Villa Vs City Post Match Thread

[CityFan94]

All said and done I just don't think we should be asking a soon to be 32 year old, 14 stone, 6ft 4" bohemoth to be chasing 10 stone whippets about a field for 90 minutes as I think his talent would be better served further up the field with high energy CM's who are built for the job behind him. It's horses for courses mate......

It is indeed horses for courses, but for me the number 10 horse will always belong to Silva. As OB1 says, one of the reasons that Yaya is so effective pushed further up late in games is because the opposition have tired. I remember even under Mancini when he tried a couple of times to play that way with Yaya pushed up from the start it just didn't work the way it did when it was used late in games.

Ultimately though this discussion always begins from the idea that Toure and Fernandinho (or Fernando) can't play in a two man midfield for us. This fundamentally I disagree with, and both Mancini and Pellegrini have patently disagreed with as they've both consistently played him in a two man midfield.

And how close to winning the Champion's League have either manager been? That's the level we're at now.

Both very good managers, but Yaya in a two man midfield in Europe doesn't work. It works against most teams in the Premiership, but not in the CL and that's been proven the last 3 seasons.

 

[Deleted member 58678]

His best position isn't the #10 neither though. Or maybe I should say our proper #10 (Silva) is a better #10 than Yaya.

He's at his best in central midfield. Not defensive midfield, not attacking midfield. Just simply central midfield. He isn't hard working or tenacious enough for defensive midfield. He isn't creative enough, unlike Silva, for attacking mid.

His game is all about ball retention and goals for himself. He will not create for others what Silva does. Silva has created the most chances for his teammates of any player in the Prem and is in the top 6 in Europe in the last four years. Yaya just needs to right partner(s) in DM for him so they allow him to be at his best in CM.