2012/2013 MAN CITY Season Ratings: Defenders
26 May
Micah Richards: 8 games, 0 goals – A season completely disrupted by injury. Only featured a handful of times in all competitions and never really got going. At times, we missed his explosive pace in the final third and that ability to beat a man over five yards from a standing start, but he’ll be back next season determined to fight for his place. With a couple of likely central defensive departures, there is the possibility he’ll be made to cover there from time to time but I’m not convinced he has the anticipation or positional awareness to be anything more than a back-up in that position. Season Rating: N/A
Maicon: 13 games, 0 goals – Another player to have a very stop start feel to his campaign. Made his debut against Stoke away and followed that by being selected for the glamorous Champions League tie at the Bernabeu but picked up an injury that sidelined him for a lengthy period. Defensively, he’s quite suspect and seems to switch off when crosses come into the box from the opposite wing, but he’s got a silky touch going forward and offers a dangerous delivery into the area. If he can remain fit, it’s clear he could be a more than useful option next season in terms of breaking sides down. Season Rating: 6
Pablo Zabaleta: 42 games, 3 goals - Incontestably our player of the season. Afforded a regular run in the side thanks to injuries to Richards and Maicon, he turned himself into a buccaneering presence down the right, an absolute warrior at the back and someone who linked up effortlessly with our more creative attacking stars. Decisive in the tackle, his positional play improved immensely and his lung-bursting runs down the wing to provide a wide threat were a feature of our matches. He had it all: consistency, heart, character and quality. Season Rating: 9
K. Touré: 18 games, 0 goals – Likely to move on in the summer in search of a more prominent role and he proved in his displays for City that he’s still got the nous and ability to play at a high level. Not the most commanding physically but he reads the game well, has a yard of pace and is the right sort of leader and character to have around. Stepped in when we had a few defensive injury concerns and he proved a capable replacement. Panics occasionally in possession but he’s been a good performer over the years for City and he’ll move on with everyone’s best wishes. Season Rating: 6
Vincent Kompany: 37 games, 1 goal – A slow start to the season but he quickly recovered from an underwhelming opening period and started to assert his authority on proceedings. As the campaign wore on, he became his usual dominant self, organising our defence and showing the courage and comfort to bring the ball out from the back. Still tries to nip in ahead of his opponent and pinch the ball too many times and that leaves him suspect to being turned too easily but he is the leader in the squad and his presence was missed when he was absent. If I’m being pedantic, for someone who joins the attack for every set-piece, he should be contributing more than just one goal all season, but he’s a key figure and respected by all. Season Rating: 7
Matija Nastasic: 30 games, 0 goals – What an impressive debut season for City. Bearing in mind his age, his relatively limited experience of first-team football and the challenges posed by a new league, foreign language and different culture, he was terrific in all aspects. It’s rare to see such levels of composure in one so young and allied to his maturity, reading of the game and ease on the ball, we are lucky to have him. As to be expected, he faded a touch towards the end of the season and he needs to develop physically as he struggles to dominate powerful strikers and thus stands a yard too deep, but the consistency he showed for the most part was remarkable and he’ll only improve in the coming years. Season Rating: 8
Joleon Lescott: 31 games, 1 goal – Despite the media perception that he was completely sidelined and ignored by Roberto Mancini, he actually featured more often that Nastasic throughout the season. That said, Lescott was often on the bench for the more important fixtures and drafted in when his greater aerial prowess was required or when the young Serbian needed a break. The former Everton man has been linked with a move away this transfer window as he searches for more regular football in the World Cup year but he would be a loss to City. He’s a reliable squad performer, consistent without being flashy and while he may lack pace or composure on the ball, he’s a solid centre-half and important member of the squad. Season Rating: 7
Gael Clichy: 37 games, 0 goals – In terms of value for money, he has probably been Roberto Mancini’s best addition to the squad. He was given a torrid time in the FA Cup final but that was perhaps the only time he’s looked suspect, a rare bad day in what was an otherwise excellent campaign. His energy and constant workrate are so often the catalyst for our pressing game, his drive and pace enabling him to burst forward on every occasion and he’s one of the best around at nipping in to win possession ahead of his opponent. His crossing is a weakness but it’s perhaps his only one. A top performer and another one with a great attitude and desire to improve. Season Rating: 8
Aleks Kolarov: 30 games, 4 goals – Only made eleven Premier League starts and that highlights just how much he played second fiddle to Clichy. Kolarov is likely to move on in the summer and that, I’m sure, will be greeted with delight by City fans, all too aware of the Serb’s painful mediocrity in so many areas. Defensively, he’s a liability, constantly switching off or allowing his man far too much space, and his threat going forward is vastly overrated. He strikes the ball hard, yes, but his crosses are infuriatingly cut out at the front post much of the time and he lacks the technical touch to play a part in our build-up play. Season Rating: 5
Note: Karim Rekik made his debut (and only appearance of the season) against Reading at the Etihad Stadium and had trouble establishing himself on loan at Blackburn, while Jérémy Hélan featured once as a substitute in the Capital One Cup before impressing with Sheffield Wednesday.
So why didn’t you give Zabaleta 10? What 1/10th did he lack?
I’m really just joking! – why are we so reluctant to give someone full marks? Platonic Idealism and his Theory of the Forms? I’m in a philosophic mood today!
I enjoy your perceptive posts.
A 10 suggests a player had a perfect or near perfect season, for that score he would have to be at least player of the year in the EPL. As much as I love Zab, the best way to look at it for me is if he was 10, then what was Bale?
I know this isn’t really for this partucular forum……but what the hell happened to Nasri last night in the game against Chelsea????? Why didn’t he play like that all season?
That sort of thing really gets on my nerves!
Wrong man management from mancini and lack of motivation may be the answer
I disagree about clichy and lescott. Clichy is a reliable man but nothing more. a mediocre for me. strong and speedy but lacks technicaly and has a really bad cross. also despite it was not his fault he was awful when we switched to back three. Lescott is also a mediocre and doesn’t worth 30 million we gave to buy him at any case. His lack of pace and speed is very important. Especially against liverpool he was awful I was afraid every time sturridge had the ball at his feet. I believe that he better go with such a high salary he has. Also about transfer rumour for center backs I tell you this you should remember. we should buy Kyriakos Papadopoulos he is a really top class player and only 13m rated. 21 years old he is one of the best defenders, at the euro with greece he didn’t let lewandowski an inch of space.
Lescott has done a really good job for us and was quality last season, while 24m was expensive he has largely justified it with his time here. Cliché is a better than ‘mediocre’ left back, I cant even be bothered expanding on that one
First of all I am speaking with the website’s admin? Lescott last year was really good, I agree but this year he was well below the average. Nastasic is MUCH better than him. And he is just 19 years old. I believe that was mancini’s best transfer.
Then what don’t your Highness ask the website’s admin to set up a private blog for you and you can have a private one-to-one chat with him. Once you put an entry in a public blog, it is open for everyone to make a comment. I am truly puzzled how this rule sounds Greek to you!
I just asked him if he was the admin to know if he wrote the above article. what’s your problem?
You are absolutely spot on Clichy. Considering that most opponents’ attack were on City’s left-hand side , Clichy was left exposed due to weaker defensive set-up there with little help. He has done a tremendous job. there is an interesting analysis on “bitter and blue” blog at the following link
http://www.bitterandblue.com/2013/5/27/4368646/direction-of-attacks-for-and-against
Where it states that :
– Players that operate on the right side or center right side: Kompany, Zabaletta, Milner, Yaya Toure. That is a strong group indeed.
– Players that operate on the left side or center left side: Nastasic, Clichy, Barry and Nasri/Silva. This is a significantly weaker group both in terms of athleticism and defensive ability.
More often than not, Clichy was exposed with no help while on the other hand Zabaletta were helped by Minler’s tracking work-rate etc.
yeah but nasri played much more games than milner whose workrate and defensive ability is by far worse than silva’s and zabaleta was still outstanding. so your point isn’t right
milner played a lot on the right this season, that’s why he is considered one of our better players this year. It is definitely true that zab gets better protection, especially on tough away days. No im not the admin, but in relation to point above, if you think Lescott was outstanding last year then y bring his price tag into it? Furthermore, he’s been much less involved this year, so your criticism point isn’t right
Yeah last year lescott was very good. But he had the great kompany next to him. when kompany was injured and he played with savic he wasn’t good. possibly there is a reason why he was much less involved and this is because nastasic is better. better on the ball calm and with pace.