They need Kompany and Yaya to be as good as they were 2 years ago. And even then, the likes of Barca and Bayern should be able to beat them.
It won't matter if Aguero stays fit and De Bruyne is contributing assists, City will challenge for the CL.
Half of Caf was saying last year that they'll beat Barca.
To be fair I think going to Chelsea and not being able to hack it at a top club is quite significant, obviously you can't overlook what he has done in Germany but there are a lot of players who excel in teams where the huge expectations are not there but then struggle when they are asked to compete with other top class players or to be part of a team rather than the star of a team. His time with Wolfsburg doesn't tell us much about that.
Yep to City it's pennies but it puts a lot of pressure on the player and you can get a lot of player for that money people will question whether they could've done a lot better with that money elsewhere especially if there has been past evidence of him having issues in England. I don't think you can totally dismiss it's importance but I take the point to City it is nothing.
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Yeah it would be good Just to see mourinho expression throughout the game
Yeah, it probably does add a bit of pressure if he struggles in the beginning. I reckon he would've been under a lot of pressure anyway because he's seen as a Chelsea reject and his immediate success or failure makes for a good story regardless of the fee. The fact Mourinho only mentioned it when de Bruyne became valued at £40m+ suggested to me that he was just scraping for whatever he could find to justify his decision. Sir Alex did the same with Pogba. There's probably some truth to it that's been massively exaggerated to appease their fans.
He didn't start on the right, Navas did. We started as we've started the other three games so far. Pellegrini said he changed it to 4-4-2 at half-time so he was pushed out wider.
It will be interesting to see how he does. They must have huge confidence in him to pay what they have. I expect him to do well from the off as he will be given the superstar treatment at first but it will be interesting to see how he reacts if he struggles for a few games.
Okay didn't watch the entire game, started at 70 minutes or so and he was mainly on the right drifting inside a lot. I mean he has the license to drift all over the pitch anyways so doesn't quite matter where he starts he is still the biggest influence on your game if on the right, left or the middle.
I noticed Sterling got the MOM award today. Sky gave him a 9 rating. Not bad for a one-trick pony.
Surely it will be Sterling on the left Silva in the centre and De Bruyne on the right?they bought one of Europe's hottest properties (all be it paying over the odds) and someone with extreme potential in Sterling, La Ligas best CB last season and a man who featured in the World Cup final in Otamendi and De Bruyne who is young and had an unreal amount of assists last season.
Every weakness they had in their lineup, they have rectified this summer.
Right side was weak, buys Sterling
sold strikers and need someone for No.10 after changing to 1 uptop, buys De Bruyne
defence was suspect, buys Otamendi
Very good from City and very productive window. Credit where its due. They are going to be the team to beat this year and my moneys on them winning the title tbh.
it doesnt really matter how you line them up, they are all going to float everywhere across the front line. They are going to be a nightmare to mark and keep quiet.
Think that's how they'll be nominally deployed though. As good as De Bruyne is, Silva will still remain the creative fulcrum of the side.
I Agree that all three a comfortable in multiple positions but City has started all their games with Sterling on the left and Silva through the middle and with De Bruyne making his name playing as a right winger at Wolfsburg it would be stupid from Pellegrini to start experimenting with positions.
Aye i agree with you, though "beating watford by only 2" means little in this context. You get those weeks. On paper, the addition of kdb looks frightening, but well see how it works out. Lots of players have failed after big money moves.
It's all about cohesion, we beat them last year with Young and Fellaini as the stars.
Hmm, I'd actually say I think the complete opposite.
I agree with this De Bruyne has been fantastic at Wolfsburg from what I have seen of him but there are no guarantees he will make City a better team. He will no longer be the main man like he was at Wolfsburg so he will certainly see less of the ball and his goals and assist numbers will not be as good because of it. Another thing is he is not a winger like Navas who stays wide De Bruyne likes to drift around a lot like Mata does for us this could mean that the central areas gets to crowded with Silva, Aguero and De Bruyne all occupying the same area of the pitch. Navas might not be the best winger but the fact that he is a player that mainly stays out wide means that there is more space for Silva and Aguero in the middle.
Ashley Young gets MOTM awards for us. Still a one-trick pony though.
Does it matter though? As long as he plays well, it's expected that his stats will drop anyway because City has other stars too.
I have no idea if it will matter but some players needs to be the main man to get best out of them, Ronaldo might be the best example. I have no idea how De Bruyne will react if he goes on a run without goals or assists but what I do know is that if it happens the English media will be on him like hawks due to the price City paid for him. Stuff like this will always affect players to some degree with De Bruyne we will just have to wait and see how it goes. He is a fantastic player though so the odds are in his favor to be a success but all I'm saying is that there are no certainties.
I don't know. I rate him pretty highly but the price is still crazy. Honestly I don't really know what to make of the transfer market prices these days anymore.
Luckily still 34 games to be played.
