by Colin the King » Mon May 16, 2011 9:54 pm
I think Lescott has been brilliant to be honest- he and Kompany complement each other really well, and with all due respect to Kolo, him failing that drugs test was a real blessing in disguise as it turned out. I really believe those two are good enough to be our central defensive pairing for years to come- they're young, ambitious, strong and compliment each other really well. They have a good understanding with Joe too.
Micah is in fine form and barring injuries, should be our first choice right back next season and beyond. Zabaleta is fantastic for his attitude and versatility but Micah edges it for me. There'll be plenty of games for everyone though of course. Kolarov has been hit-and-miss, he shows great acceleration and gets into good positions, only to be selfish/wasteful with the ball at his feet. Defensively, he's been solid enough but prone to lapses in concentration and, at times, downright laziness. I think he has the raw materials though, and his height is an added bonus, and a rarity for a left-back. It's only his first season and I think we should trust him to improve and progress. When you consider how fucking diabolical Evra was at first, and where he is now, Kolarov deserves that chance.
Midfield wise, I wouldn't be making wholesale changes. de Jong is superb, Yaya offers a real threat going forward while being able to screen the defence if required, Barry is effective but I would hope and imagine, more of a squad player as we progress. I think ideally, we would have de Jong in front of the defence, Yaya behind the centre-forward, and someone between the two to offer both attacking and defensive qualities. Barry hasn't the pace to cover that kind of ground, but Milner does. I'd be interested to see if he could become that player we're crying out for with a solid run of games. Still think we could do with a big signing in that position though- Schweinsteiger would be marvellous if we could get him.
If Tevez stays put, we don't need to do a thing about strikers. Balotelli will strengthen, as will Dzeko with more direct service. Three main strikers for a team that generally only plays with one is more than enough- and then we could have Guidetti or perhaps Caicedo as backup, with Jo, Santa Cruz and Adebayor shipped out. As for wide players, Silva is in a class of his own. Johnson will fulfill one of two roles- as a mainstay in our time, on the proviso that his delivery improves dramatically, or as a lethal impact sub. I think two signings in the wide/attacking midfield roles would do- a young, hungry player to cover and learn from Silva, and a replacement for SWP assuming he moves on.
Overall, we've got a fantastic set-up, a strong squad, and our younger players and signings from last Summer will improve and grow. We don't need drastic overhauling- just two or three signings to compliment what we've got.
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