Houssem Aouar

[LongsightM13]

Foden imo, provided things don't go Pogba with him, will likely be able to play anywhere he fancies, or is asked to. Including deep midfield if required. He will be better than almost all of the other players, anywhere or maybe better than all of them.

And I won't lose any sleep if Aouar doesn't sign, as I will assume something else is incoming.

But, he's got more 'gumption' about him than Gundogan imo, is more instantly creative, quicker & has just directly proved himself to be as competitive & as sharp or sharper, than anyone in our midfield. so we are instantly better.

I really wanted Gundogan at City but for me he had something extra about him at Dortmund, some of which he left there when he got injured. He has, imo, been the midfield version of when we signed Robbie Fowler. You can see the memories & moments, & sometimes it looks like he's back, but the full package isn't there, he just hasn't got that 'something' which made him special, anymore, & he just slips back to being a cog in the machine, reliant on all the other bits, to function, in order for him to function. He doesn't change anything, he just does his bit, amongst it. And like with Fowler, he still gets picked, using his smartness to get a game, even though we are crying out for something better, stronger, faster, more ccreative, to raise our level. So we don't get better at all in his area. Instead, he plays & we try to cover it up with different lineups .

This guy is immediately more athletic but also much more of a threat imo. If we have a proper defence, I'm sure he could play in front of it & if we don't get our shit together, I'm sure he'll get caught out, like Rodri, Gundogan & even Fern do because he's only human. But I don't doubt he could play there.

But if we actually had a back 4 worthy of our status & found a genuine Fern MKII, younger & faster & fitter, to play DM then I'd also be much happier seeing Aouar playing at 8, than Gundogan & he would give us so many options & improve the general sharpness of our midfield, along with Foden.

We need to be sharper, all round imo. That's the evolution of football & has been coming for a while. Each non plodder, adds to the team whole.

Perfect analysis

 

[RayCTID]

The thing is, even allowing for his world class fuckup vs Lyon, Pep really is special.

He can get players to pass & move the ball, like nobody else can.

So imo, he just needs to accept that we also need a selection of players who can do that & be tougher, fitter & run faster, etc.

The two things are not exclusive imo, you can have both & anyway you don't need to play all of the athletes in every game.

Just try to sign the best footballers, who are also athletic, where possible. Job done, we win everything.

Can't argue against that. The last knee injury at City has killed any mobility he had left. Still nothing wrong with his footballing brain but its time for fresher legs

 

[Josh_D]

We take the piss out of the scousers & their 3 midfield defenders, but surely it's obvious, that if we can reboot our defence but then still play our Pepball, but also add a yard or two of pace & fitness, to each position whilst doing it, then we totally crush Liverpool ? And Bayern Munich, for that matter ?

One of the reasons I like the idea of Bernardo and Foden in a team with KDB. Them plus the usual starters will give you energy. They may not give you power but the have the flair for that. Foden and Bernardo can ride challenges. Bernardo is also very aggressive in his pressing. Kev has those bursting runs a few times a match.

Regardless of all that, some more umph is needed. I don’t like the dippers midfield because of the lack of creativity. However, City have the players for it to work. Nonetheless, you’re right about pace/athleticism.

 

[KokaKoola]

One of the 6 fouls was a blatant dive, and all were in the Lyon half straight after a change over, Aouar was not even close to being the best Lyon player he was just a cog in the wheel

The entire country of France including Lyon's entire fanbase thought he was their best player.
L'Equipe in particular gave him the highest rating of the whole game.
So does whoscored who rated him higher than any of their other player on the night.
De Bruyne was asked to pick one player who impressed him in Lyon's team and went for Aouar without second thought.

He's not a cog in the wheel, he's been carrying this team since groupstage and is already tied for most assist in the tournament even though Bayern are scoring 5+ goals per game on average

 

[salfordbluetrue]

Too fast for all,of them. If you watch the game again, or either of the two previous matches, you’ll see he was regularly fouled by a hatful of players, including de Bruyne and Fernandinho the other night. He was the best player on the park and arguably the best player in the other two games as well, so I’m hoping to see a lot more of him if we’re fortunate enough to sign him.

Sorry but that is rubbish i can understand people liking Auoar but as i said 6 fouls in the first 36 minutes which he made the most of, and one a dive, you keep suggesting he is fast he is not, Gundogan was the one that fouled him the most, our slowest player, you even used our second slowest player as an example, after 36 minutes Lyon went into defensive mode and Aouar was hardly seen again, the big CB for Lyon was undoubtedly the best player on the park followed by the right winger and striker,
I can understand everybody liking Auoar he reminds me of Nasri but there remains 2 questions, who can you get to leave for him?, and does he cover a position we need better than others out there, the answer to the second part is very definitely no.

 

[zepenedo]

Sorry but that is rubbish i can understand people liking Auoar but as i said 6 fouls in the first 36 minutes which he made the most of, and one a dive, you keep suggesting he is fast he is not, Gundogan was the one that fouled him the most, our slowest player, you even used our second slowest player as an example, after 36 minutes Lyon went into defensive mode and Aouar was hardly seen again, the big CB for Lyon was undoubtedly the best player on the park followed by the right winger and striker,
I can understand everybody liking Auoar he reminds me of Nasri but there remains 2 questions, who can you get to leave for him?, and does he cover a position we need better than others out there, the answer to the second part is very definitely no.

I think the intention with Aouar's signing is to cover for De Bruyne. Rodri/Fernandinho as DMs, KDB/Aouar as CMRs and Bernardo/Foden as CMLs with Gundogan as kind of a midfield wildcard. I believe Fernandinho will leave next summer or before so you'd have 6 players for 3 positions which is perfect.

I'm also not sure Aouar is the best choice for us but I won't the mad if we sign him either. I'd prefer Thiago, but I'm much happier with Aouar than with Winks.

 

[salfordbluetrue]

The entire country of France including Lyon's entire fanbase thought he was their best player.
L'Equipe in particular gave him the highest rating of the whole game.
So does whoscored who rated him higher than any of their other player on the night.
De Bruyne was asked to pick one player who impressed him in Lyon's team and went for Aouar without second thought.

He's not a cog in the wheel, he's been carrying this team since groupstage and is already tied for most assist in the tournament even though Bayern are scoring 5+ goals per game on average

People quite often like their favorite player, but the big CB for Lyon was the best player on the park, he has done wonderfully considering this team has been battered in every game since the group stage, and had to rely on the defense

 

[salfordbluetrue]

I think the intention with Aouar's signing is to cover for De Bruyne. Rodri/Fernandinho as DMs, KDB/Aouar as CMRs and Bernardo/Foden as CMLs with Gundogan as kind of a midfield wildcard. I believe Fernandinho will leave next summer or before so you'd have 6 players for 3 positions which is perfect.

I'm also not sure Aouar is the best choice for us but I won't the mad if we sign him either. I'd prefer Thiago, but I'm much happier with Aouar than with Winks.

It is not a bad way of thinking until you see Riodri. Fernandinho and Gundodan as the defensive midfield, our slowest players, three failing left backs and only two strikers, one of which will not last the season, we simply do not have the ability to play a wild card in midfield, without a lot of movement which is unlikely

 

[zepenedo]

It is not a bad way of thinking until you see Riodri. Fernandinho and Gundodan as the defensive midfield, our slowest players, three failing left backs and only two strikers, one of which will not last the season, we simply do not have the ability to play a wild card in midfield, without a lot of movement which is unlikely

Completely agree with you on the LB issue and I think it should be top priority right after signing a new CB (Koulibaly apparently). Also agree on the Striker issue, I think this should be Agüero's last year with us and we should either sign one this year (Lautaro) or get everything in order to sign someone BIG next year (Haland or Mbappé).

I like the way the midfield is shaping up if we sign Aouar. Then, next summer, with Fernandinho and (hopefully) Gundogan leaving, we can buy a more mobile DM. Maybe De Jong gets so sick of Barça that by this time next year he's willing to sign for us, that'd be amazing.

 

[Gabriel]

Sorry but that is rubbish i can understand people liking Auoar but as i said 6 fouls in the first 36 minutes which he made the most of, and one a dive, you keep suggesting he is fast he is not, Gundogan was the one that fouled him the most, our slowest player, you even used our second slowest player as an example, after 36 minutes Lyon went into defensive mode and Aouar was hardly seen again, the big CB for Lyon was undoubtedly the best player on the park followed by the right winger and striker,
I can understand everybody liking Auoar he reminds me of Nasri but there remains 2 questions, who can you get to leave for him?, and does he cover a position we need better than others out there, the answer to the second part is very definitely no.

It’s not ‘rubbish’ simply a different opinion. He’s faster upstairs and faster at keeping the ball away from others, which is why they were consistently compelled to bring him down; he doesn’t have to be a sprinter to be fast. He was also instrumental in both their second and third goals, so hardly disappearing. In terms of squad position, Silva has already left so Aouar would take his slot.

I don’t base my judgement on liking particular players. Instead, I look at them and think do they have the technical ability we require? Would they fit our style of play and are they of the right age and experience to play in our squad? Similarly, do they have the right character? If we do sign Aouar and Koulibaly, I’ll be satisfied that the club has signed players and people that fit with what it has and what it needs now.