys the players it intends to buy this season, AJ barring injury will be a sub, a guy that comes in late to change things or spot someone. A role any of the above can do just as adequately. For example I think Milner is infinitely superior to Viera, yet in terms of coming in to give a 20 minute breather, the difference in their impact is negligible. And that is what AJ's role will be next season if we get Sanchez and Modric (or something like that). Thus what we will lose from the absence of AJ will be so easily replaceable, as to make it ridiculous to not consider making a 25 million dollar profit. I mean Honda will not cost as much, and he is a better player than AJ. There are just too many better players than AJ, both young, and in the middle of their careers to not consider selling him for 25 million.

As for salary, none outside of Mata and Hulk will get more than we are paying AJ now, we already know for a fact Wiess will get considerably less. Most of the other guys are making 10 to 15 grand a week, AJ is at around 50 to 70 grand. Quadrupling their salary will still have them considerably below Aj's, so the claim of them costing more is infinitely a ruse. We will pocket 10 to 15 million in change on most of them and in Wiess's case the whole 25mil and come out with a lower wage. How can anyone without partiality not consider such an option.

It is infinitely irrelevant what Liverpool will look like, if the money they pay us strengthens us more than we were before we strengthened them. Which it will if it is 25 million. I am not saying sell him, just saying it is ridiculous to claim it shouldn't be considered. As for the English player Rule, Wiess satisfies that, so it wouldn't be a problen.<br /><br />-- Tue Jun 14, 2011 5:55 pm --<br /><br />

Actually I can just about see how it might work on paper, if we could get Mata for the same price. We'd have to bolster the English contingent in other areas but maybe that's where Baines and Cahill (who I'm really warming too) come in.

It just seems a move that doesn't have to be made. He's 24, still ripe for improvement. He's settled. Whilst Mata will quite probably turn out to be the better player, the whole point of the last year has been getting a group of settled players who've won something together. Take away too many of the group and you're back at square one. We'd also run the risk of Mata or whoever turning out to lack commitment to the club, struggling to adapt to life in this country. At the very least there is a real chance the new guy might struggle to come to terms with the English game in the short term. AJ absolutely can provide the width on the right, even when he's not playing well it still has the desired effect. More than that, he sometimes plays very well indeed and has shown he can be the one to make the break through.

So much is expected next year, I'd be shocked if they got rid of such a useful and versatile English player. They'll take as few chances as possible. Sentiment doesn't come into it.

Now this is a better view. Part of the consideration will be the settling time it would take the new face (Mata, Hulk, Gervihno, Shaqiri, Honda) or whoever else we pinned as worthy of spending some of that 25 mil on. But the reason why I think this would be an easy sell, is simply because I don't (nor does it seem the coaches do) see AJ as a starter next season. even without any new additions, the preferred attacking 3 behind the strkers are (Silva, Yaya and Balotelli) meaning AJ will be a bench player. How easy will it be to bring in a better player (of which Mata clearly is) and start him on the bench where AJ would have been, until he catches up with the prem, and becomes a starter in his own right.

But all that said, we are not going to get rid of AJ, simply because no one will offer 25 million for him.

 

[Manc]

If he can sort out his fitness level, as in stamina, he'll be a game winner more than he already is. People suggesting we should accept 25 million for him whether it be from Dipperpool or anyone else are, in my opinion, are the same that said Silva was to lightweight or that Yaya was overweight & lazy! Some people just pick up on what the idiots at the match shout at our own players to fuck off back to which ever club/town/country they originally come from (like the prick who sits behind me who was shouting for Mancini to fuck off back to Italy not so long ago) & then see it as their opinion.

AJ is a quality 'young' player & needs to be encouraged as well as guided, something I'm sure Mancini & Kidd have been doing, to become the player he clearly has the potential to be.

Again more crackpot idealism here. For starters the cross-section of people who don't want us to sell AJ, at 25 million are more likely the ones who snickered at the idea of buying Silva and Yaya. lets not be disingenious here, but most who liked Yaya and Silva before they came a probably those who were football fans as opposed to Prem fans. Thus they are less likely to have thought Silva couldn't hack it! It is more likley the case that is the Prem Only Lovers (i.e. the same ones who believe Messi and Barca wouldn't survive at Stoke in February) that didn't think Silva or Yaya would hack it. More likely than not, those same folks are more likely to be sentimental about selling AJ.

Now that is a generalization, but a more plausible one than your version that claims the inverse to be the case.

As for the actual arguments, it is laughably emotionally driven. AJ is a non-key member of the squad, wanted by another team for 25 million, and people are saying we shouldn't consider it? I mean examine the reasons you just gave? "He is young and needs guiding and encouragement!" Now how is that a reason to not sell him for the an overstated price (25 million folks!!) That is as much or more than we payed for any of the key starters to our squad. Kompany, Silva, Tevez, De Jong, Yaya and folks are saying we shouldn't consider. If AJ was a foreign player he'd be worth 8-12 million dollars. Assumedly we'd be getting double that, and folks are saying we can't replace him with similar quality. Here is a thought, we can replace him for free. Vladimir Weiss is a Mini AJ. Similar skill set, strenghts and lack of vision.

We can literally sell AJ not buy anyone and still not miss him. But yet we could go use that money to buy Gervihno, Shaqiri, Elia, Mata, Bryan Ruiz, Gaitan, Hulk e.t.c.

The number of continental players who we can buy for 25 million or less who are either better than AJ, or would comfortably take over his role without losing a piss are too numerous to count.

It would be negligent and foolish on our part, to not consider a 25 million bid for a player who is not a starter. And it is irritating listening to folks pretending there really is some justification for it outside of their personal sentiment towards him being English. For fuk sake, we could get Downing for less! He is English!

-- Tue Jun 14, 2011 5:20 pm --

I don't think even a bid of £25m would be worth selling for, especially considering the premium we pay to get new people in. He's not a top earner, and there's other players we can shift for FFP without weakening the team, no need to sell.

Selling him would not weaken the team. We would just send for Wiess to come back. And then buy Mata with said money. Which will in fact make us stronger.

Barring a total intentional fukup. Selling AJ for 25 million should never weaken the team.

Crackpot? For having a differing view to yours? Head up your own arse there fella! And it's not emotionally driven either, I have no emotion to AJ I just feel (and I did make sure I put "in my opinion" in my original post) that he is a good player with the potential to be a very good player.

We are fans & therefore entitled to our opinions, no matter how "Crackpot" or arrogant they are, we all think we're better than the managers or coaches of our club but we're not, none of us. We love the club & by proxy most of it's players & that's the only emotion that actually counts.

And in my non-crackpot opinion throwing money at the latest media darling for a position where we're hardly in need of filling is just the sort of thing I'd expect a rag to say. I'm not suggesting anyone is a rag by the way, just displaying that rag like arrogance, the one some fans of other clubs have been warning us about for a while now, seems to be slipping into more & more posts. Whether it's expected or not its pretty shit to see!

 

[persvenality cult]

But the reason why I think this would be an easy sell, is simply because I don't (nor does it seem the coaches do) see AJ as a starter next season. even without any new additions, the preferred attacking 3 behind the strkers are (Silva, Yaya and Balotelli) meaning AJ will be a bench player.

Nah, Mancini has made it more than clear that he wants width on the right. He kept picking AJ even when he wasn't playing that well, and we kept winning. He mentioned how much we missed him when he was out, explicitly mentioned the important of the width. Why else do you think we're going for Sanchez? He's a right footer who can play on the right. SWP is yesterday's man, AJ isn't good enough or durable enough to do it all by his-self. Silva might get a few starts there, but he is the absolute opposite of a wide player.

So we get Sanchez, top talent and potential. AJ will compete with him, and play on the left when Dzeko and two orthodox wingers are called for. If we're already looking at bedding in one guy in that position, I think having an established player to call on becomes even more attractive.

There is the possibility that we go two upfront, but Mancini's played the 'you say 4-2-3-1 I say 4-3-3' all season, and he's very big on continuity. It goes back to Inter and before that.

 

[Dax777]

Crackpot? For having a differing view to yours? Head up your own arse there fella! And it's not emotionally driven either, I have no emotion to AJ I just feel (and I did make sure I put "in my opinion" in my original post) that he is a good player with the potential to be a very good player.

I have been accused of being excessively opinionated. And if you felt insulted by y comments, I apologize. It is just how I string things together in my head sometimes. By the way if you noticed, I said, "Again more crackpot Idealism here" which wasn't really about your statement persee, but the string of unsupported conclusions for why we shouldn't sell AJ on this thread. Yours was just the last one before I started responding.

As for putting "in your opinion" in the original response, unless I am reading it wrong, that clause "IMO" was in reference to comparing those wanting him sold, to those who thought Silva was not going to hack it. Which was good of you to do, as you were saying you didn't know for a fact they were the same people, but you believed it to be so. Normally, Iwould have railed about that had it not had the "IMO" affixed to it. Instead I responded by suggesting a counter theory suggesting the inverse is more likely the case.

I don't disagree that AJ is a good player, I don't even disagree he might become a better player, but yet I don't see how that is justification for not selling him for 25 million. Mny good players are sold every day, what makes AJ special? The only suggestion you gave was that he would become better with guidance and encouragement. Now if we are to deem that an acceptable reason, wouldn't it have to be the case that other good players who cost less could not get better with similar guidance and encouragement? I doubt that is the case. Hence why not considering selling AJ for 25 million suggest being emotionally driven. If I am wrong plaease point out what I am wrong on. Is it that we can't get a better player with 25 million? or that those beter players can't improve wih guidance and encouragement? or is it that better and younger players now, can not be potentially even better later? Use Mata as your example, what is your justification for not selling AJ to buy Mata? Knowing well that if we Bought Mata anyway, he'd likely push AJ further down the bench line. So what exactly are your reasons, that you find selling AJ abhorrent?

]We are fans & therefore entitled to our opinions, no matter how "Crackpot" or arrogant they are, we all think we're better than the managers or coaches of our club but we're not, none of us. We love the club & by proxy most of it's players & that's the only emotion that actually counts.

I see you are still angry with my 'crackpot' comment, again I apologize :)

And in my non-crackpot opinion throwing money at the latest media darling for a position where we're hardly in need of filling is just the sort of thing I'd expect a rag to say

.
Aha! I see. It is important to you not to be seen as a rag. Well nice. Personally I don't care how I am seen. And could I infer from your use of "media darling' that you don't see much of these players? coz I do. And by the way most of those are like, are not media darlings. But since we are in on the issue of not being emotional, how is the discussion about "throwing money at a position we are hardly in need of filling?" I mean the position (assuming I agree with you) will not need feeling only if we chose not to sell AJ for a profit, but if we did make that choice to sell him, then there would be a position that needed filling, and that could be filled by spending said "made money" on a better player. And what exactly would be wrong with that? I mean besides sounding like a rag that :) On a side note, I would be remiss not to liken this to those who wouldn't want Silva coz we had Ireland and didn't need to be spending money on the media new darling. Now I wonder where I saw a similar comparison before :)

I'm not suggesting anyone is a rag by the way, just displaying that rag like arrogance, the one some fans of other clubs have been warning us about for a while now, seems to be slipping into more & more posts. Whether it's expected or not its pretty shit to see!

Oh but you are :) And you wouldn't be the first. There is even a thread in which someone jokingly claimed "Dax is a rag." But here is the thing, it is just an emotional cop-out. Can't validly argue why your claim may be right, accuse the other of being a pseudo rag. It is a handy tactic by the way. Albeit a poor one. As same accusation can be made against you by those who didn't want Silva coz we already had Ireland. Or those who didn't want De Jong or Tevez or anyone else we presently have, because wanting a better player sure is a quick fire way to spot a rag.

I am sorry Manc, but I have no rag anxieties. I don't even give them a second thought. They are irrelevant as far as I am concerned. I don't visist there sites, don't worry about what they are doing or saying, don't care if they win or lose. Don't wish them ill (as wishing them ill will be giving them too much importance) I don't compare or contrast myself or fellow Mancs with them. I just don't give a damn about them PERIOD! I only care about CIty, and how we can get better and win more wit our fortunate luck.

Hence why I question the logic of claiming selling AJ will be wrong at 25 million. As no one has given a valid reason outside of he is English! Which in my opinion is an emotionally driven reason.

Any thoughts?

-- Tue Jun 14, 2011 6:52 pm --

Nah, Mancini has made it more than clear that he wants width on the right. He kept picking AJ even when he wasn't playing that well, and we kept winning. He mentioned how much we missed him when he was out, explicitly mentioned the important of the width. Why else do you think we're going for Sanchez? He's a right footer who can play on the right. SWP is yesterday's man, AJ isn't good enough or durable enough to do it all by his-self. Silva might get a few starts there, but he is the absolute opposite of a wide player.

So we get Sanchez, top talent and potential. AJ will compete with him, and play on the left when Dzeko and two orthodox wingers are called for. If we're already looking at bedding in one guy in that position, I think having an established player to call on becomes even more attractive.

There is the possibility that we go two upfront, but Mancini's played the 'you say 4-2-3-1 I say 4-3-3' all season, and he's very big on continuity. It goes back to Inter and before that.

On the contrary, AJ started only when we didn't have our full squad to choose from. And Mancini never claimed to want width on the right. That is just an interpretation from fans.

As for Sanchez we are getting him coz he is a fantastic footballer, and frankly a way better footballer than he is a winger, And he probably wouldn't play wide. I expect him to play the right like Silva does the left. A little to the inside,

By the way, AJ will not compete with Sanchez, he will backup Sanchez. And assuming we keep Tevez, more likely than not Balotelli will get more games coming of the bench to play wide AM that AJ. If we get the players we intend to get, AJ's role will reduce drastically barring injuries and the Feb - April game rush.

As for having a player to call on, Both Balotelli and Milner can both play on the right if we sold AJ, and neither would be starters by the way. AJ is really what you would call a dispensible player in this situation, hence why it is absurd to here arguments that find it unacceptable to collect 25 million for a player who barring injury will be behind (Silva, Sanchez, and Balotelli on the wings) and against top teams, you can add Milner to that list.

 

[jft20b]

Crackpot? For having a differing view to yours? Head up your own arse there fella! And it's not emotionally driven either, I have no emotion to AJ I just feel (and I did make sure I put "in my opinion" in my original post) that he is a good player with the potential to be a very good player.

I have been accused of being excessively opinionated. And if you felt insulted by y comments, I apologize. It is just how I string things together in my head sometimes. By the way if you noticed, I said, "Again more crackpot Idealism here" which wasn't really about your statement persee, but the string of unsupported conclusions for why we shouldn't sell AJ on this thread. Yours was just the last one before I started responding.

As for putting "in your opinion" in the original response, unless I am reading it wrong, that clause "IMO" was in reference to comparing those wanting him sold, to those who thought Silva was not going to hack it. Which was good of you to do, as you were saying you didn't know for a fact they were the same people, but you believed it to be so. Normally, Iwould have railed about that had it not had the "IMO" affixed to it. Instead I responded by suggesting a counter theory suggesting the inverse is more likely the case.

I don't disagree that AJ is a good player, I don't even disagree he might become a better player, but yet I don't see how that is justification for not selling him for 25 million. Mny good players are sold every day, what makes AJ special? The only suggestion you gave was that he would become better with guidance and encouragement. Now if we are to deem that an acceptable reason, wouldn't it have to be the case that other good players who cost less could not get better with similar guidance and encouragement? I doubt that is the case. Hence why not considering selling AJ for 25 million suggest being emotionally driven. If I am wrong plaease point out what I am wrong on. Is it that we can't get a better player with 25 million? or that those beter players can't improve wih guidance and encouragement? or is it that better and younger players now, can not be potentially even better later? Use Mata as your example, what is your justification for not selling AJ to buy Mata? Knowing well that if we Bought Mata anyway, he'd likely push AJ further down the bench line. So what exactly are your reasons, that you find selling AJ abhorrent?

]We are fans & therefore entitled to our opinions, no matter how "Crackpot" or arrogant they are, we all think we're better than the managers or coaches of our club but we're not, none of us. We love the club & by proxy most of it's players & that's the only emotion that actually counts.

I see you are still angry with my 'crackpot' comment, again I apologize :)

And in my non-crackpot opinion throwing money at the latest media darling for a position where we're hardly in need of filling is just the sort of thing I'd expect a rag to say

.
Aha! I see. It is important to you not to be seen as a rag. Well nice. Personally I don't care how I am seen. And could I infer from your use of "media darling' that you don't see much of these players? coz I do. And by the way most of those are like, are not media darlings. But since we are in on the issue of not being emotional, how is the discussion about "throwing money at a position we are hardly in need of filling?" I mean the position (assuming I agree with you) will not need feeling only if we chose not to sell AJ for a profit, but if we did make that choice to sell him, then there would be a position that needed filling, and that could be filled by spending said "made money" on a better player. And what exactly would be wrong with that? I mean besides sounding like a rag that :) On a side note, I would be remiss not to liken this to those who wouldn't want Silva coz we had Ireland and didn't need to be spending money on the media new darling. Now I wonder where I saw a similar comparison before :)

I'm not suggesting anyone is a rag by the way, just displaying that rag like arrogance, the one some fans of other clubs have been warning us about for a while now, seems to be slipping into more & more posts. Whether it's expected or not its pretty shit to see!

Oh but you are :) And you wouldn't be the first. There is even a thread in which someone jokingly claimed "Dax is a rag." But here is the thing, it is just an emotional cop-out. Can't validly argue why your claim may be right, accuse the other of being a pseudo rag. It is a handy tactic by the way. Albeit a poor one. As same accusation can be made against you by those who didn't want Silva coz we already had Ireland. Or those who didn't want De Jong or Tevez or anyone else we presently have, because wanting a better player sure is a quick fire way to spot a rag.

I am sorry Manc, but I have no rag anxieties. I don't even give them a second thought. They are irrelevant as far as I am concerned. I don't visist there sites, don't worry about what they are doing or saying, don't care if they win or lose. Don't wish them ill (as wishing them ill will be giving them too much importance) I don't compare or contrast myself or fellow Mancs with them. I just don't give a damn about them PERIOD! I only care about CIty, and how we can get better and win more wit our fortunate luck.

Hence why I question the logic of claiming selling AJ will be wrong at 25 million. As no one has given a valid reason outside of he is English! Which in my opinion is an emotionally driven reason.

Any thoughts?

-- Tue Jun 14, 2011 6:52 pm --

Nah, Mancini has made it more than clear that he wants width on the right. He kept picking AJ even when he wasn't playing that well, and we kept winning. He mentioned how much we missed him when he was out, explicitly mentioned the important of the width. Why else do you think we're going for Sanchez? He's a right footer who can play on the right. SWP is yesterday's man, AJ isn't good enough or durable enough to do it all by his-self. Silva might get a few starts there, but he is the absolute opposite of a wide player.

So we get Sanchez, top talent and potential. AJ will compete with him, and play on the left when Dzeko and two orthodox wingers are called for. If we're already looking at bedding in one guy in that position, I think having an established player to call on becomes even more attractive.

There is the possibility that we go two upfront, but Mancini's played the 'you say 4-2-3-1 I say 4-3-3' all season, and he's very big on continuity. It goes back to Inter and before that.

On the contrary, AJ started only when we didn't have our full squad to choose from. And Mancini never claimed to want width on the right. That is just an interpretation from fans.

As for Sanchez we are getting him coz he is a fantastic footballer, and frankly a way better footballer than he is a winger, And he probably wouldn't play wide. I expect him to play the right like Silva does the left. A little to the inside,

By the way, AJ will not compete with Sanchez, he will backup Sanchez. And assuming we keep Tevez, more likely than not Balotelli will get more games coming of the bench to play wide AM that AJ. If we get the players we intend to get, AJ's role will reduce drastically barring injuries and the Feb - April game rush.

As for having a player to call on, Both Balotelli and Milner can both play on the right if we sold AJ, and neither would be starters by the way. AJ is really what you would call a dispensible player in this situation, hence why it is absurd to here arguments that find it unacceptable to collect 25 million for a player who barring injury will be behind (Silva, Sanchez, and Balotelli on the wings) and against top teams, you can add Milner to that list.

too see someone go to that much effort to reply to someone is post is a pleasure to see... well played

if it really is 25 million i would sell him in a heartbeat.. 19 million or so profit on a player who if he wasnt english wouldnt even be worth 19million pounds. the guy IMO is remembered for the couple of darting runs he has each game... not the times where he does nothing for 80 minutes or gives the ball away again and again.. just like boateng if he can be sold for profit, well in johnsons case alot of profit then so be it.. good business by the club!

 

[persvenality cult]

Dax, you're a good kid but you are going to make an arse of yourself again for the sake of trying to prove yourself right.

We barely had any injuries at all in the last two months, Tevez aside.

End of January, AJ gets injured;

"It's a big problem - Johnson is a big player for us" 30th January


He returned for the Sunderland game. Afterwards, Mancini says;

""After Adam Johnson got injured we had a big problem because he is different to the other players." 30th March

This was the first of five consecutive starts, including the Semi. Then on as sub vs Everton, before going back to a starting role for the Tottenham game. Came on as sub in the final, then straight back into the starting line up for the last three league games. What injuries did we have during this period? Dzeko, Milner and Balotelli all spent far, far more time on the bench

Mancini didn't go on record about 'width', but the issue has been done to death. It was highlighted in just about every tactical analysis going. You can play Milner there but he doesn't like it, he's slower and doesn't dribble. You can play Balotelli there but he will be looking to go up against (and in behind) the Centre Backs. It's not width. Width is where you take the fullback right outside the penalty area, pulling the whole team with him. AJ has his shortcomings but he requires close attention by the fullback, and the fact he gets through from time to time means the Centre Back is constantly thinking about moving closer to cover the fullback.