Amidst all the glory of Monday’s victory over Liverpool, one thing overlooked was the appearance of Jo ahead of Adebayor to lead the attack for the final few minutes. Could this have any significance in the City careers of these two players?
Rumours of Mancini not being a huge fan of Adebayor have been circulating all Summer, yet in public the club continue to back the Togolese.
With injuries to Aleksandar Kolarov, Jerome Boateng and Wayne Bridge it looks like Roberto Mancini will have to put on hold any plans to use attacking full-backs. This is an early blow as such players are increasingly important at the top level of the game.
4-2-3-1 is the formation of choice these days and relies on full-backs to overload the opposition on the flanks. Maicon at Mourinho’s Inter is a perfect example and it’s no coincidence that both Mancini and Mourinho are believed to have wanted Maicon and Kolarov as their attacking full-backs this season.
There’s virtually no chance of Craig Bellamy remaining with City and not making the final squad of 25. Most supporters would have him in the squad based on his performances last season. Whether Roberto Mancini is quite so enamoured with Bellamy’s qualities may be open to question.
If the Welshman is likely to be on the fringes of things at City, then a transfer could be arranged with one of the numerous teams who would be glad to have him. In the event of the transfer window being about to close with a deal not in place, then a loan could be arranged.
With Mario Balotelli set to join the club and Roque Santa Cruz looking like the striker to make way out of last season’s first team squad it might be reasonable to assume they’re a straight swap. Yet is that the case?
Despite his powerful physique, Balotelli doesn’t play the role of target man which Santa Cruz was supposed to fill. Instead the positions he occupies are closer to those of Craig Bellamy. Namely he’s primarily a striker but often played on the flanks where his pace, skill and powerful shooting allow him to cut in and augment the strikers.
Hart – Looked like he was trying to hard to impress. Needs to relax and play his natural game, like he did at Birmingham. 5
Zabaleta – Commited as ever, particularly when moved into midfield. Still lacks the eye for a pass required to make a top quality midfielder. 6
With Mark Hughes having pipped Sven Goran Eriksson the post of Fulham manager, most people appear to believe the Cottagers are doing the right thing. Is this the case?
Having watched both try (and fail) to match the expectations at City, the case for Hughes over Sven is more debatable. They’re completely contrasting figures with the elderly urbane european perspective of Sven opposed by the more abrasive Brit manager.
Many people are finally cottoning on to the idea that this transfer window is about shaping a 25 man senior squad, and not just about having a strong first choice eleven.
As a consequence the past couple of days have seen increased speculation about the futures of Craig Bellamy and Stephen Ireland in particular. Yet it’s still possible for them both to make the squad even with the new players coming in.
Following the three top quality signings of Jerome Boateng, David Silva and Yaya Toure, things are looking less clear as to who else will be joining City for the upcoming season.
With Yaya Toure and David Silva joining the club this week, the squad for the coming season is looking clearer. Previously we looked at how the Premier League’s new rules regarding squad sizes might shape our squad.
