Summer Transfer Window 2018

[funky chicken]

Whilst on the subject of Noble, and given that he may not start and with Reid laid up, who does anyone expect to see captain the side (on the field at least)?

Cresswell? Ogbonna? Wilshere? Arnautovic?

I can think of 4 potential ones. But they all annoyingly have 1 big negative to their name.

Adrian: It's a shame he is a very shaky Keeper. And arguably wouldn't start in front of Fabianski. As I actually think Adrian would make a very good captain. The funny thing is I am not a big fan of Keepers being a Captain. Despite seeing the likes of Lloris and Heaton doing well. But I just think he has the right mix to be a good captain. He is very well liked, looks after his teammates off the pitch, especially the new players. And is of course very passionate.

Zabaleta: Bloody shame we haven't got a younger Zabaleta at his peak as he is the obvious choice. Will he start that much anyway after Fredericks signed? Didn't he captain when Kompany and Yaya Toure didn't play at Man City?

Rice: if he wasn't too young again another potential captain in the making. 22 is the absolute youngest age I would give the armband to a player. But as long as he stays and keeps improving I can see him becoming our new Mark Noble.

Wilshere: now I know he has just just joined. But again I think he has the makings of what could be a good captain. He is very passionate, a good talker and can lead by example in terms influencing a game. The negative as we all know are, you've guessed it - the injuries.

A bit concerning really isn't it that there is still not really a standout now to replace Noble as captain in the team just yet?

[westlondonhammer]

Disagree.

Pacey, athletic full backs are everything in his systems.

Zabaleta would be cover or considered for a holding midfielder role.

Bar the holding midfielder role bit i agree fully

Can't see him doing the midfield job in anything other than an emergency

[I am Lawro]

If Noble doesn't start, I imagine Arnie will be our "lead by example" captain. Adrian is captaincy material I think, but he's also unlikely to start!

[carnage]

The fact is that leadership can be as important an attribute as athletic abilities. Noble has it and I can’t see a single player we have signed, or have in the squad, that displaces him.

Put some pace around him, stop him having to play with his back to goal, and we don’t need a 30+ year old Yaya Toure.

There was next to no leadership on the pitch for most of last season. We capitulated far too often.

[hammer1975]

I love Nobes and would like him to play as big a part as he could.

But the way to that isn’t to set him up for a fall by putting him as part of a 2 next to players who have been here the last two seasons and failed to stem the flow of counter attack goals and collapsing mentally when we concede a 2nd, then 3rd, then 4th.

If we want Noble to play any part then it has to be alongside someone not already at the club.

[TheHandOfDog]

All this talk for and against Noble is boring now, it's really up to Pellegrini and what he wants out of a certain player in a certain position. If Noble brings that then great, if he doesn't then expect him to play a lot less and maybe become surplus. We need to get players to play in MP's system, anything else is irrelevant.

[Mayday]

Did I just see right that a poster on here cited 'fantasy football' as a basis for an informed opinion?
Something that has 'fantasy' in the title?!?

[Calverley Hammer]

There was next to no leadership on the pitch for most of last season. We capitulated far too often.

And I’m hoping that some technical, pacey players up front might help us hold on to the ball a little better this season and prevent that from happening. That doesn’t mean to say we have addressed all our issues - more that I can’t see Noble being budged by the players brought in.

[Hammers1man]

Zabaletta for holding midfielder anyone?, he has played there before and it's a position Pep saw him playing in the future before he sold him. Would be a great captain also

https://www.mancity.com/news/first-team ... lding-role" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Colours never run]

Nobles problem in recent seasons, is he actually got through too much work across the pitch. What he now needs is a more defined job where he isn't expected to get through so much work, ie sitting deeper winning the ball and keeping possession dictating play that way. He can't be expected to get up and down as much and he never had the pace to bail him out. Couple that with much better midfielder's/Forwards we have now bought surrounding him, who will share the workload more evenly, then a solution to last season's problem in that area of the pitch can be found with Noble continuing to Captain the side.

Obiang and Rice I suspect will be our DMs in the squad, unless a deal too good to be turned down materialises. We don't need to panic buy which is a nice position to be in now that pretty much all our incoming business is done.

[Monkeybubbles]

It's good that we now have some competition for places. Too often we've had players ducking responsibility because they've known that they can't be dropped. You feel that Manny won't hesitate to hook someone if they don't stick to the plan.

[Monkeybubbles]

Nobles problem in recent seasons, is he actually got through too much work across the pitch. What he now needs is a more defined job where he isn't expected to get through so much work, ie sitting deeper winning the ball and keeping possession dictating play that way. He can't be expected to get up and down as much and he never had the pace to bail him out. Couple that with much better midfielder's/Forwards we have now bought surrounding him, who will share the workload more evenly, then a solution to last season's problem in that area of the pitch can be found with Noble continuing to Captain the side.

Absolutely 100% bang on

[mumbles87]

Obiang and Rice I suspect will be our DMs in the squad, unless a deal too good to be turned down materialises. We don't need to panic buy which is a nice position to be in now that pretty much all our incoming business is done.

Spot on. The best bit is we aren’t in a panic buy situation now

Half our problem before was leaving the buisness late and then playing hard ball when clubs knew we were desperate so we were screwed from the off

Buisness is basically done by mid July

Gives them pre season to gel..

Once that window “slams” shut happy days

[Elmo'sIronBorn]

Nobles problem in recent seasons, is he actually got through too much work across the pitch. What he now needs is a more defined job where he isn't expected to get through so much work, ie sitting deeper winning the ball and keeping possession dictating play that way. He can't be expected to get up and down as much and he never had the pace to bail him out. Couple that with much better midfielder's/Forwards we have now bought surrounding him, who will share the workload more evenly, then a solution to last season's problem in that area of the pitch can be found with Noble continuing to Captain the side.

This

[mad maud]

Has anyone considered that Reece Oxford is a candidate for DM as well?

[Gazzaloz]

Nobes won’t let us down.

[goingunderground]

Has anyone considered that Reece Oxford is a candidate for DM as well?

Hope not. We’ve not seen anything - bar one game against Arsenal a million years a go - to suggest he has the talent or character to play for us in Premier League. Maybe if we get relegated twice he stands a shot.

[Bury Me @ The Boleyn]

Maybe if we get relegated twice he stands a shot.

Think you're being a bit harsh considering he played in the Bundesliga last season.

[bubbles1966]

Nobles problem in recent seasons, is he actually got through too much work across the pitch. What he now needs is a more defined job where he isn't expected to get through so much work, ie sitting deeper winning the ball and keeping possession dictating play that way. He can't be expected to get up and down as much and he never had the pace to bail him out. Couple that with much better midfielder's/Forwards we have now bought surrounding him, who will share the workload more evenly, then a solution to last season's problem in that area of the pitch can be found with Noble continuing to Captain the side.

Obiang and Rice I suspect will be our DMs in the squad, unless a deal too good to be turned down materialises. We don't need to panic buy which is a nice position to be in now that pretty much all our incoming business is done.

None of that addresses our biggest weakness - conceding goals.

All the players mentioned were wobbling about ineffectively in thrashings at places like Southampton and Newcastle last year in the formation Pellegrini is expected to play this season. There is no substantive reason to expect that to change, only blind faith.

If we get walloped at Anfield on day one,there is no time to 'panic buy' - or correct errors of judgement. The club will be stuck.

Our defensive record has got progressively worse over the last three years. It would be foolish to leave things be.

At this point, I fancy us to concede over 70 goals if we play 4231 all year.

[Cuenca 'ammer]

Don't buy it bubbs..

we are going to be scoring for fun, we have a new goalie and an upcoming ready made replacement for Umtiti
at CB with a Paraguayan international on the bench.

It's true, because I read most of that on here.......