Manchester City: Jesus Navas Gives Manuel Pellegrini Edge Roberto Mancini Lacked

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini will deploy Jesus Navas in ways that will make the Sky Blues' attack unrecognizable from the occasionally turgid style favored by erstwhile boss Roberto Mancini.

To be fair, Mancini did not have Navas at his disposal last season. There is no point in speculating how Mancini would have used Navas, though Mancini's comfort level with funneling his side's offense up the middle of the pitch suggests that Navas would not have been his type of player.

But Mancini's predilection for narrowing the attack left his squad vulnerable against lesser sides willing to play for a draw. Scoreless matches at West Ham United, Queens Park Rangers and Swansea City were as debilitating to City's Premier League title defense as any of their losses were.

Let's agree after this discussion never again to mention City's abject, uninspired loss of the FA Cup to Wigan Athletic.

That match was probably the last straw for Mancini, which was fitting since it was Exhibit A of the Italian's unwillingness or inability to adjust his attack to cope with a lesser opponent's clogged midfield.

Out with the old and all that, as Pellegrini announced to the world, per Goal.com, at his press conference earlier this week that:

"

Fans of Manchester City will see a different way to how they have played in other years. I don't know if it's better or worse but we will see by the scores we get against other teams.

We will see an attractive team playing in the opponents' half, we will try to be an attacking team. All the teams I worked at before did that and that is why I am here now.

"

Navas is City's most crucial acquisition with reference to that attacking style thus far in the transfer window, because he will provide speed and skill from the right wing that City so desperately lacked in recent seasons.

Scott Sinclair could doubtlessly tell you plenty about Mancini's apparent disdain for wing play.

As described by Adam Shergold of The Daily Mail, "Navas offers raw pace. Standing just 5'7" tall, he's slight of build and fleet of foot, so if the wing-back can keep up with him, City could be very dangerous in two-on-one situations in wide areas."

Navas' pace and accuracy have inevitably led to comparisons to other Premier League stars. Perhaps the most flattering such comparison is to Tottenham Hotspur supernova Gareth Bale.

According to Simon Mullock of Mirror Football, Navas' Spanish national team colleague Andres Iniesta sees significant similarities. "Navas is a very special player. He is going to cause the defences in the Premier League a real problem," Iniesta predicted.

“Jesus has so much speed, and his feet are so quick...the only player that I can compare him with that is already playing in England is Gareth Bale," the Barcelona midfielder added.

Perhaps everyone should take a deep breath after that comparison. Maybe Navas can move with Bale's pace, but Bale is half a foot taller and where Navas is primarily a facilitator, Bale finishes as many plays as he creates.

Still, we are here to praise Navas, not to bury him. The Sky Blues already have a number of players on the roster capable of converting chances, and if the reports on Alvaro Negredo are true, per Charles Perrin of The Express, Navas will rarely lack for places to go with the ball.

For his part, Navas has said all the right things about his move to the Premier League and to Manchester City.

“Manchester City is an exciting project and this is the right moment for me to take this step. I'm very happy with the opportunity and the decision," Navas said upon his signing, according to the club's website.

City fans are undoubtedly as excited to see Navas take the pitch as Pellegrini must be.

Regardless of the results of the changes, at least initially, the excitement of Pellegrini's use of Navas will bring promises to make City a more watchable and entertaining side.

Given how last season ended, few City fans can dispute that change is good.