EaglesFan said:Well, looks like people are coming to realize 2 major things I was saying all along:
1) Reason #1 for this season's failure is not up front, it's in the MIDFIELD (lack of width, and very sub-par seasons by Nasri, Barry, and Yaya).
2) Reason #2 lack of balance in our forward play - which I blame partly on Mancini, partly on front office for not getting in quality wingers. Current City must be one of the worst crossing teams around. Clichy's crossing is woeful, actually. Nasri is more in-the-middle type of player. Maicon was brought for crossess - but he's just burned out. Kolarov is good, but he hasnt played much...and so on.
Neither 1 or 2 have anything to do with Edin. I hope he stays, he truly can be (and already is) part of something great here.
But not if things stay LIKE THIS though...he is not your tika-taka forward. Never was.
And I'm not talking exclusively long crosses - just faster attacking play in general (enough of this slow build-up shit)...someone mentioned Bayern...Borussia is another example.
de niro said:he has had zero support. on or off the pitch.
You must turn your hearing aid off when you're at the stadiumde niro said:he has had zero support. on or off the pitch.
This is obvious to me as well and has been all season. I would put money on him being top scorer in Germany if he goes back there - so lets keep an obvious asset and get the formation right.Blue Heaven said:EaglesFan said:Well, looks like people are coming to realize 2 major things I was saying all along:
1) Reason #1 for this season's failure is not up front, it's in the MIDFIELD (lack of width, and very sub-par seasons by Nasri, Barry, and Yaya).
2) Reason #2 lack of balance in our forward play - which I blame partly on Mancini, partly on front office for not getting in quality wingers. Current City must be one of the worst crossing teams around. Clichy's crossing is woeful, actually. Nasri is more in-the-middle type of player. Maicon was brought for crossess - but he's just burned out. Kolarov is good, but he hasnt played much...and so on.
Neither 1 or 2 have anything to do with Edin. I hope he stays, he truly can be (and already is) part of something great here.
But not if things stay LIKE THIS though...he is not your tika-taka forward. Never was.
And I'm not talking exclusively long crosses - just faster attacking play in general (enough of this slow build-up shit)...someone mentioned Bayern...Borussia is another example.
Strongly agree with your analysis. Dzeko is criticized, sometimes, quite reasonably, for his first touch, but if you remember him at Wolfsburg, his first touch was much better then. I think this is partly an issue of playing him centrally up front with no space to manoeuvre in the midst of the parked bus we often face. A little width and competence crossing the ball would do wonders for him.
Perhaps this explains why Mancini had such an abiding conviction that Mario Balotelli – crazy but with a little bit of that genius quality – was worth persisting with, but why he really found it so difficult to put an arm around Edin Dzeko’s shoulder and encourage that sensitive soul. Some at City have fretted often over how Dzeko could be helped to reach his potential, with a general resignation about the fact that Mancini wouldn’t manage it.
zeven said:Is he gone yet?