Mateo Kovacic

[Bernard20]

Ok as a squad signing, better than McAtee, but we need absolute top quality like Rice or similar, especially now Gundo has left.

Besides the Rice nonsense, you manage to write off our likely new signing and dismiss our promising young academy graduate… kudos to you. (If I was a 20 yo player coming thru, I’d probably be browsing sites such as this, so I hope James doesn’t see such an asinine comment!).

 

[eyalluvitt]

25 million pound Croatian friend for Gvardiol who also played some midfield in what was probably the worst midfield in the league last year. Still, everyone starts with a clean slate. Go on Kova!!

Plus I've seen their friend/teamate Modric kicking about Grove St in Wilmslow a few times

 

[Bigga]

You don’t think Rico is ‘all that’ - as Wimbledon is coming up - you cannot be serious? I’m stunned by this.

18yrs old and steps into the best side in the world and never puts a foot wrong. world class international footballers give him the ball in any situation because they know he’s capable and will not give the ball away.

What're you smoking??

He's technically good [not great] on the ball and knows how to recycle. Holds on to the ball too long and invites pressure without having the 'man strength' too hold that pressure off, which is why we see him jump in the air with the contact he gets and that's, also, an irritating trait he needs rid of [a la Grealish].

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Tbf to the management team they haven’t got it wrong many times. I think Pep will make Kovacic a better player.
`

Pep makes virtually everyone a better player. Jesus, for a while he made Delph a better player.
That's why he's the most important signing we've ever made.

 

[Bigga]

We wouldn't have been half as successful last season without Rico Lewis. He was the link between two iterations of our team; the first of which had enormous potential but couldn't adapt and the second which played with bollocks and the desire to prove itself all over again.

I get that the entirety of what he brings is less blatant than with some of the other young players we've brought through recently but, if nothing else, the amount of trust Pep has already put in him should be enough of a guarantee for anyone. Especially when you consider what position he's been trusted in.

There are valid criticisms but I don't feel the need to state them because they're par for the course with any player his age. But he's got something far rarer than a cultured left foot or the physicality to bully fully grown men.

He's going to be absolutely class and I can't wait to watch him again next season.

Okay, with this logic, why did he not start games after his initial introduction??

Lewis was a 'free hit' following Walker dropping off. Sounds like I keep bashing him, but that's not my intention. I just want people to stop building him up when, clearly, Guardiola doesn't see him as ready to be trusted in that position as the main starter.

It seems to me that the kid was the experiment that could be covered if any mistakes and [the way better] Stones was the result of that test, yielding in much better control and balance.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

What're you smoking??

He's technically good [not great] on the ball and knows how to recycle. Holds on to the ball too long and invites pressure without having the 'man strength' too hold that pressure off, which is why we see him jump in the air with the contact he gets and that's, also, an irritating trait he needs rid of [a la Grealish].

Very rarely gets caught in possession, even when he's in very tight spaces. Releases an out ball to midfield which is, more often than not, an intelligent one that gives space to Rodri/Kev/Gundo etc. and launches an attack. He's not the world's greatest defender, and he knows it, so he jockeys his player while waiting for reinforcements. Usually, it works. He can't bully his man (and has probably never been able to, from the youngest youth teams in the academy up), so he uses his head.
I'm not saying he's ‘great’. That would be absurd. He's a young player with very considerable potential. Since Foden, I haven't seen a single other academy player so convincing. This coming season will confirm or otherwise, I believe.

 

[Bigga]

Very rarely gets caught in possession, even when he's in very tight spaces. Releases an out ball to midfield which is, more often than not, an intelligent one that gives space to Rodri/Kev/Gundo etc. and launches an attack. He's not the world's greatest defender, and he knows it, so he jockeys his player while waiting for reinforcements. Usually, it works. He can't bully his man (and has probably never been able to, from the youngest youth teams in the academy up), so he uses his head.
I'm not saying he's ‘great’. That would be absurd. He's a young player with very considerable potential. Since Foden, I haven't seen a single other academy player so convincing. This coming season will confirm or otherwise, I believe.

It's fair view.

"Very rarely gets caught in possession" was true in the beginning [when other teams gave him the room to play] until the Spurs game, which showed his deficiencies for inviting pressure and not having the strength to fend that off.

Just not sure I see his future at City as we have better players for ball retention and distribution in the main team, so he'll have to up what he does considerably. He's suitable for squad rotation at the min, depending on whether Kovacic's adaptability across the midfield line takes that position further away.

 

[Tugay One Cup]

Guardiola doesn't see him as ready to be trusted in that position as the main starter.

I don't think anyone has claimed otherwise. Nobody said he should be starting every week. He's 18.

That being said, he did play in games after his initial introduction. His debut season consisted of more than twice as many games as Foden's debut season. In a position which carries far more responsibility, as well.

If you're asking why he wasn't a nailed on starter, it's because we're Manchester City and we have some of the best players on the planet. That seems straight forward, no?

Your perception of the situation is completely at odds with mine is I'm not sure we're going to reach common ground.

But what I will say is that people seem to be getting increasingly impatient with academy players.

 

[Tugay One Cup]

What're you smoking??

He's technically good [not great] on the ball and knows how to recycle. Holds on to the ball too long and invites pressure without having the 'man strength' too hold that pressure off, which is why we see him jump in the air with the contact he gets and that's, also, an irritating trait he needs rid of [a la Grealish].

Okay, there's definitely no middle ground for us to reach.

You can't see it but you will eventually.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

But what I will say is that people seem to be getting increasingly impatient with academy players.

They need to be given time, and not judged immediately. Unfortunately, that's what happens on a forum. So long as they're not reading it, no harm, really.
Very, very few academy players will break into the world's best team — because that, plainly and simply, is what we're now talking about.

 

[Bigga]

I don't think anyone has claimed otherwise. Nobody said he should be starting every week. He's 18.

That being said, he did play in games after his initial introduction. His debut season consisted of more than twice as many games as Foden's debut season. In a position which carries far more responsibility, as well.

If you're asking why he wasn't a nailed on starter, it's because we're Manchester City and we have some of the best players on the planet. That seems straight forward, no?

Your perception of the situation is completely at odds with mine is I'm not sure we're going to reach common ground.

But what I will say is that people seem to be getting increasingly impatient with academy players.

The old adage "if you're good enough, you're old enough" comes to mind. In Lewis I just don't see how he'll break through to any satisfactory effect.

I'm not one of the people who "seem to be getting impatient with academy players".

Far from it.

 

[I'm With Stupid]

What're you smoking??

He's technically good [not great] on the ball and knows how to recycle. Holds on to the ball too long and invites pressure without having the 'man strength' too hold that pressure off, which is why we see him jump in the air with the contact he gets and that's, also, an irritating trait he needs rid of [a la Grealish].

Almost everything that is wrong with Rico's game is something that will naturally improve with age and experience though. Even Yaya Toure was saying how he had to learn to better protect the ball when he first came to England, and he was a brick shithouse.

 

[Tugay One Cup]

They need to be given time, and not judged immediately. Unfortunately, that's what happens on a forum. So long as they're not reading it, no harm, really.
Very, very few academy players will break into the world's best team — because that, plainly and simply, is what we're now talking about.

Oddly enough, I think the way people have been talking about Cole Palmer this season really put me off coming on here.

Don't get me wrong, we've all been guilty of slagging players off at some point and being melodramatic about it but people seemed to enjoy twisting the knife into a kid who has been through injury problems and confidence issue as a result.

But that's the more extreme, nasty, bitter side of people on here. The less serious stuff about expecting academy players to be fully grown, fully developed, veteran pros after their first season is just a bit odd.

 

[Bigga]

Okay, there's definitely no middle ground for us to reach.

You can't see it but you will eventually.

Oscar Bobb isn't in our first team, but if he's touted to reach the bench, I see him as totally different for potential first team regularity.

There's the difference, but we'll see.

 

[Tugay One Cup]

The old adage "if you're good enough, you're old enough" comes to mind. In Lewis I just don't see how he'll break through to any satisfactory effect.

I'm not one of the people who "seem to be getting impatient with academy players".

Far from it.

He is good enough. Hence why he's here.

Again, if you can't see it, that's on you but I have no doubt that you will eventually. Hence, patience.

 

[Bigga]

Almost everything that is wrong with Rico's game is something that will naturally improve with age and experience though. Even Yaya Toure was saying how he had to learn to better protect the ball when he first came to England, and he was a brick shithouse.

I don't disagree with this assessment, but I think he'll end up going out on loan to build this up.

Don't see him having time to do that from the bench.

 

[Bigga]

He is good enough. Hence why he's here.

Again, if you can't see it, that's on you but I have no doubt that you will eventually. Hence, patience.

I see plenty.

Saw Stones capable of playing mid years ago. Saw Bernardo as better in final third than recycling from def mid. See Walker as not finished as a RB when people are covering him with Akanji or Stones. See Dias as not ready for Cap. I see Palmer needing to simplify his game in order to kick on or end up going out on loan.

You're not the only one who has thoughts about the players that fit into a niche team. I say 'niche' because a standard player would get into a standard team and therefore most City products would walk into 95% of sides on ability.

Guardiola doesn't do standard and Lewis is in danger of going out on loan based on what players we're after and Guardiola's habit of new tactics and formation play every year.

 

[Tugay One Cup]

Guardiola doesn't do standard and Lewis is in danger of going out on loan based on what players we're after and Guardiola's habit of new tactics and formation play every year.

Again, our perceptions of the situation couldn't be further apart. To avoid risk of drawing this out and further derailing the thread, we'll just have to agree to disagree for now.

 

[Fordyboy46]

So Kovacic then, great signing in my eyes

 

[Semper aggressus]

Besides the Rice nonsense, you manage to write off our likely new signing and dismiss our promising young academy graduate… kudos to you. (If I was a 20 yo player coming thru, I’d probably be browsing sites such as this, so I hope James doesn’t see such an asinine comment!).

All McAtee is though is a potentially promising youngster. Certainly not a player yet ready to improve the first team. We need to be improving the squad with quality signings, particularly given how good Gundo was for us. Kovacic is not that level either, it’s a signing like the notorious window of Sinclair and Garcia. As Treble winners, with a huge number of games next season, if we’re aiming for another Treble or even better then we need to be signing higher quality players. Kovacic is ok as a squad filler for some CL games and league cup, a bit like Phillips seems to be. But what we should be doing is trying to sign other clubs best players, not average squad fillers.