Manchester City: Full Report Card for Every Position for October
Manchester City were fortunate that their schedule in October only included five matches in all competitions.
The international break saved City from inflicting even more damage to their Premier League and Champions League hopes than their uneven October performances did.
City are now the worst kind of club because you can never say with certainty what you will get from them on a given matchday. They are capable of eviscerating Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, only to blow a two-goal lead to an inferior CSKA Moscow club on Tuesday.
Not surprisingly, the grades for City's players are similarly all over the place. Some of City's players are worthy of high honors. Others, from a playing-time standpoint, should receive in-school suspension.
Another month has fallen from City's 2014/15 season calendar. It was another month City will be just fine with seeing in the rear view mirror.
Players are graded here from "A" (top marks) to "F" (failing grade). All five matches, including the Capital One Cup match with Newcastle United, were considered.
Goalkeepers
1 of 8
Joe Hart
Hart played four times in October. Neither the loss to West Ham United in the Premier League nor the draw with CSKA Moscow in the Champions League were down to an error from the goalkeeper.
Particularly, City needed only to kill off about eight or nine more minutes against the Russian side to claim three invaluable Group E points. The equalizer came from a penalty kick. That is not Hart's fault.
Also, Hart's stop of Roberto Soldado's penalty in City's Premier League match with Tottenham Hotspur was an important moment in the match. City's problems are all over the pitch, but they are well-situated with Hart in goal.
Grade: A-
Willy Caballero
Caballero only played in the Capital One Cup match. He could have done quite a bit better with Rolando Aarons' shot from a sharp angle, but his save of Paul Dummett's volley more than made up for any culpability Caballero may have had. He was also unnecessarily exposed by his defense on Newcastle's second.
This grade is indicative of both the small sample size (one match) and of the quality of the side in front of Caballero (no Vincent Kompany, no Sergio Aguero).
Grade: B+
Right-Backs
2 of 8
Pablo Zabaleta
Zabaleta was conspicuous throughout September for the wrong reasons. He missed City's match at the Etihad with Bayern Munich due to suspension and he received a red card at the Etihad against Chelsea in Premier League play.
Zabaleta's October was significantly quieter, but that does not mean Zabaleta's play was much better. You barely notice when he is out there any more. Quietly, Zabaleta's drop in form is having a dulling effect on City's offense and by extension City's season to date.
He needs to improve quickly, or his understudy might get the chance to play the starring role.
Grade: C
Bacary Sagna
Sagna only played against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League and Newcastle United in the Capital One Cup during October. City trounced Spurs, and Newcastle's first goal did not come through Sagna's side.
The second one sure did, though. Sagna's challenge on Moussa Sissoko was non-existent. No wonder Zabaleta's job is so safe.
Grade: C
Left-Backs
3 of 8
Aleksandar Kolarov
Kolarov is having one of those seasons that unfortunately tend to happen to offensive-minded defenders. He has no goals and one assist in Premier League and Champions League play this season.
No one is asking Kolarov to become a prolific scorer, but he is not a strong-enough defender to rely only on his play in that half of the pitch to justify his place.
Kolarov's foul in his own box in the dying minutes against CSKA Moscow cost City two points that may eventually keep City out of the knockout stage in the Champions League.
That error alone justifies this grade, as would have Kolarov's hacking down of Gabriel Obertan against Newcastle had that rightly been deemed a foul.
Grade: D+
Gael Clichy
Clichy only played twice for City in October. He was not asked to do all that much against Spurs in Premier League play.
Clichy was only okay against West Ham, but he had a lot of company in that regard. Pellegrini might turn to Clichy more often only because Kolarov has been so ineffective.
Grade: B
Centre-Backs
4 of 8
Vincent Kompany
Kompany's form has suffered at the hands of both his manager, who stubbornly insists on playing two strikers, and his fellow back-liners who as indicated earlier just have not been all that good thus far.
But where Kompany is really getting killed is being stuck with the next two guys as centre-back partners. Is it too late to get Joleon Lescott back? For that matter, could Matija Nastasic really be worse than them?
Grade: B-
Eliaquim Mangala
City are in real trouble with this Mangala situation. They spent a ransom on him, and Mangala's play is not improving. He was worked over by West Ham and wasn't especially strong against CSKA Moscow, either.
If City had not spent so much money on Mangala, he would be hammered to the City bench next to Nasatasic. As it stands, Pellegrini has to feature Mangala regularly and hope that the pricey defender plays himself into form. Here's hoping.
Grade: D-
Martin Demichelis
Demichelis only played against Spurs and Newcastle United. That was Demichelis you saw loping into the picture just as Rolando Aarons' soft strike slipped past Caballero for a Newcastle goal.
If they kept statistics on that sort of thing, Demichelis would probably lead all defenders.
Grade: C
Central Midfielders
5 of 8
Yaya Toure
Recently I wrote that Toure has been City's most disappointing player thus far this season. Little time has passed since that piece ran, and nothing has changed.
Grade: D-
It says a lot about the way City have played this season that Lampard's early exit in the Spurs match cost City an important offensive cog. You would never have believed last spring that City could be so reliant on a player on loan from Major League Soccer.
Lampard did very little in two abbreviated appearances. Some of this grade is probably a carryover from his incandescent September.
Grade: B
Fernandinho
As vital as Fernandinho was to City's Premier League title run last season, it is hard to figure how or why he has fallen out of Pellegrini's favor this season. You can argue that Fernando is getting a lot of Fernandinho's playing time, but it is sort of hard to say why that is happening.
There is only so much Fernandinho can do in substitute appearances, though his shift against Spurs when Lampard went down was really good.
Grade: B+
Fernando
Like Mangala, Fernando was a high-visibility transfer acquisition. As such, Fernando is being featured perhaps more than he ought to be. He missed all of September due to injury and has worked his way back into form.
Some of the problems Fernando has had derive strictly from how bad Toure has been. But if Fernando were excelling, some of Toure's problems might not be so evident.
Grade: B-
Wingers
6 of 8
David Silva
Silva remains one of the very few City players the team can rely on every time they take the pitch. He tried to will them back for a result against West Ham. Perhaps it is no surprise that City completely fell apart when Silva left the Newcastle match early.
If Silva misses the upcoming derby after getting injured in a comparatively meaningless Capital One Cup match, the entire coaching staff should be suspended if not dismissed. What a horrible decision to risk such an important player in that match.
Grade: A-
James Milner
Milner was presented an opportunity in October through Samir Nasri's injury and Jesus Navas' poor form. He seized it.
The Englishman registered an assist against Aston Villa and a very important goal against CSKA Moscow. If Toure tried as hard as Milner does...oh, never mind.
Grade: A-
Samir Nasri
Nasri played only an hour against Newcastle United, so his grade is Incomplete.
Jesus Navas
Navas assisted Silva's goal against West Ham. That is about all you can say for his October. Navas does not play enough to merit a higher grade, nor does he play well enough when he is out there.
Milner is playing most of the minutes Navas used to get, and that is one of the better decisions Pellegrini has made this season.
Grade: C-
Forwards
7 of 8
Sergio Aguero
Aguero was City's best player in September, and he was their best player again in October. He scored six goals in all competitions for City this month. That's good, right?
Grade: A+
Edin Dzeko
Dzeko is working plenty hard, but despite starting three of City's five matches in October and appearing in four of them, Dzeko did not score a goal for City this month. That's bad, right?
Grade: C
Stevan Jovetic
Speaking of City forwards who did not score in October, it's Stevan Jovetic! And where have you gone, Alvaro Negredo?
Grade: C-
Manager
8 of 8
Recently I expounded at length on Pellegrini's obstinate, misguided insistence on playing with two strikers. Then City went out and lost to Newcastle at home in a Capital One Cup match. It's too bad Pellegrini didn't read that piece of mine. He might have learned something.
City played five times in October, winning twice, losing twice and drawing once. Is Sheikh Mansour really going to be satisfied with a .500 club? What about Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain?
Pellegrini's job is not at risk, but the way this season has gone his honeymoon from winning the league last season may end much sooner than anyone would have thought.
Grade: C-
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