A Progress Report on Manchester City's Squad Entering March International Break
After the brilliance of last season, when Manchester City won two trophies and scored well over a century of goals in all competitions, this season has seen regression and disappointment.
Out of the Champions League at the last 16 stage after a poor group campaign saw them scrape through and get dumped out of both domestic cups in dreadful fashion, they are also trailing Chelsea in the Premier League.
Question marks over Manuel Pellegrini’s future persist, but can he take all of the blame? His players have let him down badly on occasion, and it now seems likely there’ll be some major surgery to the City squad this summer.
Here’s a progress report on every player on the City squad so far this season.
Joe Hart: B
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Joe Hart’s rehabilitation over the last 12 months has been impressive. Having been dropped from the side for six weeks last season after a run of dreadful form, he has returned a far better goalkeeper.
Distribution remains a problem, as does his ability to command his area when balls are delivered in from wide areas, but his shot-stopping and all-round confidence have improved considerably.
His display against Barcelona in the Camp Nou last week was his best in a City shirt, eclipsing his great performance against Borussia Dortmund back in 2011.
Willy Caballero: D
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Signed from Malaga in the summer for £4.2 million, Willy Caballero has so far failed to suggest he deserves to take Hart’s position as City’s first-choice goalkeeper.
Opportunities have been limited, but when he has been given a chance to play, he’s looked well short of Hart’s level.
Pablo Zabaleta: B+
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Pablo Zabaleta has had a poor season by his high standards but has still been one of City’s best and most consistent players.
The right-back has set the bar so high during the previous three campaigns, that any slight dip in form, like the one he has suffered this term, is seen as a disaster. He’s been solid.
Bacary Sagna: B-
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Clearly the second choice behind Zabaleta, Bacary Sagna, who signed from Arsenal in the summer on a free transfer, has found opportunities limited, and talk has now turned to a move away from the club after just one year.
When he has played, he's looked solid defensively but lacking in an attacking sense, something which is truly highlighted when Zabaleta plays and offers so much more going forward.
He’s proven to be an able deputy capable of giving Zabaleta a rest, but it seems he may well search for more regular football in the next transfer window.
Vincent Kompany: C-
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The City captain, Vincent Kompany, has had a poor campaign. Injuries have, once again, played their part in disrupting him, but his form has been well below his usual level. He’s looked rash, both in the tackle and positionally, with the calming influence of old replaced by a liability.
He found himself on the bench for the recent match with Leicester but has since returned to the side and looked less vulnerable, and Pellegrini will be hoping he can return him to his old self. City need him. At his best, he’s the finest defender in the Premier League by some distance.
Martin Demichelis: B+
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City’s most consistent defender for a time now, 34-year-old Martin Demichelis has turned his form around dramatically.
Last season, after an injury forced him to miss the opening weeks, he struggled to settle. However, since a wonderful display away at Hull last March, his form has been superb.
He reads the game wonderfully and deserves the new one-year contract extension he signed recently.
Eliaquim Mangala: C-
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City’s big summer signing, Eliaquim Mangala, has had a mixed season.
At times he has looked wonderful, a mix of phenomenal pace, strength and aerial ability. Too often, though, he has looked nervous and uncomfortable in possession, which has led to him being in and out of the side.
The problem for Mangala is, because of the transfer fee and the overanalysis of football in the modern world, he has been given very little time to settle. He’s been judged harshly, with football’s short-termism creating a cacophony of criticism.
He’s shown enough to suggest that he can be a quality defender, given time to settle. Whether that’s what the club expected given the fee they paid is anyone’s guess, but there’s some real potential in Mangala.
Dedryck Boyata: C-
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Dedryck Boyata has only played four games this term, but he’s done enough in those games to suggest he’s nowhere near as bad as perhaps some thought going into this campaign.
It seemed the only reason he was offered a new deal to remain at City this season was because of his club-trained, homegrown status. He’d often looked dreadful in possession and positionally unaware, but this season he has performed rather well.
He’s not about to force his way into Pellegrini’s first XI, but he’s shown he’s not the disaster waiting to happen some considered him to be.
Gael Clichy: B-
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It’s beed a mixed season for left-back Gael Clichy. He's veered from the ridiculous to the sublime in the most dramatic fashion imaginable.
His start to the season was woeful. He looked shorn of any confidence and completely exposed. Players were finding it too easy to go past him, and he was a liability to the team.
However, a dramatic u-turn ensued. Suddenly, he was defending superbly and providing some real quality going forward down City’s left flank. It’s form which has seen him confirm his superiority over Aleksandar Kolarov and reaffirm his status as City’s No. 1 left-back.
Aleksandar Kolarov: D
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It’s been a poor year for Aleksandar Kolarov.
The performance level the Serbian has shown has been nowhere near good enough, and it would hardly be a surprise of the club were open to offers this summer.
He’s been poor defensively, and the attacking capabilities he showed last season appear to have deserted him. A huge improvement is needed.
Fernando: C-
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It can sometimes take time for a player to adapt to a new league and new surroundings. Fernando, brought in from Porto this summer, has definitely found making the transition from Portugal’s top flight to the English Premier League a difficult one.
His feet are too slow and his passing too conservative. Early Man of the Match displays against Newcastle and Liverpool hailed him as a new star, but since then he’s struggled, save for the odd fleeting performance.
Fernandinho: B
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Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho is another whose season has been a mixed bag. After his wonderful form last season, which saw him achieve fan-favourite status, this campaign started slowly. Some suggested it was a hangover from his World Cup involvement, but whatever the reason, City were without the same player they enjoyed in his first year at the club.
But he’s since addressed the issue and shown his best again. He is a fine box-to-box midfielder, full of energy and capable of pressing the opposition and forcing mistakes. He makes blocks, tackles and interceptions and can pass with accuracy to start attacks.
He’s an important player for City. When he plays well, they tend to perform better collectively.
Yaya Toure: B
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The form of Yaya Toure may have been a concern in the early weeks of the season, but he’s shown emphatically since then that he remains arguably the most important component on the City team.
Driving runs and accurate passing remain his most striking attributes, but his all-round energy and power make him a unique talent.
Frank Lampard: B
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Arguably City’s signing of the summer, Frank Lampard has made some significant contributions, despite being used sparingly.
The 36-year-old, who will leave the club at the end of the season and join New York City FC, has been used as mainly as a substitute, but his goals against Chelsea, Hull, Leicester and Sunderland have been important contributions.
Jesus Navas: B-
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Heavily criticised for the quality of his final ball, Jesus Navas remains a frustrating player for City fans.
Overall, though, he’s been very good, a player whose work rate and professionalism make him very difficult to drop. His pace is a constant outlet, and he frightens defenders who fear him running in behind, stretching the game and giving City options.
For the price City paid, he’s been a good addition, bringing pace and width to a squad previously bereft of both.
David Silva: B+
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David Silva is probably City’s best player in what’s been a rather disappointing season. He is the most technically gifted and creative player on the squad, and the reliance on him is understandable, given his talent. He's scored 11 goals in the league this season—the most he's ever managed in a single season.
His eye for a pass and ability to control the tempo of a game is remarkable.
Samir Nasri: B-
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Samir Nasri has once again showed what a talent he is.
There are very few players in the City squad better in possession than Nasri. He retains possession brilliantly with a mix of skill and tenacity.
His displays in December were superb, particularly in Rome, where City’s 2-0 win over Roma saw them progress to the knock-out phase of the Champions League.
James Milner: B
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What a season James Milner has had. After being somewhat underused last season, Pellegrini appears to have realised what an asset he is this time around.
However, it may be too little too late. Milner appears ready to leave in the summer when his contract ends. If that is the case, City will miss his versatility, work rate and all-round quality.
Stevan Jovetic: D
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Poor. Stevan Jovetic looks likely to leave City this summer after an underwhelming campaign.
His first season at the club was blighted by injuries, and in between his layoffs he showed flashes of star quality. This season, largely free from injury concerns, he’s not been anywhere near good enough, too often looking clumsy in possession and poor with his decision-making.
His omission from the Champions League squad surely spells the end.
Edin Dzeko: D+
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The hero of last season’s title run, Edin Dzeko, has had a campaign to forget. He’s managed just four goals and has struggled to impact games in the way he knows he can.
With Wilfried Bony’s arrival in January, does it spell the end for Dzeko? Only time will tell, but City would do well to remember his tendency to score crucial goals in pressure situations.
Sergio Aguero: B+
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Sergio Aguero is the best striker in the Premier League. He’s scored 23 this season, despite suffering injury layoffs—a remarkable haul that further underlines his potency in front of goal.
He has pace, intelligence, and great movement and balance. Trying to mark him is a nightmare.
Wilfried Bony: C
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Bony only arrived in January and went straight off to play for Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations, so his sample size is small.
He scored his first goal for the club on Saturday, a wonderful finish into the top corner during City's 3-0 win over West Brom.
His all-round display was superb, but in some of his other appearances, many of which were as a substitute, he has struggled to make an impact. He needs time to show what he can do.
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