ono
Well-Known Member
Joe Hart - Excellent all around keeper but he appears to get beaten from outside the area far more than any other keeper i have ever seen, especially on his left hand side, low down.
Sagna - Solid enough, decent enough on the ball, although probably ran into the ground earlier on in the season.
Zabaleta - Same as Sagna really. Similar qualities, but not the force he was a couple of years ago. Injuries haven't helped.
Demichellis - Totally reactionary defender who is being asked to play high and be aggressive. Doesn't have the recovery pace needed to cover as well as he should, and doesn't really have the acceleration to close down space or a player effectively. Just doesn't look comfortable playing a high line.
Mangala - Athletic but again reactionary. Uncomfortable with the ball, although probably uses it as well as Otamendi and Demichellis. Loses concentration too easily and struggles with movement. Excels against power but lacks intelligence for me. Has good attributes to play in a high line but needs someone to guide him through the game, and probably needs somebody next to him who is skilled with the ball. Probably explains why he looks good next to Kompany.
Otamendi - Cat chasing a balloon type of defender. Positionally awful and rash. Decent covering defender but commits himself far too early when leading. Eye catching in the sense that his tackling looks impressive because it is full of commitment, but has too many downsides to his game to every be a top defender for me. Has cost us goals in some fairly important matches.
Kompany - In my opinion probably the best in the world when fit. We have missed him.
Clichy - Decent enough player, good engine and quick. Not great going forward although much better option than Kolarov.
Kolarov - Slow, selfish, bad decison maker. Decent at defending set pieces and obviously has decent delivery on him, but still a much worse option than Clichy.
Fernando - Was looking better til Wednesday. Think he needs to have a ball player directly next to him or in front of him. Decent tackler and decent interceptor, which given his lack of speed suggests he reads the game quite well. Has a very specific job and can't really contribute to many phases of play. But proved he can be useful in a specific system.
Fernandinho - Excellent engine, good all around player. Intercepts well, reads the game fairly well. Doesn't effectively contribute to neither attacking or defending side of the game for me when playing centrally. If he plays centrally, it means Silva has to play wider as well, unless you want to have Fernandinho as the defensive screen, which isn't really his forte. Or unless you want to drop Yaya. Think he is more suited to playing on the right personally. Think he gives the team a great balance.
Yaya - Looks lazier than he is. Is the teams only central ball carrier. Is the only central pivot in the team and as such is targeted by the opposition. Has to drop deep because nobody else in defensive half is capable of advancing sensibly with the ball. Think his deep position tricks people into believing he should be tracking the oppositions attacking players, when in reality he is only really in that position because he needs to be to cover Fernandinho's, Fernando's and Delph's ability with the ball. Clearly lost a yard or two over the last 18 months.
Delph - Lot of energy and legs, and a decent all round player, but not seen that much of him and truth be told, would highly unlikely feature all that often in an elite team.
Sterling - Mentally seems very strong. Technically quite poor. Poor end product with 10 goals and 4 assists in almost 40 games. Needs to be involved in more goals if he is to take up an attacking position in a top team. Has time on his side although that is no guarantee he will improve by much. Doesn't strike the ball cleanly at all, and don't think he suits a possession orientated team.
Nasri - Big miss this season. Suits a possession orientated team and his ball carrying and retention allows the team to advance a good ten years upfield, which allows for more support from the full backs. His retention when paired alongside Silva and in front of Yaya also allows the defense a breather and time to re organise. Scores some important goals.
KDB: A player for me who's statistics make him look like a better player than he shows. Again, not sure he suits a possession based team. Think he suits a more up tempo counter attacking team. Not helped that he is playing out of position, but do think he is a bit of an 'all or nothing' sort of player meaning that when he isn't having a stormer, he isn't really adding anything to the team. I think he can be a 9 one week and a 6 for the next 2. Similar to Sterling in that sense. Problems arise when they having their '6' in the same game.
Silva: Genius when fit. Takes a while to get going after an injury though. Targeted by the opposition as our main ball carrier (after Yaya) and often kicked senseless. Has struggled over the last few months for form and think excels when playing with or closer to similar styled technical players.
Navas: Works hard and is an outlet, but does not have a cutting edge. 1 goal in 50 odd games says it all. Couldn't imagine a player with similar statistics playing for other elite teams.
Aguero: One of the best in the world. Best striker in the league. Not a problem with him other than fitness.
Bony: Doesn't really suit us and is too big of a contrast to Aguero. Has a totally different style of play, which means we should theoretically change our style when he plays, but we don't. Is a level below Dzeko and probably even Negredo (when he was on form).
Nacho: Excellent prospect and arguably a better fit for us than Bony. Probably too young to play as a sole striker so needs a partner which also means we have to go lighter in midfield. But has the ability to go a long way.
Sagna - Solid enough, decent enough on the ball, although probably ran into the ground earlier on in the season.
Zabaleta - Same as Sagna really. Similar qualities, but not the force he was a couple of years ago. Injuries haven't helped.
Demichellis - Totally reactionary defender who is being asked to play high and be aggressive. Doesn't have the recovery pace needed to cover as well as he should, and doesn't really have the acceleration to close down space or a player effectively. Just doesn't look comfortable playing a high line.
Mangala - Athletic but again reactionary. Uncomfortable with the ball, although probably uses it as well as Otamendi and Demichellis. Loses concentration too easily and struggles with movement. Excels against power but lacks intelligence for me. Has good attributes to play in a high line but needs someone to guide him through the game, and probably needs somebody next to him who is skilled with the ball. Probably explains why he looks good next to Kompany.
Otamendi - Cat chasing a balloon type of defender. Positionally awful and rash. Decent covering defender but commits himself far too early when leading. Eye catching in the sense that his tackling looks impressive because it is full of commitment, but has too many downsides to his game to every be a top defender for me. Has cost us goals in some fairly important matches.
Kompany - In my opinion probably the best in the world when fit. We have missed him.
Clichy - Decent enough player, good engine and quick. Not great going forward although much better option than Kolarov.
Kolarov - Slow, selfish, bad decison maker. Decent at defending set pieces and obviously has decent delivery on him, but still a much worse option than Clichy.
Fernando - Was looking better til Wednesday. Think he needs to have a ball player directly next to him or in front of him. Decent tackler and decent interceptor, which given his lack of speed suggests he reads the game quite well. Has a very specific job and can't really contribute to many phases of play. But proved he can be useful in a specific system.
Fernandinho - Excellent engine, good all around player. Intercepts well, reads the game fairly well. Doesn't effectively contribute to neither attacking or defending side of the game for me when playing centrally. If he plays centrally, it means Silva has to play wider as well, unless you want to have Fernandinho as the defensive screen, which isn't really his forte. Or unless you want to drop Yaya. Think he is more suited to playing on the right personally. Think he gives the team a great balance.
Yaya - Looks lazier than he is. Is the teams only central ball carrier. Is the only central pivot in the team and as such is targeted by the opposition. Has to drop deep because nobody else in defensive half is capable of advancing sensibly with the ball. Think his deep position tricks people into believing he should be tracking the oppositions attacking players, when in reality he is only really in that position because he needs to be to cover Fernandinho's, Fernando's and Delph's ability with the ball. Clearly lost a yard or two over the last 18 months.
Delph - Lot of energy and legs, and a decent all round player, but not seen that much of him and truth be told, would highly unlikely feature all that often in an elite team.
Sterling - Mentally seems very strong. Technically quite poor. Poor end product with 10 goals and 4 assists in almost 40 games. Needs to be involved in more goals if he is to take up an attacking position in a top team. Has time on his side although that is no guarantee he will improve by much. Doesn't strike the ball cleanly at all, and don't think he suits a possession orientated team.
Nasri - Big miss this season. Suits a possession orientated team and his ball carrying and retention allows the team to advance a good ten years upfield, which allows for more support from the full backs. His retention when paired alongside Silva and in front of Yaya also allows the defense a breather and time to re organise. Scores some important goals.
KDB: A player for me who's statistics make him look like a better player than he shows. Again, not sure he suits a possession based team. Think he suits a more up tempo counter attacking team. Not helped that he is playing out of position, but do think he is a bit of an 'all or nothing' sort of player meaning that when he isn't having a stormer, he isn't really adding anything to the team. I think he can be a 9 one week and a 6 for the next 2. Similar to Sterling in that sense. Problems arise when they having their '6' in the same game.
Silva: Genius when fit. Takes a while to get going after an injury though. Targeted by the opposition as our main ball carrier (after Yaya) and often kicked senseless. Has struggled over the last few months for form and think excels when playing with or closer to similar styled technical players.
Navas: Works hard and is an outlet, but does not have a cutting edge. 1 goal in 50 odd games says it all. Couldn't imagine a player with similar statistics playing for other elite teams.
Aguero: One of the best in the world. Best striker in the league. Not a problem with him other than fitness.
Bony: Doesn't really suit us and is too big of a contrast to Aguero. Has a totally different style of play, which means we should theoretically change our style when he plays, but we don't. Is a level below Dzeko and probably even Negredo (when he was on form).
Nacho: Excellent prospect and arguably a better fit for us than Bony. Probably too young to play as a sole striker so needs a partner which also means we have to go lighter in midfield. But has the ability to go a long way.