yaya.....

[Jumanji]

Tonights tactics and set up suggests to me that there is plenty of evidence for his omission in certain games.

You start dropping Yaya (which I'm massively in favour of) and he'll start bitching big time. When he first came here and wasn't an automatic starter I remember there being certain issues with him stomping straight out of the stadium.

If Pellegrini continues to play just 2 CM's, then a new dynamic midfielder alongside Ferdy is a must have - it would be such an improvement to the team. Yaya just aint that type of player.

I agree. We would rarely ever have free space in between our midfield and defense if we had a second athlete like Fernandinho.

We have too much of that space now, and it's because Yaya is not built for pressing. Sometimes it looks like he's not even willing to fight for the team. But it's not because he's lazy. I really believe he just can't do that every game.

The problem is finding a defensive athlete with great attacking qualities. Have two Fernandinho's and we could even dare try 442 again against Bayern.

 

[ChichesterBlue]

Tonights tactics and set up suggests to me that there is plenty of evidence for his omission in certain games.

I've just said the same to my old man on the phone, FI. We were so solid, so strong, so tight without him.

Not all games, as you say, but those we need to tighten up in.

Dave, I would say we need to be solid, strong and tight in every game? If we are then when we score two goals away to the likes of Villa, Cardiff etc, then we win with a clean sheet rather than conceding 3 and losing the match. I'm not saying that Yaya is to blame for us conceding sloppy goals, but when we have two hard working CM's in the same vein as Ferdy then that determination and work ethic generally transmits right through the team.

I'd drop Yaya right now - for the same reason as we dropped Hart, ie he wasn't reliable. There are very few games nowadays when the old Yaya comes to the fore and grabs the game by the scruff of the neck and drives us forward. I can name one this season (Rags at home). With Ferdy we get someone with a good range of passing, drives us forward up the pitch and probably gives an 8 or 9 out of 10 every game. At the moment he's doing the role that Barry did for us last season - cover for Yaya's lack of effort. Add someone like Ferdy in the middle and all of a sudden Pellegrini's tactics work perfectly with the creative/destructive front 4 (ie Nasri/Silva wide and two front men) being supported by two midfielders rather than one and a half.

All this rubbish about play him here or play him there, he's out of position etc etc. A "world class" player can adapt. Ronaldo or Messi could play at left back and still influence the game. I thought Yaya was a midfielder, but apparently his best position is forward of the midfield where he can stand around waiting to receive the ball to make one telling pass, freekick or one mazy run each game.

People are living on Yaya from 2-3 seasons ago - and they'll still continue to shout about the away goal at Newcastle or the FA Cup final etc....but the here and now I see him as an unreliable player and tonight's performance showed us what we can do when we combine the skill we have in the team & squad together with 11 players all willing to walk off the pitch knackered.

 

[TSGHutchison]

Away games Silva-Garcia-Fernandinho-Milner-Navas
Home games Silva-Toure-Fernandinho-Nasri-Navas

Stick 1 striker up top.

Think of the close control and possession... that's the main thing missing from the away games at the moment. So I'd advise this formation in away games for certain. City have just beaten Bayern Munich at the Allianz with it. Beaten them playing some tight stuff, too.

 

[Jumanji]

Tonights tactics and set up suggests to me that there is plenty of evidence for his omission in certain games.

I've just said the same to my old man on the phone, FI. We were so solid, so strong, so tight without him.

Not all games, as you say, but those we need to tighten up in.

Dave, I would say we need to be solid, strong and tight in every game? If we are then when we score two goals away to the likes of Villa, Cardiff etc, then we win with a clean sheet rather than conceding 3 and losing the match. I'm not saying that Yaya is to blame for us conceding sloppy goals, but when we have two hard working CM's in the same vein as Ferdy then that determination and work ethic generally transmits right through the team.

I'd drop Yaya right now - for the same reason as we dropped Hart, ie he wasn't reliable. There are very few games nowadays when the old Yaya comes to the fore and grabs the game by the scruff of the neck and drives us forward. I can name one this season (Rags at home). With Ferdy we get someone with a good range of passing, drives us forward up the pitch and probably gives an 8 or 9 out of 10 every game. At the moment he's doing the role that Barry did for us last season - cover for Yaya's lack of effort. Add someone like Ferdy in the middle and all of a sudden Pellegrini's tactics work perfectly with the creative/destructive front 4 (ie Nasri/Silva wide and two front men) being supported by two midfielders rather than one and a half.

All this rubbish about play him here or play him there, he's out of position etc etc. A "world class" player can adapt. Ronaldo or Messi could play at left back and still influence the game. I thought Yaya was a midfielder, but apparently his best position is forward of the midfield where he can stand around waiting to receive the ball to make one telling pass, freekick or one mazy run each game.

People are living on Yaya from 2-3 seasons ago - and they'll still continue to shout about the away goal at Newcastle or the FA Cup final etc....but the here and now I see him as an unreliable player and tonight's performance showed us what we can do when we combine the skill we have in the team & squad together with 11 players all willing to walk off the pitch knackered.

Decent post and I agree with a fair bit of it. I disagree categorically on your point though about "lack of effort". More like lack of stamina. It's hard to put yourself about with that frame of his. Wasn't Yaya a fullback at first but couldn't handle the physical demands of the position?

I also disagree about "world class players adapting" point. Yaya has shown he is a monster behind the striker. They are humans, with unique physical limits. He will never adapt to chasing shadows.

Now is a good time to start looking for Yaya's eventual successor. One who is young enough but good enough rotate with him and Dinho. Drop Yaya completely though? Hell no. He still has a place as far as I'm concerned. He's still one of top 5 players.

 

[The Chief]

Tonights tactics and set up suggests to me that there is plenty of evidence for his omission in certain games.

I've just said the same to my old man on the phone, FI. We were so solid, so strong, so tight without him.

Not all games, as you say, but those we need to tighten up in.

Dave, I would say we need to be solid, strong and tight in every game? If we are then when we score two goals away to the likes of Villa, Cardiff etc, then we win with a clean sheet rather than conceding 3 and losing the match. I'm not saying that Yaya is to blame for us conceding sloppy goals, but when we have two hard working CM's in the same vein as Ferdy then that determination and work ethic generally transmits right through the team.

I'd drop Yaya right now - for the same reason as we dropped Hart, ie he wasn't reliable. There are very few games nowadays when the old Yaya comes to the fore and grabs the game by the scruff of the neck and drives us forward. I can name one this season (Rags at home). With Ferdy we get someone with a good range of passing, drives us forward up the pitch and probably gives an 8 or 9 out of 10 every game. At the moment he's doing the role that Barry did for us last season - cover for Yaya's lack of effort. Add someone like Ferdy in the middle and all of a sudden Pellegrini's tactics work perfectly with the creative/destructive front 4 (ie Nasri/Silva wide and two front men) being supported by two midfielders rather than one and a half.

All this rubbish about play him here or play him there, he's out of position etc etc. A "world class" player can adapt. Ronaldo or Messi could play at left back and still influence the game. I thought Yaya was a midfielder, but apparently his best position is forward of the midfield where he can stand around waiting to receive the ball to make one telling pass, freekick or one mazy run each game.

People are living on Yaya from 2-3 seasons ago - and they'll still continue to shout about the away goal at Newcastle or the FA Cup final etc....but the here and now I see him as an unreliable player and tonight's performance showed us what we can do when we combine the skill we have in the team & squad together with 11 players all willing to walk off the pitch knackered.

Think you'll get a few replies to this one CB!

I tend to agree though. Can't question his technical ability and physical power or that he does produce moments of class but in a way I think he's like Dzeko, ie. you have to tailor the tactics/team to their strengths if you're to see the very best of him - which I think limits the manager.

Work-rate alone doesn't win you games but it's a bloody important component for a player if you're having an off day - and as you say there have been a few of these. Under this management and with other teams at the highest, highest level every player in the team has to have a strong work-rate if the system's to be successful. Toure's been the hub of the team for a long time now but that performance earlier might have him and the manager thinking a little.

 

[BigOscar]

I've been sayingit for a while, we have far too many good players now to have to rely on someone like Yaya individually grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck and carrying us. We're far better off playing as a team, with each player helping bring the best out of each other, and Yaya simply doesn't fit into that anymore. The best teams don't carry passengers, they attack and defend as a unit and untill we do that, I think it really limits our ability to compete against the best teams in the world.If we could get another world class central player in, then I'd gladly pick them over Yaya. If you offered me a swap deal between Yaya and someone like Joao Moutinho, then I'd take it in a heartbeat.

 

[ChichesterBlue]

I've been sayingit for a while, we have far too many good players now to have to rely on someone like Yaya individually grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck and carrying us. We're far better off playing as a team, with each player helping bring the best out of each other, and Yaya simply doesn't fit into that anymore. The best teams don't carry passengers, they attack and defend as a unit and untill we do that, I think it really limits our ability to compete against the best teams in the world.If we could get another world class central player in, then I'd gladly pick them over Yaya. If you offered me a swap deal between Yaya and someone like Joao Moutinho, then I'd take it in a heartbeat.

Spot on

 

[Jumanji]

I'd never thought I'd say this but after today, I think that Yaya limits us. His work rate does at least. Everything else is top class.

I made this point in the Garcia thread but Garcia has never looked so good next to Yaya as he did tonight with Fernandinho. Garcia is slow but better defensively than Yaya. Fernandinho's workrate couple with Garcia's workrate made Garcia's pace a non-issue last night.

We looked resolute and hard to penetrate centrally.

 

[allyboy]

Tonight was what Ive thought about Yaya for ages..

At home - he's perfect, almost a luxury player that can control the game with our dominance in possession.

Away, espcially pressing teams like southampton, he's almost totally useless, even a liability.

Defensively yaya can not be relied on, unlike a poorer technical player as in garcia..

Its a real conundrum for MP, but I would say, away from home, leave the big guy on the bench, play 4-5-1 with Milner or, Rodwell or Garcia in for him.

 

[weare8kyk]

Tonight was what Ive thought about Yaya for ages..

At home - he's perfect, almost a luxury player that can control the game with our dominance in possession.

Away, espcially pressing teams like southampton, he's almost totally useless, even a liability.

Defensively yaya can not be relied on, unlike a poorer technical player as in garcia..

Its a real conundrum for MP, but I would say, away from home, leave the big guy on the bench, play 4-5-1 with Milner or, Rodwell or Garcia in for him.

Spot on