Kompany This Season

[Sabster]

Exactly. Those 'smarty pants' saying we do not De Jong clearly do not understand the importance of having a proper anchorman in the modern game.

NDJ will take some defensive pressure off Kompany.

Remind me of those Anchormen Ream Madrid, Barcelona or Chelsea play week in week out.

Don't you start with your pathetic Anti-NDJ campaign, Dickster!

There is no anti-NDJ campaign.

I just hate this concept that NDJ is some sort of god who has to play every game and is absoultely essential and the first name on the team sheet.

He is a good player (but a squad player not a definate starter) that will be used in some games when we need to sure up the midfield - for instance I would have loved to have seen him come on today when Fulham were pressuring us.

 

[Scotty76]

Curse of the armband.

I don't think there's a curse on the armband blue, Tevez didn't do bad with it...

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

I think a lot of you have forgotten that Vinnnie became a father this summer, I for one think this is affecting him. Do not worry, he will be back to his best very shortly.

Became a father? This is outrageous. We should have sterilised him.

 

[Seosa]

Remind me of those Anchormen Ream Madrid, Barcelona or Chelsea play week in week out.

Don't you start with your pathetic Anti-NDJ campaign, Dickster!

There is no anti-NDJ campaign.

I just hate this concept that NDJ is some sort of god who has to play every game and is absoultely essential and the first name on the team sheet.

He is a good player (but a squad player not a definate starter) that will be used in some games when we need to sure up the midfield - for instance I would have loved to have seen him come on today when Fulham were pressuring us.

You referred to Barca, Real and Chelsea. The answers are obvious; Busquets, Diarra and Essien (or Ramires at this moment in time). Real and Barca don't always reguire a Defensive Mid due to the league they play in, and while we have shown that at times we don't always have to rely on Nige, its games like today that prove how vital he is.<br /><br />-- Sun Sep 18, 2011 6:09 pm --<br /><br />

Curse of the armband.

I don't think there's a curse on the armband blue, Tevez didn't do bad with it...

Tevez didn't respect the responsibility that the captaincy brings.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

First time I noticed this was pre-season v Milan, and I actually put it down to over confidence. Now it's a little run of errors which, if you've played you'll know happens. The demons get in your head a bit.

This will pass and I predict it probably has already. Good players don't become bad players overnight. Unless injury is involved the cream always rises to the top. And he's as good as anyone in this division: I don't believe it's the captaincy either , although it might have amplified the little voices of those demons a touch. He's a mature and intelligent young man.

City have looked a touch brittle this year and for me without a holding pair of Barry and de Jong we always will. I'm afraid yaya is not the answer long term there, in my opinion.

Vinny will be fine, I'd put my mortgage on it. I bet he's bristling with desire to put this behind him

 

[Sabster]

Don't you start with your pathetic Anti-NDJ campaign, Dickster!

There is no anti-NDJ campaign.

I just hate this concept that NDJ is some sort of god who has to play every game and is absoultely essential and the first name on the team sheet.

He is a good player (but a squad player not a definate starter) that will be used in some games when we need to sure up the midfield - for instance I would have loved to have seen him come on today when Fulham were pressuring us.

You referred to Barca, Real and Chelsea. The answers are obvious; Busquets, Diarra and Essien (or Ramires at this moment in time). Real and Barca don't always reguire a Defensive Mid due to the league they play in, and while we have shown that at times we don't always have to rely on Nige, its games like today that prove how vital he is.

Busquets is one of the best passers in world football and his technique is godlike (he is the next Xavi). He is a deep lying playmaker not someone whose sole purpose is to make tackles - he is so unlike De Jong it is unreal.

Both Essien and Ramires are box to box and get forward really well (and score goals and pass forward) - they are like Yaya in this respect. Furthermore they both have athleticism that De Jong does not.

Don't get me wrong, I think De Jong is a good player - but good enough to be considered a definite starter in a team with aspirations of being the best in the world? I think not.

I have no problem with the role he performs but IMO he does not perform it well enough due to his lack of athleticism, but that is just my opinion.

 

[brian the blue]

He's been very poor this year. Might be to do with the fact that there is no De Jong... but also the fact that we're so attacking in regards to the full-backs and central midfielders and this leaves us vunerable to counter attacks.

 

[Jumanji]

Let me try again. SABSTER: You don't compare Busquets to De Jong mate. You compare him to Yaya.

 

[coulsonblue]

It's the absence of De Jong. Not just Kompany but our entire defence has looked shit this season. I think having De Jong in front of them gave them a lot of confidence. Need him back badly.

Exactly. Those 'smarty pants' saying we do not De Jong clearly do not understand the importance of having a proper anchorman in the modern game.

NDJ will take some defensive pressure off Kompany.

Remind me of those Anchormen Ream Madrid, Barcelona or Chelsea play week in week out.

Xabi Alonso, Sedou Keita, and the Chelsea example is irrelevant, not because they don't play an anchorman (Ramires/Mikel) but because they aren't exactly better than us. Chelsea's best football in recent histroy came with Makelele or Essien as an anchorman.

 

[Sabster]

Exactly. Those 'smarty pants' saying we do not De Jong clearly do not understand the importance of having a proper anchorman in the modern game.

NDJ will take some defensive pressure off Kompany.

Remind me of those Anchormen Ream Madrid, Barcelona or Chelsea play week in week out.

Xabi Alonso, Sedou Keita, and the Chelsea example is irrelevant, not because they don't play an anchorman (Ramires/Mikel) but because they aren't exactly better than us. Chelsea's best football in recent histroy came with Makelele or Essien as an anchorman.

In all honesty can you not see the difference between Essien, Alonso and De Jong?

Essien was not one dimensional - he did not just hold he got forward got in the box and scored.

Alonso is the one of the best "Registas" in the world and there are simply no similarities between him and De Jong bar the area of the field they play in.