Edin Dzeko eyes winning title with Manchester City after £27m move | Football | The Guardian
Dzeko has agreed a 4½-year deal, though the 24-year-old has not signed in time to make his debut in Sunday's FA Cup third-round tie at Leicester City. Instead his first appearance will come next weekend in the Premier League fixture at home to Wolverhampton WanderersThis is great news for fantasy managers as Dzeko is a world class player that we can grab for incoming transfer money, hopefully 6-something.
It will be fascinating to see how this affects City - and I almost want to convene another blog roundtable. But here are my initial thoughts:
Mancini has been playing possum for the first half of the season just waiting for this. He knew he would get Dzeko in January and has been putting out his teams to get through the first part of the year with the intention of staying in touch with the leaders. Leading the league was probably never in his thoughts, and the fact that they're so close to the top is probably only gravy for him.
Dzeko is a polished Andy Carroll. He can score with either foot, is great in the air. An all-around striker. And he'll be on a team with players that can - and will - get him the ball.
He has to switch to a 4-4-2 with Dzeko and Tevez in tandem. There's too much ego - and too much money - involved for him to do anything else. Barry will likely be the player sacrificed as de Jong and Toure can hold down the middle of the park themselves. Ideally, you'd see Adam Johnson and David Silva swapping flanks and sending in crosses towards Dzeko. Now City are an attacking team with depth and flexibility. Tevez can play as a false nine if Mancini wants to shut down an opponent, or Dzeko can play as a lone striker. Milner, Balotelli, etc give Mancini flexibility as they can play multiple roles through the middle or out wide.
The squad shake up we'll see will also help City. Adebayor can go now. Maybe he stays in England, but I would expect to see him in Italy where maybe he hasn't burned as many bridges. RSC can leave at the end of the month when Balotelli gets healthy again. That's two unhappy players gone. Even if just Adebayor goes, you've got a happier squad with less (not none, mind you.. not near none) propensity for drama.
As you can tell, I think this is THE signing that moves City into being the favorites for the title, in my opinion. Disagree? I would love to hear your take.
sorry jeremy but i think you have been drinking too much sherry over the holidays.granted dzeko is a fantastic player and will improve city for the second half of the season but to say they are favourites is unreal.2 points behind united and united have 2 games in hand.add to that city have to go to old trafford and i think they are battling it out with arsenal for second.and dont forget they were absolutely torn apart by arsenal in the last game.
ReplyDeletealso united have rooney coming back into form and valencia coming back next month and these 2 combined were worth over 20 goals last season which they have been missing this season.rooney has really missed the service of valencia in the first half of the season.my money will be on city next season though.and hodgson will be on the dole at 10am on monday after a 3 1 defeat to united on monday.you heard it here first
Love the analysis, but 'favourites' might be slightly premature. Ask again at the end of the month...
ReplyDeleteI thought he was left-footed. But most of goals in this video he scored using his right foot so I can see him as real thread.
ReplyDeleteI would agree that ManCity be favourites now. You forgot three things.
1) City need to learn to play with less than 3 holding midfielders :) They can easly loose more goals then..
2) Mancini played Tevez as lonely striker. Dzeko better fits to Target-Man / Lonely Striker role than Tevez. There are needed changes.
3) Silva and Adam J. arent the players who makes decent crosses into the box (look at Downing / Lennon when on form / Nani). Silva looks best as playmaker, when Adam Johnson finds his full potential when playing inside forward / winger.
Summary:
Belive or not but after all these thoughts I think that Mancini might convert formation from 4-5-1 into 4-3-3.
And it will looks like:
Hart
Kolarov - Toure - Kompany - Zabaleta
Barry/Silva - De Jong - Toure
Tevez - Dzeko - Balotelli/Johnson/Milner
But I most fancy 4-3-3 with Balotelli and Silva.
Kolarov as high playing Full-back (look at way Maicon/Ramos plays for national teams).
Barry/Silva choice depends on oposition class.
Balotelli/Milner as Right Winger or Johnson cutting inside.
city have a history of losing and no matter how much money you spend you can't stop that. I've said to all my city friends that ON PAPER they should win the title, mostly just because they're so easy to wind up, but thankfully this beautiful game is played on grass.
ReplyDeletewill city win anything? not if sir alex has anything to do with it.
@paul mac- I completely agree with you, United are 2 pts. ahead and 2 winnable games in hand...there's no way City are favorites. Sure they have gotten a great player but City has had a great amount of quality players...just that the chemistry has not been found. SAF would have made champions of that squad.
ReplyDelete@Birty- Yes, SAF will have everything to do with it. Although he doesn't have too many profile players, he has been developing the chemistry in the team...which is most important. He may not have the best players around, but he had been bringing them in to let them adjust with the team. Manchester United are a team that has understanding, the whole team, and City is a team that is just being born.
Agree with what others are saying. City improves, but long shot for favorite.
ReplyDeletea priori BFED status. very nice!!
ReplyDeleteRoy Hodgson has been mutually consented according to BBC...
ReplyDelete@Miec agree with your analysis.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Mancini is daring enough to shelf one of his 3 defensive mids and move to a 4-2-3-1 formation to accommodate all the attacking talent. I think Barry is the first to drop to the bench, as he is lead-footed and does offer much attacking/passing, so he is basically like a very poor grade mix of the other 2 holding mids, doing neither job particularly exceptionally. De Jong plays the spoiler so well and Yaya is much better going forward than people realize, and I think they good easily hold down the middle and shield the back four. So, will we see this line-up?
ReplyDeleteHart
Boateng/Kompany/Toure/Kola
De Jong / Yaya
Balo / Tevez / Silva
Dzeko
with Zaba + Richards filling in at the back when needed, and AJ + Milner + Barry as spare parts/MF subs.
Will be interesting to see how Mancini manages all the spots and egos.
its hard when you have to drop some of quality players with big wage in your squad..27 mil pound and his wage close to 120 mil pound of course,he will get a nod in the first eleven..i mean straight!!interested to see how mancini handle this situation..Milner, Barry and even balotelli is in danger!!
ReplyDeletehttp://tengkusidek.blogspot.com
I don't know, I think City has a lot more trouble creating goals than putting them away, and this doesn't do much to change that, unless you think it frees up Tevez or Silva to take on that role more fully, and you think either is capable of being a real #10. They either need a true playmaker or driving force in the attacking midfield role, or really good width and crossing if they want to create more goals from open play, and I don't think they have either one exactly. Tevez might be able to do it, but I worry about his passing and touch over the long haul in that kind of position. I want Silva to be better than he is, but he's looking more like a Modric than a Van der Vaart to me. A nice supporting creative player, but kind of a luxury and not a fulcrum to build your team around week-in, week-out. What they really need is for Yaya Toure to be... not Yaya Toure, but it's a little late for that. They'll still always be a tough out and I'd bet on 2nd or 3rd this year, with an outside shot at first if Man U. can't keep up the smoke and mirrors all season, but I don't think Dzeko will be the thing that puts them over the top.
ReplyDeleteGood buzz Jeremy! Driving the traffic, I see. Keep it up! :)
ReplyDeletep.s. The league is still Man Utd to lose.
-CVB
They do not care about dropping players. Look at the number of strikers they have! The other question is whether the guy needs 6 months to bed in...in which case he might as well not bother, cos they'll have bought someone else by then.
ReplyDeleteNo wonder they have no team spirit, imagine how p-off Balotelli is right now, he's been there for how long and they have essentially replaced him, never mind jo, adebayor etc
- Or the record signing of Robinho?! I haven't heard any news about him this year (Google news Robinho...6 goals for AC Milan, started in 13/17 games for them, seems to be doing well) Anyways, totallly agree that by signing everyone it only creates a stir of things at the club. Who's coming or who's going creates unrest. Lescott is another one too.
ReplyDelete- Whats wrong with being more like Modric than VDV? Modric is absolutely VITAL to the Spurs midfield. Hence, the first half in today's Charlton game...
- Just even MORE rotation at City, which puts me off. (Guys like Johnson/Silva/Balotelli)
-Owen
Dzeko wouldn't be in the game until after the wolves match, and his update value is what we'll get when yahoo adds, assuming he performs well fantasy-wise.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Dzeko gets into the system after the Pool/Pool match on Wednesday. #hopeoverexperience
ReplyDeleteThat would be my guess too Jeremy, strike at 8.5 as a spit in Bundesliga's face.
ReplyDelete