What's Your Team?

[Beefymcfc]

for Stoke?

Joe Hart

[Wooders]

we'll need more than that

I think we can field 11 players? We should take advantage of that

[Beeks]

Yeah id add Balo to the list

Hart
--------Balo

[twosips]

Haha ^^^

Anyway

.......Hart

Zab Micah Kolo Clichy (presuming Lescott and VK arent fit)

......NDJ - GB ----

Aguero - Yaya - Nasri

---------Dzeko

That front four can rotate fluidly. Just got a feeling that Dzeko would do well against Stoke for some reason. Wanna rest Silva and Balo as well. Think we need the solid base of NDJ and GB to win the middle and we need Yaya driving at Stoke.

[lets all have a disco]

I wouldnt have Balo in there id rather put that fat hard working argie from the other night on the bench he looked decent.

Hart
Zabs
Richards
Kolo
Clichy
Milner
De Jong
Yaya
Silva
Nasri
Aguero

[Swales4ever]

.......Hart

Zab Micah Kolo Kolarov (always presuming Lescott and VK arent fit)

......JM - GB ----

Aguero - Yaya - Nasri

---------Dzeko


if Edin plays, surely might be fed better by AK than by Gael plus I have a gut feeling that we might need any available long distance shooter to prevail over the Neanderthals spurred by Taggart Webb

[Douglas Higginbottom]

Any 11 without Mario in it.Keep him as impact sub.if needed.

[Superbia]

Silva needs a rest apart from him our best 11 we need to win these games no more mistakes ive never wanted anyting more then this title

[Goaters 103]

Hart

Zabba
Micah
Kolo
Kolarov

De Jong
Milner

Aguero
Nasri
Ya Ya

Dzeko

[phips]

Hart

Zabba
Micah
Kolo
Kolarov

De Jong
Milner

Aguero
Nasri
Ya Ya

Dzeko

My thoughts exactly. With Tevez, Balo, Johnson, Barry, Vinnie/Savic, Clichy, and Costel on the bench

My only "worry" is Zaba at RB. I dont know if he's ready to play 2 games in 4 days after coming off an injury.

Nasri HAS TO play. After having a big game he needs be given the confidence by bobby of being in the starting 11
(similar to waht RDM did for Torres vs. us)

[ant london]

Any 11 without Mario in it.Keep him as impact sub.if needed.

haha...I am really curious as to why you dislike the lad so much. It's a blight on your otherwise top draw judgement. I fully understand why people get annoyed/frustrated at him but you clearly just don't like him and never have??? Do you not like Italians Doug? ;-)

I think you are dead wrong as to whether he'll play...I bet you he starts and I'd suspect that the criticism he got this week will provoke a performance from him.

[CityGer]

Any 11 without Mario in it.Keep him as impact sub.if needed.

Agreed. Hold him back so he can come on and not be arsed late on.

[zuricity]

Any 11 without Mario in it.Keep him as impact sub.if needed.

Agreed. Hold him back so he can come on and not be arsed late on.

Double agreed.

I would also not start Silva, he's not right at the moment and stoke will clogg today.

[ant london]

I didn't realise that Carlo Nash played for Stoke....well, sat on the bench for Stoke. Fantastic goaltender

[Im_Spartacus]

haha...I am really curious as to why you dislike the lad so much. It's a blight on your otherwise top draw judgement. I fully understand why people get annoyed/frustrated at him but you clearly just don't like him and never have??? Do you not like Italians Doug? ;-)

I think you are dead wrong as to whether he'll play...I bet you he starts and I'd suspect that the criticism he got this week will provoke a performance from him.

Sorry, i know that was aimed for doug, but i have to agree with him. I just dont see what mario brings to the party, he is NEVER brilliant, mediocre at best, and more often than not is a complete passenger bordering on a liability.

His publicist does a great job of buildin this great persona, none of which is true, to deflect from the fact that on the whole he appears to be a very average footballer with a poor attitude.

Maybe he needs to grow up, and id love to give him the time to bloom here, but leading the line in the title run in is not a job he is ready for. Not saying dzeko is mind, but i cant view balo as an automatic starter the way aguero and tevez would be i both fit.

I suspect inthe weeks to come, balo will get game time, but tevez and aguero will start most games wide with dzeko in the middle.

[ant london]

His publicist does a great job of buildin this great persona, none of which is true, to deflect from the fact that on the whole he appears to be a very average footballer with a poor attitude.

Maybe he needs to grow up, and id love to give him the time to bloom here, but leading the line in the title run in is not a job he is ready for. Not saying dzeko is mind, but i cant view balo as an automatic starter the way aguero and tevez would be i both fit.

I suspect inthe weeks to come, balo will get game time, but tevez and aguero will start most games wide with dzeko in the middle.

OK first of all that first paragraph is nonsense. The attitude part I will give you to a degree...although I just think he is a bit of a whackjob rather than having a poor attitude. And like you I hope that most of that falls away as he does grow up. Very average footballer though...come on John, that is just silly.

In terms of who will get gametime, I think you will be surprised at the amount that Mario will get. I think it's clear that Mancini rates him more highly than Dzeko (whose attitude...for different reasons as it relates to his on-field application....is similarly suspect and has less variety in his game to trouble opponents than Mario). Can't see Carlos starting for another few games at best and I think Mancini would be wary of even risking running Sergio into the ground as if he gets crocked we are fucked.

Plus...on the Carlos/Sergio point, I remain unconvinced as to how well that could combine for us in a forward line that also includes Silva and Nasri. I think too many people getting in each other's way unless you task Nasri to stay out wide, where he is manifestly much less effective. That is why I think Balotelli will be getting gametime...and quite a lot of it.

If I'm wrong you can come and cock a snook at me....I have broad shoulders

[CityGer]

haha...I am really curious as to why you dislike the lad so much. It's a blight on your otherwise top draw judgement. I fully understand why people get annoyed/frustrated at him but you clearly just don't like him and never have??? Do you not like Italians Doug? ;-)

I think you are dead wrong as to whether he'll play...I bet you he starts and I'd suspect that the criticism he got this week will provoke a performance from him.

I think your last comment is an important one. Id hope a title race or Europa semi final place would be sufficient to provoke a performance from anyone. Part of the problem is that Mario contributes when it suits him and he didn't deem the last two games as worthy of his full commitment.

Not only was his work rate appalling but I actually thought his attempt when clean through on Cech was complacent and lacking any sense of responsibility.

[ant london]

I just think that there is a clear pattern to how Mancini handles him and usually his response. He'll yank him off and/or publicly slate him and then...when people think he's going to be out of the team he starts.

I fully get why people tear their hair out about Balotelli but honestly, give me Mario on a bad day over Edin on a bad day...any day. There is still a chance that when Mario is out of sorts he will pop up and score or create something. When Edin is poor it is worse than playing with 10 men as ultimately you have one of the team almost actively assisting the opposition

[Douglas Higginbottom]

Any 11 without Mario in it.Keep him as impact sub.if needed.

haha...I am really curious as to why you dislike the lad so much. It's a blight on your otherwise top draw judgement. I fully understand why people get annoyed/frustrated at him but you clearly just don't like him and never have??? Do you not like Italians Doug? ;-)

I think you are dead wrong as to whether he'll play...I bet you he starts and I'd suspect that the criticism he got this week will provoke a performance from him.

As I have said before it's not that I dislike him and the Italians bit is ludicrous as you clearly know. I actually think the biggest problem I have concerning Mario isn't with him at all but with the fans who idolise him ,put him on a pedestal even though he has done so little for the club.I do not think it is justified as simple as that. Zaba yes but Mario no.

He has talent of course he does but nothing like the mercurial magical talent that some would have it.I have no doubt that there has been the odd moment of pure quality on the pitch but the special status that he has with some fans is really more to do with his alledged off the field antics which in reality are almost all the figment of this strange world we now live in.

I have watched many games and Chelsea would be a prime example where he is off the pace,looking for the referee to give him something he doesnt deserve and not contributing anything to the team.On the contrary he gives the ball away far too easily,more often than not doesnt chase and harry opponents and scarily if he does "try hard" he seems to be very likely to do something stupid and get booked or sent off.Even against Chelsea he lost the ball badly once and petulantly flicked out.The lino flagged but the ref ignored as Chelsea came away with the ball.

City like to play fluid football with close inter passing and to be honest he isnt best suited to that as his touch simply isnt that good.He has some great ability but it shows up rarely in games.The opposition know what he is all about and can so easily press his buttons.Yes he is a young lad but he isnt that young and is clearly a slow learner.If he did what he does but it was regularly interspersed with loads of class moments that win games then fair enough but that's not the case.

I agree there is a strong chance he will play today as Mancini does seem to handle him that way and I pray it works if he does.The long chat I saw Mancini having with Mario yesterday wasnt a row as the papers would have it but I would say a home truths session in front of (although out of hearing distance) where he spelt out his expectations....AGAIN.

I watch him day in day out in training.Mario on a bad day over Edin on a bad day.That's a close one but I think it would have to be Edin because Mario on a bad day is 100% certain to get sent off but I do know what you mean.

[Im_Spartacus]

OK first of all that first paragraph is nonsense. The attitude part I will give you to a degree...although I just think he is a bit of a whackjob rather than having a poor attitude. And like you I hope that most of that falls away as he does grow up. Very average footballer though...come on John, that is just silly.

In terms of who will get gametime, I think you will be surprised at the amount that Mario will get. I think it's clear that Mancini rates him more highly than Dzeko (whose attitude...for different reasons as it relates to his on-field application....is similarly suspect and has less variety in his game to trouble opponents than Mario). Can't see Carlos starting for another few games at best and I think Mancini would be wary of even risking running Sergio into the ground as if he gets crocked we are fucked.

Plus...on the Carlos/Sergio point, I remain unconvinced as to how well that could combine for us in a forward line that also includes Silva and Nasri. I think too many people getting in each other's way unless you task Nasri to stay out wide, where he is manifestly much less effective. That is why I think Balotelli will be getting gametime...and quite a lot of it.

If I'm wrong you can come and cock a snook at me....I have broad shoulders

Not saying he wont become something much better in time, but when you take him as a package, he stinks the place out as often as he has a good game. Some would say his games swing from the sublime to the ridiculous, but i havent seen, with the exception of the fa cup final, the sublime on enough occasions to balance out the ridiculous.

Granted dzeko has swung between mediocre and ridiculous which is why i can see how mario gets the game time he does. But when mario is not in the game, he is just as bad as dzeko, with the added complication of a propensity for getting sent off.

I have to admit that last season i despised mario for some of his displays, and he has won me over a little by putting the ball in the net more often this year, but i just cant warm to him because like we have argued about dzekos overall game, mario is just as bad, just as often - but he gets cut miles more slack than edin because he is "mad, mercurial mario"

At the moment i dont see the mercurial bit though. (edit, unusual, but telling that doug and i have used identical words here)

As for tevez and aguero - shouldnt be on the same pitch if 2 up front, but as the wide players in a 3, aguero has looked amazing when he went wider he last 2 games, and we know herman played that wide slot for united to good effect. I suppose either mario or dzeko could thrive in that formation. I see silva getting a rest, but for home games id be tempted to play yaya, silva and nasri - the latter played well with a 3 in front of him with excellent movement giving him gaps to play ibto. For away games drop one of silva/nasri for barry.