Best and Worst team of the season so far

[Tom84]

So says the Guardian;

Best (according to their readers)

GK: Kingston (Blackpool)

RB: Sagna (Arsenal)
CB: Ferdinand (Man Utd)
CB: Vidic (Man Utd)
LB: Baines (Everton)

RM: Nasri (Arsenal)
CM: Holden (Bolton)
CM: Modric (Spurs)
LM: Van Der Vaart (Spurs)

CF: Elmander (Bolton)
CF: Carroll (Newcastle)

Worst

GK: Gomes (Spurs)

RB: Johnson (Liverpool)
CB: Squillaci (Arsenal)
CB: Stearman (Wolves)
LB: Ilunga (West Ham)

CM: Ireland (Aston Villa)
CM: Cattermole (Sunderland)
CM: J.Cole (Liverpool)

CF: Balotelli (Man City)
CF: Torres (Liverpool)
CF: Saha (Everton)

Dont agree with either list tbh

 

[Tom84]

Ferdinand has been injured half the season.

Actually no he hasn't

 

[Tom84]

GK: Foster

RB: Rafael
CB: Vidic
CB: Kompany
LB: Baines

LM: Nani
CM: Nasri
CM: Van der Vaart
RM: Albrighton

CF: Tevez
CF: Elmander

Cant really argue with most of that, personally though I'd have Nani on the right, Van Der Vaart on the left and fit Cahill in CM with Carroll up front with Elmander

 

[Tom84]

I'll throw Milner into the mix for featuring in the worst team, he's proved what an utterly rubbish over hyped one season wonder he is and worth not even a quarter of what was paid for him in the summer - embarrassed so many United fans wanted us to sign him

Absolutely awful tonight for City against Arsenal

 

[Tom84]

I am a Villa fan, and Milner was superb for us last season and deserved his plaudits. The problem with him at Man City is this - last year O'Neill deployed him in the centre of midfield after Barry left (to city as well, lol) and he was a revelation. But as a winger he is okay but nowhere near as effective. At City however he is never going to get an extended run in the side in the centre of midfield, as there are better players in front of him.

Dont agree with that, Mancini just doesn't have the balls not to play 3 holding midfielders

 

[Tom84]

You mean 1 holding, yeh? De Jong is the only holding midfielder, Barry may not seem to stray forward a lot but he is not a holding midfielder and Yaya and Silva are 'Attacking' midfielder's.

You wouldn't use inverted comas if Toure really was an attacking player

De Jong - Defensive player
Barry - Defensive player
Toure - Defensive player

 

[Tom84]

Barry's not a defensive midfielder and although Toure played that role at Barca, he's been pushed forward at City and at times played off the front.

Of course Barry is a defensive/holding player, the only reason he gets in the national team is because that's his position

Fair point about Toure being played further forward in recent weeks but it doesn't stop him being a defensive player, City just need one of the three to offer some form of support to Tevez and being a far better player to Barry Toure gets the job

 

[Tom84]

No he's not. If you ever watched him at Villa he played as a box to box player and it's been the same at City. Even for England he hardly plays as an out and out defensive midfielder. Just because he played alongside either Lampard or Gerrard in the middle, everybody automatically said he's the holding player but rarely did he sit in front of the back 4.

Agreed at Villa he was box to box but the whole reason why he got in the England team is because 2 out and out attacking players couldn't play together so they brought Barry in due to his defensive abilities (don't forget Barry played a lot at LB) and since then he's no longer box to box he's a holding player

Fletcher is someone who is box to box running around like a headless chicken all game, Barry is more like Carrick making maybe one forward run in a game (if that).

It's no slant on Barry being that type of player but with De Jong and Toure already playing there should be nothing to stop Machini playing Silva or Milner as the third midfielder and adding a bit of forward thinking to the team instead of the negativity of having 3 very similar players in the midfield