Milner

I think he will certainly improve in time but like many have already said I just don't see where he fits into the team Mancini is trying to build. I've seen some suggestions that he is Barry's long term replacement but the way I see it Barry has the intelligence and composure to play in Mancini's team while Milner does not. It's a shame but I don't think it's going to work out for him at City.
 
Some harsh comments but anyway as a Villan...

The main problem is styles of play and also the size of squads/players. Milner's best form for Villa, came through the centre of a 2 man midfield, we played on the counter-attack, he used to buzz around the midfield, put in plenty of tackles and as soon as we won it, he'd be on the ball, using it wide, getting himself forward into good positions and breaking away on the counter-attack. He's a good passer of the ball and at times showed creativity but isn't a 'creative' player like a Silva let's say. He was at the heart of everything, his energy, commitment and also quality with the ball always meant any time we were going forward, he was the main man carrying it forward. We played on the counter, so when we broke, we had space to break in, he was great at carrying the ball forward and finding the right options. However at City, you play a game where you have the players to simply dominate teams, you need players with a quick touch, quick thought of mind and quick feet to unlock a defence, Milner just isn't that player. Or at least needs to be given time to become that sort of player.

Suddenly he's going from breaking with the ball with a 4 on 4 with 60 yards to run into, to having the role of a wide man (a role he is not good at) or a creative midfielder with 10 men behind the ball. We struggled breaking teams down last year, yet our away form was fantastic. That's because the likes of Milner suited our style, for example, check out the goal vs Blackburn away in the cup. That's the sort of player he is.

I just don't think it's going to work at City. He's not the right player, he needs to be the focal point, doing everything, defensively and offensively. At City, that just isn't going to happen.
 
Villan10 said:
Some harsh comments but anyway as a Villan...

The main problem is styles of play and also the size of squads/players. Milner's best form for Villa, came through the centre of a 2 man midfield, we played on the counter-attack, he used to buzz around the midfield, put in plenty of tackles and as soon as we won it, he'd be on the ball, using it wide, getting himself forward into good positions and breaking away on the counter-attack. He's a good passer of the ball and at times showed creativity but isn't a 'creative' player like a Silva let's say. He was at the heart of everything, his energy, commitment and also quality with the ball always meant any time we were going forward, he was the main man carrying it forward. We played on the counter, so when we broke, we had space to break in, he was great at carrying the ball forward and finding the right options. However at City, you play a game where you have the players to simply dominate teams, you need players with a quick touch, quick thought of mind and quick feet to unlock a defence, Milner just isn't that player. Or at least needs to be given time to become that sort of player.

Suddenly he's going from breaking with the ball with a 4 on 4 with 60 yards to run into, to having the role of a wide man (a role he is not good at) or a creative midfielder with 10 men behind the ball. We struggled breaking teams down last year, yet our away form was fantastic. That's because the likes of Milner suited our style, for example, check out the goal vs Blackburn away in the cup. That's the sort of player he is.

I just don't think it's going to work at City. He's not the right player, he needs to be the focal point, doing everything, defensively and offensively. At City, that just isn't going to happen.
Click to expand...

Great post bearing out what I have observed to date.

I'm not saying he is a bad player, but its almost as if we have outgrown his type of player with the way Mancini wants to play and the other players in the squad. We need players who are more instinctive, and able to pop the ball around and pick the right passes at will (James is not unique in this by the way - we have some others in the squad who are facing the same issues).

But there is still time for him to learn and adapt - I am perfectly sure that with time he could do a 'de Jong role' or a 'Barry role' but he is some way off that yet.
 
The key ingrediants are he is home grown, young, and can play a number of positions.

This means he can comfortably be one our 25 for a long time to come. Must improve to win a regular starting berth though.
 
Players and teams have games, and runs of games, where things don't go as well as they'd like. That doesn't suddenly mean they're a bad player or team.

From what I've seen of Milner, both at club and international level, he's a very good player, but isn't firing on all cylinders right now. Mancini has clearly seen ability in the lad and feels he will be able to contribute to the system Mancini wants to play. Milner doesn't have to get used to a new country/league the way Mancini's other signings do, but he does have to come to terms with a new club and a new way of playing and, given time, he will, just as we're seeing others settle now. We don't need him to be an immediate success, as we have a squad strong enough to allow him time to adjust.

Give the kid a break, he has a big future for us and England.
 
Celebritykiller said:
The key ingrediants are he is home grown, young, and can play a number of positions.

This means he can comfortably be one our 25 for a long time to come. Must improve to win a regular starting berth though.
Click to expand...
This definitely think he will improve if given time.
 
Looks badly out of form. Personally though, I think we need to give players more than a few months before deciding definitively whether a player is shit, world class, needs to be sold or is a City legend. The lack of patience within our fanbase is getting a little worrying.
 
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