Its quite
early in the summer transfer window and at this point when some clubs are still
scouting their primary targets, the English giants Manchester City have moved
quicker than any of their rivals. Plugging their holes from the last season,
the Citizens have already captured Jesus Navas and Fernandinho.
18YB looks at the two men individually
and sees how they both fit into this star studded line up.
Jesus Navas
PROFILE
NAME
|
Jesús
Navas González
|
AGE
|
27
|
POSITION
|
Right
midfield
|
TRANSFER
VALUE
|
25,000,000
€
|
PREVIOUS
CLUB
|
Sevilla
|
However,
Manchester City’s new boss Manuel Pellgrini thinks that Navas could be the
missing piece of the jig saw puzzle and rightly so. A shrewd signing, Navas has
done excellently well for Sevilla down the right flank. Not only that, his
ability to play on the left flank as well makes him City’s much required find.
The Citizens do not have out and out wingers except for Scott Sinclair. The
likes of Samir Nasri and David Silva can fill those gaps, however, the two are
are comfortable when deployed centrally. Even when they are deployed on the
flanks they tend to drift inside trying to set up the strikers with precise
passes. Manchester City do have James Milner as their wing man but with him
performing in patches last season, it was required that a winger be brought in.
Pellegrini has been known to use the 4-2-3-1 with Malaga last season and he
could do the same with City. He could deploy Navas in the role of the right
winger whereas resorting to either Milner or Nasri on the left. He could rotate
with Silva or Tevez (only If he stays next season) behind Aguero. He also fits
into the 4-4-2 formation should Pellegrini experiment with that.
 |
| They need natural width |
Navas adds
an extra dimension to the City attack. He believes in hugging the by-line. His
pace coupled with his ability to drive at the defenders makes him a dangerous
player to mark. Not only this, Navas also has few tricks up his sleeve. His tendency
of pushing the ball behind the defender and getting behind him with speed makes
him a slippery customer. We can expect him to demonstrate some back flicks, dummies,
step overs and much more when he takes on the field.
The only let
down of Navas is his games to goals ratio. Having played a total of 283 games
in all competitions for Sevilla, Navas has only put 23 in the net- a ratio
which is worrying for a winger. However, when he does score, he does in style.
Fernandinho
PROFILE
NAME
|
Fernanado Luis Rosa
|
AGE
|
28
|
POSITION
|
Defensive
midfield
|
TRANSFER
VALUE
|
40,000,000
€
|
PREVIOUS
CLUB
|
Shakhtar
Donetsk
|
Fernando
Luiz Rosa or better known as Fernandinho, is a Brazilian midfielder who plied
his trade for Shakhtar Donetsk since the age of 20. After eight years of
service to the Ukranian club, Fernandinho has joined forces with Manchester
City for an astounding fee of 40,000.000 €.
The
Brazilian international caught the eye of the scouts with his stellar
performance against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge where he scored the second goal
for Shakhtar. Primarily a defensive midfielder, Fernandinho can play in a more advanced
role as well. This could be another shrewd signing by the former Malaga boss.
Ever since the departure of Nigel De Jong, City have been found wanting for a midfielder
who can break the opposition play and send them forward. De Jong was the unsung
hero in their title winning season making important interceptions and spreading
play from the central region. Although they have got Gareth Barry, the English
international is not one of the midfielders who would make crunching tackles
and if Yaya Toure is wandering forward City could get exposed to easy attacks. Jack
Rodwell is another candidate to fill that void. However, his inexperience sees
him perform in patches. Thus Fernandinho’s signing is a big boost.
 |
| City looked to have found his replacement |
Fernandinho
brings freshness to the City midfield and could fit in well in the 4-2-3-1
formation acting as one of the double pivot. His ball retention capabilities
and his defensive mind gives Yaya Toure the opportunity to be more adventurous, just
as City would like. The added bonus with Fernandinho is that he is not alien to
the attacking play which City musters up. Often known for making lung busting
runs in the penalty area, he could cause a surprise in the opposition box. This
along with his heading abilities and a clever mind could prove vital for City’s
title charge next season. He has a fantastic passing range and could be categorised as a box-to-box midfielder rather than a complete defensive minded one.
Hopes will
hinge on this signing as it is one of the big money moves this transfer market
has seen. Fernandinho would be asked to perform right from the word go and
failure to this might turn the fans against him.
The Final
Verdict
Manuel
Pellgerini’s new boys might be what City require for their trophy run next
year. This alongwith Champions League to come, City have the much needed bench
strength. It remains to be seen how they start off their English campaign but
one thing is for sure, City have done well to plug the gaps they left uncovered
last season.
Written By,
Rishabh Ghai
Rishabh is a writer for Goal.com India, International, contributor for AIS and a writer and editor for 18 Yard Box.
Follow Rishabh Ghai on Twitter
Great read mate. Keep it up.
ReplyDelete