BlueRiz said:You guys are really underestimating Pizarro. He was a Chilean International and Juventus (top of Serie A) wanted him badly.
Pizarro is going to bring composure, technicality and above all moving the ball from midfield and feeding the attackers/strikers as he has class vision and forward thinking.
I personally think he will be a permanent signing in Summer for his as he will do very well here. Hope he plays on Saturday!
City_Gentleman said:BlueRiz said:You guys are really underestimating Pizarro. He was a Chilean International and Juventus (top of Serie A) wanted him badly.
Pizarro is going to bring composure, technicality and above all moving the ball from midfield and feeding the attackers/strikers as he has class vision and forward thinking.
I personally think he will be a permanent signing in Summer for his as he will do very well here. Hope he plays on Saturday!
I can only assume you've seen him play a lot more than I have. ;-)
We're really going to give everyone a tough run in with him dazzling in our own third and Kolarov doing all that damage on the left high up and Clichy playing RB or slightly more advanced on the right. WTF.
Dax777 said:Did we sign him already?
He is a good player, and City fans should realize we will be buying players who are not superstars too. This is just how football is at the top. You buy 5-6 WC players, and great role players to support them. We are certain he is a good role player, so what seems to be the problem?
It is time to start paying for at most 1 or 2 mega money guys a season (preferably in the summer) and augmenting with good role players as needed. Preferably at no cost (i.e. from the youth team).
This is how we will sustain the team in the future.
Tevez City said:Dax777 said:Did we sign him already?
He is a good player, and City fans should realize we will be buying players who are not superstars too. This is just how football is at the top. You buy 5-6 WC players, and great role players to support them. We are certain he is a good role player, so what seems to be the problem?
It is time to start paying for at most 1 or 2 mega money guys a season (preferably in the summer) and augmenting with good role players as needed. Preferably at no cost (i.e. from the youth team).
This is how we will sustain the team in the future.
I trust your opinion, but is he an improvement over Barry or Milner ?
When Yaya comes back Barry and Milner will compete for one spot, so why are we signing him !!
Small physique, uses his low center of gravity to his advantage well.
Exceptional passing ability, short or long. I don't know if there are youtube videos of him but I'm sure you know how to find them if there are.
Once again, exceptional technique.
Pace-wise, I would consider him on the slow side, perhaps even very slow by EPL standards.
His playing style is best suited in a 4231 (that Mancini has adapted and brought to City when he first came) sitting in front of the back four with a bulldog ball-winner type beside him. That's not to say he can't defend on his own, but for a typical defensive midfielder it is at best average and has steadily decreased with age. He is very creative, perhaps too much so at times. He likes to do quick turns to pull away from defenders instead of just kicking it away. It's comical to watch him do it to strikers that are chasing him around. For this reason he is very good at keeping possession and completely controlling the tempo of a match. He's very comfortable and confident on the ball. He is able to draw fouls very easily with his turns. Some may consider it diving, since the contact is only sometimes enough to knock him down, but he will go down if there is contact. This might be an issue transitioning from Italy to England. Referees might not be as lenient or protective, but at the same time, he may be able to draw even more fouls because the league itself. This puts a lot of strain on his body.
100% fit he is without a doubt a difference maker on the pitch. Perhaps not as flashy as the winger/attacking midfielders constantly running at defenders, he makes space for himself before finding someone who is open. The drawback here is that he has been struggling to be 100% fit for nearly two seasons now. Some argue it's the same injury that he's failed to recover from while others say he's turned brittle. Maybe a new medical facility can make a difference. Him being less then fully fit has a huge impact on his performance. His turns and dribbling are extremely limited and he turns into a very weak "holding" player because of it.
His personality is very soft-spoken. There shouldn't be much drama from him. Although he did walk out on training once this season, later saying it was a family emergency (and then returned to Chile). Nobody knows the full story behind that. He's not a vocal leader, but possibly a silent one. I would still consider him very professional.
Comparable players would be Xavi or Pirlo, but with more defensive capabilities. I consider Pirlo a level above the three because he has been great for a number of years while Xavi has only excelled since Pep made Barcelona perfect for him and for that has only been known for a few years despite being nearly the same age. I'm not saying he's better than Xavi or anything, but you won't have the arrogance or Barcelona diva in him. If healthy, he can be a gem. The big thing will be how he adapts to the league and how he is played by Mancini.
Sorry it took so long.
He should be fit, though hasn't played much this season. I think he has the ability to start beside Toure. I personally would prefer Toure Yaya just because he's better built physically for England.
I do, personally. Though they are definitely more suited to England than him. If Pek can get enough starts and gets bought by City (I personally doubt it happening, though) I would expect him to settle down and be ready for next season. Or he could hit it off right away. If they came to Italy it is no question, though.
The main thing will be fitness and how he is used. I don't expect Mancini to use him as an important player since there are so many of them already on the squad, but we'll see. I wish him all the best, though.