Player topic: Eliaquim Mangala (2014/15)

[squirtyflower]

He's suffering a lot just because people are blaming him for anything that happens when he's on the pitch. Yesterday, Demichelis was all over the place in the first 20 minutes, constantly playing people onside and letting people run across him without following him, yet Mangala gets slaughtered for it instead, both in the media and on here. He's got work to do and will look better the more time he has to settle, but people seriously need to get off his back and stop attacking him every time anything goes wrong with our defence, as it's been a hell of a lot better when he's been in it and he's doing no worse than any of our other defenders.

Agree MDM wasn't great yesterday either and was caught out of position far too much. But the fact is he didn't cost us £32m.

Like i said I desperately want him to do well but I've seen nothing yet over a period of games to suggest he is what we need. Hope I'm wrong.

Have our results suffered when Mangala is in the team? Have the oposition teams been able to take advantage of his multiple "deficiencies" as highlighted on here and in the media? Was Big Sam right?

Sure he is not the finished article but the answer to all 3 questions is a resounding NO.

Since and including the Bayern Munich home win he has started 19 times in all competitions. We have won 16 of them, drawn 2 and lost just 1 at Liverpool away. In those 19 games we have conceded just 14 goals.

No point being objective and quoting facts to back up the a argument
People have already made their minds up that he's shit, after all they read it in the Sun

 

[ninjamonkey]

Just needs to work on his positioning. Everything else in his game is good. Not having a settled partner, not having a settled back 4 and consistently being dropped at random is not going to help a guy settle in his first season at a new club and new league. Luckily, positioning is something that's relatively easy to learn over time. if Pellegrini goes, i would anticipate a huge improvement next season, and even if he doesn't, with a summer to work together i'd expect him to prove to be a great signing next summer.

 

[daztrueblue91]

He's an easy target for people to slate due to his transfer fee.

After a shaky start to the season I would go as far as saying he has been our best CB this season. It's no coincidence that our best spells of the season have all come with him in the side. He has everything in his locker to be the best CB in the PL, if not Europe. He's fast, strong, can play a pass and is developing a good reading of the game.

However, that won't stop the media and the pundits from giving him unnecessary stick.

Fernando lost his man at a corner and Mangala gets blamed. A mix up in communication between Manga and Hart which leads to Eli putting the ball in row z and he gets blamed. Demichellis plays Kane onside and Manga gets blamed.

 

[lasereyes]

We paid 30 million quid for a centre back, and we are desperately looking for some potential. He should be a ready made centre half for that money. I think he will come good but it's a shocking bit of business either way.

Not really,£30 million doesn't buy you that much in football nowadays.With the system we play,plus the non existent midfield for the first 20,it's not a surprise we looked shaky at the back.

You're kidding right?

We paid 32 mill (maybe 42 mill?) Arsenal bought Sanchez for 35. Chelsea bought Costa for 32; Fabregas for 25 and Zouma (who may turn out to be better than Mangala) for 12mill.

That said, there is no point complaining about the transfer fee now as it's a sunk cost. We have to give Mangala enough playing time next season to establish whether he is a viable long term option. If not, you unload him or make him a backup regardless of what you paid originally.

 

[kupest]

Sanchez might be near a similar fee but we had a huge wage cap constraint. I think that limited a lot more than our total outlay. Mangala might be around the same fee but less than half the wages of Sanchez. I do believe the wage constraint his us more hard than the transfer constraint.

 

[lasereyes]

Sanchez might be near a similar fee but we had a huge wage cap constraint. I think that limited a lot more than our total outlay. Mangala might be around the same fee but less than half the wages of Sanchez. I do believe the wage constraint his us more hard than the transfer constraint.

FFP certainly hand-cuffed us, but shouldn't that have made us more value-conscious, not less?

 

[Ray78]

We have Aguero as our main striker. He may of turned us down the second time because of that along with the location of the club even with his fellow countryman managing the club. Along with the financial constraints.

 

[pudge]

He's an easy target for people to slate due to his transfer fee.

After a shaky start to the season I would go as far as saying he has been our best CB this season. It's no coincidence that our best spells of the season have all come with him in the side. He has everything in his locker to be the best CB in the PL, if not Europe. He's fast, strong, can play a pass and is developing a good reading of the game.

However, that won't stop the media and the pundits from giving him unnecessary stick.

Fernando lost his man at a corner and Mangala gets blamed. A mix up in communication between Manga and Hart which leads to Eli putting the ball in row z and he gets blamed. Demichellis plays Kane onside and Manga gets blamed.

I highly doubt anyone has blamed Mangala for the occasion when Dier had a free header after Fernandinho lost him at a corner. Perhaps he has been criticized for losing track of his man, Fazio, at a subsequent corner with similar poor marking.

As for the occasion when Hart called for the ball, that was simply poor play from Mangala; poor communication and it general poor play taking the ball towards his own goal.

Also, again, I highly doubt anyone has criticized Mangala for Demichelis' poor play in the lead up to Kane's one on one with Hart. I suggest that's just hyperbole; shockingly it goes both ways in this thread.

I am in no doubt that Mangala will be a fantastic player for us, however, I don't feel the need nor insecurity to constantly say that like so many others. If he has a poor game, I'll say so; that's not a comment on him generally as a player it's always regarding his performance. If he has a good game, I'll say so; that doesn't mean I think he's the best thing since sliced bread.

He had a decent game overall yesterday, shaky first half for the most part and a solid second half. I don't feel the need to say "Demichelis was worse/He's playing next to Kolarov and has no support" every time after a game whenever someone doesn't agree with them. I don't have an opinion on him based on what a newspaper says, I can think he plays poorly and well without it having to be influenced by an article written 6-8 months ago.

This thread is filled with more comments from people who slag off other defenders and players to almost excuse any small mistake from Mangala. As well as numerous people slagging off other posters and dismissing their opinion because The Sun once printed a negative story about him so that's why any negative comment on here is based; "Idiots on here writing him off because of what the media says" etc, not true in the slightest or at all relevant at this stage but it makes people seem bluer than blue.

He's a good player, potentially great, who can have a bad game/moment like anyone else. Both sides going to needless extremes reeks of sensitivity and insecurity. Next week if he plays well the first post will no doubt be "where are all those who wrote him off?" or if he plays poorly "Where are all his supporters now?" Give it a rest and stop being so touchy.

 

[Thenumber1blue]

Agree MDM wasn't great yesterday either and was caught out of position far too much. But the fact is he didn't cost us £32m.

Like i said I desperately want him to do well but I've seen nothing yet over a period of games to suggest he is what we need. Hope I'm wrong.

Have our results suffered when Mangala is in the team? Have the oposition teams been able to take advantage of his multiple "deficiencies" as highlighted on here and in the media? Was Big Sam right?

Sure he is not the finished article but the answer to all 3 questions is a resounding NO.

Since and including the Bayern Munich home win he has started 19 times in all competitions. We have won 16 of them, drawn 2 and lost just 1 at Liverpool away. In those 19 games we have conceded just 14 goals.

No point being objective and quoting facts to back up the a argument
People have already made their minds up that he's shit, after all they read it in the Sun

And Talksport !

 

[Thenumber1blue]

We paid 30 million quid for a centre back, and we are desperately looking for some potential. He should be a ready made centre half for that money. I think he will come good but it's a shocking bit of business either way.

Not really,£30 million doesn't buy you that much in football nowadays.With the system we play,plus the non existent midfield for the first 20,it's not a surprise we looked shaky at the back.

You're kidding right?

We paid 32 mill (maybe 42 mill?) Arsenal bought Sanchez for 35. Chelsea bought Costa for 32; Fabregas for 25 and Zouma (who may turn out to be better than Mangala) for 12mill.

That said, there is no point complaining about the transfer fee now as it's a sunk cost. We have to give Mangala enough playing time next season to establish whether he is a viable long term option. If not, you unload him or make him a backup regardless of what you paid originally.

No i'm not kidding,for every decent signing at £30 million there is an awful one.Mangala certainly isn't in the awful bracket !