MAN CITY 2 – 1 Swansea – PLAYER RATINGS
23 Nov
Hart - Another strong showing from Hart as his good form this season continues. Out well to deny Montero in the second half and then hurtled off his line to narrow the angle for Gomis in the closing stages - 7
Zabaleta - Solid for the most part. He has not been at his best during this campaign, but he still looked to gallop forward whenever possible and hit a couple of wild shots that sailed harmlessly over - 6
Kompany - Probably rushed back a couple of days ahead of schedule, but such is his importance to the side he will always feature if at all possible. Bony is a tricky customer and he was able to drag Kompany out of position at times - 6
Demichelis - Arguably the pick of the bunch. Used his vast experience to great effect against Bony’s physicality, knowing when to challenge and when to just drop off a few yards. Passing was crisp and positive, as demonstrated in the build up to Yaya’s winner - 8
Clichy - This was a rare high point in a difficult season for the Frenchman so far. One rasping thunderbolt almost brought the house down but rather than that moment, it was his decisive and aggressive defending that was pleasing to see. Comfortably won the battle with the dangerous Dyer - 7
Fernandinho - Some eye-catching moments that were reminiscent of his form last year and there were periods when he seemed full of energy and dynamism. Couldn’t maintain that level throughout, however - 6
Y. Touré - Found it tough in the opening exchanges as the visitors took control of midfield, but once City exerted their authority, Yaya was at the forefront of most attacks. His goal came from a typically powerful run and composed finish - 7
Navas - Picked out Jovetic for the equaliser but that was about as good as it got. With his pace he will always be a lively outlet on the right, yet his delivery has to be better. It’s not easy, admittedly, when there is no obvious target in the middle, but a touch more precision is required - 6
Nasri - In Silva’s absence, he needed to be the one to inject some creativity and accept more responsibility. He has not always done that, but yesterday was possibly his best performance of the season. Purposeful, inventive and happy to take control - 7
Jovetic - His goal should hopefully give him confidence, yet for all his trickery and direct running, there are still far too many unnecessary flicks that don’t pay off. He has the makings of a serious talent but could do with just keeping it simple more often than not - 6
Aguero - Didn’t manage to add to his account for the campaign, but led the line very well. Always willing to run the channels and when he received the ball he had the pace and power to run at Swansea’s backline - 7
Subs
Lampard - Showed his calm head in possession - 6
Milner - Almost added a third - 6
Fernando - A late cameo - No time to mark
Don’t understand how you can give aguero a better rating than jovetic. Aguero was awful, nothing payed off for him, we nearly conceded after he lost the ball trying to take someone on at the halfway line. And most obviously jovetic contributed to the win with a goal!
Agree with the blob, Aguero played well but by his standards not so well and just lacking that killer end product on the day.
Understand the point about Jovetic keeping it simple but don’t quite agree in his case. If it is Demichellis or someone needlessly show-boating in defence then yes. But this is Jovetic’s game and he is a player where alot of the time actually his flicks and flair are actually come off and are very effective. The difference between drawing a game and actually being able to unlock a stubborn defense with a bit of magic. Take that away from him and you stiffle his whole game and his creativity.
(Its a pet hate of mine when old fashioned players shout that at me every time I try something different).
Cant agree enough with the second half of your comment, something i so often think because I can relate it to when I play or just quite simply see it from the players point of view. Many people just cant see beyond the specific moment for the grater good, if that makes sense!?
Having said all that I think Jovetic could get the balance between the two a little better, just needs to be wiser at choosing his moments, with time i hope he will
Agree about Aguero – strikers need to have a selfish streak in front of goal but his single minded approach that he is the only person capable of scoring lead to him giving away possession on several occasions. Not sure what Dimichelis actually did to warrant an 8. As the spare man in the back four he had a stroll until Gomis came on and I find his passing so slow and pedestrian to the point of distraction.
Yaya was our best player yesterday and I found the introduction of Lampard ahead of Milner from the bench confusing to say the least (not that either let us down). Navas continues to frustrate me like no other player I’ve seen in recent years. I’ll be happy if he moves on come the season’s end.
To the 3 comments above: Aguero had a positive influence on the game, just because you can remember 2 or 3 negative moments in 90 minutes doesn’t mean he had a bad game. While it wasn’t his greatest game you can still see how how he stretched the defense, and how at times he attracted several players when dribbling which created space for others, when judging influence on a match (hence socre out of 10) you have to look a little past what’s obvious sometimes. Finally, damn right he has a selfish streak, and i personally think he gets the balance right, look at the pass to Navas to try and make it 3-1 when he could have gone on alone. That was also an example of how the defender did’nt even try and cover the pass because the threat of Aguero going through and scoring himself is so great. 7 out of 10 all day long.
Our main problem is our full-backs. Technically, in comparison with previous seasons, they’re awful. But the biggest concern is their positional play.
We’re still a miles away from where we were last season