De Bruyne?

[Stephenhakin]

He says if we are doing well a couple of good players will come, and if Khaldoon can do that, we will be able to reach the level of Real/Barca

Brennan has paraphrased him and only quoted the couple of good players bit.

Thank'f for posting it. He's a wanker.

 

[pudge]

A lot of City fans are not used to buying starters to replace Backups. This exactly how you strengthen a team.

I wguned about it last summer, that we were buying Backups to replace other Backups. Thus, not strengthening the first 11. Now we are replacing starters and turning those old starters in to the new Backups, and getting rid of the inferior Backups. That's what winning teams do.

This may very well be our best summer ever period.

I haven't had a single complaint :)

Had we not even gotten any of the targets, I'd have been fine. Coz we went in for them.

Sterling, Pogba, De Bryune. We've been in for all 3. This is how ambitious teams operate.

I mean check the history the guys we are after:

Best young player in England: check
Best young player in Europe: check
Best creator in Europe last year: check
Best English player outside the top 4: check

Sure we can argue over who is or isn't overrated. And frankly they all could be overrated. But you'd be silly to conclude they are all below average overpriced chumps.

It is not so much about any individual we've acquired, but rather the collective. So I'm not gonna get bugged down anymore in the minutiae of 'his he better than Hazard or Nasri or Lopez?" As the real answer is that City will be better when they add Sterling, Debruyne and Pogba to the squad, than they've ever been before in their history.

Yeah go ahead, ponder that for a second. If we pull these deals all off, we will be on the verge of witnessing the best City team EVER.

So rather than all this flapping, some of you might want to get your video cams up and ready. Coz you'd want your kid's kids to know you witnessed this.

We are about to go digital nuclear, and some are busy making analog complaints. Shhsh!

We're after Harry Kane?

 

[Stephenhakin]

We're after Harry Kane?

haha Harry Kane...will be found out this season. Big old donkey was hoping the rags would be in for him

 

[Reallyblue]

Imo, the ideal squad for 2015-2016 is:

G: Hart-----------Caballero------Wright
RB: Zaba-----------Sagna
CB: Komp----------Denay?
CB: Demi-----------Mangala
LB: Kolarov--------Clichy
DM: Fernando-----Dinho---------Delph-------Zucu?
CM: Toure----------Pogba
OM: Nasri----------De Bruyne------Navas--------Silva---------Sterling
F: Aguero--------Bony------Nacho?

In any case, we have to define just 2 positions: Pogba and De Bruyne
If we play 4-3-3 we have to pick 2 DM and 2 OM

 

[Dax777]

Delph

Best english player outside the top 4? Not sure if you mean Delph or Sterling?

Delph:

Sterling is the best English player period :p

 

[pudge]

haha Harry Kane...will be found out this season. Big old donkey was hoping the rags would be in for him

So much wrong with this one post it hurt my brain

 

[Rolee]

If our plan is to play Yaya every game in a midfield two all year, then our planning is fucked.

What makes you think that's the plan? Everything seems to be pointing at one up front next season so that means three in the middle of the park. Yaya can play one of the deeper roles of the three.

I don't agree with the notion that Yaya should play advanced anyway. If he's playing in the no.10 position then he'll be expected to press, this is the weakest part of his game because he's not built for it, he doesn't have that sharpness over a few yards because of his size. He has to play deep with a licence to roam forward.

 

[blueparrot]

If you're including Ih

Imo, the ideal squad for 2015-2016 is:

G: Hart-----------Caballero------Wright
RB: Zaba-----------Sagna
CB: Komp----------Denay?
CB: Demi-----------Mangala
LB: Kolarov--------Clichy
DM: Fernando-----Dinho---------Delph-------Zucu?
CM: Toure----------Pogba
OM: Nasri----------De Bruyne------Navas--------Silva---------Sterling
F: Aguero--------Bony------Nacho?

In any case, we have to define just 2 positions: Pogba and De Bruyne
If we play 4-3-3 we have to pick 2 DM and 2 OM

If you're including Iheanacho you have to lose 2 non homegrown, I'd suggest Zucculini and one of the Ferns

 

[aguero93:20]

Imo, the ideal squad for 2015-2016 is:

G: Hart-----------Caballero------Wright
RB: Zaba-----------Sagna
CB: Komp----------Denay?
CB: Demi-----------Mangala
LB: Kolarov--------Clichy
DM: Fernando-----Dinho---------Delph-------Zucu?
CM: Toure----------Pogba
OM: Nasri----------De Bruyne------Navas--------Silva---------Sterling
F: Aguero--------Bony------Nacho?

In any case, we have to define just 2 positions: Pogba and De Bruyne
If we play 4-3-3 we have to pick 2 DM and 2 OM

No Messi?

 

[PragueBlue]

You may think he needs to be moved forwards, but it's clear Pellegrini doesn't. So Yaya isn't going to play as one of the 3 behind the striker any time soon, unless it's at the end of a game where we just throw him forwards.

So it's 6 players for 3 places over 60 games. Sterling Silva KDB, Nasri, Lopes, Navas.

I suspect we'll see 4-3-3 rather then 4-2-3-1 unless KDB comes in.

 

[BigOscar]

What makes you think that's the plan? Everything seems to be pointing at one up front next season so that means three in the middle of the park. Yaya can play one of the deeper roles of the three.

I don't agree with the notion that Yaya should play advanced anyway. If he's playing in the no.10 position then he'll be expected to press, this is the weakest part of his game because he's not built for it, he doesn't have that sharpness over a few yards because of his size. He has to play deep with a licence to roam forward.

So you think he's too bad at defending to play number 10, so instead he should play deeper, like this year, so he can do his impression of the worlds largest traffic cone again all year? A midfield 3 of anyone, Yaya and Silva isn't a midfield 3. It's barely a midfield 2.

 

[Dax777]

We're after Harry Kane?

Sht! I forgot about that punk. I meant Delph. Now that he is with us, I've upgraded him to previously best English player outside top 4. Perhaps that should read, best English CM outside the top 4.

 

[aguero93:20]

So you think he's too bad at defending to play number 10, so instead he should play deeper, like this year, so he can do his impression of the worlds largest traffic cone again all year? A midfield 3 of anyone, Yaya and Silva isn't a midfield 3. It's barely a midfield 2.

It's a midfield two and a half, Silva works his bollocks off, just lacks the instincts.

 

[Stephenhakin]

So much wrong with this one post it hurt my brain

In your opinion yes. In mine no. He's overrated. No pace and not many get away with that.

 

[BigOscar]

It's a midfield two and a half, Silva works his bollocks off, just lacks the instincts.

He works hard, but higher up the pitch. He's not going to be sitting alongside Fernandinho helping out is he? If anyone gets past our high press and at the deep two of Yaya and Fernandiho, it will be the exact same thing that's been happening all this year

 

[aguero93:20]

He works hard, but higher up the pitch. He's not going to be sitting alongside Fernandinho helping out is he? If anyone gets past our high press and at the deep two of Yaya and Fernandiho, it will be the exact same thing that's been happening all this year

Silva has no problems chasing back and getting stuck in in central midfield if he's played centrally. He finds it slightly more difficult when he's played out on the wing (as would we all) and has to settle for trying to help out his fullback, when defending out wide is a whole different ball game, one missed tackle and you're out of it totally.

 

[Rolee]

So you think he's too bad at defending to play number 10, so instead he should play deeper, like this year, so he can do his impression of the worlds largest traffic cone again all year? A midfield 3 of anyone, Yaya and Silva isn't a midfield 3. It's barely a midfield 2.

He didn't have a great season by his standards but stop exaggerating. If you want him to play no.10 then more fool you. That'd be akin to playing Pirlo or Xavi at 10.

 

[Rolee]

It's a midfield two and a half, Silva works his bollocks off, just lacks the instincts.

Not always, love the guy but he is guilty on occasion of neglecting his defensive responsibility.

 

[aguero93:20]

He didn't have a great season by his standards but stop exaggerating. If you want him to play no.10 then more fool you. That'd be akin to playing Pirlo or Xavi at 10.

Yaya is a lot better suited to 10 than either of those two as he showed in his first season here when he played off Tevez. Pirlo and Xavi have never had the dribbling ability, strength and goalscoring prowess that Yaya has.

 

[domalino]

If our plan is to play Yaya every game in a midfield two all year, then our planning is fucked.

Last season Yaya played a world cup, 50 games for us and Afcon. He also played 90 minutes in nearly all of those games. His biggest problem, the reason he couldn't get back and forwards is because he was absolutely knackered. Our signings so far have massively reduced the reliance we have on Yaya, so he will conserve his energy and be at his best much more often.

In attack, we are signing 2 very direct players in KDB and Sterling, who will stop us relying on Yaya making energy consuming runs to stop things being pedestrian in possession. KDB and Sterling also share the creative load, so teams will not be able to isolate Silva like they did at times last year, at which point we relied on Yaya as second playmaker.

Delph will take some of his game time, and offers a realistic substitute option, so Yaya will play much fewer minutes when he doesn't need to. We'll treat him like the 32 year old that he is.


I genuinely think the combination of those additions will make up for a lot the 2 man midfields shortcomings. Yaya won't be leaving gaps because he won't have to go forwards as much. His role will be more like the traditional deep playmaker.

He's still a world class CM, he just can't be the all-out box to box player for 60 games a season - point me to any 32 year old who does that role in any big team? It's impossible.

What makes you think that's the plan? Everything seems to be pointing at one up front next season so that means three in the middle of the park. Yaya can play one of the deeper roles of the three.

I don't agree with the notion that Yaya should play advanced anyway. If he's playing in the no.10 position then he'll be expected to press, this is the weakest part of his game because he's not built for it, he doesn't have that sharpness over a few yards because of his size. He has to play deep with a licence to roam forward.

I completely agree Yaya won't play 10, but I also don't think we will play 433 too often. Buying KDB pretty much makes that impossible. Silva can't play the role that Zuculini has on tour - he can't do the defensive work and if he did it would be a waste. Anyway, a Yaya/Silva/Fernandinho midfield isn't really a 3 man midfield at all, because David will just play his natural game and move forwards so it will turn into 4231.