Not world class, but still amongst the best left backs in the Premiership who have helped the club win trophies so its bizarre to claim they are a hindrance - obviously they are not!
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Our glaring weakness at LB, will it be fixed?
- Thread starter NipHolmes
- Start date
I haven't seen him a great deal this last season no. I doubt his levels have dropped so much from the last time I did see him though and that was more than good enough for us.Cole? Have you seen him recently? Obviously not
I have seen Clichy and Kolorov recently though, hence why I'm mentioning a replacement.
City supporters I know were pretty ecstatic at Wembley and when we lifted those league trophies yet some posters claim our players are useless.No point in arguing about LBs - worse than religion for City supporters for as long as I remember. :-)
You don't win trophies with weak links, not league titles anyway. To claim such a player has a weakness in their game is fair enough, but some of the comments are just a joke and make me wonder who these people support. Seriously if you are a City fan, just reflect on what you've been watching, and what you were watching a decade ago
Some of us have moved on from what we were watching a decade ago. It's such a poor argument. With success comes expectation and if you're a team who wants to challenge on all fronts then it isn't such a stretch to hope for the best possible players in each position.City supporters I know were pretty ecstatic at Wembley and when we lifted those league trophies yet some posters claim our players are useless.
You don't win trophies with weak links, not league titles anyway. To claim such a player has a weakness in their game is fair enough, but some of the comments are just a joke and make me wonder who these people support. Seriously if you are a City fan, just reflect on what you've been watching, and what you were watching a decade ago
Our LB situation isn't desperate by any means. Domestically it's good enough but if we want to improve in Europe then sadly it needs tweaking.
Of course you can win trophies with weak links. United win the league a few years ago with a squad that was full of weak links. But they didn't address them, hired an imbecile of a manager and have gone backwards.City supporters I know were pretty ecstatic at Wembley and when we lifted those league trophies yet some posters claim our players are useless.
You don't win trophies with weak links, not league titles anyway. To claim such a player has a weakness in their game is fair enough, but some of the comments are just a joke and make me wonder who these people support. Seriously if you are a City fan, just reflect on what you've been watching, and what you were watching a decade ago
We've a fantastic squad but there are a few players not at the required level. They need replacing if we want to put up a better challenge. Teams around us are addressing their weak links too.
Replacing Lampard and Milner with Sterling and KDB is a great upgrade IMO. But they were not our weak links.
Our weakness is at full back because the modern game is reliant on top quality full backs. We saw this a few seasons back. It's time to upgrade. Until we do we are just hoping for a lucky bounce game to game.
BLUEPUGH
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what happened to that Kurzawa? did that dry up? haven't watched much of him.
City_Sean
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Not world class, but still amongst the best left backs in the Premiership who have helped the club win trophies so its bizarre to claim they are a hindrance - obviously they are not!
But it's evident now we need an upgrade, ou left back has been a problem for years and it's an area teams continually attack us down.
adeinchessy
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Domestically, it wasn't good enough last year. 2 seasons ago, we were incredibly lucky to have the best RB in the PL. Zabba was not only a great defender (won the most number of tackles if memory serves) but was also a brilliant addition to our attack with his great runs both down the wing & into the area. The fact that he was so often able to get back following these forays was a testament to his athleticism & determination.Some of us have moved on from what we were watching a decade ago. It's such a poor argument. With success comes expectation and if you're a team who wants to challenge on all fronts then it isn't such a stretch to hope for the best possible players in each position.
Our LB situation isn't desperate by any means. Domestically it's good enough but if we want to improve in Europe then sadly it needs tweaking.
It seems to me that Kolarov's natural inclination is to run toward the opposition goal. Obviously he has a good left foot & is capable of scoring goals & providing good crosses into the box, but he rarely beats a defender & is as likely to be wayward with his shots as get one on target (when sometimes a pass would be better). My point is that he doesn't come across as a natural defender, & in a LB, particularly in an attacking team like City's, this has to be the number one priority. Clichy is a better defender but has had some lapses & is less good going forward. If Zabba regains his form from 2 seasons ago, he provides an attacking threat from the right side which maybe lessens the need for our LB to do the same - particularly now Sterling is here.
My preference would be to let Kolarov go & get a good defender at LB. Probably easier said than done, but I think we definitely need an upgrade
richards30
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Some of us have moved on from what we were watching a decade ago. It's such a poor argument. With success comes expectation and if you're a team who wants to challenge on all fronts then it isn't such a stretch to hope for the best possible players in each position.
Our LB situation isn't desperate by any means. Domestically it's good enough but if we want to improve in Europe then sadly it needs tweaking.
nail on the head with this post!! mute point 10, 20 years ago!! excuse cant be used anymore.
citizens_1976
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How have we managed to finish 1st,2nd,1st then 2nd in the last 4 seasons then rag? They might not be World Class but they're both decent full backs
The man is entitled to an opinion without being called a rag.
This isn't a school playground mate. Calm down.
citizens_1976
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Best crosser of the ball in the Premiership. Only Baines comes close. Often he is one of our best attacking threats but we don't play target man football so it's a bit wasted at times, and we don't have late runners arriving in the penalty area for pull backs.
Ashley Cole and Lampard used to core loads ofgoals from the overlap and pull back to the on rushing Lampard
I agree. Kolarov is a dangerous weapon going forward with that hammer of a left foot but just a shame his defensive capabilities aren't the best.
citizens_1976
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Not a rag. Maybe last season we could have won if we were more fluid in attack and not so exposed in defense, ie had excellent full backs.
If you compare Chelsea's left back to ours, there is no competition. Azpilicueta was huge for them last season.
Not sure Azpilicueta would work in our system. Chelsea is not an expansive side for the most part, especially during the section of the season where he shined.If you compare Chelsea's left back to ours, there is no competition. Azpilicueta was huge for them last season.
I've tried to hold off commenting on this thread, but the ridiculous bashing of Kolarov has reached Richard Edgehill & Ian Brightwell proportions, and bare little to no relationship to actual fact!
People seem to ignore the fact that Kolarov is often our main attacking creative threat, especially in games when Silva is struggling.
As for the garbage spouted about his defensive abilities, the truth is, he has played around 170 games, and nobody will be able to give more than a handful of examples of times he has been exposed... I guarantee I'll be able to give more examples of times he has made last ditch tackles or blocks which have saved us, and I am certain that the number of times he has been seriously exposed will be similar to the number of times which Zabba has been at fault, and fewer occasions than when fault can be laid at the feet of Vinny or Clichy.
In those 170ish games, Kolarov has come across some of the best Right Wingers in the world... How many have actually terrorised us? How many have had man of the match performances? Very very few... Actual, you will find that far more times these world class right wingers have had quiet games. FACT!
Seriously... what is it with some blues and fullbacks?... "we" seem to either massively overrate them, or seriously undervalue them!
So what if he had a go back at some idiots abusing him? I'd probably do the same!
So what if he is the first to get annoyed when our home support isn't as vocal as it should be? He's usually right, and surely this actually demonstrates he cares!
The truth is, he is amongst the best left-backs in the league, unquestionably our best left back of the last 20 or so years... and whilst we're at it... name me a better 2nd choice left back in English football than Clichy?
Glaring weakness... Seriously? Get a grip people!
Be careful what you wish for blues!
CTID
(Back to lurking I go!)
People seem to ignore the fact that Kolarov is often our main attacking creative threat, especially in games when Silva is struggling.
As for the garbage spouted about his defensive abilities, the truth is, he has played around 170 games, and nobody will be able to give more than a handful of examples of times he has been exposed... I guarantee I'll be able to give more examples of times he has made last ditch tackles or blocks which have saved us, and I am certain that the number of times he has been seriously exposed will be similar to the number of times which Zabba has been at fault, and fewer occasions than when fault can be laid at the feet of Vinny or Clichy.
In those 170ish games, Kolarov has come across some of the best Right Wingers in the world... How many have actually terrorised us? How many have had man of the match performances? Very very few... Actual, you will find that far more times these world class right wingers have had quiet games. FACT!
Seriously... what is it with some blues and fullbacks?... "we" seem to either massively overrate them, or seriously undervalue them!
So what if he had a go back at some idiots abusing him? I'd probably do the same!
So what if he is the first to get annoyed when our home support isn't as vocal as it should be? He's usually right, and surely this actually demonstrates he cares!
The truth is, he is amongst the best left-backs in the league, unquestionably our best left back of the last 20 or so years... and whilst we're at it... name me a better 2nd choice left back in English football than Clichy?
Glaring weakness... Seriously? Get a grip people!
Be careful what you wish for blues!
CTID
(Back to lurking I go!)
citizens_1976
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Not sure Azpilicueta would work in our system. Chelsea is not an expansive side for the most part, especially during the section of the season where he shined.
Yeah that is true, but we do need a full back who is a lot more solid. Clichy and Kolarov aren't the best man markers in the business.
citizens_1976
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I've tried to hold off commenting on this thread, but the ridiculous bashing of Kolarov has reached Richard Edgehill & Ian Brightwell proportions, and bare little to no relationship to actual fact!
People seem to ignore the fact that Kolarov is often our main attacking creative threat, especially in games when Silva is struggling.
As for the garbage spouted about his defensive abilities, the truth is, he has played around 170 games, and nobody will be able to give more than a handful of examples of times he has been exposed... I guarantee I'll be able to give more examples of times he has made last ditch tackles or blocks which have saved us, and I am certain that the number of times he has been seriously exposed will be similar to the number of times which Zabba has been at fault, and fewer occasions than when fault can be laid at the feet of Vinny or Clichy.
In those 170ish games, Kolarov has come across some of the best Right Wingers in the world... How many have actually terrorised us? How many have had man of the match performances? Very very few... Actual, you will find that far more times these world class right wingers have had quiet games. FACT!
Seriously... what is it with some blues and fullbacks?... "we" seem to either massively overrate them, or seriously undervalue them!
So what if he had a go back at some idiots abusing him? I'd probably do the same!
So what if he is the first to get annoyed when our home support isn't as vocal as it should be? He's usually right, and surely this actually demonstrates he cares!
The truth is, he is amongst the best left-backs in the league, unquestionably our best left back of the last 20 or so years... and whilst we're at it... name me a better 2nd choice left back in English football than Clichy?
Glaring weakness... Seriously? Get a grip people!
Be careful what you wish for blues!
CTID
(Back to lurking I go!)
I do kind of agree with you, Clichy is the one i would prefer to get rid of out of the two, more vulnerable in my eyes. As for Kolarov, he is a weapon going forward, but we could do with one more left back who is better defensively and more disciplined.
Millwallawayveteran1988
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Neither are good enough for me. Both were error prone last season and it needs addressing. Based on the fact that it hasn't been addressed in the last two season, I have zero confidence that it will be!
George Hannah
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Pity, it seems Chelsea have agreed terms with Baba Rahman, I'd hoped he was on our list.
supercity88
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I think we should reserve comment on Chelsea's options at left back until the end of the season. They're now the team to beat and most will set up and play for the draw. Perhaps in that case Azpilicueta won't be the left back many think he is. Defensively then no one can deny he's good but our system wants more than that from our full backs. The trouble is we could do with having one player with both Clichy and Kolarov's attributes.