It's Quiet thread 14 - 'do one' edition

[domalino]

I do think we need a LB, but I also agree our current main problem is midfield balance. I was so disappointed by our midfield against Leicester. Not secure, no composure, giving the ball away cheaply...where have the triangles gone? There was nothing. Just KDB rushing forward and hitting crosses. Pep's great sides are all about the midfield. Ours currently has no balance at all. We need to find that as a matter of urgency. Aouar would solve that for me. He's potential Silva-esque.

A proper LB would be nice, but look around the market, there's not many standout options is there?

Tagliafico? 28 years old, bit of a workhorse, not much going forward, quite a rash defender.

Aouar just turned 22, he's already putting in world class performances in the CL, he's carried Lyon domestically at times and he's just a much better player.

In 3 years time we'll probably be looking to move Tagliafico on while Aouar is one of the best midfielders on the planet.

Next summer, Gaya will probably be getting flogged by Valencia, Alaba will be a free agent, Ait-Nouri the kid they were interested in will have had 1 more year to develop, someone else might have made a name for themselves. Digne might want to leave Everton.

I think there's a reason it's been reported City were looking to fix LB next summer, it's because there's no one great out there right now.

 

[Delphinho]

Aouar and Thiago both available and we went for neither, but signed a winger who we probably didn't need

Crazy

You think just Mahrez and Sterling would be good enough depth to play 50-60 games a season? Silva has left and Foden and Bernardo is likely to play more in the middle, besides they’re not actual wingers. We needed a Sane replacement and got a great one. Just give him some time

 

[Ric]

I don't get how no one at City has seen how desperate we are for energy in the middle of the park.

Agreed. It's incredibly frustrating. Aouar would be perfect.

 

[pavelsrnicek]

I do think we need a LB, but I also agree our current main problem is midfield balance. I was so disappointed by our midfield against Leicester. Not secure, no composure, giving the ball away cheaply...where have the triangles gone? There was nothing. Just KDB rushing forward and hitting crosses. Pep's great sides are all about the midfield. Ours currently has no balance at all. We need to find that as a matter of urgency. Aouar would solve that for me. He's potential Silva-esque. Gundogan but with dynamism.

We could probably sign Aouar and a left back for £70m which would fundamentally improve our season. Pep rates Aouar, KDB rates Aouar and he’s been part of a midfield that’s bested us twice. I don’t understand why we’re not in for him.

 

[oldius]

We got 198 points in 2 seasons without a left back. Pep won everything for 4 years with a CB filling in at LB at Barca.

Aké is a much better option at LB than Delph or Zinchenko. Cancelo can play there if you need a bit more attacking output.

Fernandinho could play the inverted LB role which would mean he's sitting next to Rodri 80% of the game and doing a bit of 1v1 defending out wide the rest of it - something he can do easily.

Sort out the midfield and everything else falls into place.

This is absolutely true. Defending the fast counter is something that begins at the front by stopping the long ball. We did not press with the usual aggression against Leicester and it caught us out - Bernardo and Gabby were much bigger misses that we realise and it is a fact that Fern, hero that he has been, cannot do what he could so we need more pace and power in the midfield too. When these players return, we will be strong.

 

[blue b4 the moon]

Not at all. Signing Messi would make City iconic. For that alone, hes worth any money.

I really don't think it would, we'd be getting very little or as little as possible media push and the majority of the world would just see Barca's Messi retirement home being City.

Maradonna is always looked upon as a Napoli player, perhaps the only one and that maybe due to him playing at the rags is Ronaldo who straddles a couple of teams.

 

[domalino]

Yes, it’s marketability. Money, money, money. Very little to do with football. And with a high risk of becoming Messi and Guardiola FC.

I know I’m out of step and it’s what most people seem to want.

Not at all. Signing Messi would make City iconic. For that alone, hes worth any money.

I really don't think it would, we'd be getting very little or as little as possible media push and the majority of the world would just see Barca's Messi retirement home being City.

Sod the money and the marketing.

There is one simple fact that means we should try to sign Messi. He's the best player in the world.

In the worst Barcelona side in 15 years he just got 30 goals and 20 assists. That's KDB's best season and Aguero's best season combined into one.

Slot him into our side, with a good manager and world class talents around him and he's going to score more and assist more.

That's why you get him. The marketing, the growth of the club, that's all icing on top, it's not the reason you buy him.

 

[walker_is_faster]

I think the biggest reason why we aren't in for Aouar is because we have Bernardo and Foden,
at least one of them should be starting in the midfield.

 

[OliMCFC]

I've been against signing a midfielder all summer really, once it looked like nobody par David would leave. But Aouar is wanting a big move and we need some more energy in there. Whether that's solved by bringing in another forward and putting the ever energetic Bernardo in there (or Foden), or buying Aouar, I dont know or really care but we need to do something, badly.

 

[markbmcfc]

Agreed. It's incredibly frustrating. Aouar would be perfect.

Perhaps the hope/plan is Bernardo finds his form and fills that void. If he can replicate the energy he showed against Liverpool at home in the 2-1, with his ball retention and technical ability, he's perfect. A lot of ifs, admittedly.