Key reason why we performed so poorly

[gio's side step]

James Milner playing instead of Gareth Barry.

The anti-barry brigade who's critique is usually based on intellect like 'he's slow or has a larger than average arse' fail to understand how critical he is to the team and how we retain possession and subsequently have more control throughout the course of the game. He's still the best player in our squad at this in a central midfield context. There are of course better players out there, i.e. xabi alonso, xavi, arteta in terms of his type, but we haven't seen this as a key area of improvement, and instead wasted time strengthening the defence again, and looking for other wide players.

Milner offers nothing in terms of CL/title winning football capability. He's a work horse who won't get on the ball centrally with any real composure, class or football intelligence/vision. He offers endeavour, but unfortunately, against Utd, we needed more control in the game, more possession. Yaya Toure hasnt played the Barry role enough, nor has he played along side De Jong enough in a deeper role. De Jong/Barry combination in games where we need to control the tempo in order to get Silva on the ball in key areas, movement, spreading the play around the opposition, is still the best we have going into this season, unless we sign someone else.

Key thought experiment here would be this. If Milner were to be sold to Spurs or Liverpool - would you seriously worry? I wouldn't. I wouldn't believe we are giving a top player away to a rival. He wouldn't offer them anything more than they already have now. If we were to sell Adam Johnson to one of those clubs for example, I'd certainly worry more.

Barry should have started. Milner shouldnt. The result might have been the same, but we'd have performed better in midfield and had more control / possession for sure.

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

I'm beginning to wonder if Milner is Mancini's Roque Santa Cruz.

 

[Skipdog]

Totally agree Barry needs to start next to De Jong

 

[Blue Elmo]

Milner for the majority of the game , didn't even play centrally , he played wide . But I agree with the fact that Barry should be starting , if you watched him when he came on , he is brilliant at retaining the ball and even if it is just a two yard pass that so many people complain about , he is keeping possesion and building up and attack . He is an important player for us , but I still think Milner will thrive in midfield if played there more reguarly .

 

[gio's side step]

I'm beginning to wonder if Milner is Mancini's Roque Santa Cruz.

The 'can't criticise anything about City because it calls into question one's existential purpose' crew, I suspect are merely 'wanting Milner to do well', in order to justify the signing. It's simple really. He was poor all last season, some of which was not always directly related to his ability, but sometimes the way he was utilised, in different positions, at different periods. But ultimately, he isn't good enough to sustain a key position in our team. Squad player perhaps, but there are still a few I'd have before him on the bench also.

I find it rather suprising Mancini would play Milner over Barry, unless there's something more to it, in terms of training, attitude, or something else. But Mancini isn't daft when it comes to 'controlling games' approaches. He knows we are more suited to retaining possession with Barry over Milner. So I really don't understand this one.

 

[RochBlue]

It's all about opinions but I don't agree. Countless times last season he slowed games down to a point it went backwards more than forwards.

Also if you look at a lot of games (not all, as sometimes he plays well) he seems to run into areas where he is not effective.

Yesterday he came on made a decent defensive block and then gave the ball away about three times in forward play. I would love him to be a midfield general but he just isn't.

Milner is not one either but at least he shakes thinks up and causes problems for the opposition defence.

 

[gio's side step]

Milner for the majority of the game , didn't even play centrally , he played wide . But I agree with the fact that Barry should be starting , if you watched him when he came on , he is brilliant at retaining the ball and even if it is just a two yard pass that so many people complain about , he is keeping possesion and building up and attack . He is an important player for us , but I still think Milner will thrive in midfield if played there more reguarly .

The way I saw it, Milner was utilised in a couple of different positions throughout the course of the game. At one point he was playing centrally, and then another point he was playing more wide (although I argued throughout the course of last season - he was completely ineffective in that position as we played a more subtle nuanced type of 'between the lines' football and not a rigid 'get it out wide and put crosses in from deep' which is his only real strength in that position. He lacks pace to go past people out wide also. So if that was Mancini's idea (to play him out wide) he should have played Barry centrally, and Johnson out there.

 

[Clubber]

Thought Milner played ok, and was far from our worst player. Why does there always have to be a scape goat?! Luckily Kolarov played well, as people couldn't pick on him like usual.


Not going to slag any off, as some of the worst performers yesterday, were quality last year. Basically the majority of players didn't turn up yesterday. Wasn't one players fault.

 

[blueinsa]

I'm beginning to wonder if Milner is Mancini's Roque Santa Cruz.

Should have read, Marwoods RSC to be fair...

 

[gio's side step]

It's all about opinions but I don't agree. Countless times last season he slowed games down to a point it went backwards more than forwards.

Also if you look at a lot of games (not all, as sometimes he plays well) he seems to run into areas where he is not effective.

Yesterday he came on made a decent defensive block and then gave the ball away about three times in forward play. I would love him to be a midfield general but he just isn't.

Milner is not one either but at least he shakes thinks up and causes problems for the opposition defence.

Couldnt disagree more. It's more complex than to say he merely 'slowed games down'. Sometimes, that was the point. That was what he should have been doing. In order for us to retain possession, and move the ball around tactically, creating space. It's not all pace, pace, pace. It's about injecting pace at the right time. Arsenal play at pace and high tempo, but they don't often enough control the game and are able to take the sting out of it when necessary. The great side under Vieira and Petit were able to do that. And still played a high tempo approach.

Barry = more control in midfield. The question is - depending on the game we play (opposition) .. is do we need that sort of approach. I think yesterday we did. Chelsea away for example - we would. At home against Swansea, we won't. Unless we wanted an Italian type of 1-0 - with few attacking stats, but more clinical.<br /><br />-- Mon Aug 08, 2011 1:15 pm --<br /><br />

Thought Milner played ok, and was far from our worst player. Why does there always have to be a scape goat?! Luckily Kolarov played well, as people couldn't pick on him like usual.


Not going to slag any off, as some of the worst performers yesterday, were quality last year. Basically the majority of players didn't turn up yesterday. Wasn't one players fault.

I'm not making Milner himself the scapegoat. I thought there were many underperformers. I was noting that tactially, playing him instead of Barry was in my opinion - they key ingredient why we performed poorly. There were others also.