Season so far: who's doing it for you?

So, we're 11 games in already. Who has shown you enough form to make you happy with them?

For me the following:

Hart
Sagna
Kompany
Mangala
Otamendi
Kolarov (as good as we could expect him to play)
Fernando
Fernandinho
Silva
Kevin
Itchy
Navas


Or you could give all the players marks out of 10.

Difficult as 1/2 of em have missed 1/2 the matches but I'll give it a go

Sergio had a poor start, then looked good, got injured, then poor again, great, then injured again

Navas has played well in a few games but is still fuckin hopeless at finishing which is very frustrating

For me these 4 have been far better than I expected this season - KdB, Kolarov, Sagna & Dinho. The others have blown hot and cold or been injured

Sagna, Mangala, Kolorov - all exceeded my expectations in the defence.
Otamendi - 2 MOTM awards, but I'll hold fire on any judgement.

Silva, apart from his injuries - was just hitting top form again.

KDB - unbelievable start, but has passed like Navas in the previous couple of games.

Navas - done an excellent job this season, even if he can't finish.

Fernando and Fernandinho have both been very solid.

Sergio - nothing more to say really. Simply brilliant, simply frustrating.

Bony - worked hard for the team, but will always get stick if he doesn't take his chances.

Kelechi - done well when he's come on. Still a very long way to go yet.

Sterling - had a great start, dropped off, but he showed when he came on against Norwich, why he'll be an important player for us.

TLMLF - sorry, think he's had another bang average season so far. Nowhere near the influence of 2 seasons ago. The little comments have started again and for me, somebody who is on £250k pw, should be doing 5x more than he has for us in the last 18 months.
I liken it to Rooney. He's the Captain, highest paid player, but not putting it in.

Oh, and his attitude will always piss me off.

Bony is unlucky at the moment. He's had a tough start being away with ACON and then injured and not really getting a run. If Sergio has blasted those two opportunities as wide and as high as Bony did, we'd have more readily accepted it. Sergio had earned that with his exploits for us, Bony needs to earn that. He's a different player too as he doesn't really seem to go into chasing around the defenders.

I'm sure Sergio would have hit one or both across the keeper rather than aim for the top corner.

Easier to say who hasn't done it so far for me -

Caballero - Not good enough, even as backup, certainly does not warrant a foreign space in the squad, should be replaced with a home-grown keeper

Nasri - Not getting fit enough or getting game-time. Pulled up last time he got on the pitch so hard to say he isn't doing it, just not had a chance this season.

Toure - He is in the mood for about 10 minutes each game, then just stands by as the game goes round him for the rest. Much rather see the 2 ferdys in DMF roles and Toure dropped.

Sterling - Needs to move off the left more freely, even try to switch to the right. Against United it was plan to see Valencia was on hatchet job and KDB wasn't getting any joy against Rojo yet we didn't even try to swap them over.

Bony - Just seems to be not as good as Dzeko. How many strikers in the leage would be bagging 2-3 goals a game with the chances he was given the other day. He isn't world class. He is mid-table leading man material.

Moonchester wrote:Bony - Just seems to be not as good as Dzeko. How many strikers in the leage would be bagging 2-3 goals a game with the chances he was given the other day. He isn't world class. He is mid-table leading man material.

That's a bit harsh, saying he's worse than Dzeko. Two of the three opportunities Bony had, Dzeko wouldn't have had at all.

just written it all out thought i'd sent it & it appears I didn't just think in all honesty Bony has been good far better than Dzeko in his strength at holding up a ball  , touch airial ability , his awareness of others around him even his finishing as dzeko was a 1 in 8 bony a 1 in 5.

I just think that Bony and Dzeko don't suit our play style that well..
Get Falcao.. he's going cheap isn't he?  )))  could do a back-up role to Aguero  :p

Ha ha! Falcao is even more shit than Samaras!!!

Who's done it:
Hart
Sagna
Otamendi
Mangala
KDB
Navas
Fernandino
Silva

Who's not done it:
Vince
Aguero
Bony
Nasri
Yya
Sterling
Kolarov
Fernando
Zabba

try again..

 Caballero a total waste of space & wages.

Hart been superb for me one mistake this week , but count the number of times he has saved us especially in Europe far out weighs one mistake.

 Plusses have already been noted: Mangala, Sagna both Ferny's, Kompany, Silva ( injuries not withstanding) Kdb brilliant signing.

Otamendi unspectacular start but really growing in stature now, always difficult due to fans expectations , a large transfer fee & adjustment to the premier league.

Sterling has been a bit inconsistent  but people have to remember he is only 20 & still learning his trade plus playing in a new team with a new set of players I think he has shown more than enough to suggest he is going to be a useful squad member.

Aguero. Injury aside how can you fault him, even when he was going through a scoring drought ( by his standard) he still worked tirelessly for the team & was still getting in scoring positions. But for a couple of top saves by begovich he would have had a hattrick v Chelsea & a couple against spurs but for 2 top saves from Lloris.

Demichellis, Nasri, Delph hardly any game time to pass judgement.

Iheanacho showing a lot of promise has feet firmly on the ground very pleased with his contribution so far.

Navas , Kolarov:   Navas is as already said, a frustrating player. If he could beat a man & put in some wicked crosses on a more consistent level then he would get more acclaim. We didn't buy him for his goal scoring prowess which is just as well so  I am not to concerned other than he does need to bag the easy ones especially when he has gone around the keeper with the goal gaping. Kolly started well but imo has dropped off a bit lately.

Zabba was just starting to get in the groove then injury struck again so sadly will have to start again.

Clichy  100% consistent.

As I stated earlier I am more than happy with Bony a much better option than Dzeko.

Finally yaya I have just got so used to him doing it occasionally then going missing but just when you think he really is a waste of space he pops up with something.  Annoys me  but I can tolerate him as long as we are winning. I do wish though he would at least look interested sometime to go with all the talk he does.

Moony if falcao is available id say ignore it. Seems Remy at Chelsea appears happy playing second fiddle  so he would be worth a punt has a good goal to game ratio.

We could recall Jovetic too  )
I just think Bony isn't fitting our system.

we are nowhere near the quality or consistency of teams like Barcelona or Bayern but if we want to be then we have to keep the fast pace going and stop strolling about the park which simply lets teams get at us more. We need to keep pressing with pace and pushing them back. If we had done this against the rags and Norwich we would won comfortably. Players like Navas and Nasri (i know Nasri was not invovled in the games i mentioned) simply slow the pace down too often, they get the ball in advanced positions then pass sideways or back more often than they do forwards. 
Bony needs to bag a couple of goals to build his confidence, i think that he is now trying too hard as demonstrated by the glorious chance he tried to break the net with and blasted it wide, if he had shown more composure he could have curled it or simply hit it low inside the post.
He terrorised teams for Swansea, top scorer 2 seasons running, thats not the Bony we are seeing but it illustrates that he is capable of much better.

why recall a sick note. We have enough at the moment?

Kelechi should get the nod for me at the moment up top until Sergio is fit..

I think Kelechi needs to be kept hungry. He wasn't great on Saturday and I personally thought Bony created his own chances.

I'd hate to see too much pressure put on such young shoulders. Yeah, he scored and assisted last week against Palace, but back in the PL, he had a poor game when he started.

Would personally start Bony, lose this 4-4-2 nonsense until Sergio is back, fit and firing, with Kelechi making sub appearances.

I agree about Willy....poor, poor keeper. Would play Gunn in net as a back up keeper and give him some PL experience.

Din't bother with Nasri and Delph as they've been non-existent.

I get the point made about TLMLF playing for 10 mins, then nothing - until he might do something, but how many has he scored this season? How many assists for £250k pw?

Not for me I'm afraid...10 mins out of 90 isn't what I want from our 'supposed' senior players.

I remember his two first half lashes. One was a pass from Itchy and the other from kevin.

Yaya spends most of his time doing these 5 yard passes sideways or backwards with the odd longer range pass mixed in with some fouls and whinges.

I wasn't just referring to Sat's game Dawg - I meant in general, but agree, he seems to be desperate to score, so it's not coming natural to him like at Swansea.


As for TLMLF...I won't go there.

Trouble is did you see TLMF interview on BT with Plug Fredinand?  family is proper settled in Manchester and he says will live here when he finishes playing.   So no way is he going to want to move now?  He will want a big extension this summer and will probably get it knowing us.

I know I was harsh on Bony on Saturday but I'm still not convinced, I think he got in the way of Kelechi and they didn't play as 2 up top.   I would like to see how the kid plays on his own to make a better judgement.

KDB - Excellent, worth the £$£$£$£
Sterling - Was Good until KDB arrived who stole his thunder, needs to learn where he fits in.

Nasri knows he is gone in Jan and even without the injury it showed

Defence are a bit of an enigma, started off amazingly which I think surprised them, but been better again of late.   Beardy man is certainly growing on me, but feel a bit sorry for Mangala which is the most improved defender.