Our best 11 right now?

[hgblue]

I prefer the extra comfort of Jesus's energy and fight.

I demand you see things the same way I do ;)

 

[FantasyIreland]

I demand you see things the same way I do ;)

****,twat,fucktard,wanker,gobshite,dickhead,clown.......;-)

 

[MCFC1993]

--------------Ederson
??????---Stones---Dias---Cancelo
---------------Rodri
----Bernardo------Gundogan
Mahrez----De Bruyne----Foden


Just 1 spot up for grabs, choices:
Walker, Zinchenko or Laporte (with Cancelo going right back if the latter 2). I would probably go Zinchenko.

Jesus is close and there maybe occasions when his energy is required like Real Madrid away last year.

 

[Dax777]

Best XI's don't exist IMO. Not when the squad is as strong and competitive as ours.

Structurally I think the players who are undroppable are Ederson, Stones, Dias, Cancelo, Rodri, KDB, Gundo. They are the controllers. Everyone else is moveable.

Structurally I think Ederson, Stones Dias Cancelo Rodri, Foden and Bernado are really the key 7.

Kevin and Gundogan are great. But they both cancel each other out. While we are better with both playing, there is no drop off when one plays but the other doesn't. The style changes a bit, more risk and chances with Kev, more control (and lately goals) with Gundogan.

Mahrez is rising with his recent performances and wi easily join the list if his press stays up. Which leaves us with 0ne Question really... Walker or Zinchencko?

Eddy, Stones Dias Cancelo Rodri, Berny Foden, Gundo, Kevin

So if you want more possession and interplay you play Zee and sit Walker at fullback. If you want a tougher defender and more athletisn and speed you play Walker and sit Zinchencko.

If we want a Striker and stronger press up front you sit Mahrez and play Jesus. If you want technique and control and greater 1 v 1 play Mahres and sit Jesus.

Everyone else is a backup until further notice.

 

[BillyShears]

Structurally I think Ederson, Stones Dias Cancelo Rodri, Foden and Bernado are really the key 7.

Kevin and Gundogan are great. But they both cancel each other out. While we are better with both playing, there is no drop off when one plays but the other doesn't. The style changes a bit, more risk and chances with Kev, more control (and lately goals) with Gundogan.

Mahrez is rising with his recent performances and wi easily join the list if his press stays up. Which leaves us with 0ne Question really... Walker or Zinchencko

I interviewed Marti Perarnau who wrote Pep Confidential a few times and we've become quite friendly. He often talks about structural players inside a Pep team and for him in this side the players I listed are Pep's structural players this season.

Beyond that I can see absolutely why people have different preferences for what their "best XI" would be.

 

[supercity88]

Structurally I think Ederson, Stones Dias Cancelo Rodri, Foden and Bernado are really the key 7.

Kevin and Gundogan are great. But they both cancel each other out. While we are better with both playing, there is no drop off when one plays but the other doesn't. The style changes a bit, more risk and chances with Kev, more control (and lately goals) with Gundogan.

Mahrez is rising with his recent performances and wi easily join the list if his press stays up. Which leaves us with 0ne Question really... Walker or Zinchencko?

Eddy, Stones Dias Cancelo Rodri, Berny Foden, Gundo, Kevin

So if you want more possession and interplay you play Zee and sit Walker at fullback. If you want a tougher defender and more athletisn and speed you play Walker and sit Zinchencko.

If we want a Striker and stronger press up front you sit Mahrez and play Jesus. If you want technique and control and greater 1 v 1 play Mahres and sit Jesus.

Everyone else is a backup until further notice.

Those names are less "structural" and more based on consistency.

On the list that Billy shared in terms of our structural players, I would remove De Bruyne. I think Ederson, Stones, Dias, Cancelo, Rodri and Gundogan are the key structural players. If any of those aren't in the team then we do lose something (generally).

Ederson - obvious reasons
Stones - solid defensively but also carrying the ball out from defence and enabling space for others
Dias - obvious reasons
Cancelo - our best inverted full back, so creative and vital to how we look to play now
Rodri - obvious in terms of being a key cog in the side. Not always consistent but still a vital structural player
Gundogan - regardless of where he plays he is the one that keeps the ball ticking over and finds pockets of space to operate. Works best when allowed a freedom to move further forwards in my opinion.

De Bruyne I would say is not a structural player. We played some brilliant football last night with him interchanging as a false no 9. He's class of course, but I think he can be swapped in/out of the team more than any of the above without a change in result. I'd have him in it still as much as possible.

Foden and Bernardo are excellent players and I think when Bernardo is on the pitch we get the best out of Mahrez in particular because they are both so good on the ball and so hard to defend against. Foden similarly has so many strings to his bow and makes life incredibly hard for the opposition.

 

[Lavinda Past]

****,twat,fucktard,wanker,gobshite,dickhead,clown.......;-)

Is that the alternate version of "How do you solve a problem like Maria?" from the Sound of Music?

 

[Saddleworth2]

This what I mean about taking form to mean something more than it is. Sterling has been part of City’s most controlled performances in the last few years.

Remember that three or four months ago people were selling Rodri and Gundo and they were the root of all our problems.

Yeah agree. That was then though and his current form is not great at present so I would not start him just now. If he comes on for 30 minutes and plays well (doesn’t give the ball away constantly, looks dangerous) then I would reappraise that position. He had an opportunity last night and hardly grasped it with both hands. He has had loads of game time to play himself back into form a rest might be the answer To retaining his starting position on merit.

 

[supercity88]

I interviewed Marti Perarnau who wrote Pep Confidential a few times and we've become quite friendly. He often talks about structural players inside a Pep team and for him in this side the players I listed are Pep's structural players this season.

Beyond that I can see absolutely why people have different preferences for what their "best XI" would be.

I wouldn't have De Bruyne in that list myself. I think structurally we can play the way we need to with the others in the side and changes in all of the other positions. We look better with the false nine as we played last night. De Bruyne has more freedom to pick up space and Gundogan can still get forwards then because Bernardo is also in there and, like Foden will chase everything down.

But I think Jesus, Sterling, Torres, Aguero could all come in for any of those aforementioned players (except Gundogan) and we'd have the right structure to win the game.

Personally our best 11 is probably close to what we played last night. But I think Walker has been dross recently and would put Zinchenko in and Cancelo at right back as our best 11 right now.

Ederson
Cancelo
Stones
Dias
Zinchenko
Rodri
Gundogan
Bernardo
Foden
De Bruyne
Mahrez

 

[BillyShears]

Yeah agree. That was then though and his current form is not great at present so I would not start him just now. If he comes on for 30 minutes and plays well (doesn’t give the ball away constantly, looks dangerous) then I would reappraise that position. He had an opportunity last night and hardly grasped it with both hands. He has had loads of game time to play himself back into form a rest might be the answer To retaining his starting position on merit.

I think the good thing is that Pep hasn't shown any inclination to keep playing the same XI so everyone will get plenty of chances to play when they're out of form, including Raz.