Edin Dzeko is our third choice striker

[Slim]

Navas and Silva, oh god....it's so gorgeous.

Keep attacking the posts Edin, you'll bag 40.

I posted this on the 31st July, look at how his movement is now.

[carl_feedthegoat]

Navas and Silva, oh god....it's so gorgeous.

Keep attacking the posts Edin, you'll bag 40.

I posted this on the 31st July, look at how his movement is now.

Different player , having said that we never had anyone who could get those balls in to the near post before we got Navas and also Kolorov is doing what the management couldn't get him to do last season....excellent.

[Slim]

Navas and Silva, oh god....it's so gorgeous.

Keep attacking the posts Edin, you'll bag 40.

I posted this on the 31st July, look at how his movement is now.

Different player , having said that we never had anyone who could get those balls in to the near post before we got Navas and also Kolorov is doing what the management couldn't get him to do last season....excellent.

Kolarov has improved so much it's insane. He is defending better and looks a genuine threat on the overlap every game, I think Clichy better get used to the bench. I genuinely thought he just wasn't good enough, unlike Nasri who I thought was a superstar who was just lazy. Working out the problem is the change in the dressing room. Might not even be just Mancini, but Tevez, Balotelli and that personality of footballer might have unsettled the rest of the squad. Now we have a team that looks like a team and not a peep from the training ground about players punching each other or having a row or the manager losing it at a player.

[aaron bond]

Navas and Silva, oh god....it's so gorgeous.

Keep attacking the posts Edin, you'll bag 40.

I posted this on the 31st July, look at how his movement is now.

Different player , having said that we never had anyone who could get those balls in to the near post before we got Navas and also Kolorov is doing what the management couldn't get him to do last season....excellent.

Kolarov has improved so much it's insane. He is defending better and looks a genuine threat on the overlap every game, I think Clichy better get used to the bench. I genuinely thought he just wasn't good enough, unlike Nasri who I thought was a superstar who was just lazy. Working out the problem is the change in the dressing room. Might not even be just Mancini, but Tevez, Balotelli and that personality of footballer might have unsettled the rest of the squad. Now we have a team that looks like a team and not a peep from the training ground about players punching each other or having a row or the manager losing it at a player.

We do seem to have a very happy camp at the moment, and it's great to see. The football we are playing at the moment is fantastic.

The improvement in Kolarov is phenomenal. Nearly every cross he puts into the box is dangerous and he is a key part of our attacking arsenal now. As you said, Clichy will be on the bench more than Kolarov for the remainder of the season, because Kolarov's defending has improved, whilst Clichy's has worsened.

[Breks]

Dzeko isn't as good as Aguero that much is obvious and Negredo has a better all round game. However he is a goalscorer and when your surrounded by a brilliant set of players being a goalscorer is enough. My brother in law is a rag and he stated they would love to have a goalscorer like Dzeko. I'm guilty of slagging Dzeko off but he does know where the back of the net is.

[mr_nool]

I rate Dzeko a ton and think we're very fortunate to have him as a 3rd choice striker. When in the mood, he's a brilliant finisher with some overall great play as well. That said, the main reasons that I say 3rd choice are:

1. Aguero & Negerdo work harder to pressure the opposition defenders and midfielders to win the ball back or force a mistake.

[highlight]2. Aguero & Negerdo are better outlets to hold the ball up when we are back in our own 1/3 and better at keeping possession when we are higher up the pitch. They have a better touch and are more mobile to easily link up with the rest of the team.[/highlight]

3. Aguero & Negerdo have more pace which gives us the ability to play the direct ball over the top. If a team tries to win the ball back in our own half (usually by pressing forward with a high defensive line), there's a good chance they will be punished in a matter of seconds by one well placed pass.

4. Aguero & Negerdo make jaw-dropping plays on a regular basis that you have to see the replay to believe. Both of them have skills in the top 5% of any player I've seen and combine it with a daring creativity to create truly special moments.

All three of them have been guilty of missing some chances this season, but luckily we've almost always been able to give them more before time runs out. Incredible when you think about it too, Dzeko would probably start at almost every other PL team except 1 or 2.

What a great time to be a City fan!

Bigblue, this is not just aimed at you, but I'm quoting you posts, since you summarise what a lot of people seem to be thinking.

I really don't agree with the highlighted part. When Negredo and Dzeko play together it is always Edin who gets involved in the build up play, who links up with the midfielders, and who predominantly plays with his back towards the goal. He provides more great passes to Negredo (and other attacking players) than the other way around. In short: I think Dzeko is the better footballer of the two
and has more of a "football brain".

The exception to this is holding the ball up or acting as a target player. Negredo is much better than Dzeko at this aspect - mainly because he's physically stronger and better at shielding the ball.

[john@staustell]

Dzeko is truly a an enigma wrapped in .................................etc

Truly on the Fat Bob Taylor side of awful in the first half, outstanding in the 2nd.

[Burt]

Let me just put a slant on this and ask a question:-

Would you be happy to sell him to one of our rivals like the devilworshippers, Gooners, Chelski etc?

Honest answers please............................................

[Dubciteh]

Possibility the greatest back up striker around.

The problem is he's not a great back up striker. His performances tend to be much better when he gets a solid run in the team as opposed to being the scapegoat for not scoring at some midtable rabble after coming on at 80 mins.

Sums it up for me.

We have plenty of games for all three strikers so going stale shouldnt be an issue for the forseeable future.

He is working a lot harder lately too which is good to see, i have a lot of time for him, not sure the stick he gets is justified.

[Slim]

Let me just put a slant on this and ask a question:-

Would you be happy to sell him to one of our rivals like the devilworshippers, Gooners, Chelski etc?

Honest answers please............................................

No.

I wouldn't even sell them Garcia.

[Bridge'srightfoot]

I rate Dzeko a ton and think we're very fortunate to have him as a 3rd choice striker. When in the mood, he's a brilliant finisher with some overall great play as well. That said, the main reasons that I say 3rd choice are:

1. Aguero & Negerdo work harder to pressure the opposition defenders and midfielders to win the ball back or force a mistake.

[highlight]2. Aguero & Negerdo are better outlets to hold the ball up when we are back in our own 1/3 and better at keeping possession when we are higher up the pitch. They have a better touch and are more mobile to easily link up with the rest of the team.[/highlight]

3. Aguero & Negerdo have more pace which gives us the ability to play the direct ball over the top. If a team tries to win the ball back in our own half (usually by pressing forward with a high defensive line), there's a good chance they will be punished in a matter of seconds by one well placed pass.

4. Aguero & Negerdo make jaw-dropping plays on a regular basis that you have to see the replay to believe. Both of them have skills in the top 5% of any player I've seen and combine it with a daring creativity to create truly special moments.

All three of them have been guilty of missing some chances this season, but luckily we've almost always been able to give them more before time runs out. Incredible when you think about it too, Dzeko would probably start at almost every other PL team except 1 or 2.

What a great time to be a City fan!

Bigblue, this is not just aimed at you, but I'm quoting you posts, since you summarise what a lot of people seem to be thinking.

I really don't agree with the highlighted part. When Negredo and Dzeko play together it is always Edin who gets involved in the build up play, who links up with the midfielders, and who predominantly plays with his back towards the goal. He provides more great passes to Negredo (and other attacking players) than the other way around. In short: I think Dzeko is the better footballer of the two
and has more of a "football brain".

The exception to this is holding the ball up or acting as a target player. Negredo is much better than Dzeko at this aspect - mainly because he's physically stronger and better at shielding the ball.

I agree with you to an extent. However I think Dzeko's biggest advantage over Negredo is his two footed-ness. Yes Negredo has a great outside of the foot control, but it's not quite the same.
It means that Dzeko can attack balls first time with either foot and is comfortable attacking the front post from either side. He doesn't have to let the ball run accross his body to his stronger foot like Negredo does. He also doesn't have to work the ball onto his stronger foot, he can take it with either.
It's much harder to defend against a player who can shoot with either foot.
A very under rated trait of Dzeko imo.

[Herb]

I don't think that Edin is our 3rd choice striker - I don't think that we should numerically 'rank' our strikers in the divisive way that the media do - I think it more the case that our strikers are selected for each games based on which are fit, which are on form and subject to which are thought to carry the skills particular to unlock the defence that will be presented by the opposition.
Edin hasn't been selected to start as much as Alvaro and Sergio have so far but that isn't necessarily a guide for the rest of the season - especially if he and Navas can keep conjuring up those little R/H side moves onto the near post - both sublime and both utilising the best of each IMO.

[Slim]

I don't think that Edin is our 3rd choice striker - I don't think that we should numerically 'rank' our strikers in the divisive way that the media do - I think it more the case that our strikers are selected for each games based on which are fit, which are on form and subject to which are thought to carry the skills particular to unlock the defence that will be presented by the opposition.
Edin hasn't been selected to start as much as Alvaro and Sergio have so far but that isn't necessarily a guide for the rest of the season - especially if he and Navas can keep conjuring up those little R/H side moves onto the near post - both sublime and both utilising the best of each IMO.

BTW, he has also done the same move on the left for the low cross from Kolarov, 3 goals in 3 games from that one move.

[PeterParker]

Big Ed was and always will be a problem, but i problem that i would rather have in the squad.

One of the best poachers out there, even if his ball control is really shit. I think he will never step up in front of Sergio or Negre, but he would be a starter on any EPL team.

For me he has this:

+

- scores from distance, great power shot
- scores in important moments: Palace, Newcastle, (WBA, Fulham, last season), Wigan (in the title winning season), Blackburn (the game that sent us in the Champions League in 2011).
- best league statistics of scoring versus the amount of playing time.

-
- his is not consistent
- always seems to moan that he is not the first option in the attack
- shit ball control and looks clueless in many moments

With this, i think Pellers did somehow to keep happy all the players in the squad, including Edin. His rotation system worked far better that the one Bobby used.

[gmercer1]

Really happy with how Dzeko has stepped up since Aguero got injured. His work rate these past few games has been great. Just pisses me off that he looks such a lazy bastid most of the the time. He goal scoring record is great and to answer the question asked earlier there is no way I would like to see him at one of the rival teams.

What's really pleasing me is how well all the different pairing seem to gel. I heard a few pundits saying how they didn't think Dzeko and Negredo could play together as they are too alike. I think they have proved them wrong.

[Lee_R]

Dzeko needs to work on his ball control.

[Herb]

Dzeko needs to work on his ball control.

But his ability to score with 1 touch from acute angles is so polished that he can stop practicing that skill now.