James Milner

[chanceathefarpost]

Before I write this, just to say that I am not out to criticise Mancini and his coaches - what they have delivered in the last 30 months or so has been nothing short of exceptional. Noe am I a 'football manager', I'm simply offering an opinion which I'd be interested to take others' thoughts on.

I cannot help but feel totally gutted for James Milner.

He arrived as young player of the year from Villa as an up and coming central midfield player, a role with made great use of his virtues: energy, stamina, keeping it simple, work rate, tackling, finishing and all round dynamism.

Due to the form of others, formations and tactical preferences of the coaching staff, Milner has more often than not been deployed as an attacking wide player at City, with the ability to tuck-in. He is a fabulous option in this role for when teams are expected to attack with their fullbacks as he has the quality, concentration and the physical attributes to help Micah / Zab by dropping back. He also has the footballing intelligence to recognise when to stick and when to push up - as seen at Old Trafford.

However to be used as a wing back against Villa, when others were given the opportunity to 'stake their place' was in my mind completely unfair. He even played a good portion as right back! He should have been given the role Razak was afforded. Not only would this have given him a chance to show what he can do against a decent opposition in his own position, but also having Barry and Milner behind Suarez would surely have enabled Dennis it have more 'of a go' without worrying quite so much about possession.

Now I know that many rate Razak and thought he put in a good performance on Tuesday, I have to disagree. Far too often he was caught on the ball, and tried the ambitious when the game simply required us to maintain possession - and move the ball around more fluidly - which is the necessary ingredient in playing a 3-5-2 as it prevents the opposition pinning the wingbacks back thus becoming more of a 5-3-2.

At 1-1, I thought Milner should have been moved into midfield with Barry and Razak to be replaced. We could have shifted Kolo to rb and had Lescott / Nastastic in the centre. This was what the game was crying out for imho.

I really hope that Milner doesn't become disheartened - he is one of the unsung players a championship sides needs to be able to call upon. I'd even have him ahead of Rodwell for centre-mid.

 

[cibaman]

It would have been crazy not to have given Razak a game on Tuesday. Barry also needed game time. It seemed to me that the formation on tuesday was dictated by player availability and the need to rest most of those who had played two days earlier.

 

[Blue Mooner]

Before I write this, just to say that I am not out to criticise Mancini and his coaches - what they have delivered in the last 30 months or so has been nothing short of exceptional. Noe am I a 'football manager', I'm simply offering an opinion which I'd be interested to take others' thoughts on.

I cannot help but feel totally gutted for James Milner.

He arrived as young player of the year from Villa as an up and coming central midfield player, a role with made great use of his virtues: energy, stamina, keeping it simple, work rate, tackling, finishing and all round dynamism.

Due to the form of others, formations and tactical preferences of the coaching staff, Milner has more often than not been deployed as an attacking wide player at City, with the ability to tuck-in. He is a fabulous option in this role for when teams are expected to attack with their fullbacks as he has the quality, concentration and the physical attributes to help Micah / Zab by dropping back. He also has the footballing intelligence to recognise when to stick and when to push up - as seen at Old Trafford.

However to be used as a wing back against Villa, when others were given the opportunity to 'stake their place' was in my mind completely unfair. He even played a good portion as right back! He should have been given the role Razak was afforded. Not only would this have given him a chance to show what he can do against a decent opposition in his own position, but also having Barry and Milner behind Suarez would surely have enabled Dennis it have more 'of a go' without worrying quite so much about possession.

Now I know that many rate Razak and thought he put in a good performance on Tuesday, I have to disagree. Far too often he was caught on the ball, and tried the ambitious when the game simply required us to maintain possession - and move the ball around more fluidly - which is the necessary ingredient in playing a 3-5-2 as it prevents the opposition pinning the wingbacks back thus becoming more of a 5-3-2.

At 1-1, I thought Milner should have been moved into midfield with Barry and Razak to be replaced. We could have shifted Kolo to rb and had Lescott / Nastastic in the centre. This was what the game was crying out for imho.

I really hope that Milner doesn't become disheartened - he is one of the unsung players a championship sides needs to be able to call upon. I'd even have him ahead of Rodwell for centre-mid.

Have to say I agree I dont understand why he has never been given a chance to play centre midfield i think he could do a very good job in that role and it was the position he played for Villa so well the year we bought him. Just don't get it.

 

[chanceathefarpost]

It would have been crazy not to have given Razak a game on Tuesday. Barry also needed game time. It seemed to me that the formation on tuesday was dictated by player availability and the need to rest most of those who had played two days earlier.

Think playing both Razak and Suarez didn't do either of them any favours against a prem side. Would have introduced Razak when we had control of the game - that would have been my game plan anyway.

 

[sir baconface]

There is already a thread, entitled "why buy James Milner?", that addresses exactly the same issue.

 

[cibaman]

It would have been crazy not to have given Razak a game on Tuesday. Barry also needed game time. It seemed to me that the formation on tuesday was dictated by player availability and the need to rest most of those who had played two days earlier.

Think playing both Razak and Suarez didn't do either of them any favours against a prem side. Would have introduced Razak when we had control of the game - that would have been my game plan anyway.

I thought it was expecting too much of Suarez to play in the role he was given. The senior players were never going to trust him to dictate play and give him the ball often enough in dangerous areas. He would have been better suited to playing out wide but with license to come inside as Silva and Nasri do.

But I thought it was fine to play Razak in that position against a weakened Villa team. The coaches will have learned plenty about his strengths and weaknesses and hopefully so has he.

 

[Damocles]

A couple of points here:

Milner was bought after playing a good season in the centre of midfield. Anybody who watched Stephen Ireland play should know that a decent season in one position doesn't suddenly mean that it's your best position.

He was a decent player for Villa, in their top three or four at the time. Being in the top three or four for Villa doesn't guarantee you a starting spot every match for a team challenging for the league and the CL, when competing with Yaya Toure, Gareth Barry, David Silva, Samir Nasri, Nigel De Jong, Adam Johnson and Javi Garcia over the course of his career here. All of those are either better than Milner at what Milner does, or bring different ingredients to the mix.

Milner played on the right for Newcastle. He played on the right for the majority of time at Villa. He plays on the right for City and he plays on the right for England. He's a right midfielder who can play in the centre, not a centre midfielder who can play on the right.

I thought that right wing back is a decent role for him.

He's a decent squad player at City which is about his level. Champions are desperate for the Milners and Zabs of this world and they often pay off in spades. They might not start every game but they'll get enough minutes, be involved in high profile games and win medals/trophies here. Milner is our Ji Sung Park, brought on to bring some battle into the midfielder, never moans about playing time and is a decent player in several positions. He isn't world class but is very important to the squad in terms of overall balance.

Where would he go anyway? It's not like we're pushing him out and it isn't like he isn't generously paid and it isn't like he'll get THAT much more minutes at any other club he could go to.

 

[Blue Mooner]

A couple of points here:

Milner was bought after playing a good season in the centre of midfield. Anybody who watched Stephen Ireland play should know that a decent season in one position doesn't suddenly mean that it's your best position.

He was a decent player for Villa, in their top three or four at the time. Being in the top three or four for Villa doesn't guarantee you a starting spot every match for a team challenging for the league and the CL, when competing with Yaya Toure, Gareth Barry, David Silva, Samir Nasri, Nigel De Jong, Adam Johnson and Javi Garcia over the course of his career here. All of those are either better than Milner at what Milner does, or bring different ingredients to the mix.

Milner played on the right for Newcastle. He played on the right for the majority of time at Villa. He plays on the right for City and he plays on the right for England. He's a right midfielder who can play in the centre, not a centre midfielder who can play on the right.

I thought that right wing back is a decent role for him.

He's a decent squad player at City which is about his level. Champions are desperate for the Milners and Zabs of this world and they often pay off in spades. They might not start every game but they'll get enough minutes, be involved in high profile games and win medals/trophies here. Milner is our Ji Sung Park, brought on to bring some battle into the midfielder, never moans about playing time and is a decent player in several positions. He isn't world class but is very important to the squad in terms of overall balance.

Where would he go anyway? It's not like we're pushing him out and it isn't like he isn't generously paid and it isn't like he'll get THAT much more minutes at any other club he could go to.

He may have started out wide but the best season in his career was centre mid. I see more the attributes he has as a player, good engine, good tackler, can spray good passes about all being better utilised from the middle of the park.

I dont think you could argue he would automatic first choice but when you need to rotate and for the lower priority games i dont understand why he doesnt get a start there, villa being a great example.

 

[1dart]

A couple of points here:

Milner was bought after playing a good season in the centre of midfield. Anybody who watched Stephen Ireland play should know that a decent season in one position doesn't suddenly mean that it's your best position.

He was a decent player for Villa, in their top three or four at the time. Being in the top three or four for Villa doesn't guarantee you a starting spot every match for a team challenging for the league and the CL, when competing with Yaya Toure, Gareth Barry, David Silva, Samir Nasri, Nigel De Jong, Adam Johnson and Javi Garcia over the course of his career here. All of those are either better than Milner at what Milner does, or bring different ingredients to the mix.

Milner played on the right for Newcastle. He played on the right for the majority of time at Villa. He plays on the right for City and he plays on the right for England. He's a right midfielder who can play in the centre, not a centre midfielder who can play on the right.

I thought that right wing back is a decent role for him.

He's a decent squad player at City which is about his level. Champions are desperate for the Milners and Zabs of this world and they often pay off in spades. They might not start every game but they'll get enough minutes, be involved in high profile games and win medals/trophies here. Milner is our Ji Sung Park, brought on to bring some battle into the midfielder, never moans about playing time and is a decent player in several positions. He isn't world class but is very important to the squad in terms of overall balance.

Where would he go anyway? It's not like we're pushing him out and it isn't like he isn't generously paid and it isn't like he'll get THAT much more minutes at any other club he could go to.

Perfectly put

 

[Damocles]

He may have started out wide but the best season in his career was centre mid. I see more the attributes he has as a player, good engine, good tackler, can spray good passes about all being better utilised from the middle of the park.

I dont think you could argue he would automatic first choice but when you need to rotate and for the lower priority games i dont understand why he doesnt get a start there, villa being a great example.

Because it was a run of form that lasted about two thirds of a season and was down to him needing to be shifted in the centre. Zab had a great run as a defensive midfielder a few years back too, but I don't see many people aching for a switch. Same for SWP as a striker and numerous others

And Razak's development is more important to City than Milner's gametime, it was a good decision to play Razak instead. Milner will play more high pressure games, Razak won't.