Has Nasri been our biggest loss?

[almir]

Nasri makes us apply pressure on opposition defences, something we've rarely been able to do this season. Of course we bloody miss him, only idiots could claim otherwise.

 

[Phil1]

He can be as inconsistent as every other player in our midfield but also brilliant on his day. Having him as an option sure beats not having him available at all.

 

[schfc6]

A great player highly rated by both Mancini & Pellegrini. He uses the ball just about as well as any player we've had. He allows us to apply pressure, sustained pressure, making us a constant headache for the opposition.

He carries the ball well, is a threat from distance, makes intelligent runs and makes things happen. He also links up incredibly well with both Kolarov & Zabaleta and is almost telepathic with Silva & Toure.

We really do miss him in both opening games up and closing games down.

 

[mosssideblue]

He can be as inconsistent as every other player in our midfield but also brilliant on his day. Having him as an option sure beats not having him available at all.

Agree. Always delighted when he was named on the starting sheet and then fretted wondering which Samir would turn up. If he could sort his head out and churn out what he is capable of regularly, we would be in a much better place

 

[Dax777]

This is exactly right. On his own he's been amazing but he seemed to have unbalanced the team or is that just a coincidence

Coincidence, and poor memory I reckon. We started out with five wins on a bounce. That graphic, 5 straight, has colored lenses on how good those games were. West Brom was a total beat down, perhaps our best game this season. Then we smashed Chelsea. Those were the 2 great games. Everton was an even game we won. Closing it out with Nasri's late score. But we weren't as fluid as the first 2 games. Watford was a good game too. They came in scared, played tough, but we dispatched of them. By Crystal Palace our form was already ragged. We needed a last minute Iheanacho pop to make it work.

But even if one were to buy the, we were 'at our best in the first 5 games' mantra, the conclusion you should reach from our haphazard performances since then, is that our injuries started then. Aguero went down 25 minutes into CP, Komps a game later, Silva a game after that. Aguero returns lethargic, then goes out again. These injuries to key players, caused our loss of form.

But if I'm being honest, the first 5 games was no better than the 8 game run between September 30th and early November. Starting with a gutsy away win at Gladbach, and ending with the win at Sevilla. But people don't remember it as rosily because it was smack between athumping at Spurs and a thumping by Pool.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

He can be as inconsistent as every other player in our midfield but also brilliant on his day. Having him as an option sure beats not having him available at all.

I don't remember the "brilliant" day. Maybe you mean that in at Spurs just after he joined when he looked a good signing. Didn't he once have a half decent game against Chelsea too?

He wouldn't get anywhere near this side when fully fit and I doubt he will ever play for us again.

 

[lancs blue]

He can be as inconsistent as every other player in our midfield but also brilliant on his day. Having him as an option sure beats not having him available at all.

Trouble is his brilliance is a bit thin on the ground, I'd say he's a lot more inconsistent than any of our other attacking midfielders and he's certainly not a solid 7/10 player, the occasional 9 (Roma away) with too many 5s.

 

[coleridge]

I don't remember the "brilliant" day. Maybe you mean that in at Spurs just after he joined when he looked a good signing. Didn't he once have a half decent game against Chelsea too?

He wouldn't get anywhere near this side when fully fit and I doubt he will ever play for us again.

Fair play. Your downer on Nasri is unrelenting and your repetition of 'half a decent game against Chelsea' is one of your most humorous catchphrases; although the bar was not set particularly high. ;)

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Fair play. Your downer on Nasri is unrelenting and your repetition of 'half a decent game against Chelsea' is one of your most humorous catchphrases; although the bar was not set particularly high. ;)

Seriously, he must know he's finished at City because De Bruyne, Sterling, Silva and even Navas are ahead of him in the pecking order. Even Ileanacho is a direct competitor for a place.

 

[smithy extra]

No