Aleksandar Kolarov - 2016/17 performances

[yayas trusty right foot]

Just shows what good coaching and a bit of encouragement will do to a player..

 

[lancs blue]

The biggest ever turnaround in a player's fortunes?

I personally always liked the guy and thought he got a rough deal from fans, but I didn't see this central defender thing coming.

Same here, I never felt he was as bad as some on here made out but I could never have seen him as a CB. That's Pep for you.

 

[Heisenberg's Blue Sky]

I'd just like to say that Kolarov becoming one of the stand-out players in the team under Pep WHILST PLAYING HIM AT CENTRE BACK is one of the most fucked up things I have ever experienced as a City fan. Just bizarre.

Even more than David James playing as a striker? Ha ha

 

[shockin-hocking]

Can't believe the transformation with him. The thing is, he has shown glimpses of this before, e.g. His partnership down the left with Raheem for the misleading first 5 games of last season.

He's been played in central defence, left back, and even had a stint in central midfield against BMG when clichy came on, and seems to be one of the first names on the team sheet along with Fernandinho atm.

He always had technical ability but never seemed mentally switched on a lot of the time, especially Soton away last year. But it's great to see him doing so well, and the thing is, Pep won't allow his performance levels to drop as has happened in the past.

 

[Wretched Vengeance]

Anyone know how many passes he played yesterday and the accuracy? Can imagine it being a really high number for a CB.

MOTD said he had 103 touches. More than anyone else.

Not sure of his passing accuracy but some of the passes he made were sublime.

 

[OB1]

What Pep has done is simply to identify Kolarov's key strengths and put him in a position where he can use them and is encouraged to use them and Kola has responded magnificently. I think Damo said it on one of his podcasts with Billy that if you thought about it, it was so obvious that Kola would make a better CB than LB in a Pep team but it was Pep that thought of it.

 

[OB1]

MOTD said he had 103 touches. More than anyone else.

Not sure of his passing accuracy but some of the passes he made were sublime.

His accuracy was very good considering the number of long balls and some of those that will have counted as inaccurate on the stats were very close to their mark; also he put in a brilliant cross that needed a better response from his team mates; a fate that befell Clichy twice too.

 

[Neville Kneville]

This has also got potential 3 at the back in some future games, written all over it.

The problem imo would be the wingback positions. The back 3 is sorted.

 

[goalmole]

Another player who is very good at these long diagonal passes that change defence to attack, ironically, is Pogba. That was one of the reasons I wanted him here. Maybe we've got a player in Kolarov that does what he does albeit from the centre back position rather than DM.

 

[i8rags]

Simply wow, under pep I will find it very difficult to ever call a player as shit over any given period of time, having said that I think wilf was a lost cause