Bang on the money.I’ve never been his biggest fan, but can’t deny he has popped up with some key goals at key times. That said, he just isn’t a top, top footballer.
Can he play? Obviously! He couldn’t have a Liverpool, City and England career if he couldn’t play. His problem is that he still plays like he’s 21 and learning the game, not a mature international player at the peak of his abilities.
There was much made of Arteta doing personal sessions with him in front of goal, and the video of Pep teaching the absolute basics about how to accept the ball and address his body position, but I feel like he has stalled. In fact, he may have not only stalled, but regressed this season.
I’m not sure if he has a best position, but at City there’s at least one player (often two) who play that position better. That’s not a good situation in which to be in a team and a league that constantly requires more just to stand still.
In short, he has zero ability to kill a ball pinged into him. His first touch is more Dzeko than Bernardo or Mahrez. His lack of confidence (or is it ability) in front of goal anytime he has the luxury of time is eye watering and infuriating. When a chance is instinctive, you might fancy him, but I know of no City fan who would put a pint on him one on one with the keeper, let alone their house!
Given the way we play, the quality in the team, and the quality of the players coming through, it’s getting harder and harder to see where he fits in, or whether he will ever be better than what we already have. Perhaps even more confounding, it looks like he’s lost his pace, too. Even when getting in behind a team, he doesn’t have the speed and/or control to make anything of the break.
There is no guile, there remains the tendency to run, head down. Into blind alleys, while the ball bobbles about ahead of him, and he basically has one move - cut in from the left on his right foot, throw a dummy or two, and try to bend one into the far corner. Often, this breaks down at the first hurdle, when the telegraphed cutback is cut off by the defender!
Accordingly, it’s hard to see where he goes from here at City, and I think his form (both here and for England) is going to make his wistful musings of a potential move to Barca, Real or PSG a pipe dream.
While some are asserting he will run down his contract for the next 20 months and leave on a free, and a pay day, much like him on the break with the ball at his feet, I’m not sure the luxury of time is his ally.
His stock was never higher after popping a few in for England at the Euros (and there is no oversell bigger than the British media when it comes to a cheap headline based on minor success), but since that zenith we appear to be witnessing his City nadir. He’s not able to get on the field in his best position (right wing) because our centre forward has shown himself to not only be better, but harder working for the team as a whole. His back up position on the left is now the purview of Foden and Grealish, and he is currently streets behind both of them! From there, it’s in the center forward role, and it’s simply not his forte, and even Torres has shown himself to be far more capable in that stop gap role!
I hold no ill will towards him and hope he can find a new challenge elsewhere, if that’s what he chooses, but if a new deal isn’t signed by Jan 1, I’d make it clear that he has no future at City and we are unwilling to let him run down his contract.
Sadly for him, I don’t think he has the luxury of allowing his contract to run down while he sits behind Pep, because he’s simply not that good. By the end of his contract he will supposedly be at his peak and yet will have spent TWO SEASONS making up the numbers. If he thinks THAT gets him something better than City in France or Spain, good luck to him.
If he’s honest he’d agree that he has been poor for a long time.i just don't understand the complaints about the gametime.
does he think he justifies his place on the pitch when he plays? does he think he just divinely deserves gametime despite pulling, generously, a 2/10 for every single game in the past year? come on, man. i love him but he needs to do some self reflection first.
If we get offered 45m take it, great deal, he has more than given a great return on the fee we paid for him.He’s going to end up just running his contract down because I don’t think anyone abroad is gonna offer more than £45m frankly.
Spot on been saying for ages he just doesn’t have the technical ability fir this team, when we played fast paced breakaway football yes he was good fir us along with Sane it shut the opponent up, but now if you get his head down or push up close to him he hasn’t got the touch or ability to lose his man and just pass the ball. I wish him well but if he thinks he will get more away from City then he will need to run his contract down fir a big pay day but his weekly will suffer.I’ve never been his biggest fan, but can’t deny he has popped up with some key goals at key times. That said, he just isn’t a top, top footballer.
Can he play? Obviously! He couldn’t have a Liverpool, City and England career if he couldn’t play. His problem is that he still plays like he’s 21 and learning the game, not a mature international player at the peak of his abilities.
There was much made of Arteta doing personal sessions with him in front of goal, and the video of Pep teaching the absolute basics about how to accept the ball and address his body position, but I feel like he has stalled. In fact, he may have not only stalled, but regressed this season.
I’m not sure if he has a best position, but at City there’s at least one player (often two) who play that position better. That’s not a good situation in which to be in a team and a league that constantly requires more just to stand still.
In short, he has zero ability to kill a ball pinged into him. His first touch is more Dzeko than Bernardo or Mahrez. His lack of confidence (or is it ability) in front of goal anytime he has the luxury of time is eye watering and infuriating. When a chance is instinctive, you might fancy him, but I know of no City fan who would put a pint on him one on one with the keeper, let alone their house!
Given the way we play, the quality in the team, and the quality of the players coming through, it’s getting harder and harder to see where he fits in, or whether he will ever be better than what we already have. Perhaps even more confounding, it looks like he’s lost his pace, too. Even when getting in behind a team, he doesn’t have the speed and/or control to make anything of the break.
There is no guile, there remains the tendency to run, head down. Into blind alleys, while the ball bobbles about ahead of him, and he basically has one move - cut in from the left on his right foot, throw a dummy or two, and try to bend one into the far corner. Often, this breaks down at the first hurdle, when the telegraphed cutback is cut off by the defender!
Accordingly, it’s hard to see where he goes from here at City, and I think his form (both here and for England) is going to make his wistful musings of a potential move to Barca, Real or PSG a pipe dream.
While some are asserting he will run down his contract for the next 20 months and leave on a free, and a pay day, much like him on the break with the ball at his feet, I’m not sure the luxury of time is his ally.
His stock was never higher after popping a few in for England at the Euros (and there is no oversell bigger than the British media when it comes to a cheap headline based on minor success), but since that zenith we appear to be witnessing his City nadir. He’s not able to get on the field in his best position (right wing) because our centre forward has shown himself to not only be better, but harder working for the team as a whole. His back up position on the left is now the purview of Foden and Grealish, and he is currently streets behind both of them! From there, it’s in the center forward role, and it’s simply not his forte, and even Torres has shown himself to be far more capable in that stop gap role!
I hold no ill will towards him and hope he can find a new challenge elsewhere, if that’s what he chooses, but if a new deal isn’t signed by Jan 1, I’d make it clear that he has no future at City and we are unwilling to let him run down his contract.
Sadly for him, I don’t think he has the luxury of allowing his contract to run down while he sits behind Pep, because he’s simply not that good. By the end of his contract he will supposedly be at his peak and yet will have spent TWO SEASONS making up the numbers. If he thinks THAT gets him something better than City in France or Spain, good luck to him.
thread-closer, for my money....I’ve never been his biggest fan, but can’t deny he has popped up with some key goals at key times. That said, he just isn’t a top, top footballer.
Can he play? Obviously! He couldn’t have a Liverpool, City and England career if he couldn’t play. His problem is that he still plays like he’s 21 and learning the game, not a mature international player at the peak of his abilities.
There was much made of Arteta doing personal sessions with him in front of goal, and the video of Pep teaching the absolute basics about how to accept the ball and address his body position, but I feel like he has stalled. In fact, he may have not only stalled, but regressed this season.
I’m not sure if he has a best position, but at City there’s at least one player (often two) who play that position better. That’s not a good situation in which to be in a team and a league that constantly requires more just to stand still.
In short, he has zero ability to kill a ball pinged into him. His first touch is more Dzeko than Bernardo or Mahrez. His lack of confidence (or is it ability) in front of goal anytime he has the luxury of time is eye watering and infuriating. When a chance is instinctive, you might fancy him, but I know of no City fan who would put a pint on him one on one with the keeper, let alone their house!
Given the way we play, the quality in the team, and the quality of the players coming through, it’s getting harder and harder to see where he fits in, or whether he will ever be better than what we already have. Perhaps even more confounding, it looks like he’s lost his pace, too. Even when getting in behind a team, he doesn’t have the speed and/or control to make anything of the break.
There is no guile, there remains the tendency to run, head down. Into blind alleys, while the ball bobbles about ahead of him, and he basically has one move - cut in from the left on his right foot, throw a dummy or two, and try to bend one into the far corner. Often, this breaks down at the first hurdle, when the telegraphed cutback is cut off by the defender!
Accordingly, it’s hard to see where he goes from here at City, and I think his form (both here and for England) is going to make his wistful musings of a potential move to Barca, Real or PSG a pipe dream.
While some are asserting he will run down his contract for the next 20 months and leave on a free, and a pay day, much like him on the break with the ball at his feet, I’m not sure the luxury of time is his ally.
His stock was never higher after popping a few in for England at the Euros (and there is no oversell bigger than the British media when it comes to a cheap headline based on minor success), but since that zenith we appear to be witnessing his City nadir. He’s not able to get on the field in his best position (right wing) because our centre forward has shown himself to not only be better, but harder working for the team as a whole. His back up position on the left is now the purview of Foden and Grealish, and he is currently streets behind both of them! From there, it’s in the center forward role, and it’s simply not his forte, and even Torres has shown himself to be far more capable in that stop gap role!
I hold no ill will towards him and hope he can find a new challenge elsewhere, if that’s what he chooses, but if a new deal isn’t signed by Jan 1, I’d make it clear that he has no future at City and we are unwilling to let him run down his contract.
Sadly for him, I don’t think he has the luxury of allowing his contract to run down while he sits behind Pep, because he’s simply not that good. By the end of his contract he will supposedly be at his peak and yet will have spent TWO SEASONS making up the numbers. If he thinks THAT gets him something better than City in France or Spain, good luck to him.