Midfield General

[Bojinov's left foot]

Delighted with the signings that have been made in this transfer window so far. Confident that there will be others.

The one area which seems to be overlooked is 'midfield general'. By that I mean a leader who will boss the midfield, can tackle and pass aswell as having a good engine and the ability to lead others to give their all.

YaYa, Silva and Milner (if he comes) will I'm sure improve our play significantly. I just do not see any of them providing the leadership that will help to take us to the next level. I may be wrong of course.

I'd like to see someone in the style of:
Sneijder - we are in Italy at the moment talking to Inter, would be a fantastic signing if we could get him
De Rossi - this guy is a midfield general, just don't think he would leave Roma though
Schweinsteiger - vast experience and proven at the highest level - another fantastic option
Fabregas - given his Premier League experience he is our best bet, but, he only wants to go to Barca
Xavi - if Fabregas goes to Barca could a bid for Xavi be succesful? He could run the midfield, just not sure if he would get the time he does when playing for Barca/Spain.

Given the money Mancini has at his disposal and the quality of players he is signing I would be disappointed if we do not have a midfield general for the start of the new season.

Any thoughts on the importance of the position and who/if anyone you would like to see.

[Bianchi on Ice]

Xabi alonso is a fantastic player, he'd be the one. Won't happen, but his weight of pass is so fucking good

[avoidconfusion]

They should just sign me... I can do all that.... only for 5 minutes probably but hey.... I am available.

[brite blu sky]

Yaya is capable of playing in front of the DMs and could be groomed into that role. But in theory we already have an ideal player for this in Ireland. He has what it takes we just have to see if he can work out how to get back in there. We also have M Johnno who again has the potential, but like Ireland at present is a gamble to have to rely on and it would be wise this season to just see what both of them can do without having to rely on them. There will be a lot of games this season so there is opportunity for everyone to have a chance, and Mancini will have to adopt different formations with specific players.. like Europa away ties against decent opposition.

[WidnesBlue23]

I agree with M Jonno but his fitness is a huge worry. Schweinsteger would be quality with his ability, experience and age but is he going to leave Bayern after the chumps lge and I imagine he will be happiest in Germany.
Milner's engine and delivery would be a huge asset and I reckon he will be our best bet in this role, can defend, works his arse off, can create and score, and hes only 24

[kinkylola]

Johnno and Yaya are both players that I have hopes for ... one player that I admire is Jack Rodwell and I think he could fill that type of role.

[Beeks]

one player that I admire is Jack Rodwell and I think he could fill that type of role.

Rodwell is far too young for that type of role...you need an old wily veteran...a Paul Bosvelt type...obviously with more skill ;-)

[Lees Alter Ego]

one player that I admire is Jack Rodwell and I think he could fill that type of role.

Rodwell is far too young for that type of role...you need an old wily veteran...a Paul Bosvelt type...obviously with more skill ;-)

Paul Bostvelt was a poor mans De Jong

[brite blu sky]

Milner would be a safe bet as he is proven and stays fit. As people have mentioned he is not flashy and just gets on with it. He has some limitations and in terms of us signing him is the right price. Yaya has no prem experience, M. Johnno is a fitness and form gamble and Ireland is also a big gamble as yet. Vieira is a stop gap. Barry could play that role with Yaya in support as could David Silva beleive it or not.. another surprising one is AJ, who has been playing in the middle in training. Tevez also could play behind Ade and say Dzeko... so the options are there.

There is a decent argument based on getting away from predictability, and that is if the FM role is shared during the 90 mins so that the oppo have no clear idea of who they should be targetting as the main distributor. If the team is built around the same player in that role it is an easy identification for the oppo to know, cut him out and they will be stifled.
While i have serious criticism of Barcas style one thing they do is fluidly swap the central forward mid role between them. Mainly Xavi and Iniesta, but also Messi will play large parts of games there and now also Pedro comes in and swaps around.
It is foolish to underestimate this tactic, as it makes the forward midfield as a whole a lot more than even its talented parts.

If Mancini is going that way then there is no need for a clear head and shoulders above everyone else type mid general. If Mancini is taking notes from Barca's approach then the LB and RB are also key as they push right up the half way line to receive wide while the opposition is trying to cover all the options milling about in the centre.

Looking at the signings i am getting a sneaky feeling that this is possibly where Bobby is heading.. after all City's ambition is the be one of the best teams in the world, that means on a par or even better than Barca. It is all well and good if you are just saying that for your own sense of hope, but if you really mean it then you have to work out how to be better than Barca, end of.

So i am going with the idea we will aim for 4 main players that can adopt and share the central role, and a collection of wide men who can also swap the central role as and when.

[Bojinov's left foot]

Just a further thought - Arteta?

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

How on earth can some people throw around Michael Johnson's name here? He has become almost mythical figure among some. People are being questioned for their injury records and yet I see Johnson considered as midfield general for next season.

I have my doubts whether he will EVER play top end Premier League football again. Never mind run our midfield. First he needs to get his head straight, back in shape, go on loan to Championship side to gain match fitness and THEN after all that and IF everything has gone well, we can consider giving him few games in cup in late end of 10/11 season or more likely 11/12 season.

Arteta is absolutely excellent shout by the way.

Out of players mentioned in first post only Schweinsteiger would be theoretically available but would cost arm and leg. Then again, he'd run our midfield for next five years so would be worth anything we pay for him.

[Dubciteh]

How on earth can some people throw around Michael Johnson's name here? He has become almost mythical figure among some. People are being questioned for their injury records and yet I see Johnson considered as midfield general for next season.

I have my doubts whether he will EVER play top end Premier League football again. Never mind run our midfield. First he needs to get his head straight, back in shape, go on loan to Championship side to gain match fitness and THEN after all that and IF everything has gone well, we can consider giving him few games in cup in late end of 10/11 season or more likely 11/12 season.

Arteta is absolutely excellent shout by the way.

Out of players mentioned in first post only Schweinsteiger would be theoretically available but would cost arm and leg. Then again, he'd run our midfield for next five years so would be worth anything we pay for him.

spot on but you cant say anything bad about johnson round here without people getting there knickers in a twist. If i was him id retire the only way is down in the eyes of alot of city fans regardless of how good he came back.

Arteta or schweinsteiger would finally be a signing that would truely whet my appetite this summer, dont get me wrong im happy we signed silva and toure, but these two are the players i really want.

[ENIAM NAM]

How on earth can some people throw around Michael Johnson's name here? He has become almost mythical figure among some. People are being questioned for their injury records and yet I see Johnson considered as midfield general for next season.

I have my doubts whether he will EVER play top end Premier League football again. Never mind run our midfield. First he needs to get his head straight, back in shape, go on loan to Championship side to gain match fitness and THEN after all that and IF everything has gone well, we can consider giving him few games in cup in late end of 10/11 season or more likely 11/12 season.

Arteta is absolutely excellent shout by the way.

Out of players mentioned in first post only Schweinsteiger would be theoretically available but would cost arm and leg. Then again, he'd run our midfield for next five years so would be worth anything we pay for him.

Couldn't agree more.

[WidnesBlue23]

Is it actually true that Dirk 'Faceman' Bennedict's son is currently on trial with us?
He may be the answer to our midfield strife

[yankmanc]

I still hold out hope that Ireland will get over the blip of last season and come to play this role for us for years to come.

Yaya seems to have all the tools to play this role. I would love to see him given license to gallop box to box.

Have we completely given up on Barry as far as this is concern?

If we don't buy anybody in this position, I won't be too worried. We have a good strike force shaping up, great options out wide, and possibly some strong fullbacks coming on. Of the names mentioned, Arteta is a good call.

[CityGer]

First, the days when a midfield general was a must are gone. The use of the 4-2-3-1 and 4-1-3-2 formations has seen that role become less important than it was in the days of 4-4-2.

Second, Sneijder and Fabregas are not midfield general's!! Sneijder, fine player that he is, couldn't tackle a fish supper and the other one has allowed his Arsenal team to be bullied by every team they've come up against. A general doesn't allow that.

Third, Yaya will give us enough bite in midfield and will combine this with forward passing and forward runs. Whether we pair him with Barry / Nige or alone in a 4-1-3-2 he'll do enough in there.

We don't need anyone else, especially with the creativity of Silva and AJ.

[Crossie]

Gareth Barry is not a midfield general.

Yaya is.

M Jonno is just a player to boost numbers and play in cup games and the odd european game etc.

Ireland might not be here.

Arteta is a good shout

Milner, the more it drags on the more I dont want him