Thiago Alcantara

[daxman]

Don't let the rags pull this shit again. They target players with contract situations, Kagawa, Van Persie, Lewandowski. Make the vultures pay full price. If he doesn't force his way into our starting 11, then sell for not much less than the artificially low price we paid. If he turns out to be class, we win. Ship out Barry and Garcia.

Win-win.

Its about us having a balanced team, not signing every fucker because we can.

Watch Thiago play ffs, he doesn't do the job that Barry, or Garcia, or DeJong, or Makelele, or any such players do.

It's like saying sell Zabaletta & sign Thiago. They have nothing in common.

I think the bigger problem is how we play football (at City) and in England in general. Even the fans buy into this. Everything is so segmented. You need a tall striker, a hard tackling midfielder, a this - a that. If we simply change how we play, and rather than have a defensive midfielder who does all the tackling, havve a team that group defends. NO individual Spanish player (On the current national team) is that good of a tackler, they are all generally average, and would be deemed poor if they played in England. But what they are exceptional at is team defending. It is the same tactic Dortmund used against us t devastating effect. They attack the zone where the ball was lost immediately and in numbers. Forcing an immedaite turnover on a majority of the situations, and hurrying up the other team, thus pushing them out of their comforable pace. This is how most Spanish players defend. early and as a part of a group.

Funny enough you don't need excepttional tacklers to achieve a high ball winning rate when you play like that. Thiago by the way is pretty solid defensively for a Spanish player, and with Yaya, Silva, Navas, perhaps Isco and the energy of Fernandihno, City might finally bring group defending to England.

Anyone can be very good at defending when it is done as a group. It is when we expect one player to do all the defending work that we end up disjointed, or with guys who get carded consistently. Prime examples: De Jong and now Barry. Rather than work one guy to death, we'd be better off instaling a team defense style that actually affords us the ability to keep all our most talented players on the field.

 

[NJ_BLUE]

Don't let the rags pull this shit again. They target players with contract situations, Kagawa, Van Persie, Lewandowski. Make the vultures pay full price. If he doesn't force his way into our starting 11, then sell for not much less than the artificially low price we paid. If he turns out to be class, we win. Ship out Barry and Garcia.

Win-win.

Its about us having a balanced team, not signing every fucker because we can.

Watch Thiago play ffs, he doesn't do the job that Barry, or Garcia, or DeJong, or Makelele, or any such players do.

It's like saying sell Zabaletta & sign Thiago. They have nothing in common.

I think the bigger problem is how we play football (at City) and in England in general. Even the fans buy into this. Everything is so segmented. You need a tall striker, a hard tackling midfielder, a this - a that. If we simply change how we play, and rather than have a defensive midfielder who does all the tackling, havve a team that group defends. NO individual Spanish player (On the current national team) is that good of a tackler, they are all generally average, and would be deemed poor if they played in England. But what they are exceptional at is team defending. It is the same tactic Dortmund used against us t devastating effect. They attack the zone where the ball was lost immediately and in numbers. Forcing an immedaite turnover on a majority of the situations, and hurrying up the other team, thus pushing them out of their comforable pace. This is how most Spanish players defend. early and as a part of a group.

Funny enough you don't need excepttional tacklers to achieve a high ball winning rate when you play like that. Thiago by the way is pretty solid defensively for a Spanish player, and with Yaya, Silva, Navas, perhaps Isco and the energy of Fernandihno, City might finally bring group defending to England.

Anyone can be very good at defending when it is done as a group. It is when we expect one player to do all the defending work that we end up disjointed, or with guys who get carded consistently. Prime examples: De Jong and now Barry. Rather than work one guy to death, we'd be better off instaling a team defense style that actually affords us the ability to keep all our most talented players on the field.

I agree completely with the idea of that but is that pellagrini's system? Has anyone really watched his team more than once or twice do they play a high line and press for the ball as a group? Without a doubt its possible because we have a combination of highly paid professionals who SHOULD help the team out on the defensive aspects of the game regardless of their offensive ability.

 

[Mad 4 It]

We should definitely be going for this guy. To accommodate him I could see the following happening. Garcia and Nasri being sold. Barry staying and when Thiago plays Yaya being played further forward. Then in an ideal world next year Barry leaves and Vidal comes in as his replacement. With Yaya isco Navas and silva we will not miss Nasri.

 

[toffee balls]

If I were Barca I would consider letting xavi drop down and promote this kid up.

He is that good.

Barca would be plain crazy to let him go and crazy they ain't .

 

[bluetrue]

If I were Barca I would consider letting xavi drop down and promote this kid up.

He is that good.

Barca would be plain crazy to let him go and crazy they ain't .

The same Barcelona that allowed Piqué and Fabregas to leave, only to buy them back?

 

[Syth]

I'd hate to see him go to the rags and be wasted there (in my opinion) Just look at Kagawa.. He will be a perfect fit for our team I think, but then again I trust the Spanish guys they know what to do. If they think he can come into our team and play regularly I have no doubt in my mind they would have been the first ones there telling him he should come to City.

 

[Firasdo]

Don't let the rags pull this shit again. They target players with contract situations, Kagawa, Van Persie, Lewandowski. Make the vultures pay full price. If he doesn't force his way into our starting 11, then sell for not much less than the artificially low price we paid. If he turns out to be class, we win. Ship out Barry and Garcia.

Win-win.

Its about us having a balanced team, not signing every fucker because we can.

Watch Thiago play ffs, he doesn't do the job that Barry, or Garcia, or DeJong, or Makelele, or any such players do.

It's like saying sell Zabaletta & sign Thiago. They have nothing in common.

I think the bigger problem is how we play football (at City) and in England in general. Even the fans buy into this. Everything is so segmented. You need a tall striker, a hard tackling midfielder, a this - a that. If we simply change how we play, and rather than have a defensive midfielder who does all the tackling, havve a team that group defends. NO individual Spanish player (On the current national team) is that good of a tackler, they are all generally average, and would be deemed poor if they played in England. But what they are exceptional at is team defending. It is the same tactic Dortmund used against us t devastating effect. They attack the zone where the ball was lost immediately and in numbers. Forcing an immedaite turnover on a majority of the situations, and hurrying up the other team, thus pushing them out of their comforable pace. This is how most Spanish players defend. early and as a part of a group.

Funny enough you don't need excepttional tacklers to achieve a high ball winning rate when you play like that. Thiago by the way is pretty solid defensively for a Spanish player, and with Yaya, Silva, Navas, perhaps Isco and the energy of Fernandihno, City might finally bring group defending to England.

Anyone can be very good at defending when it is done as a group. It is when we expect one player to do all the defending work that we end up disjointed, or with guys who get carded consistently. Prime examples: De Jong and now Barry. Rather than work one guy to death, we'd be better off instaling a team defense style that actually affords us the ability to keep all our most talented players on the field.

I agree with you, and I would be glad if we sign Alcantara.

But I don't think he can get any minutes as a CM when you have Yaya and Fernandinho !

And you can't use him as an attacking midfielder because you already have Silva, Navas, Nasri & probably Isco.


The guy will not leave Barcelona to stay on the bench.

 

[alky313]

I would love Thiago here...

---------------------Hart-----------------
Zabaleta---Kompany--Nasty----Clichy
--------Thiago-------------Fernandhino--
---------------------Yaya----------------
Navas--------------Aguero-----------Silva

We could conceivably mix the likes of Isco/Nasri into this setup.

 

[Neville Kneville]

Don't let the rags pull this shit again. They target players with contract situations, Kagawa, Van Persie, Lewandowski. Make the vultures pay full price. If he doesn't force his way into our starting 11, then sell for not much less than the artificially low price we paid. If he turns out to be class, we win. Ship out Barry and Garcia.

Win-win.

Its about us having a balanced team, not signing every fucker because we can.

Watch Thiago play ffs, he doesn't do the job that Barry, or Garcia, or DeJong, or Makelele, or any such players do.

It's like saying sell Zabaletta & sign Thiago. They have nothing in common.

I think the bigger problem is how we play football (at City) and in England in general. Even the fans buy into this. Everything is so segmented. You need a tall striker, a hard tackling midfielder, a this - a that. If we simply change how we play, and rather than have a defensive midfielder who does all the tackling, havve a team that group defends. NO individual Spanish player (On the current national team) is that good of a tackler, they are all generally average, and would be deemed poor if they played in England. But what they are exceptional at is team defending. It is the same tactic Dortmund used against us t devastating effect. They attack the zone where the ball was lost immediately and in numbers. Forcing an immedaite turnover on a majority of the situations, and hurrying up the other team, thus pushing them out of their comforable pace. This is how most Spanish players defend. early and as a part of a group.

Funny enough you don't need excepttional tacklers to achieve a high ball winning rate when you play like that. Thiago by the way is pretty solid defensively for a Spanish player, and with Yaya, Silva, Navas, perhaps Isco and the energy of Fernandihno, City might finally bring group defending to England.

Anyone can be very good at defending when it is done as a group. It is when we expect one player to do all the defending work that we end up disjointed, or with guys who get carded consistently. Prime examples: De Jong and now Barry. Rather than work one guy to death, we'd be better off instaling a team defense style that actually affords us the ability to keep all our most talented players on the field.

You need almost every player to be 'on it' to achieve that. We are about to sign, & presumably give a shirt to, a lad who is absolutely bobbins at it, & barely lifts a finger when his team lose the ball (Isco). Yaya puts in a token effort, as do Aguero & Dzeko. Silva so so. We are left with a small group who actually put in the hard yards to stop the opposition from scoring.

Watch Thiago when Spain lose the ball. A few seconds of effort then, if he doesn't immediately get the ball, he gives up & jogs back toward his goal with his head lolling back, like Stephen Ireland on a bad day. The next time he sees the ball is after the Spanish defence win it back for him & he brings it out.

In Spain, all the teams 'play the game' which allows the likes of Real & Barca to play their same routines week in week out. Bayern & Dortmund didn't & neither will most of the Premier League.

The reason it's different in England is because it needs to be.

If Pellegrini can get our WHOLE TEAM working like demons as soon as we lose the ball, we can accomodate someone like Thiago. Then the only problem will be what we do defending corner kicks etc when half the team can't head the ball.

 

[Ireland_for_pm]

It's not being greedy wanting thiago. There's an opportunity here to buy a future world star, who's value is worth more than his but out clause. I still think we short in the centre midfield if we seriously want to challenge UCL. Thiago give us more options and would get plenty of game time no question about that. We want to play attractive football and he fits the bill more than Barry and Garcia. If thiago ends up at the rags I will be absolutely gutted.