Didsbury Dave said:
Tevez is an exceptional player, but there's a grain of truth in your post. One of the reasons why our play became so scintillating at the start of last season was that we suddenly started playing pass and move, one and two touch football, breaking and attacking at pace. Everything was going through silva, aguero and that was the way we overpowered teams. Watch the 6-1 and you'll see it, possession and penetration, the opposition chasing shadows. One and two touch fast football. It was partly because we had no Tevez slowing things up.
With Tevez it's all or nothing. He can score some brilliant solo goals and he works his bollocks off. But his natural game is not one touch pass and move. He receives the ball and often runs at people. Sometimes it comes off and he creates himself or someone else a chance. Sometimes it doesn't and he loses possession. He's a better player than nasri, and brings a lot more to the table, but like nasri he loses us something as well. Fluency and speed. When both of them are in the team you get what we got on Tuesday and at west ham: lots of possession but slower build up player and less razor sharp penetration.
It's a conundrum because I believe he and aguero are our best strikers. He gets goals. But he does affect us too and in some ways nullifies what can be our biggest weapon.
Samir Nasri is a better all-round footballer than Tevez. We've not seen the best of him yet - Be patient.
We've seen the best of Tevez and he's now on the downhill - tries too hard for himself rather than the team.
My opinion, but I'm usually right.
-- Thu Nov 08, 2012 10:40 pm --
andyhinch said:
God I love optimism, it's the only reason I come on here
I'm on holiday up here for a bit, basking in the warm glow of Diddly Dave's smugness.
glow