Now that the transfer window is closed, we can focus on Mancini's looming problem; Who to put where. In our game against Villa, which we lost, City featured a star-studded line-up including David Silva, Y. Toure, Dzeko, and Tevez. What problem pops up from starting 2 center offensive mids, 2 center-minded strikers, 2 center defensive mids, and 4 defenders? Width of course! It was like watching a conga line, where toure would pass to silva, silva to dzeko, dzeko to tevez, resulting in tevez losing the ball because of his lack of support.
If you noticed, Kolarov worked his ass of in this game because he was the only player providing any particular width attack and crossing positioning. I'm curious to see the ball possession % maintained by Kolarov as he tirelessly ran up and down the field providing both offense and defense.
But Jacob, you'll exclaim, that's what LWBs (Left Wing Back) and RWBs (Right Wing Back) are supposed to do! I agree, and I think Kolarov is just the man to do what is necessary in the LWB position to provide some attacking options. But this situation simply exacerbates an already fraught situation. Can we rely entirely on our backs to provide attacking options on the wing? Can Boateng be a sufficient RWB?
The answer to both questions is no.
First, We need width up top. To get width we must utilize James Milner and/or Balotelli. I would prefer Milner based on his ability to provide a decent cross, but if history is any indication Mancini will always choose his golden boy. Nonetheless, Dzeko and Tevez are not viable options as wide players, and Mancini should not lie to himself.
Second, Micah Richards is the much better choice to RWB than Boateng. While Notts County is a pretty sub-par team, Richards was one of the only sparks of the game and provided the assist for the game tying goal. I can't say this enough, start Richards! Zabaleta and Boateng should only be subs!
The problem facing Mancini is massaging egos while simultaneously winning games. Milner, Silva, Y. Toure, Dzeko, Tevez, and Balotelli are all expensive players who should be expecting a starting place in the line-up. But we can't play them all at the same time (under Mancini's 4-2-3-1 system). I have a number of different ideas towards solving this problem (play 1 central defensive midfielder instead of 2, play no defensive mids and rely on defense like many other EPL teams, etc.,) but to be honest, I fear none of these will ever be implemented. Additionally, I don't see Mancini ever sitting Silva/Toure for a wide midfielder either. The best we will be able to hope for is a line-up like this:
Tevez
Dzeko
Balotelli
Silva
Y. Toure
De Jong Richards
Kolarov
Kompany K. Toure
Hart
With the absence of Adam Johnson for a few months, Mancini gets a slight reprieve from deciding who's to start and who's to sub. But the team needs width, and in order to successfully maintain a CL spot the team needs it fast.
No comments:
Post a Comment