Jason Denayer

[Deleted member 58678]

SPL to Premier League is quite a jump, championship is a level above the SPL, so this makes sense IMO. Better than him languishing on the bench behind VK, EM and MD.

SPL to Prem is a huge jump. Ask Hooper who wasn't even an automatic starter in the Championship for Norwich, or even Wanyama who Celtic fans thought would walk straight into Barça/Madrid/City/Chelsea's midfields and he was just a half decent player for a half decent team in the Prem.

I would honestly like Denayer to go to a league like Portugal France or Holland where teams will play in a high line defence who keep possession well, mirroring what we do.

 

[Deleted member 58678]

No player would be happy being last choice for their position, but someone has to be. If the four are as I expect them to be, then it’s up to each of them to prove they deserve to be 1st or 2nd choice. I include Kompany in this because based on last year’s form, I’d be tempted to start the season with Demichelis and Mangala as 1 & 2. However, Kompany is captain, and I’m sure everyone at the clubs expects (hopes) he will recover his form of two/three years ago, so I realistically expect that Kompany and Mangala will start as 1 & 2. Demichelis will know he’s not capable of playing 60 games a season and knows he’s not the future of our defence so will be the most “happy” to accept not being first choice, knowing he will get plenty of playing time in cup games and when Kompany inevitably gets injured. If Denayer doesn’t think he’s good enough to challenge Mangala for that 2nd spot, then he’s not ready to join the first team squad. If he does think he’s good enough, he shouldn’t worry about being given assurances of playing time.

For me, it’s not so much a case of 4 players for two spots, it’s 2 players for one spot and 2 for the other. Unless injuries/suspensions force our hand, I think we’ll always look to pair one of Kompany & Demichelis, with one of Mangala & Denayer. As such, Demichelis isn’t really competition for Denayer.

Going off last season, Demichelis should be the first name on the defensive sheet. He was also the player Mangala played best with. Demi never stopped talking to Mangala when he played with him as well (Kompany isn't nearly as organisational with Mangala and has a tendency to bollock him - West Ham away, Moscow away - like he did with Nastasic previously). The only problem is Demi 34 which is a real shame because that (and that Kompany is captain) will be the only things knocking him down the pecking order. When everything football-wise under the defensive tactics we play under says he should be first choice.

 

[kenzie115]

I'd agree, why should he take the chance though? If he doesn't sign anything the in January he'll have his pick of European clubs to talk to about a free transfer if the promised game time doesn't materialise.

Perhaps if he refuses to sign an extension, we won’t give him the chance he wants?

As it stands, I’m sure there are plenty of top European clubs who’d be interested in him, both now and especially on a free transfer in 12 months’ time. However, will any club of the same stature as City (i.e. capable of properly challenging on all fronts) be able to guarantee him more of an opportunity than City? We’ve developed him and subsequently we know him, plus we’re in a position where a 20 year old academy graduate is a perfect fit for our first team squad.

He could leave for another club of a lower standing where he’d be guaranteed game time and it’d mean he’d be pretty much certain of a place in Belgium’s squad next season for the Euros. However, it’d be a short term gain with long term ramifications. If he develops as people are predicting, he’s got the opportunity the make himself a regular in a side that will challenge for all major trophies for the next 10-15 years.

 

[Silva_Spell]

We won’t. Regardless of personnel, we require 4 centre backs in our first team squad. Kompany and Mangala are clearly going to be 2 of the 4. If we’re saying Denayer will be the third, which I think he should, then there still needs to be one other. Do you think Denayer would believe he’s got more chance of game time if Demichelis is that 4th centre back, or if we were to release Demichelis and bring in another, say Otamendi for example?

With Mangala on the young side, there’s no way we wouldn’t bring in an experienced centre back to replace Demichelis if he was released. What chance do we have of finding someone experienced and good enough to step in for Kompany if he’s injured, but that wouldn’t demand the sort of game time that would hinder Mangala’s progress, never mind Denayer’s? And how much of our summer budget would said player cost? And what if he didn’t settle well?


Keeping Demichelis is the simplest decision we’ve ever had to make.

In the last 2 seasons Boyata has made 3 PL apps, 3 FA Cup apps and 3 League Cup apps. 9 apps in total, most as a sub, some at RB.

That strongly suggests we do not need 4 CBs.

 

[kenzie115]

Going off last season, Demichelis should be the first name on the defensive sheet. He was also the player Mangala played best with. Demi never stopped talking to Mangala when he played with him as well (Kompany isn't nearly as organisational with Mangala and has a tendency to bollock him - West Ham away, Moscow away - like he did with Nastasic previously). The only problem is Demi 34 which is a real shame because that (and that Kompany is captain) will be the only things knocking him down the pecking order. When everything football-wise under the defensive tactics we play under says he should be first choice.

Completely agree. Unfortunately Demichelis is not the future of our defence, we know that and he knows that. If Kompany struggles with either fitness or form again next season then Demichelis will play plenty, if he doesn't, then Demichelis will find himself being faded out with one of Mangala or Denayer partnering Kompany. The trouble we have is if Kompany looks like he's not just having a blip, but that it's a serious issue from which he'll never recover. We're then going to be looking at having to replace Demichelis and Kompany in the next couple of seasons, our two experienced centre backs. If that is the case, we need to pray to anything that will listen that Mangala settles this season and Denayer finds his feet quickly.

 

[kenzie115]

In the last 2 seasons Boyata has made 3 PL apps, 3 FA Cup apps and 3 League Cup apps. 9 apps in total, most as a sub, some at RB.

That strongly suggests we do not need 4 CBs.

In 13/14, we had Kompany, Demichelis, Nastasic and Lescott, so Boyata was 5th choice at best (we also used Javi Garcia ahead of Boyata).

People have commented in this thread that Demichelis looked jaded by the end of 14/15 season and Kompany’s injury record speaks for itself. Just because we didn’t use 4 centre backs regularly last season, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have, and wouldn’t have if we’d had someone better than Boyata.

 

[IWasHere]

I think he'll get more game time as a matter of course than Dedryck did. There were times when an injured Kompany was played rather than trusting to Boyata. He did OK and you couldn't really say he let us down. But I got the over-riding impression that playing dear old Dedryck was one reason we lost to Boro and I think Pellegrini was complacent - or too trusting - with his selection. Bowing to the 'give youth a chance' brigade.

Dedders didn't have enough 'quality' about him, but I get a different impression with Denayer.

We lost because we were shit not because of boyata

 

[Silva_Spell]

In 13/14, we had Kompany, Demichelis, Nastasic and Lescott, so Boyata was 5th choice at best (we also used Javi Garcia ahead of Boyata).

People have commented in this thread that Demichelis looked jaded by the end of 14/15 season and Kompany’s injury record speaks for itself. Just because we didn’t use 4 centre backs regularly last season, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have, and wouldn’t have if we’d had someone better than Boyata.

Only way you get a better 4th choice CB than Boyata is if the player involved is also a fullback or midfielder.

Unless Denayer can play RB or DM or Demi is going to be used more at DM, one of our 4 will most likely have/want to leave, whether that's on loan or permanently.

Even ignoring Boyata's complete lack of playing time (playing time which didn't get any better when Lesc and Nasty left or when Mangala was having a rough time of it), a glance at the other top clubs shows 4 out and out CBs aren't employed.

As for Demi being jaded towards the end, you would hope that Mangala will have improved enough to not need to be benched and thus give Demi more rest. If not, then it's Mangala who needs to go.

 

[kenzie115]

Only way you get a better 4th choice CB than Boyata is if the player involved is also a fullback or midfielder.

Unless Denayer can play RB or DM or Demi is going to be used more at DM, one of our 4 will most likely have/want to leave, whether that's on loan or permanently.

Even ignoring Boyata's complete lack of playing time (playing time which didn't get any better when Lesc and Nasty left or when Mangala was having a rough time of it), a glance at the other top clubs shows 4 out and out CBs aren't employed.

As for Demi being jaded towards the end, you would hope that Mangala will have improved enough to not need to be benched and thus give Demi more rest. If not, then it's Mangala who needs to go.

Mangala wasn't benched, Kompany was injured. Demichelis and Mangala was our best partnership last season, Kompany was the main problem for Mangala.

We definitely need 4 centre backs. No top side has 4 top quality, experienced centre backs, because 2 of them know they won't get masses of game time. However, we have one ageing centre back, and two youngsters, who won't all expect to play every week. That's quite different. Especially when you throw in that our only "guaranteed" starter is injury prone and in a bad run of form.

Even if Denayer doesn't show himself to be better than Mangala or Demichelis this season, he'll still get about 10-15 starts, depending upon cup runs. That's not bad for a 20 year old at a team challenging for the title and Champions League (hopefully).

 

[Silva_Spell]

Mangala was benched