Do we need a LB?

[km09]

Sign Leighton Baines, Wed get A season or 2 of his best and then address the left back spot in another season, Hes homegrown wouldnt break Citys budget and an upgrade on Kolarov and Clichy

 

[grunge]

Out of curiosity, what about Jose Angel Tasende from the Academy, He wont be ready just yet but could he be next season?

I just have a hunch that our transfer policy is partially driven by who is coming through.

Tasende is Angelino.

lol

Err, dont get it?

 

[TrueBlue1705]

If Clichy can play like he did today on a consistent basis then we are fine , especially as he's homegrown!! Trouble is he's had some dodgy performances lately which have worried me...

 

[bluechampion7891]

If Clichy can play like he did today on a consistent basis then we are fine , especially as he's homegrown!! Trouble is he's had some dodgy performances lately which have worried me...

he was quite good until milner came off

 

[Matt the Giant]

If Clichy can play like he did today on a consistent basis then we are fine , especially as he's homegrown!! Trouble is he's had some dodgy performances lately which have worried me...

As with every player, consistency comes with regular starts. With Kolarov out Gael will get a lot of game time this coming week(s) and with that comes (hopefully) better and better performances.

 

[BigOscar]

One good performance every 10 games isn't even close to being good enough. Clichy seems to bring a good performance out just when everyone has given up on him, then survives off that one performance for the next few months. It's been more than 2 years of this and it's obviously not going to change. We need a LB who we can rely on and neither of ours are even remotely reliable.

 

[kenzie115]

It's not a coincidence that very capable left backs sign for City and suddenly "can't defend". We play a midfield 2 including Yaya who offers little defensive cover to the full backs, that leaves the other midfielder to try and cover both full backs. We also usually play Silva or Nasri wide left who drift inside for most of the game, again leaving the left back exposed. Milner or Navas are more orthodox and given they usually play on the right, that leads to our right backs getting more protection.

Moving to a midfield three would not only help us keep possession better against teams that have now worked out that a high pressing game causes us all sorts of trouble, but it'd mean we'd have an extra midfielder available to cover the full backs and Clichy and Kolarov would be left exposed far less frequently.

 

[B3nStr0ng]

The main difference with Clichy yesterday was he had decent cover in Milner Infront of him. It was evident as soon as Nasri came on he was again left exposed, I don't care how good a left back you are if you a getting outnumbered by the opposition 2 : 1 constantly you are going to look like the weak link. As much as I love Silva an Nasri, they offer little or no cover to Clicy/ Kolarov. 1on1 Clichy is a very good defender and gives very little room to the opposition.

 

[BigOscar]

It's not a coincidence that very capable left backs sign for City and suddenly "can't defend". We play a midfield 2 including Yaya who offers little defensive cover to the full backs, that leaves the other midfielder to try and cover both full backs. We also usually play Silva or Nasri wide left who drift inside for most of the game, again leaving the left back exposed. Milner or Navas are more orthodox and given they usually play on the right, that leads to our right backs getting more protection.

Moving to a midfield three would not only help us keep possession better against teams that have now worked out that a high pressing game causes us all sorts of trouble, but it'd mean we'd have an extra midfielder available to cover the full backs and Clichy and Kolarov would be left exposed far less frequently.

Which "very capable left backs" have we signed? I seem to recall Arsenal fans being over the moon to get shot of Clichy and considered him a complete liability, hence willing to let him go to a rival, while at a good age, for a pittance. As for Kolarov, he was never considered a good defender.

I'm sick of this cop out about not getting enough protection, as it's just ot the reason why they are doing badly. Both of them just fall asleep and let people get the run on them. That has fuck all to do with the amount of cover they receive, they aren't being double teamed and most of the time they aren't even being dribbled past, they simply aren't tracking runners. No amount of cover from people in front of you can compensate for you not tracking people in behind. Also, Silva frequently plays on the right, yet I don't see Zaba getting constantly destroyed due to the lack of protection?

We need a LB who doesn't need the whole team covering for them in order for them to look remotely solid. We need a LB who can fight their own battles and is as dependable as Zaba is on the right.

 

[Larry Stranger]

What about Jan Vertonghen? Didn't he say he wouldn't sign another contract with Sprus? He could play at left back or slot in on the left of central defence to partner with Vinnie whom he knows well. Good strong defender who could do dual roles when need be.