MAN CITY: Season Ratings – Defenders

Micah Richards: 10 games, 0 goals – A second season on the trot completely disrupted by injury and, on his return, characterised by shaky performances. He only featured a handful of times in all competitions and rarely impressed, although it must be added he never enjoyed a consistent run in the side to find his feet. That, however, is partly down to his enduring weaknesses: a tendency to lose concentration, a propensity to burst forward and then amble back rather than give his all to recover position and also his worrying lack of defensive nous. In many ways, he’s the same player he was when he surged onto the scene at such a young age: full of enthusiasm and power in attack but lacking the subtlety required at the top level. He’ll move on in the summer in search of more regular football and rather than bitterness on either side, it feels like the right time for both the club and Richards to part ways. Season Rating: 4

Pablo Zabaleta: 48 games, 1 goal – He was the standout individual last season by quite some distance and he was once again the consistent heartbeat of the side this time around. There is barely a City supporter out there not engulfed with admiration for Zabaleta’s efforts, his passion, spirit and battling qualities all manifest on a weekly basis. And yet, while many like to portray him as merely a thundering tackler, he has far more class to his endeavours than often given credit for. Bursting down the right-hand side with relentless energy, he has a delicate touch and composure when arriving in crossing positions, and a total of seven assists over the course of the season is testament to his delivery from out wide. If there is one small criticism, it is that he could contribute more goals, such is the intelligence and timing of his runs that enables him to fly into promising areas. Nonetheless, that’s a minor quibble for an otherwise adored player. Season Rating: 7.5

Dedryck Boyata: 6 games, 0 goals – Only played 55 minutes of football in the Premier League in another underwhelming season. One reckless and naïve sending off in the FA Cup away to Blackburn was a low moment in a campaign in which he was only deployed so that others could benefit from a rest. In terms of his talent, he should be nowhere near the squad but he counts as a homegrown player for the Premier League and Champions League quotas and although his contract is up over the summer, there have been rumours he’ll be offered a one-year extension due to our desperation to have English-qualified players. It’s a somewhat sad state of affairs. Season Rating: N/A

Vincent Kompany: 37 games, 5 goals – A generally solid season for our ever-inspirational captain. He didn’t quite reach the heights of sheer dominance and imposing authority of which he is capable, but as the season wore on his leadership came to the fore and he was the backbone of the side. An injury sustained against Everton in early-October sidelined him for a couple of months and he was a touch uncertain for a short while after his return, but once he settled down he started to display the whole-hearted approach which inspires fans and injects fear into opposition strikers. His anguish-inducing mistake at Anfield looked to have handed Liverpool the title but as they faltered and their captain so fatefully slipped, we drove on and it was sort of fitting that Kompany scored the final goal of the season. Off the pitch, too, he’s the perfect role model and we’re fortunate to have him. Season Rating: 7

Martin Demichelis: 35 games, 2 goals – Unfairly derided by many towards the start of his City career, his resurgence into one of the most consistent performers in the second half of the season was superb. He picked up an injury in his first training session which forced him out until October and when he was thrown into the action, he did look uncertain and troubled. His struggles, however, were vastly overplayed and the picture painted of him in the media and by many Blues’ supporters was one of an amateurish clown. A red card in the most high-profile encounter of the season, at home to Barcelona, didn’t help his cause. Nor did a penalty committed against Wigan in the FA Cup shortly afterwards. Yet, thanks to his mental strength, leadership qualities and effortless grace, he forcefully made his critics eat their words. Hardly blessed with pace, he used his terrific anticipation of danger to position himself perfectly time and time again, allowing him to nip in repeatedly to intercept the ball or drop deeper to provide a defensive barrier. In possession, he was remarkably assured, always positive and constantly started attacks from deep. Perhaps his standout display was away to Hull when, with Kompany sent off after just ten minutes, Demichelis guided us to a clean sheet and victory through sheer will, experience and doggedness. He’s not the defender we need if we are to kick on in European competitions but he’ll be a more than capable back-up next season. From clown to cult-hero, his transformation was one of the stories of the season. Season Rating: 7

Joleon Lescott: 24 games, 0 goals – Unable to hold down a first-team place, he featured only when other central defenders were injured or suspended. At times earlier in the season when we were struggling on the road and conceding too many avoidable goals, his simplistic style of defending could have been useful, but his painful limitations on the ball meant that he was never going to suit Manuel Pellegrini’s possession-based philosophy. As with Richards, he’ll move on now and it feels the right moment for him to depart. He has served us well over the years and was hugely underappreciated when we won our first Premier League title but he deserves regular playing time at another club and he’ll be a solid, if not spectacular, defender for his future side. Season Rating: 6

Matija Nastasic: 23 games, 0 goals - A tough second season for Nastasic. After impressing to such an extent with his composure and assuredness in his debut year with the club, we hoped he would kick on this time around but he sadly regressed. He didn’t feature at all after the Premier League defeat to Chelsea in early-February as a mysterious injury kept him on the sidelines for months, but even before then he had appeared shaky where previously we believed him to be unflappable. Lacking the understated authority of his first campaign, he seemed hesitant and off the pace. A new centre-back is likely to arrive in the summer and that means Nastasic will be competing with Demichelis as a back-up, so it promises to be an important season for him come August. Season Rating: 4

Gael Clichy: 32 games, 0 goals – The general perception of Clichy’s season has been that he started in an iffy, uncertain manner and never quite recovered to hit the standards of his previous campaign. I’d take a slightly different approach. Admittedly, his first few games were wobbly and it was questioned whether he had lost that yard of pace which makes him such an effective, snappy defender, but he soon found his feet and from November onwards, he was a solid performer. He’ll never particularly catch the eye and with the fluent way we play, his limited crossing ability is a hindrance but he’s sensible in possession, always alert and happy to keep the play simple rather than try something overly ambitious. Defensively, he’s quick to stop the cross coming into our box, tucks inside neatly and his enthusiasm down the left, always charging into tackles with boundless energy and dynamism is a key feature of our intense pressing. Season Rating: 6.5

Aleks Kolarov: 44 games, 6 goals – From swearing at the fans in the final home match of last season to a potent attacking weapon, this title-winning campaign saw quite a rejuvenation from the Serbian! I’d have been perfectly happy to see the back of him in the summer but he has bounced back admirably after a couple of insipid seasons and was one of the main beneficiaries of Pellegrini’s relentless offensive approach. He has tightened up to some degree defensively; he’s not the finished product at the back and it’s unlikely he ever will be, but he’s not the liability he often was. The greatest improvement, however, has come courtesy of his thunderous, yet cultured, left foot and his perennially dangerous delivery into the box. With the likes of Samir Nasri and David Silva granted greater freedom this season to drift infield, that freed up space into which Kolarov gleefully burst and his potent crosses were a feature of our play throughout the campaign. At times, he still has the tendency to shoot from ridiculous angles but he added an element of refinement over the course of the season and is worthy of acclaim. Season Rating: 7

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