3 Manchester City Players Who Must Hit Form After International Break
Some may view Manchester City’s season as drifting into obscurity, but there is plenty for them to play for between now and May.
Manuel Pellegrini has overseen a disastrous Premier League campaign. Their top-four status is under severe threat. They sit fourth, just one point ahead of Manchester United and West Ham United and on the brink of slipping out of UEFA Champions League contention.
It would be disastrous if Pep Guardiola—the world’s most coveted manager who the club spent three years convincing to join them—was unveiled with City set to embark on a UEFA Europa League campaign.
They need to regroup during the international break, recover some injured players and return in better shape, ready to try to win their remaining games.
And they also have a Champions League campaign to negotiate. For the first time they’re through to the quarter-finals—a significant step for a club that has struggled in the competition for some time.
Pellegrini will leave in the summer and is in danger, as it stands, of leaving with his tenure sullied. The City fans are understandably unhappy with what they’ve seen for much of the season. The five-straight wins that opened the season seem like an awfully long time ago now.
As a result, every player needs to return from the international break prepared for one final push.
Here are three who have underperformed but could be particularly important in the final stages.
1. David Silva
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It’s been David Silva’s worst season as a Manchester City player.
It started so well, too. His form until the October international break was sensational—perhaps the best he’s managed—but an ankle injury sustained in Spain’s game with Luxembourg saw him miss seven weeks. He hasn’t been the same since.
We’ve only seen fleeting moments of his brilliance; his ability to control the tempo of games and create for those around him has reduced drastically.
He has, according to Pellegrini, been playing with ankle pain for much of the season. Not enough to see him out of the side, but enough to cause him discomfort.
After the recent 0-0 draw with Norwich City, Pellegrini told reporters: "We are always talking with the doctor and David. He feels some pain in his ankle, but he says that he can play.
"But I don't want to focus that we could not score goals [against Norwich] because David has a problem in his ankle because last game we scored four against Aston Villa.”
At his best, he’s the architect of City’s best attacking moments. They need him to find form quickly.
2. Nicolas Otamendi
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With Vincent Kompany out injured once again, the importance of Nicolas Otamendi is increased.
Eliaquim Mangala remains a liability and Martin Demichelis is suffering badly—close to retirement and short of the pace and sharpness needed to excel in the Premier League.
Otamendi missed the Manchester derby, leaving Mangala and Demichelis to play alongside one another. The consequences were dire.
Otamendi has been somewhat hit-and-miss since his move from Valencia in the summer, but with Kompany out, he’s firmly the No. 1 centre-back at the club.
Pellegrini needs him fit and in form.
3. Yaya Toure
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The difference in City’s play when Yaya Toure is performing well is marked and can be summed up in recent weeks.
For much of the season, Toure has been criticised, with his displays seen as largely ineffective and, at times, a hindrance to City’s play.
But he’s been much improved lately. Against Dynamo Kiev, Liverpool in the Capital One Cup final and Aston Villa, he was one of City’s best players, driving from deep and controlling the game with his passing quality.
He missed the defeat to Liverpool in the league and the 0-0 draw with Norwich, and his absence was keenly felt.
City need to see more of an in-form Toure for the rest of the season.
All quotes acquired firsthand unless otherwise noted.
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