Nasri out for three weeks, apparently.

[Manc in London]

I thought Nasri ended last season very well, especially the games against Chelsea and United.

However, he's gone AWOL again, to the extent I was relieved to see him come off the other night.

Silva is back on the simmer, you can just see it. Even again Real, he wanted to keep the ball much more, showed decent aggression, too.

The contract situation is concluded and all adds up to seeing him and City back to their best on Sunday.

I don't think Silva has been helped by the fact that we have been playing with two strikers for a while. Since Tevez has come back and joined Aguero, Dave has been playing further away from goal. He excels in positions where he is playing close to a striker. I feel that he will get back to form once he plays in a position that enables him to play to his strengths.

Maybe play Tevez in the Nasri role, Aguero to play as striker and Silva to play further a little further upfield

 

[Nervous Nedum]

I thought Nasri was poor last year but had been picking up quality/consistency this year.

I'd give Kolarov a start further up the pitch, i know he's not everyone's favourite but his crosses/shots will create chaces, play him to his strengths.

I think our issue is that, without the ball, our shape and work rate isn't great when Nasri and Silva play.

I think this is spot on. Our pressuring as a unit seems to be non-existent this season, we seem to be making it very easy for teams to pass their way around us and get close to our goal far too comfortably. Maybe Mancini wants us to soak up pressure and then hit them on the counter, but I don't think this suits Silva and Nasri particularly well. They are both far more effective when we control the game with large amounts of possession.

 

[cookster]

I thought Nasri was poor last year but had been picking up quality/consistency this year.

I'd give Kolarov a start further up the pitch, i know he's not everyone's favourite but his crosses/shots will create chaces, play him to his strengths.

I think our issue is that, without the ball, our shape and work rate isn't great when Nasri and Silva play.

I think this is spot on. Our pressuring as a unit seems to be non-existent this season, we seem to be making it very easy for teams to pass their way around us and get close to our goal far too comfortably. Maybe Mancini wants us to soak up pressure and then hit them on the counter, but I don't think this suits Silva and Nasri particularly well. They are both far more effective when we control the game with large amounts of possession.

I also agree, Samir and Dave are great against sides where we have 60% plus possension but are pretty ineffective when we don't have the ball.

 

[brian the blue]

If we are going for a full-strength side and presuming Aguero isn't quite ready then i'd go with this taking into account Nasri is out:

---------------Hart-----------------

Maicon--Kompany--Nastasic---Clichy

---------Garcia-----Barry-----------

---Silva-------Yaya-------Balotelli---

--------------Tevez-----------------

But I feel Dzeko deserves a start for the way he's played this season while clearly being 4th choice striker (scoring 3 goals, one away at Madrid) but that would meen Dzeko in for Mario and having to force Tevez out wide, unless of course Tevez drops to the bench.

 

[BigED10Dzekson]

We need yaya to start the play, if he plays to high wedont have game like first half in madrid. We need him as onection from defence and offence. Yaya isnt defending anyway. My fav player.

 

[pweyhe]

Yikes, I hope Nasri doesn't come to the bluemoon forum to find some support! Of course we can cope without him just like we can cope without Aguero, but it sure doesn't mean were better.

To say that the Madrid game is evidence that Yaya belongs further up the pitch is nuts really. Yeah, he had some great runs, but for larger portions of the game we couldn't even touch the ball cuz we didn't have anyone good enough on the ball right in front of the defenders. I always feel are best 4 is Nasri, Silva, Aguero, and Tevez with Yaya as an option to move further forward later on when the opposing legs get tired.

 

[Tututut]

So is it time to try this?

Where is Micah?

 

[adrianr]

Yikes, I hope Nasri doesn't come to the bluemoon forum to find some support! Of course we can cope without him just like we can cope without Aguero, but it sure doesn't mean were better.

To say that the Madrid game is evidence that Yaya belongs further up the pitch is nuts really. Yeah, he had some great runs, but for larger portions of the game we couldn't even touch the ball cuz we didn't have anyone good enough on the ball right in front of the defenders. I always feel are best 4 is Nasri, Silva, Aguero, and Tevez with Yaya as an option to move further forward later on when the opposing legs get tired.

I agree with this. To me the Madrid game showed just how much we miss Yaya when he's not in the middle of the park keeping us ticking over. Without him we couldn't even get the ball far enough up to him to make any runs.

Amazingly, we still seem short a deep lying playmaker. Garcia could be the player who's combative and mobile enough to allow someone like Sahin to play alongside him (IE someone very good with the ball, but needs almost a man and a halfs worth of tackling next to him to make up for his shortfalls). Yaya is a pain in the arse really. He's better than what we have in two positions, and we just have to pick which one gets filled with the lesser option.

I agree with DD and everyone else re: Nasri allowing us to set up with just Silva. I've said it before, but I think this is a conundrum we will never solve. One is going to make way eventually.

 

[supercrystal7]

Yikes, I hope Nasri doesn't come to the bluemoon forum to find some support! Of course we can cope without him just like we can cope without Aguero, but it sure doesn't mean were better.

To say that the Madrid game is evidence that Yaya belongs further up the pitch is nuts really. Yeah, he had some great runs, but for larger portions of the game we couldn't even touch the ball cuz we didn't have anyone good enough on the ball right in front of the defenders. I always feel are best 4 is Nasri, Silva, Aguero, and Tevez with Yaya as an option to move further forward later on when the opposing legs get tired.

I agree with this. To me the Madrid game showed just how much we miss Yaya when he's not in the middle of the park keeping us ticking over. Without him we couldn't even get the ball far enough up to him to make any runs.

Amazingly, we still seem short a deep lying playmaker. Garcia could be the player who's combative and mobile enough to allow someone like Sahin to play alongside him (IE someone very good with the ball, but needs almost a man and a halfs worth of tackling next to him to make up for his shortfalls). Yaya is a pain in the arse really. He's better than what we have in two positions, and we just have to pick which one gets filled with the lesser option.

I agree with DD and everyone else re: Nasri allowing us to set up with just Silva. I've said it before, but I think this is a conundrum we will never solve. One is going to make way eventually.

Agree with the Toure/midfielder comments. It seems some people underrate just how important Toure is to the possession game you play. Mancini wanted another deep lying playmaker, but you could not get one. In football things go about in swings and roundabouts. A few years ago there were lot of these guys about, now there are very few. It's hard to find one.

I disagree with the Nasri comment. Nasri is just playing very poorly and not covering enough defensively. When you play at your best, your wingers(Nasri and Silva) have a free role, but when you are defending revert to a rigid 4-4-2. Nasri just not doing enough and it leaves the system a bit lopsided. Silva short on fitness, but is getting sharper.

Nasri getting injured is not good, because I don't think you have anyone better for this formation, nor is is it ever good to lose a player. However, he was probably going to be dropped soon.

 

[W12]

Hart
Zabaleta Kompany Nastasic Clichy
Garcia Yaya
Silva

Aguero Tevez Dzeko

Subs
Milner
Lescott
Barry
Kolarov
Rodwell
Sinclair
Pantilimon
Others
Balotelli
Richards
Nasri
Maicon
Kolo