Manchester City’s Next Signings

If Manchester City can sign Kaka, the question then becomes what system will Mark Hughes play at City and what pieces are needed to make the system work. With City out of the F.A. Cup, Kaka’s debut could be at home to Newcastle on January 28th.

U.K. reports have it that Mark Hughes will switch to a new 4-1-4-1 system once Kaka arrives. The front 4-1 will consist of Wright-Phillips, Ireland, Kaka, Robinho, plus a new center forward. This attacking line-up calls for a strong target man who can lay the ball off to Robinho, Kaka, and SWP. Roque Santa Cruz fits that role perfectly and I expect him to be in a City shirt for the Newcastle game.

That is the easy part of City’s line-up. The back 4-1 still has some holes. Currently the back four looks like Zabaleta, Dunne, Richards, and Bridge, with Kompany in a holding midfield position. That line-up does not excite me as much as the front five do.

Zabaleta, Richards, and Bridge, and Kompany are solid, but not spectacular while Dunne is a weak spot, especially is City are to challenge in Europe this year. A new center-half should be on Mark Hughes’s wish list for this January shopping season.

Hart is ok, but it is quite obvious that Hughes wants an experienced goalkeeper. After enjoying the consistency of Brad Friedel for the last couple of years, Hughes is not ready to go back to the ups and downs of a young goalkeeper. Whether Hughes can get someone like Buffon in this month remains to be seen, but if he doesn’t upgrade his goalkeeping this month, he most certainly will in the summer.

The other area that Mark Hughes needs to address is the lack of depth on his bench, especially up front. Adding Craig Bellamy and Scott Parker this month and Michael Owen in the summer will add depth and Premier League experience to the City squad.