When it comes to results, Roberto Mancini can be well and truly satisfied with the start to the season. City sit second in the Premier League, four points behind leaders Chelsea and that start, coupled with the victory over Carlo Ancelotti’s side, has led to claims that they are currently the biggest threat to Chelsea’s title charge. And yet news of a half-time spat between Mancini and his skipper Carlos Tevez in Sunday’s narrow victory over Newcastle, has led to the City boss acknowledging that changes are required.
It’s suggested that Tevez’ concerns, expressed so vociferously in the Eastlands half-time dressing room, concerned Mancini’s tactics. We’ve seen over the first seven games of the season that the Italian has adopted a cautious 4-5-1 formation, founded on a rock solid platform afforded him by a defensive midfield shield consisting of Yaya Toure, Gareth Barry and Nigel De Jong. In Fantasy terms this can be seen to have limited City’s appeal as a source of attacking points.
For a side that’s challenging for top spot, surprisingly only Tevez has presented a reliable Fantasy prospect, with Adam Johnson apparently threatened by the risk of rotation and James Milner rarely given the opportunity to get in goalscoring positions. City have scored 9 goals but our Members Opta stats show that they rank third bottom in terms of “Goal Attempts” – with just 59 efforts on goal; only Blackburn and Wolves have had fewer. That stat clearly illustrates the fact that City aren’t near firing on all cylinders as an attacking force.
That could well change in the near future. Significantly, yesterday’s reports stated that Mancini is looking to change the system, claiming that the current setup is “out of necessity”…
“Adebayor has just recovered from injury, [Mario] Balotelli not so. Without flying full backs like [Jérôme] Boateng and [Aleksandar] Kolarov, who can push forward, I’ve had to adjust the team to get results and stay in touch with the leaders. But only until everyone is back and fit.”
Such a statement not only suggests that we will see a more attacking approach from City, heightening the appeal of the likes of Milner and Tevez, but also that both Kolarov and Boateng have key roles to play in his future system. This would not only hint that these two look likely first choice options at the full-back positions, but also that they will be given the freedom to provide an attacking outlet.
Both Kolarov and Boateng have stalled as prospects due to injury, but both are now close to kick-starting their City careers. Boateng has started the previous two matches and would now see installed at right-back. Kolarov meanwhile has returned to training and could be in line for a return against Blackpool a week on Saturday.
While Boateng has the likes of Micah Richards and Pablo Zabeletta as competition for the right-back role, Kolarov will have to see off the challenge from an out-of-position Joleon Lescott and in the long-term, the threat of Wayne Bridge. To my money, the Serbian looks to have the more secure role as a result. Kolarov is also arguably the bigger threat to opponents – possessing a hammer of a left-foot which will surely fire in efforts on goal if he is afforded the freedom and room to explore the opponents half.
Kolarov is currently priced at 5.7 in the Fantasy Premier League game, with Boateng at 5.8. They would both present a route to City’s strong defensive potential which has, to this point provided 4 clean sheets. Whether Mancini’s new system and tactics will lessen their defensive resolve is something we can only speculate on. However, it’s clear that both Kolarov and Boateng are firmly in his the City manager’s plans as not only key defenders, but also major components in a new approach which may well see City unshackles themselves as an attacking force.
If you feel the need for further research, you can of course read our full Scout Reports of Kolarov and Boateng carried out in the pre-season.
